Eurythmics had one thing their MTV-era synth-pop contemporaries didn't: Annie Lennox.

The singer brought warmth and depth to a genre that was usually lacking in those departments. Dave Stewart's production and arrangements on the majority of the nine albums the duo made pushed Lennox to find the human element in their music, as you'll see in our list of Eurythmics Albums Ranked in Order of Awesomeness.

They started like most of their New Wave peers at the start of the '80s, tinkering with synths and the brand new musical worlds they promised. But by the time of their second album, the breakthrough Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This), they were aiming for something more.

With their next two proper albums -- 1983's Touch and 1985's Be Yourself Tonight; there was a soundtrack sandwiched between them -- Eurythmics laced their occasionally chilly synth-pop sound with some genuine bursts of soul (Aretha Franklin even showed up on one of their albums to sign a duet with Lennox). After that, they expanded into harder, rock-driven territory.

Not all of it worked. They could never totally shake their synth-pop roots, and Stewart's expert but clinical production was glossed over to the point where it could counter Lennox's big voice. That led to some rocky moments as the '80s winded down, with the singer on one side and her do-it-all partner on the other.

They eventually called it quits at the end of the '80s, but reunited for one final record a decade later, after Lennon and Stewart both launched solo careers with varying degrees of success. At their best, Eurythmics found the common ground among pop, New Wave and soul, and their best records remain highlights of the era, as you'll see in our list of Eurythmics Albums Ranked in Order of Awesomeness.

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