Tears for Fears: C or D?

Search: "Mad World", "Shout", "Everybody Wants To Rule The World", "Mothers Talk", "Sowing The Seeds Of Love", "Shout", "Head Over Heels", "Shout" and especially "SHOUT".

'Advice For The Young At Heart'
'Woman In chains'
'Laid So Low (Tears Roll Down)'
'Elemental (Album)'

'Sowing The Seeds Of Love's is great tho, i think the way the song has three stages and the way they are sequenced is utterly superb...i mean the bit where the brass comes in taking over from the existent verse/chorus sequence...AND THEN that amazing 'Lucy In The Sky...' style rip off towards the end - supoib, tho you could just listen to 'Sgt Peppers' i suppose

the hurting is CLASSIC

DESTROY: Everything after SONGS FROM THE BIG CHAIR

Not sure about that 'last New Wave' bad claim.

Woman in Chains. No!

I just bought a v.cheap compilation in Fopp - they weren't very good is my expert opinion. "Pale Shelter" is pretty smart though. Spandau Ballet did it all with much more panache.

My wife was *B L A S T I N G* Spandau Ballet all day yesterday (courtesy of the GOLD best-of,.....god help us).

TFF-wise again, yes...."Woman in Chains" is gawdawful. But there's simply no arguing with "Change," "Pale Shelter" and "Mad World." Hell, I still love "Shout" and "Head over Heels" as well.

Spandau Ballet, though? There is a special circle in Hell reserved for me where that is all they play.

I don't really see what Spandau Ballet have got to do with it, Tom.

And "Sowing the Seeds" is quite perfect, for what it is, which is the best Beatles homage that XTC was too anal to ever truly accomplish. Partridge actually did a fair amount of mentoring for Roland and Curt--I bet he was pissed off when they outdid him on this one.

My crackpot theory: Tears for Fears was not a very original band at all, but every time they took on a challenge they met it. I am at work now so I can't spend time defending this theory. Maybe I'll start a blog or something.

My son's favorite song these days is "Everybody Wants to Rule the World," which he was singing while sitting on the toilet this morning. (He's four, so it's still cute.) At least he wasn't singing his second fave: "Shout, shout, let it all out..."

Always thought it sounded too much like Elton John slaughtering "I Am the Walrus."

Early SB is full of angst!

Great news is that Roland and Curt are now back together recording a new Tears for Fears album. And about time, too.

TfF, on the other hand started out as repressed middle-class Montessori school weirdos - ten years earlier they woulda been into Genesis... the first two lps really define 80s progpop (see also Blancmange, Kershaw, Jones). They got into "soul" in the same way someone like Peter Gabriel did - as though they at last had found their "true voice" and got a bit less uptight, but more pompous (and less fun).

I had a wonderful emotional experience with an unintentional soundtrack of "Everybody Wants To Rule The World" late last year, which makes it hard for me to discuss the song objectively. I've always thought it was TFF's best moment.

I do sooo love "Head Over Heels," "Shout," "Everybody Wants To..."

"Sowing The Seeds Of Love" rocked my world as much as any other cassingle. My mom wouldn't let me by the album cuz she looked at the song listing and noticed "Woman In Chains" "Bad Man's Song" and the songs about Knives and assumed they were metal or something, or at least violent and mysoginist.

They were pompous assholes though. I never liked "Change" but after I saw the video on VH1 Classic I turned around. Orzabal looked so cute dancing around with those kabuki people.

Relatively smart new wavers=classic, definitely

Oh please......labels labels labels. Boring boring boring.

Blancmange were a brilliant, witty, much underrated band who should've been a whole lot bigger than they ever were.

Progpop? I smile as I type it, even......

spandau were better cz there were more of them

http://www.btinternet.com/~d.i.w/Dublin_Castle_210401.htm

you can see what Blancmange vocalist Neil Arthur is up to now. Click around the place and you might even see me!

I don't see what the problem is with calling Blancmange, TfF, Howard and Nik etc etc progpop - it was lots of people who in a previous time would have been making concept albums but because of synthesizers/not having to form a band/no need for drum solos - wound up making daft - often enjoyable - synthpop instead. Part of the fun of it and the reason it was so odd, was that they really didn't have a feeling for/much knowledge of pop - which divides them from popswots/Bowieboyz like ABC, Human League, even Spandau Ballet...

Jerry - I'm a label-phobe through and through. I hate the determination people seem to have with 'boxing' and 'labelling' music. It's so, so pointless. And 'progpop' is a new one even by me.

Nah, Blancmange were musicians, not flimsy synthy pop. And bloody good songwriters, too (we can forgive them 'The day before you came'....).

I think Jerry nailed it, actually. Also the TFF best of has been growing on me, chiz chiz.

(But Spandau were still better.)

Spandau wins because they seem at all times to be saying something, unlike Duran Duran who should have just gone ahead and sung in fake Esperanto

And is the better for it!

Tears for Fears -- unbelievably classic, beyond words. Roland Orzabal is a gorgeous man with gorgeous vocals and is a highly underrated guitarist. Curt Smith also has a gorgeous voice and is happily multitalented. *sighs*

I would say SEARCH The Hurting, Songs From The Big Chair, and Raoul & The Kings Of Spain (the last one seems to be to my fellow TFF fans what Medazzaland seems to be to my fellow Duran fans). Possibly DESTROY Elemental, but that could just be because I felt like it was a bit too straight-ahead pop for me.

btw, this thread revival is SO right on the mark, because next month the newly reformed TFF will release a brand new album!! *squeal!* It's called Saturnine, Martial, & Lunatic, and I'm so looking forward to it! Roland and Curt are BACK!

even "hey jude"?

*snort* You know, the sad part is that you're probably right. Aw.

Proving that she has very unpopular tastes in just about everything,

got that right here.

"Listen" is classic beyond belief.

TFF are one of those bands where I have minimal objectivity - I love it all (except Curt's solo work, arf!). _The Hurting_ and _Songs From The Big Chair_ expressed everything I felt at 17 and were one of the introductory points to a whole world of music beyond Casey Kasum.

The reunion album was genuinely fantastic - and I had pretty low expectations. Roland's solo album is a louder and more aggressive than TFF stuff, good stuff.

Annoying note about the recent deluxe Big Chair - it left off "The Conflict" found only on the 99 remaster!

Yes, "Listen" is especially good.

a whole world of music beyond Casey Kasum

I love this phrase, we really do think alike, Mr. Odd.

CLASSIC to the 1 x 10^150th degree.

The Hurting_ and _Songs From The Big Chair_ expressed everything I felt at 17 and were one of the introductory points to a whole world of music beyond Casey Kasum.

Except: Casey counted down all those Big Chair singles.

Except: Casey counted down all those Big Chair singles.

