"Working Hour" might seem an outlier, but it underscores the innate proggy-ness of a lot of this stuff. If anything, it's a much better job of prog as pop than anything Genesis did in the '80s, save perhaps bits of "Invisible Touch." ("Broken" is a total "Invisible Touch" song.) I remember reading an interview with the drummer on this, Manny Elias, and he readily admitted copping all sorts of Collins stuff.
― Josh in Chicago, Monday, 17 September 2012 01:34 (eleven years ago) link
Everybody Wants To Rule The World is one of the greatest singles of all time
― Master of Treacle, Monday, 17 September 2012 21:48 (eleven years ago) link
'Everybody Wants To Rule The World' is such a great single, it got to #2 in the UK chart. Then, a year later, it was re-released as 'Everybody Wants To Run The World' as a charity single and got to #5. Both versions of the song re-entered the UK chart for a second time after they'd dropped out. Of course, 'Everybody Wants To Rule The World' was also an American #1.
― The Jupiter 8 (Turrican), Monday, 17 September 2012 22:12 (eleven years ago) link
During the early summer of '85 a brief window in the American charts allowed this and Paul Young's take on "Every Time You Go Away" to both hit #1; it was a flash of something ruminative and self-evaluating done at a Sirk-esque devotion to surfaces and decor.
― a regina spektor is haunting europe (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Monday, 17 September 2012 22:20 (eleven years ago) link
The album itself had EXACTLY the same highest chart positions as 'Everybody Wants To Rule The World', funnily enough. #1 in the US, #2 in the UK. Both The Hurting and The Seeds Of Love made it to #1 in the UK, whereas Songs From The Big Chair didn't.
― The Jupiter 8 (Turrican), Monday, 17 September 2012 22:31 (eleven years ago) link
and neither of those albums hit #1 in the States. C'est la guerre...
― a regina spektor is haunting europe (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Monday, 17 September 2012 22:33 (eleven years ago) link
It was held off the UK #1 spot by No Jacket Required, so I've just discovered. Ah well...
― The Jupiter 8 (Turrican), Monday, 17 September 2012 22:43 (eleven years ago) link
http://gs1.wac.edgecastcdn.net/8019B6/data.tumblr.com/9da1aac3899034701b5f117e08b2c172/tumblr_n0uo6szY3R1rjggr6o1_500.png
― mookieproof, Wednesday, 12 February 2014 01:52 (ten years ago) link
Jeez, no votes for "Mothers Talk"? At one point that was just barely behind "Shout" for me.
― Gerald McBoing-Boing, Wednesday, 12 February 2014 02:53 (ten years ago) link
Nothing screams "this is a record made in 1984-1985" quite like the production job on 'Mother's Talk'.
― Toni Braxton-Hicks (Turrican), Wednesday, 12 February 2014 13:20 (ten years ago) link
Nothing screams 80s Genesis like "Mother's Talk."
― Josh in Chicago, Wednesday, 12 February 2014 14:26 (ten years ago) link
Be that as it may, I still dig it. There's a at least half a dozen versions, too:
LP version7" version12" extended versionBeat Of The Drum mixUS remixAlt US remix
― Gerald McBoing-Boing, Wednesday, 12 February 2014 15:41 (ten years ago) link
I like this song and Genesis!
― Josh in Chicago, Wednesday, 12 February 2014 16:05 (ten years ago) link
so did TFF lose fans for recording such a brazen arena move? It could've gone so wrong – it could have been Once Upon a Time.
― Bryan Fairy (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Wednesday, 12 February 2014 16:21 (ten years ago) link
Good question. I was a fan of "The Hurting" and loved SFTBC. I don't think fans felt it was as blatant a stadium move as Simple Minds. I was rather shocked at TFF's success in America. It's much more complex and lyrically daring than the top 40 of the time.
― Gerald McBoing-Boing, Wednesday, 12 February 2014 17:36 (ten years ago) link
That "Everybody Rules the World" took off doesn't surprise me. Even now the band mixed the thing so that it jumps out of the speakers AND sounds nothing like ruled the charts in spring and summer '85.
