The Tourists - Luminous Basement

The Tourists' third album found the group continuing to expand its musical horizons, especially by integrating Annie Lennox's keyboards into the mix, while maintaining their basic pop/rock focus. Peet Coombes's lyrics had an inward-looking, psychoanalytical focus, and Lennox, on her one contribution, "One Step Near the Edge," maintained that introspection, while Dave Stewart brought in a Yardbirds-like raveup in "Let's Take a Walk." "Don't Say I Told You" showed that the group could still come up with an ear-catching single, but it and the album enjoyed only modest success, and in a developing group, momentum is important. Thus, Coombes and bassist Eddie Chin broke off to form the Acid Drops (who have not been heard from since), while Lennox and Stewart became Eurythmics.

The Tourists are best remembered as the launching pad for Annie Lennox and Dave Stewart prior to Eurythmics, but in its three-album existence the band released some truly excellent power pop that stands strong on its own. In fact, the only major similarity between The Tourists and Eurythmics is that Lennox and Stewart were involved in both. Musically, the former took a much more organic approach to pop, emphasizing 60s-styled, Byrds-eque guitars instead of cold synths. Also, Lennox wasn't fully in the spotlight yet, as lead songwriter and guitarist Peet Coombes shared lead vocal duties.

The band's third and final LP, Luminous Basement, didn't score any significant British chart success as singles (I Only Want to Be With You, So Good to Be Back Home Again) from previous albums had, but it remains a strong power pop record with plenty of memorable, energetic tunes such as Angels and Demons, Don't Say I Told You So and So You Want to Go Away Now.

After the release of this album The Tourists fizzled out as Lennox and Stuart broke off to release the experimental "In the Garden," their debut record as Eurythmics. The rest is history, and sadly The Tourists have remained unheard by even many fans of the duo.

Ripped from the 12 track US edition to MP3

A1 - Talk to Me
A2 - Walls and Foundations
A3 - Week Days
A4 - So You Want to Go Away Now
A5 - I'm Going to Change My Mind
A6 - One Step Nearer the Edge
B1 - Don't Say I Told You So
B2 - Angels and Demons
B3 - Time Drags So Slow
B4 - Let's Take a Walk
B5 - From the Middle Room

B6 - Round Round Blues