Oh, the irony! I was totally stunned the first time I heard "Everybody Wants To Rule The World" in a mall or someplace.

Oh I know, man, I never expected any of that album to break in the States. I was pretty certain they were going to stay a British phenomenon! It's just freaky the way some things cross over and some don't.

Such an odd album too! Bedsit miserabilism sits comfortably beside arena rockism.

The only huge album of its era to which I can compare it is So.

Playing "The Hurting" now in its entirety, and feeling weird.

I mean I bought that LP back when but I really don't remember a damn thing about it, so this is just downright weird.

No one's mentioned Pharoahs yet. Really surprised.

i've been fascinated by this band the last month or so.
some really compelling tracks and some fantastic lyrics.
essentially a wonderful singles band, i guess. i find it hard to connect with a number of the songs as they play out on the albums.

Yeah, I really never get over these guys. Pulled out a bunch of remixes and single versions someone gave me recently. "The Way You Are" is a fun track.

I just bought a ticket to see Tears For Fears at a winery just outside of Seattle in July. Am I happy and in shock? You better fucking believe it.

Winery?

What is that, an offlicense?

Hahah no, I've actually been there, they grow the freaking grapes there and everything. If you take a tour, they'll show you the oak barrels where they age their Chardonnay.

I don't think they make any pink wine, though, which in my opinion is an awful strike against them, but I do believe I had a pink champagne of theirs once.

My mom's an "American Idol" addict who called me last week raving about Adam Lambert's "Mad World" ("I'm sure I've heard it before, it sounds so familiar") and even got me to d/l and email her a copy

Tears For Fears at a winery

Well, they are a very whiney band.

Sorry.

*bah dum dum* **crash**

Anybody seen them live recently? I'll probably go see them Saturday night because it's a free show and all, but I was wondering how they're managing these days.

just saw them last night and it was a pretty great show, did all the songs you'd expect about as well as you could hope for

Last week I actually heard "God's Mistake" at a CVS.

they played my 2 favorite songs at the end of the main set and i just took out my earplugs and felt total euphoria for a few minutes

Good to know, thanks!

I have a friend whose last name is 0yarzaba1, and I always wanted her to marry Roland of this band so she could be Mrs. Orzabal-0yarzaba1.

Saw them in Boston and they ruled! Played a surprising amount of stuff from "The Hurting" and at one point Roland said, "We're not just known for our 80s hits you know... OK, we are!".

haha he did that EXACT same patter at the Baltimore show

Any album tracks worth noting? I'd flip if they played "The Working Hour."

i love the last song on big chair i wonder if theyd ever play that one live

Their Robert Wyatt cover is great, sea song. Not as good as the original but what is?

i see they are playing in september (that is some planning ahead for them) around here. too bad bimble isn't around to weigh in on the show he saw ...

but all the youtubes of their shows in 2010 point to it being a good time. maybe a little bit too much of a good time.

Go see them! They killed last year, and who knows how long they'll keep going. No idea if a new album is in the works but I'd welcome it.

i heard a couple of their classic songs like shout etc. in an early 90s film and immediately it was like the music of a long gone era, the 80s. they are about as far from 90s as the 1910s are from the 1920s.

That's true.

total classic, i just bought their songs from the big chair dvd

too bad they're only doing a west coast tour /:

Dug out The Seeds Of Love for a listen this afternoon, and 'The Year Of The Knife' just blew my fucking mind all over the place. Yeah, it's totally overdone and overproduced in every possible way, but my god the track just gets me so amped up in the best way possible.

"Advice For the Young at Heart" is so pretty: this reflecting pool of sound.

Is it really overproduced if it's so fucking great? Love these guys and can overlook almost everything. The reunion album is ridiculously fun.

Let us not forget that Jennifer Lynch scored one of Julian Sands' scenes in Boxing Helena to "Woman in Chains."

I loved that song so much I bought the first solo album from Oleta Adams. Which I promptly sold.

The reunion album is ridiculously fun.

― Gerald McBoing-Boing, Monday, November 26, 2012 3:22 AM (1 hour ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

IS it?? i have to check that out cause i used to LOVE these guys.

Oh yes - it's great to hear Curt sing again and the Beatles homage are flying left and right, all with Roland's unique sense of sound. It's on Spotify so get to checking!

I still own the Adams album; it ain't bad.

Soto otm re: 'Advice For The Young At Heart', it's a gorgeous Curt vocal - and the piano on it sounds incredibly beautiful. Lovely chorus, too.

I listened to The Seeds Of Love again in bed last night with the headphones on, and I found the album was absolutely perfect for that setting. The first side of the album is impeccable, in my humble opinion - as for the second side, the only track I'm not too keen on is 'Standing On The Corner Of The Third World'... but the closing three are again absolutely wonderful. There's some great live versions of these tracks floating around Youtube as well! The production style on it is often criticised, and yes, it IS overdone and overproduced - however, I'm finding that this is one of the reasons I'm enjoying the album!?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1UcE36uNvoA

"Elemental" is their weakest album, and yet it still has KILLER bits like the epic "Goodnight Song". The next album, "Raoul And The Kings Of Spain", is underrated in their catalog, it's really strong all the way through.

Everybody Loves A Happy Ending is definitely worth a listen - especially anyone here likes later period XTC, although it reminds me quite a great deal of the Boo Radley's Kingsize album in places too, weirdly.

And yeah, McBoing-Boing, I completely agree about Raoul And The Kings Of Spain and prefer that one over Elemental myself, too :)

*that likes

just in case anyone was wondering, 10 years later I totally love "Woman In Chains"

I love the way that 'Woman In Chains' builds up from that tiny intro up to the "SO FREE HER" outro.

Are there any interviews/articles etc. out there documenting the making of The Seeds Of Love album? I'd be very interested in hearing the details of how this record was made, probably even moreso than Songs From The Big Chair...

ditto

Here's one.

good read! had no idea they discovered oleta adams in a hotel bar in kansas city

She was also their pianist on that tour. I think it works;

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_QziJg1I-BA

I've been geeking out on ]The Seeds of Love since this thread revival btw

I've been geeking out on ]The Seeds of Love since this thread revival btw

― the little prince of inane false binary hype (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Wednesday, November 28, 2012 12:03 AM (1 minute ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Yeah, the very same! I've been kinda stuck on it for the last few days: listening to it on headphones, analysing it, poring over it, getting lost in it... there's so much stuff in there. Funny thing is, I've had this album for quite a while now, but I can't ever recall immersing myself in it to the degree that I have over the last few days!

Cheers for the link, anyway, Alfred - just about to give it a read :)

Elemental is a pretty cool record, i get that goofy "bring to me my big old sweater" song stuck in my head all the time

"Cold" is the jam.