― Bryan Fairy (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Wednesday, 12 February 2014 17:59 (ten years ago) link
In interviews, Roland has made it clear they aspired to chart success but not at the cost of their artistic souls.
― Gerald McBoing-Boing, Wednesday, 12 February 2014 18:11 (ten years ago) link
― Master of Treacle, Monday, September 17, 2012 5:48 PM (1 year ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink
― Jimmywine Dyspeptic, Friday, 4 July 2014 02:47 (nine years ago) link
the first four songs even
― guess that bundt gettin eaten (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Friday, 4 July 2014 03:11 (nine years ago) link
instrumental of Everybody Wants to Rule the World is a balearic jam for the ages:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l1dH5DUiZhg
― online hardman, Friday, 4 July 2014 13:40 (nine years ago) link
BOX!
http://media.spincds.com/media/catalog/product/cache/1/image/265x/9df78eab33525d08d6e5fb8d27136e95/t/e/tears.jpg
DISC 1: Songs From The Big Chair1. “Shout”2. “The Working Hour”3. “Everybody Wants To Rule The World”4. “Mothers Talk”5. “I Believe”6. “Broken”7. “Head Over Heels”8. “Listen”Bonus tracks:9. “The Big Chair”10. “Empire Building”11. “The Marauders”12. “Broken Revisited”13. “The Conflict”14. “The Working Hour” (Piano Version)15. “Pharaohs”16. “When In Love With A Blind Man”17. “Sea Song” DISC 2: Edited Songs From The Big Chair1. “The Way You Are”2. “Mothers Talk” (Single Version)3. “Shout” (Single Version)4. “Everybody Wants To Rule The World” (Single Version)5. “Head Over Heels” (Remix)6. “I Believe” (A Soulful Re-Recording)7. “Everybody Wants To Run The World”8. “The Way You Are” (Short Version)9. “Mothers Talk: (U.S. Remix)10. “Shout” (U.S. Single Version)11. “Everybody Wants To Run The World” (Running Version)12. “Head Over Heels” (Radio Version)13. “Mothers Talk” (Video Version)14. “Shout” (Short Version)15. “Listen” (Clean Intro)15. Interview With Curt & Roland DISC 3: Remixed Songs From The Big Chair1. “The Way You Are: (Extended Version)2. “Mothers Talk” (Extended Version)3. “Shout” (Extended Remix Version)4. “Everybody Wants To Rule The World” (Extended Version)5. “Broken/Head Over Heels/Broken” (Preacher Mix)6. “Mothers Talk” (Beat Of The Drum Mix)7. “Shout” (U.S. Remix)8. “Everybody Wants To Rule The World” (Urban Mix)9. “Mothers Talk” (U.S. Remix Alternate)10. “Shout” (Dub)11. “Everybody Wants To Rule The World” (Instrumental)12. “Shout” (A cappella) DISC 4: Unreleased Songs From The Big Chair1. “Head Over Heels” (Richard Skinner Session)2. “The Working Hour” (Richard Skinner Session)3. “Broken” (Richard Skinner Session)4. “Mothers Talk” (Live At Massey Hall)5. “Broken/Head Over Heels” (Live At Massey Hall)6. “Memories Fade” (Live At Massey Hall)7. “The Working Hour” (Live At Massey Hall)8. “Everybody Wants To Rule The World” (Live At Massey Hall)9. “Shout” (Live At Massey Hall)10. “Mothers Talk” (Early Mix/Instrumental)11. “The Way You Are” (Early Mix)12. “Broken” (Early Mix)13. “Shout” (Early Mix)14. “Everybody Wants To Rule The World” (Alternate Single Version) DISC 5: DVD-A5.1 and Stereo Mix1. “Shout”2. “The Working Hour”3. “Everybody Wants To Rule The World”4. “Mothers Talk”5. “I Believe”6. “Broken”7. “Head Over Heels”8. “Listen” DISC 6: DVDDocumentary:1. Scenes From The Big Chair – Documentary2. Interview With Producer Chris HughesPromos:3. “The Way You Are” (Music Video)4. “Mothers Talk” (Alternative UK Video)5. “Mothers Talk” (Music Video)6. “Shout” (Music Video)7. “Everybody Wants To Rule The World” (Music Video)8. “Head Over Heels” (Music Video)9. “I Believe” (Music Video)10. “Mothers Talk” (Music Video)11. “Everybody Wants To Run The World” (Music Video)BBC TV appearances:12. “The Way You Are” (Top of the Pops)13. “Mothers Talk” (Top of the Pops)14. “Mothers Talk” (Top of the Pops)15. “Shout” (Top of the Pops)16. “Everybody Wants To Rule The World” (Wogan)17. “Everybody Wants To Rule The World” (Top of the Pops)18. “Everybody Wants To Rule The World” (Top of the Pops)19. “The Working Hour” (Wogan)
― Mark G, Wednesday, 1 October 2014 14:55 (nine years ago) link
fuck that.
