TEARS FOR FEARS - SONGS FROM THE BIG CHAIR (1985) POLL

Nothing screams "this is a record made in 1984-1985" quite like the production job on 'Mother's Talk'.

Nothing screams 80s Genesis like "Mother's Talk."

Be that as it may, I still dig it. There's a at least half a dozen versions, too:

LP version
7" version
12" extended version
Beat Of The Drum mix
US remix
Alt US remix

I like this song and Genesis!

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.

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.

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.

In interviews, Roland has made it clear they aspired to chart success but not at the cost of their artistic souls.

Everybody Wants To Rule The World is one of the greatest singles of all time

― Master of Treacle, Monday, September 17, 2012 5:48 PM (1 year ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

the first four songs even

instrumental of Everybody Wants to Rule the World is a balearic jam for the ages:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l1dH5DUiZhg

BOX!

http://media.spincds.com/media/catalog/product/cache/1/image/265x/9df78eab33525d08d6e5fb8d27136e95/t/e/tears.jpg

DISC 1: Songs From The Big Chair
1. “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 Chair
1. “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 Chair
1. “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 Chair
1. “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-A
5.1 and Stereo Mix
1. “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: DVD
Documentary:
1. Scenes From The Big Chair – Documentary
2. Interview With Producer Chris Hughes
Promos:
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)

fuck that.

Spin has it for around £35, I don't know if that's accurate but they're not usually wrong.

Man, that's a lot of versions of "Shout".

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.

the 2 CD deluxe version is on Spotify.

and the docu is here

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UJiLCZh4gZc

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.

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

They sound great.

Brad, get in here.

Orzabal's voice hasn't diminished a single bit.

All this hullabaloo and no mention of the 10th anniversary of "Everybody Loves A Happy Ending".

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.

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,

Whats the SW remix of the album like?

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.

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.

It still surprises me that they managed to get a 6 disc set out of this album.

I mean, this band have never really been renowned for recording a lot of music, have they?!

Brad, get in here.

― 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

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.

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.

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

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.

Surprising how badly I Believe did in this poll.

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.

"Everybody" was the first single in America xpost

"Everybody" is probly their worst song ever and people are crazy

and i miss you Bimble, peace

"Everybody" was the first single in America xpost

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"

:D :D :D

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

hi

i can't believe only three people voted for shout

i know, wtf?

let it all out, guys

lol what austinb said

what's the general consensus re best tff album

feel like ppl are generally split between this and the hurting

i think big chair is literally perfect but i like the seeds of love more if that makes any sense

i've only heard elemental, sowing, raoul and this - when i get some money gonna plunk down on hurting.

feels good to see the tff revival here, when i was growing up in the 90s i felt weird about liking them as everyone else was into whatever else was cool like salt n pepa, tlc etc

(which are cool ofc)

sad but not surprised that nobody voted for Mothers Talk. the three singles really do tower over this album, even though MT, The Working Hour, and I Believe are all fantastic too