DOG'S MY BEST FRIEND'S DOG however

An enterprising deejay should play it after Pearl Jam's "Pilate."

lol

Christ almighty, they spent 10 months working on the record (The Seeds Of Love) with Chris Hughes and then junked the whole lot before starting afresh? Assuming those tapes haven't gone missing/been overwritten/been erased, just imagine the amount of alternate takes and versions there must be of these tracks!?

Over two weeks spent editing various takes for the drums together for 'Badman's Song'!? Talk about meticulous.

The Seeds of Love is Talk Talk's Spirit of Eden beholden to boomer notions of love, peace, and jammin'.

With a bit of Skylarking thrown in, too.

Over two weeks spent editing various takes for the drums together for 'Badman's Song'!? Talk about meticulous.

― The Jupiter 8 (Turrican), Tuesday, November 27, 2012 7:45 PM (27 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

the hilarious thing is that was AFTER they decided to 'simplify' and get away from overly programmed music!

Yeah, it's like they couldn't completely shake off their perfectionist tendencies. Which is completely fine with me, I guess, because the end result sounds great. Those editing sessions must have been really fucking tedious to get through, though!

Eh, this was just them indulging their inner Peter Gabriel (not a coincidence both Phil Collins and Manu Katche play drums on the record). Tears For Fears was always a prog band at heart, bless 'em.

Well, none of the tracks sound Gabrielicious.

No, but they are fussy.

It's interesting that the linked article mentions The Blue Nile, because I was given both "Hats" and "The seeds of love" for Xmas 89 and even then it seemed like different sides of the same studio perfectionist streak - both had been long anticipated albums, but one seemed 'bigger' than the other. I love "Badman's song" the most, tbh. There's so much going on and considering the work that went into it, it does sound almost spontaneous. What's with that lone reverbed handclap during the piano breakdown halfway through the song?

Yeah, I completely agree - even though the album has been pored over and pieced together meticulously, it still ends up sounding more organic and less 'rigid' than Songs From The Big Chair. I think if there's any track on Songs From The Big Chair that points the way to The Seeds Of Love, it's probably 'I Believe'.

I need to check this album out after all this talk. Love the couple songs I know from it, but never heard the rest.

Elemental is patchy, but "Cold" and "Fish Out of Water"... I have a lot of time for those songs. And of course "Break It Down Again." I saw them live a couple years back and was very surprised to hear them play that last one. I figured it was one of those songs they would forget happened - made in Curt's absence, not a big hit comparatively.

Just as an aside, I love how Curt Smith issued a solo album under the name of "Mayfield" because ... er ... Curt Is Mayfield!

it being their last real hit of any consequence counts for a lot, i think. it's aged well, too!

xpost lol that never occurred to me. i thought Mayfield was a group, though?

There's at least two references on "Seeds" to "Big Chair" - Curt sings "Working Hour is over" on "Advice" and Roland sings "...if you're a worried man, shout about it" on the title track. Are there any others?

just a couple beatles geeks trying to look through a glass onion

yeah Orzabal-Smith sound like they heard and loved only two Beatles songs: that one and "I Am the Walrus."

I love it how the lyric "the sun and the moon, the wind and the rain" keeps popping up every so often throughout the album. It's on 'Woman In Chains', 'Year Of The Knife' and 'Famous Last Words'... it's definitely intentional.

Faith can move mountains, BUT MIND OVER MATTER WON'T STOP ALL YOUR CHATTER, NO!!!

Regarding Everyone Loves A Happy Ending, 'Call Me Mellow' is like the best song that Andy Partridge never wrote and included on a late '80s/early '90s XTC album!

Exactly. It's such an up, joyous album, kind of a full-circle from "The Hurting". It's nice they (and I) grew up and out of miserablism.

I agree. They wouldn't have been being true to themselves if they'd made a miserable, downer album in the same style as their first one... not to mention it could have sounded completely ridiculous if they'd taken that approach!

The Seeds Of Love seriously doing it for me right now... again!

I finally checked out The Seeds of Love... wow. Granted I knew 3 of the 8 tracks, but I adore the album's use of texture, especially in the quieter tracks. Moody, downbeat, yet somehow colorful. It's fussy exactly in the way I like fussy. The only track that threw me was "Badman's Song", which is a real curveball, but I plan on sinking into this album some more. Reminds me a lot of the path Talk Talk took.

ctrl+f "Talk Talk"
Yeah looks like Alfred had the same thought as me. Oh also, the guitar tone they use on "Year of the Knife" is magical.

Nice one, Vinnie... it really opens itself up with repeated plays on headphones, too... there's a lot of detail in there!

I was just listening on Spotify over crappy laptop speakers, but even from there, I could tell there's a lot of detail baked into this album. Plan to make my next listen on headphones.

"The Working Hour" is made for car boomin' systems.

SftBC is such an awesome sounding record.

There's a forthcoming 4cd box set for The Hurting coming soon!

Way too much Hurting for me.

http://www.superdeluxeedition.com/news/tears-for-fears-the-hurting-four-disc-box-set-exclusive-details/

The Hurting has a few good tunes (I don't see "Watch Me Bleed" praised much) but no way in hell is it better than SFTBC or TSOL.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GL_N1dVtddM

holy hell

this is demented

Isn't it.

I actually like the covers they've been doing. Quietly gearing up for something in a way that makes me eager to see what they come up with next. The covers & the Tumblr are a perfectly executed strategy.

10 years between albums, I'm expecting something akin the XTC 's "Apple Venus", IE a great album after so much time off.

"My Girls" seems slightly pointless.

Lyrics still no less obnoxious, but at least the sound of this cover doesn't make me feel queasy.

10 years between albums, I'm expecting something akin the XTC 's "Apple Venus", IE a great album after so much time off.

― Gerald McBoing-Boing, Tuesday, December 17, 2013 8:11 PM (3 days ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

I'd be happy with something with the production depth of The Seeds Of Love, myself!

"The Working Hour" is made for car boomin' systems.

The 80s had big overdone sax in so many pop songs, and it just overwhelmed everything with its heavy slick sleazy stripper-pole sound so often. But this song has a sax intro that is kind of dated, but the saxaphone in it is strong and expressive in a way more like the clarinet in Joni Mitchell's For Free.

I fucking love this song.

Can't think of a better example of big overdone 80s sax myself.

"Woman in Chains" is so pretty.

'Advice For The Young At Heart' is perfection to me... the song, the production, the vocal...

i have this weird thing where lots of songs vaguely remind me of "Advice" and i tend to feel instant affection for them just because of that (examples: Wye Oak's "We Were Wealth," India Arie's "Just Do You").

