Tears For Fears

[alan nagsworth]

Can't seem to find another thread of these, and can't say I like any other pop music from the 80's except this band, which I just recently realised are brilliant. Downloaded their Greatest Hits and was impressed, although I can't say I'm all that keen on the slow, ballad kinda tracks too much, but their songs are really inventive for a band of that era and the lyrics are very thoughtful.

There's obviously gonna be some fans on here.

[Emergency Lalla Ward Ten]

Mother's Talk is a great lost 80s single.

[Paaaaul]

I love 'em.


They are a real "album band", so you're not going to be getting the full greatness of the band by listening to the hits cd.
Their first two albums are easily their best.

1983 - The Hurting is a great introspective paranoid album about madness and childhood. It has a very early-80's production which hasn't dated too badly. If you've listened to the best of, you'll know Mad World and Pale Shelter, both of which make a lot more sense in the context of the album. It's not a happy LP, but one that you'll want to drink a warming cocoa with in front of a log fire [/twat] Title Track Download
1985 - Songs From The Big Chair has most of their most famous stuff on it, Everybody Wants To Rule The World, Shout, Head Over Heels et al. The album is very mellow with pop hits through it. If you only know the singles, you'll probably be quite surprised by the jazzy nature of the album. The jazzy bits will grow on you, so stick with them. This is probably the album of their's I listen to the most, as I find it easier going than The Hurting.


Honourable mentions should also go to:-
1989 - The Seeds Of Love, which they spent years making and includes the amazing Beatles-tastic Sowing The Seeds Of Love. This is a madly overly-produced album where some of their jazz/muso excesses went mental producing a number of horrible and overlong tracks including the fuck-awful Woman In Chains. If the ballady track you didn't like on Greatest Hits were Woman... and Advice For The Young At Heart, you should probably get the first two before this one.The good bits are great though.

&

2004 - Everybody Loves A Happy Ending , "the comeback album" after Curt Smith rejoined the band after Roland had made a couple of meh TFF albums on his own. Worth the price just for the title track. Download here

[Ray Le Otter]

"Songs From The Big Chair" is an absolutely fantastic album, cruelly overlooked in the "all mid 80s albums are shite" critical reassessment of the last decade.

If you only know the singles, well yes you do know over half the album, but the other tracks are a treat. "The Working Hour" is a brooding heavy piece, whereas the second side ("I Believe"/ "Broken" / "Head Over Heels" / "Listen") has to be listened to all in one go to get the full impact.   

The Deluxe version has the b-sides, single mixes and everything and is a delight.

Give it a go - it's a lot less twatty than you'd think.

(Oh and a big shout out for "Johnny Panic & The Bible Of Dreams". Top b-side and remix from the "Seeds Of Love" era)