Montreal-based Lime made some great Hi-NRG/disco numbers in the 1980s, many of which were popular. Among those was 1983’s “Angel Eyes.”
“Eyes” is an upbeat, ecstatic cut that could be heard in clubs all over in ’83. It followed a long line of popular Lime songs, such as the No. 1 dance-chart hit “Your Love,” “Unexpected Lovers,” and a slew of others.
There’s a lot to like in “Eyes,” whether it’s the much-beloved remix, which I’m reviewing, or one of the other versions out there. It’s got a kinetic backbeat and a complex array of colorful, soaring synthesizer parts that fly around each other just enough to keep things interesting, but not so much that they lose their attachment to the synth-bass and drum-machine rhythms.
The vocal interplay between Lime principals Denyse and Denis LePage (now known as Nini No Bless) is also a high-point of the song. Denis’ raspy chants contrast Denyse’s R&B siren work with an artistic ease. There’s a tongue-in-cheek delivery that they nevertheless deliver with some earnestness. It’s a great pairing.
One thing I find interesting about the duo is that even at their highest levels of fame in the 80s they opted not to tour as Lime. Instead, they had younger singers perform for them, according to Discogs. Initially, it was Joy Dorris and Chris Marsh, who was replaced later by Rob Hubertz. Dorris and Hubertz continue to perform as Lime today, according to Wikipedia.
The LePages divorced in 1988 and Denis worked with a bunch of other singers before eventually undergoing gender reassignment and recording as Nini.
It seems as if Nini and Denyse are somewhat active on Facebook — they allegedly administer a Lime page together.
Check out the song below. It’s a Spotify embed, because Lime’s label, Unidisc Music, has had all the YouTube videos of the original song pulled, as far as I can tell.
ReSounds is a new Vehlinggo column dedicated to older and contemporary classics that deserve another look.