"Advice..." is their sophisti-pop song (those bongos remind me of "Shattered Dreams") so Curt Smith singing it makes sense.

do we have a dedicated sophistipop thread or anything?

as a kid i loved the "Head Over Heels" video because there was a monkey in it. as an adult, i love it because of the guy making ridiculous faces and saying "YEAH!" after playing a synthesizer solo in the library.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O9-Vb-Sj7uU

This one is old: S&D: Sophistipop

These have candidates: Swing Out Sister - "Breakout" C/D

Johnny Hates Jazz "Shattered Dreams" C/D

^^ that one ends with a request like yours, ship

these two seem to share a common ancestor:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=InFbBlpDTfQ

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qH16ax3t1T4

both great videos.

Sorry, I thought the second video was the actual music vid. Here is the song, to compare with DJ Shadow:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aEMtSPZNch8

Shadow's was an actual sample of the Pekka Pohjola track. The descending four chord sequence isn't particularly complicated and it's possible that Orzabel came up with them on his own. Have there been any lawsuits?

No way is that a coincidence. Tears for Fears added eight beats, so it's not exactly the same, but the first eight are exactly the same chords, in the same key played in the exact same rhythm, on the same instrument (which I assume is a Wurlitzer electric piano). I think Tears for Fears borrowed it from an obscure record, then DJ Shadow sampled the same record.

From Steven Wilson's site.

My remix of Tears for Fears’ iconic 80’s album “Songs From the Big Chair” is included on a 30th anniversary reissue, to be released by Universal Music Group on 4th November.

Songs from the Big Chair was one of the biggest albums of the 80’s, and particularly successful in the USA where it reached number one in the Billboard chart on its way to selling several million copies. It features two US number one singles, Shout and Everybody Wants to Rule the World, as well as 2 more hit singles Head Over Heels and Mother’s Talk.

It’s a brilliant record by a truly innovative 80’s band – both accessible and ambitious. The reissue will be available in several different formats including a stand-alone Blu-Ray and a comprehensive 6 disc deluxe edition with live tracks, singles, B-sides, TV/radio appearances, remixes, videos, and the original mix.

There will also be a vinyl edition of my new stereo mix. The new stereo and 5.1 mixes were overseen and approved by Roland Orzabal (and are included as flat transfers with no mastering). More details and track listing are available on SuperDeluxeEdition.

Didn't know Wilson did this. I love his Crimson remixes.

Down the rabbit hole with this 5 disc deluxe edition, it's super annoying that the Stephen Wilson remix is only on DVD and not CD, making it more of a pain to rip (and making it unavailable on Spotify)

I haven't played that Wilson remix, is it all that different?

The Seeds of Love = Songs From The Big Chair > The Hurting > Raoul and The Kings of Spain > Everybody Loves A Happy Ending > Elemental

I was just today thinking about starting/finding a thread about songs that you didn't realize were sublime until you were able to escape their once-numbing ubiquity, specifically with respect to "Head Over Heels". I don't know how there was ever a time when that thing sounded to me like just another meh radio pop song.

Love this band so much. I'd also like to nominate "Everybody Wants To Rule The World" as containing some of the best lyrics to ever crack the Top 40.

Very poor sentence there but that's what happens when I try to type while people are talking at me. You get my drift

I was just today thinking about starting/finding a thread about songs that you didn't realize were sublime until you were able to escape their once-numbing ubiquity, specifically with respect to "Head Over Heels". I don't know how there was ever a time when that thing sounded to me like just another meh radio pop song.

― I Stepped On Your Samwich (Old Lunch), Tuesday, April 21, 2015 1:44 AM (9 hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

This is exactly where I'm at with Everybody Wants To Rule The World.

sowing the seeds of love is one weird album, man.

when that simply red dude heard the gospel piano-jazz tune on this album he must have said "argh, back to the drawing board!".

heck, even the level 42 dudes must have been green with envy.

and the dream academy were in the middle of making their album when they heard the title track to this album and they went "argh! maybe if we add dolphin noises and poly styrene to our john lennon cover everything will be okay..."

the blue nile were so devastated by this record they didn't record again for 7 years.

sorry *THE SEEDS OF LOVE*. not sowing the seeds of love.

blue nile >>>>>> tears for fears imo

Dream Academy have worn me down over the years to the point where I now either enjoy or tolerate all of their songs. I know that's faint praise, but it's something.

'Street Fighting Years' was the Minds' 'Satanic Majesties Request' to TFF's 'Sgt. Pepper'

"Street Fighting Years" was the Minds "Cant Stop the Music" to TFF's "Flash Gordon".

those Talk Talk kids didn't seem to be too bothered by "seeds of love".

God, I fucking love The Seeds of Love. I listen to it far more than The Hurting and even Songs From The Big Chair these days. I'd love for them to put out a box set for The Seeds of Love, there must be so much fucking outtake material out there somewhere.

Then Play Long reaches the difficult third album: http://nobilliards.blogspot.co.uk/2015/08/tears-for-fears-seeds-of-love.html

Yeah, obviously I disagree. I personally don't find this to be an "irritatingly unsatisfactory" record at all, and while the production is completely rammed with detail, I still wouldn't call the sound "oxygen starved" ... 'Advice For The Young At Heart' is a wonderful song with production to match, IMO, and side 2 is wonderful when it clicks. It's not Songs From The Big Chair part 2, but that's a good thing.

Love is a promise
Love is a souvenir

Time to eat all your words!

Correct number one.

I'd swap out "break it down again" with "badman's song" and shuffle a few towards the end, but mostly otm

"The Working Hour" is majestic.

tears for fears deliver on the bombastic promise of simple minds at their worst and most anthemic

it's hard to be a man when there's a gun in your hand

tears for fears deliver on the bombastic promise of simple minds at their worst and most anthemic

― erry red flag (f. hazel), Sunday, June 11, 2017

otm

I've said it before, but Tears For Fears may be the only band in the world influenced by '80 Genesis​, bless 'em.

no quibbles with that list. excellent

Was hoping this would be news about the loooong promised new album. Feel like these guys have at least one more great album left in them - the last one had a few excellent moments

I don't hear '80s Genesis in TFF.

The drums, guitars and synths alone on "Songs from the Big Chair" are totally '80s Genesis, especially a song like "Broken;" Manny Elias definitely had Phil Collins on the mind. The songwriting is much better than '80s Genesis, though, which (go figure) makes a big difference!

The songwriting is much better than '80s Genesis

Interesting argument but I can't fully agree with it. Big Chair was a solid album but the albums after were fairly spotty. Although I guess one could say the same of the solid Duke and the spottier records that followed from Genesis. But Genesis seemed to understand the value of concision in their pop songs far more than TFF. The tracks on Seeds Of Love in particular run overly long and would've benefited from an editor's knife.

welll, it WAS the year of the knife

The Hurting is generally brilliant with a few patchy parts. Songs from the Big Chair is near perfection. Can't get on with most of seeds of love at all though. Badman's Song sounds like every negative cliche of bad 80s production that usually isn't true, but here is 100% accurate.