― Shepard Toney Album (dog latin), Wednesday, 1 October 2014 14:56 (nine years ago) link
Spin has it for around £35, I don't know if that's accurate but they're not usually wrong.
― Mark G, Wednesday, 1 October 2014 14:58 (nine years ago) link
Man, that's a lot of versions of "Shout".
― Gerald McBoing-Boing, Wednesday, 1 October 2014 14:59 (nine years ago) link
A whole CD of edits of songs off the album. And then the supposed 'unreleased' songs are just live or session versions of songs off the album.
― Shepard Toney Album (dog latin), Wednesday, 1 October 2014 15:06 (nine years ago) link
the 2 CD deluxe version is on Spotify.
and the docu is here
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UJiLCZh4gZc
― piscesx, Wednesday, 1 October 2014 15:10 (nine years ago) link
14. “Everybody Wants To Rule The World” (Alternate Single Version)
This is so weird to hear after 30 years of hearing it without all the extra stuff plastered all over it.
― Johnny Fever, Wednesday, 3 December 2014 23:52 (nine years ago) link
This is pretty cool. Roland appears to have spent much more time in the sun than me:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W4_mMl0B5mA
― Gerald McBoing-Boing, Thursday, 4 December 2014 00:21 (nine years ago) link
They sound great.
― Josh in Chicago, Thursday, 4 December 2014 02:29 (nine years ago) link
Brad, get in here.
― guess that bundt gettin eaten (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Thursday, 4 December 2014 02:30 (nine years ago) link
Orzabal's voice hasn't diminished a single bit.
― Johnny Fever, Thursday, 4 December 2014 02:33 (nine years ago) link
All this hullabaloo and no mention of the 10th anniversary of "Everybody Loves A Happy Ending".
― Gerald McBoing-Boing, Thursday, 4 December 2014 02:45 (nine years ago) link
Finished listening to the box. I couldn't do it all consecutively, though, that would've been too much.
I love the expanded album on disc 1, I bought the limited UK cassette when it came out and played it daily for a year and a half. The edits and mixes are alright, though I hate the "Urban Mix" of Everybody - it just adds pointless sax noodling. In the end I concluded that the album versions were definitive though I have a soft spot for the UK extended Shout.
The best bits are the unreleased stuff on disc 4. Interesting radio versions start it off, followed by some nice live takes. Everybody Wants is played like that stupid Urban Mix, though! Shout has almost metallic guitars and also silly sax bits added. The early mixes are interesting - The Way You Are has completely different lyrics and Shout is a bit flaccid, always cool the recognize how much a good producer adds.
Overall I'm glad I have this but it'll be years before I listen to this again.
― Gerald McBoing-Boing, Tuesday, 16 December 2014 19:59 (nine years ago) link
One day it will be cheap in Fopp.
And then I will.. be in some other town and miss it as I get to fopp about once every 6 months thesedays,
― Mark G, Tuesday, 16 December 2014 20:33 (nine years ago) link
Whats the SW remix of the album like?
― MaresNest, Tuesday, 16 December 2014 21:17 (nine years ago) link
I didn't listen to the 'new' stereo mix or the 5.1 mix. Honestly, not sure if I ever will, those are wasted on me.