I need "I Believe" and none of the 90s stuff, but sounds about right.

honestly when I say Tears for Fears I pretty much only mean big chair, which is one of my favorite albums.

I'd be happy if they just released a 10" of covers every 6 months.

New single coming soon!

Elemental is such a jam

^ that album's great. first CD I ever bought :)

New album coming soon called The Tipping Point, apparently. New single is called 'I Love You But I'm Lost'

hmm, same title as a great sharon van etten track

'My Demons', 'End of Night' and 'Up Above the World' are other tracks apparently confirmed to be on there - the general vibe of the record has been described as "clubby"

(x-post)

Elemental is such a jam

― MaresNest, Wednesday, October 11, 2017 6:16 PM (seventeen minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

The two Curtless TFF albums tend to get swept under the carpet for some reason - there's some great material on both.

DOG'S A BEST FRIEND'S DOG

Raoul and the Kings of Spain in particular came out to very little fanfare other than from the TFF hardcore. Everyone else ignored it.

I'm not much into the Orzabal solo record, though.

As for co-headlining with Hall & Oates, c'mon guys, stop being so hard on yourselves - you're better than that.

The money pays the bills, I'm sure.

"Elemental" is my least favorite album of theirs - "Break It Down Again" really rankled me at the time, it felt like dumbed-down TFF aiming for the charts. It worked, I guess. It's not a *bad* album - I do love the title track and the closer, "Goodnight Song" - but it's the last one I'd reach for to put on.

"Raoul And The Kings Of Spain" is really strong, though. I saw that tour and Roland was in fine form, covering Radiohead's "Creep" and being a big he-man goof on stage.

isn't Elemental a solo album for all intents and purposes?

I suppose it is. His proper solo album, "Tomcats Screaming Outside", has its charms as an example of "artist tries different style and fails in an enjoyable way".

Yeah, Orzabal's work under his own name was different to the TFF stuff.

^ that album's great. first CD I ever bought :)

First album I ever bought too (tho cassette)! Over the years, I went from really liking it, to hating it, to liking it again

i heard curt smith's second solo album. it had one good song on it. any good songs on either of his other two?

Had them, sold them. So - no.

Yeah, I'm not a fan of Smith's solo stuff either, even though I've always preferred his voice to Orzabal's.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dihNZjhWCIE

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=5k293MR--EE

🎵 And I find it kind of funny
I find it kind of sad
The times at which I'm online
Are the most I'm ever mad 🎶

— Jacob Hunsburger | Abolish ICE (@jacobhunsburger) December 12, 2016

Elemental is a jam tbh, if some consider it their worst i should check out their subsequent releases i guess. it's a pretty good listen the whole way thru imo. Break it Down Again, love it!

altho:

"No sleep for dreaming" say the architects of life
Big bouncing babies, bread and butter - can I have a slice?

ok

Hated them at the time as a kid, hate them now.

I always think of 1982 as the big fabulous party of New Pop, with ABC and the Associates and Adam & The Ants and Soft Cell and Madness and Haircut 100 and a pre-shitness Simple Minds et al . . . and then 1983 was its horrible stinking hangover with the likes of this lot, Howard Jones, Thompson Twins, Nik Kershaw, Kajagoogoo and all that drivel.

Elemental is a really good record. It's their fourth best after the first big three.

jon123's 0-2 in the last hour :)

I'll soldier on . . .

Don't know Kajagoogoo's catalog at all but I like the other 1983 artists you mentioned. They share a love of atmosphere and mood that I associate strongly with the 80s

Elemental is their 4th best record but it's still a bit patchy. First three tracks are great, but I don't need to think about "Dog's a Best Friend's Dog" again. It's certainly better than Raoul though, which is a shockingly bland album. 2004 album is similar to Elemental in having strong peaks, but the other tracks are even worse. That said, I am still waiting patiently for a new TFF album - I liked the single they released a few years ago

Was Things Can Only Get Better a big hit in the US for Howard Jones? Think it's cropped up in a about 3 or 4 US shows recently

Yes. Out of the handful he had, "Things" was easily his biggest hit here. Probably the only HoJo song you're likely to hear in the states these days.

Maybe "No One is to Blame" came close?

It was a hit here but I think "What Is Love?" is the one most people would remember.

I think "What is Love" was a big video on MTV in that early era, but didn't see the same success in terms of nationwide mainstream radio play/sales of the single itself.
It definitely was enough to break him into the US market in the first place though and probably his second most recognizable to most people.

"No One is to Blame" was big at the time (thanks in no small part to Phil Collins' touch giving it a nice "adult contemporary" sheen) but probably more for the 30+ crowd than the youth - I don't think it's aged very well.

"New Song" is also a very underrated, mostly forgotten single these days...

And back to TFF really quick, but am I the only one who's never really gotten the love for "Sowing the Seeds of Love" (the song, that is). The video was cool and all and I get the whole Beatles homage thing, but for the lead single to the followup to "Big Chair" it always struck me as somewhat... lacking. I absolutely love the verse melody, but the chorus starts to grate by the third go-around... and it's long for a pop single. Never understood why it was as big as it was at the time.

There's such an overbearing slickness with this band's sound. Everything is perfect to the point of deadness, like Jude Law's face in the movie AI.

I think the fact that TFF invariably came across as po-faced gimps in their interviews (especially Orzabal) didn't help.

Smash Hits used to rip the piss out of them all the time, and they really really didn't like it.

"No One is to Blame" is HoJo's biggest American hit: #4.

Don't know Kajagoogoo's catalog at all but I like the other 1983 artists you mentioned. They share a love of atmosphere and mood that I associate strongly with the 80s

Imho each of them managed one decent song before falling into abeyance.

HJ - What Is Love
Thompson Twins - Hold Me Now
Nik K - Wouldn't It Be Good
Kajagoogoo - Too Shy (which is not even a decent song, more a terrific intro and verse before one of the lamest choruses of the decade)

hush hush!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DgHAMvkSAqY

There's such an overbearing slickness with this band's sound. Everything is perfect to the point of deadness, like Jude Law's face in the movie AI.

I don't think this accurately describes The Hurting at all

and the band was often gawky and crass in the best sense later

it's also not an accurate description of jude law's face in the movie ai

Jude Law in AI is like a mini-horror movie

ai IS a horror movie

lmao at that video

It’s my own design

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NEpfvTdR5-U

When Pale Shelter (long version) turns up on Spotify shuffle when you’re out your morning run/trundle. What a band

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yUp-ujO979U

pretty good comeback single

Roland's been living in a shack in the woods?

New album in February

1 No Small Thing
2 The Tipping Point
3 Long, Long, Long Time
4 Break the Man
5 My Demons
6 Rivers of Mercy
7 Please Be Happy
8 Master Plan
9 End of Night
10 Stay
11 Let It All Evolve [deluxe edition]
12 Secret Location [deluxe edition]
13 Shame (Cry Heaven) [deluxe edition]

cringe headline but good interview: https://www.theguardian.com/music/2021/oct/08/tears-for-fears-reunion-interview

Really impressed by the single. Looking forward to this (in February!)

Deluxe edition only available via Super Deluxe Edition shop.

The standard 10-track version of The Tipping Point is available on CD, black vinyl LP and limited indie green vinyl (now sold out via the SDE shop). The retail deluxe CD features one bonus song, the Target (USA) and Japanese editions will have two bonus songs but only the SDE deluxe CD offers all three bonus songs on one physical package! Viva la CD!

Additionally, the SDE deluxe CD offers enhanced packaging (8-panel digi-sleeve) and a 32-page booklet (the standard has 24 pages) which exclusively features a new interview with Roland and Curt by SDE editor Paul Sinclair.

Be aware that the SDE deluxe CD is a limited edition. There are just 2,000 units available for the UK and the Rest of the World and this is a one-time pressing. Once they are gone, that’s it!

Well, crap. Should have scrolled farther down. Sold out already.

oh a bunch of different limited editions with different track listings, what a good strategy to instantly kill my interest in buying the new album

"enhanced packaging"

it's like new order and tears for fears are converging on the same sound

“Sowing” sucks but “head” fucking rules. “Everybody” good too

That 10" of covers they did is pretty darn good. I've played that thing a bunch of times. The video linked above does sound a fair bit like current New Order, but the drumming isn't nearly as interesting. Kind of looking forward to the album now.

yeah that run of covers was excellent

oh a bunch of different limited editions with different track listings, what a good strategy to instantly kill my interest in buying the new album

― Jaime Pressly and America (f. hazel), Friday, October 8, 2021 9:58 AM (three months ago) bookmarkflaglink

first 2 releases classic then went lame!

disagree, I didn't like Seeds of Love when it came out but now it's a stone classic

Early reviews for the new album bode very well

Great interview in the latest Tape Op. There's a funny story about "Sowing the Seeds of Love," where they struggled to get a good mix of it, and when they finally settled on one the the label or their manager told them to keep working. So they slaved over that song for another six months, at great expense, and at the end of the process the same manager came across the original mix and suggested "how about this one?" It reminds me of a story I read from Dan Wilson of Semisonic about "Closing Time," how the record label wanted them to re-record it but their manager (smartly, in this case) told them to refuse, figuring that if the record label is spending thousands to re-record something, then the re-recorded version is going to be the one they pick, whether or not it's any better, so better to just stand your ground, save the time and money, and give them the one you like. Which they did, and which was a hit.

I love all three songs that were released so far, particularly the title track. I thought the novelty of 'new tears for fears' would wear off but it hasn't, and I appreciate that they don't necessarily sound like earlier albums.

their first 2 are good then went lame!

if by lame you mean glorious and shiny like lamé, then yes

first 2 releases classic then went lame!

― xzanfar, Tuesday, February 1, 2022 12:32 PM

their first 2 are good then went lame!

― xzanfar, Wednesday, February 23, 2022 8:29 AM

this is really causing some giggles this morning. the exclamation used in both iterations is really just (chef's kiss). also downgraded from "classic" to "good." ouch.

idk who you are xzanfar, but thank you.

most of the 80s groups did not transition too good into the 90s as commercial hip hop techno and grunge were taking over!

buckle up folks

a lot of bands from 1990 didn't transition too good into 1991

https://i.etsystatic.com/11123470/r/il/2c34e8/3201917193/il_340x270.3201917193_4kr9.jpg

commercial hip hop techno taking over in the 90s!

I remember Joe Strummer joking that Tears for Fears owed him five quid for the line "everybody wants to rule the world."

"their first 2 are good then went lame!"

the first two songs released from this album or their first two albums?

Also, it’s spelled “lamé”

These guys have aged rather gracefully.

Someone on the Hoffman forum criticising Roland's white hair. You can't win sometimes

I remember Joe Strummer joking that Tears for Fears owed him five quid for the line "everybody wants to rule the world."

The punchline I saw is that Orzabel then reached into his pocket and handed over a five pound note.

They might owe Elvis Costello a bit more for Floating Down the River.

The punchline I saw is that Orzabel then reached into his pocket and handed over a five pound note.

That sounds almost too good to be true, but I'll go with it.

Time to eat all your words.

sftbc is classic and at the time i did not care for the hurting but it has since grown on me but like i said most of the appeal of the 80s groups was waning toward the 90s!

new record is dope

like

really really really dope

"rivers of mercy" sounds related to the ballads from sowing the seeds of love which is probably the highest compliment i can give a song

oh it's out tomorrow, nice

Are there any cinematic, standing on a cliff-top with the wind in your hair while the clouds pass by in sepia-toned time-lapse moments?

every song feels like it comes from a different record but it really flows? the songs are so good???

Great, I feel optimistic!

last track is sophistitechnopop

Are there any cinematic, standing on a cliff-top with the wind in your hair while the clouds pass by in sepia-toned time-lapse moments?

― Maresn3st, Thursday, February 24, 2022 2:46 PM (yesterday) bookmarkflaglink

"rivers of mercy" makes me wish i had a beard as luscious as roland's

It's fine so far. I wish the songs were faster but this is my usual wish.

Smith however is in fine form.

otm, was happy to hear his voice on so many of the songs

there's a few moments that almost eerily reflect the best moments on 'seeds'

for two:
- the ringing guitars that come in at the end of "rivers of mercy" strongly evoke the guitar during the outro of "women in chains"
- the chord that kicks off the verse in "break the man" is verry similar to the suspended chord that opens "advice for the young at heart"

https://tapeop.com/interviews/147/roland-orzabal/

I got together with Curt at the beginning of 2020, before the pandemic was announced. Curt wasn’t into it. He wasn’t into being in Tears For Fears. He didn’t need to be in Tears For Fears and didn’t need the money. Fair enough. So, for the first time in many, many decades, we sat down together at his house in L.A. with two acoustic guitars and an iPhone, recording, and came up with a song called “No Small Thing.” That was the point at which Curt became interested again. He sprang to life. Then “Rivers of Mercy,” “Master Plan,” and “Break The Man” all came afterwards.

Then Smith left...and returned

Yeah, what *is* it between those two? Do they really dislike each other or something?