― Gerald McBoing-Boing, Tuesday, 16 December 2014 21:21 (nine years ago) link
I got the "Deluxe version" i.e. 2CD
CD1 is great, the album itself with a few added things
The CD2 is odd, the booklet has the tracklistings for CD1 and 2 from the box set, but the correct tracklistings are on the box etc.
I basically have to say: Boy, aren't the 12" versions of "Mothers Talk" and "Shout" awful?
Most of them seem to be on CD3 of the box, but.
― Mark G, Tuesday, 19 May 2015 11:54 (eight years ago) link
It still surprises me that they managed to get a 6 disc set out of this album.
― You’re being too simplistic and you’re insulting my poor heart (Turrican), Tuesday, 19 May 2015 12:18 (eight years ago) link
I mean, this band have never really been renowned for recording a lot of music, have they?!
― You’re being too simplistic and you’re insulting my poor heart (Turrican), Tuesday, 19 May 2015 12:19 (eight years ago) link
― guess that bundt gettin eaten (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Wednesday, December 3, 2014 7:30 PM (two years ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink
sorry alfred of three years ago
― ToddBonzalez (BradNelson), Saturday, 25 November 2017 20:56 (six years ago) link
Re-reading McBoing-Boing's post above reminded me of the existence of 'The Way You Are', that interim single that the band absolutely hate. It's not too difficult to hear why - one of my least favourite things TFF did during the original run with Curt.
― Gholdfish Killah (Turrican), Saturday, 25 November 2017 21:25 (six years ago) link
Hah! I've always had a soft spot for it, it's so much a transitional sounds with some of The Hurting and some of the Big Chair vibe, but clearly not achieving the success of either.
― Gerald McBoing-Boing, Sunday, 26 November 2017 01:30 (six years ago) link
As time goes by, I become more solidified in my opinion that "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" is the greatest song ever written. This song never fails to give me that rush, it's completely perfect
― Vinnie, Sunday, 26 November 2017 02:37 (six years ago) link
It really amazes me how "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" over the years has totally eclipsed "Shout" as the signature song from this album, if not TFF's signature song, period. At the time I remember "Shout" being more popular, although they were both #1 hits in the US and Canada. They wanted the first single ("Shout") to a grand, statement-making song ("hey, we're back!") which is the kind of thing that isn't really relevant thirty years later once everybody already knows all their hits. "Everybody" is a lot easier to digest, so to speak.
― NoTimeBeforeTime, Sunday, 26 November 2017 13:40 (six years ago) link
Surprising how badly I Believe did in this poll.
― piscesx, Sunday, 26 November 2017 14:05 (six years ago) link
Just as odd as it is to think of "Purple Rain" as inspired by Prince seeing a Bob Seger concert, I see to recall that this album was partly inspired by TFF catching Springsteen live and wanting to make something just as anthemic.
― Josh in Chicago, Sunday, 26 November 2017 14:30 (six years ago) link
"Everybody" was the first single in America xpost
― morning wood truancy (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Sunday, 26 November 2017 15:05 (six years ago) link
"Everybody" is probly their worst song ever and people are crazy
and i miss you Bimble, peace
― who says no to mentals? (Noodle Vague), Sunday, 26 November 2017 15:59 (six years ago) link
― Naive Teen Idol, Sunday, 10 December 2017 14:41 (six years ago) link
Shout suffered as a song because everybody I knew changed the chorus lyrics to "shout, shout/gets the stains out/gets out the stains you can do without/come on, the laundry won't do/itself"
― erry red flag (f. hazel), Sunday, 10 December 2017 15:59 (six years ago) link
That's great
― groovypanda, Sunday, 22 November 2020 14:38 (three years ago) link
They're pretty lax with the DVDs of these things; the Amy Winehouse one was first broadcast years back and there's no sign of a release. Still haven't seen it, gah.
xp Yeah there are torents knoking about of the Big Chair one.
― piscesx, Sunday, 22 November 2020 18:07 (three years ago) link