I think it's honestly that they've been linked together since they were 13 or so. Like, I can't think of the last time I saw a couple of my cousins, and I can't think of the next time I might see my cousins. If my cousins were in town and wanted to grab a drink I'd probably say sure. If they asked me to fly out to visit, or go on a trip together, I'd likely say no.

There's probably tension between them about Curt's relative creative input, both then and now.

their recent gq interview (conducted by a certain dude) is somewhat enlightening on the subject: https://www.gq.com/story/tears-for-fears-interview-the-tipping-point/amp

Orzabal said in the interview they get on fine when recording, lol

the back half of this is a bit of a slog on first listen, hoping it'll grow on me

"End of Night", track 9, is the album favorite for me on first listen.

First four songs and "End Of Night" are the ones I like here. Over all surprised at the slickness of the production, for good and bad. Wouldn't be surprised to hear some of this stuff in an upcoming Netflix series or something.

Something very early '00s in the production with all the whooshes and chirruping synths and shiny background vocals. I kind of miss the sound of these guys recording in big actual rooms/studios - a lot sounds like it was created remotely, in the box, with an arsenal of the best plugins.

Smith's voice does sound phenomenal. Orzabal's has changed a lot, I think. That great bellowy tone of his is extremely subdued now.

Good interview:

You guys grew up together, and you’ve really come back to one another in making this record. What is the biggest difference creating together now as adults with your perspective, than maybe it was back in the day?

Orzabal: I mean, it’s much easier. We’re never too worried about taking each other too seriously. But I do think that we have a more profound respect for each other. We’re not butting heads. Maybe it’s the fact that the testosterone is dropping rapidly when you get to our age, I don’t know. But if we bicker now or if we argue now, it only lasts a couple of minutes, and then one of us says: “OK, shall we have a cup of tea?”

Smith: In marriage terms, we’ve got to the “Yes, dear” stage of our relationship.

https://variety.com/2022/music/news/tears-for-fears-tipping-point-album-tour-interview-1235190302/

“Tipping point” sounds like a Ghost song

I agree with Alfred that I wish they still wrote more faster/uptempo material, but this is good for what it is.

album is alright, definitely liked the singles more than the rest of it but it may grow on me. I think I like it more than the last one and Raoul, it's about on par with Elemental to me.

"Big Chair" was as commercial as anything on the charts and they took that sound and made something that I find listenable as someone musically trained...but I am not sure the approach worked for on later recordings.

However I was surprised when I revisited "Big Chair" how good it is, so maybe I ought to give them a chance, based on what I'm reading here.

The first three are all great in their own ways: moody insular synthy debut; intense but intensely melodic arena ready second record; indulgent, ambitious, long gestating third record.

Why doesn’t the cover of Songs from the Big Chair have the guys sitting in a big chair? Maybe holding a mock-up of a story book with little children at their feet. Instead of that Simon and Garfunkel-ass cover.

http://24.media.tumblr.com/1965c971618f53b5b79a1c0c95152ce4/tumblr_monvkfiU1l1sv68fzo1_500.gif

anyone heard the three bonus tracks?

I think I like it more than the last one and Raoul, it's about on par with Elemental to me.

That's exactly what I was gonna write but it sounds like it's a higher compliment in my book (Raoul is the only TFF album I don't like, everything else is good or better). This new one is a smoother, more consistent album than Elemental but doesn't have the peaks that album had. But it's just nice to hear these guys' voices after so long

Casual tears fans can safely steer clear of this hodgepodge

Casual tears fans can safely steer clear of this hodgepodge

anyone heard the three bonus tracks?

― Paul Ponzi, Saturday, February 26, 2022 1:05 PM (yesterday) bookmarkflaglink

they're good as anything on the album, albeit while listening to "secret location" i wondered when exactly i had put on a tame impala record

of all three i think i would want "shame" to be on the album most, just fits the desolate world-ending sophistipop mood of the rest of the material, though it wouldn't help anyone alienated by the sleepier tempos

I haven't heard this, but I did hear the two new songs they put on Rule the World: The Greatest Hits ("Stay" seems to be on this new record as well). I got the impression of a lot of highly effortful programming and manipulation of digital files, not a lot of strong songwriting.

xp ah, thanks, good to know. It doesn't sound like it's worth tracking down the special edition then, especially as I'm kinda meh on most of the record so far

I wonder what cultural shift have occurred to give this album so much more attention than Everybody Loves a Happy Ending in 2004. Were we not ready for the TFF revival yet?

Yeah, I was thinking how funny it is that this is being treated as a big reunion when, in fact, it's a second reunion, and even then a reunion of the principals, since the band itself remained more or less active.

I think time has just been very kind to their legacy, but that didn't stretch as far as the releasing of new music last time around

I wonder this sort of thing all the time but I just assume it's occult PR stuff rather than the result of any cultural shift. Like how that most recent Neil Young album was inescapable on my timeline for some reason despite the fact that previously no one ever seemed to talk about any of the guy's previous ten million albums since 2010. The Tipping Point feels like this, too.

Well, #christgau

A lot of highly effortful programming

I love this phrase.

even then a reunion of the principals

not even that, it's just their first new material since 2004 but smith & orzabal have been playing together the whole time since then

comeback rather than a new reunion

this is also objectively a better album than the 2004 one

i think they're also just much cooler & more popular now than they were in 2004. synthpop & sophistipop have come back in style since then, they're regularly sampled & cited as big influences by newer acts, quite a few of their singles have now reached beloved pop classic status that idk if they quite had back then. they also recently upgraded to headlining arenas in just the last five years or so, which is pretty unusual for a legacy act who reunited over a decade ago and had mostly been playing theatres in the years since.

though i might have expected there would have been a bit more interest back then than there was, since the "mad world" cover was a huge hit not long before. but it looks like they also had some label trouble when trying to release everybody loves a happy ending and the labels it ended up on probably didn't have the resources or desire to give it much of a push at all, idk. the fact that they'd never officially broken up & orzabal had been using the name as a solo project for a while that also probably didn't help.

are those 90s orzabal-only albums any good btw, i've never checked them out

elemental is great, still have yet to listen to raoul

orzabal's solo album tomcats screaming outside is also v good

Title tracks for Elemental and Raoul are both memorable. The absence of Curt's input is noticeable, as both albums tend to drift. I'd welcome a birdistheword reconstruction of Raoul since I suspect that there's a pretty decent album buried in there (esp when considering the expanded version.)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BAc7sFurdUI

one of their best songs

god, and "mr pessimist" too... i don't listen to this record enough

Elemental is weird, split between like 3-4 amazing songs, 3 not very successful experiments, and a few pretty good songs in between. In addition to the big single Brad just posted, I love "Cold" and "Fish Out of Water", which is a Curt diss track lol. With Raoul, I only like the title track

"Cold" is terrific.

_Elemental_ sounded great cranked on the car stereo, back in the day. "Goodnight Song" is a top 5 TFF track for me.

The first three tracks of Elemental are especially great, lyrics about his knitwear withstanding, when he opens up and bellows out a chorus he sounds fantastic, it's kinda what I want from TFF (unfairly, I know) big open, dramatic choruses.

This month's Classic Pop mag has a fantastic long interview; they've really been through some shit, i had no idea. Cracking episode of Sodajerker here too. They seem to be in a very good mood of late; amazingly!

https://open.spotify.com/episode/4aBnSKodONCeCoVGww28gi?si=2569cc0492ee48b0

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jLEeETqgSFA

Really liked the vocal analysis, I think I realized something unusual was there when I've tried to sing the song myself (and sound bad). Now that he points it out it's very clear to hear how Curt has to slide up to the right note many times

And back to Tipping Point, bonus track "Secret Location" is dope, reminds me of the upbeat tracks on the latest Tame Impala album

Lol I just saw Brad already made that comparison

"Break It Down Again" just came on and I am really liking it, though at the time I yawned at it for seeming out of date

Trying to remember how Chris Morris described "Sowing the Seeds of Love"??

xp I like it too, it's a really nice single. I threw that on to my copy of "Tears Roll Down (Greatest Hits)" as an extra.

https://consequence.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/darker-waves-festival-lineup-2023-new-order-tears-for-fears-poster.jpg

Posting here instead of on the New Order thread, this is right in my back yard

Clan of Xymox!

It's all truly ridiculous and still somehow perfectly appropriate.

tempted by this one since I couldn't make Cruel World.

I know many people planning on going one way or another and I hope everyone has a good time and you could not *PAY* me to go to something on the beach in HB on a Saturday night.

I did a lot of beach parties in high school on the beach in Huntington Beach. Meet at the stacks. Only problem for me is I don't do festivals.

Lineup is so good it seems fake

The idea of seeing X'ian Death on a beach in the OC is making me giggle. Looks totally awesome

Thought B-52s did a farewell tour already?

KISS did one in the 90s

That many acts in a single day, how do they even do that? They must all share the same gear.

Thought B-52s did a farewell tour already?

that just wrapped up so I guess this could be considered a finale. I've actually never seen them so that's part of the reason why I'm tempted by this (along with the Cardigans, who are never going to tour the US if their FB comments are to be believed)

iirc the B-52s have stopped touring but said they’d still play the occasional festival and such

bonkers lineup but seeing as i couldn’t get it together for cruel world, which was literally seven miles from my house…

Pre-Tears For Fears Graduate appearing on Mike Reid's Runaround children's quiz show in 1980! What a strange (and not very good) band, what were they trying to be? Now a-gih a-gih a-gih gooooooooooo!!!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q0Il4Sh9TQQ

kind of a new wave take on 60s mod pop?

really hate that madness-esque turnaround thing at the end of the verses

when i say that madness-esque turnaround thing, i might actually mean ian dury-esque, but you know what i mean

New wave take on mod with a fucking flute?

weren't there some mod/garage/freakbeat-type bands with flutes? like the troggs or someone

I'm not saying it's not a weird thing btw, just groping for some sort of context

what were they trying to be?

PJ Harvey

(xp) "Wild Thing" had an ocarina on it. Never mind the mod thing though how many new wave acts had a flautist in their ranks?

(xp) lol

I read "ocarina" as "cocaine"

Annie Lennox was a flautist, there's flute on a couple of Eurythmics tracks. Not sure she ever used it in the Tourists though (I have never listened to the Tourists)

But that's by the bye really, the flute on that song is very much part of its 60s-ness imo, the new wave bit is the production and clunky chorus

Plenty of flute examples in and around the era. Genesis and Jethro Tull (of course); Tears for Fears love their prog. But "Down Under" was only the next year, and not long before we get to "One Night in Bangkok." That TFF song def. sounds more like the '60s than 1980 to me, disco-y Ian Dury turnaround bit aside.

Kraftwerk had flute through Autobahn

not sure they were going for a prog thing really, this was how they were presenting themselves at the time...

https://bluehatrecords.files.wordpress.com/2020/07/elvis-should-play-ska-flyer-with-tour-dates.jpg

uncanny how the logo on the kick drum resembles a 'play' icon, that was clever of them

I'd say they were just young and confused because the flute calls to mind capering prog folk before it does the groovy 60s.

yes to young and confused plus also throwing whatever instruments they'd learned as kids into the mix, just cos it seemed like a good idea at the time

some more footage here that has them sounding somehwere between xtc, secret affair and madness

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jTuFviRPwzc

“Elvis Should Play Ska”. A light jab at Elvis Costello, after the famous rocker took a swipe at the genre, the track is filled with the up-strummed chords, a spiky guitar solo and some fantastic drumming. No horns, but the track is so bouncy and catchy they aren’t really needed.

Wonder if this song was written before 2 Tone took off. The skank of "Detectives" and "Chelsea" seems an odd thing to object to.

The album is pretty good IIRC but then I like this sort of thing.

Elvis Costello, after the famous rocker took a swipe at the genre

Wait, what? At the least EC was pretty tuned in to and in tune with 2 Tone.

kind of interesting that Mark Hollis started out making fairly similar music in The Reaction as their careers maybe followed somewhat similar paths through the 80s:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GlxZ8FW2q8g

xp I took it as a bad choice of words and what they meant was Elvis having done skaish tunes

more like "took a stab" perhaps?

They sound more like XTC than anyone else tbh. The mod connection seems like a bit of bandwagon jumping.

would imagine that xtc's influence was pretty strong in that part of the country

Indeed!

was actually living somewhere between bath and swindon at that time, but would've been too young to have recognized the pungent scent of partridge in the breeze

That I know or have known numerous people who went to school with TFF is one of my not-at-all-claims-to-fame-but-I-like-mentioning-it

were they too visible from westbury white horse?

watched this live a couple weeks back, Curt Smith performing Mad World at a temple here in L.A.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vGAFYGHvEhA

xp Probably not - Beckford's Tower is the main spot in Bath to see the horse

my username is v. shit but that's what I get for making an account here about eight years before I began posting

I read "ocarina" as "cocaine"

― hat trick of trashiness (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn)

the legend of zelda: cocaine of time

Trying to remember the Chris Morris quote about Sowing The Seeds Of Love.

Really had no idea Orzabal and Smith had made music like this. I always thought "kick out the Style, bring back the Jam" was a weird line because TFF are closer to the Style, but now I'm rethinking things

The album is pretty good IIRC but then I like this sort of thing.

What sort of thing is it though?

Tuneful jerky new wave+power pop hinterland

There was this
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qBq6pBhyNq8