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

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

i'm sure i voted for 'head over heels' and would probably do so again, but man 'everybody wants to rule the world' is just perfect

i hate that noodle vague and i will have to fite about it, but so it goes

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

― paul mccartney & whinge (voodoo chili), Tuesday, June 19, 2018 3:12 PM (one month ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

'Mothers Talk' was a single! 'I Believe' was released as a single, too.

right, but I Believe was never released in the US and Mothers' Talk was a moderate hit, while the three big songs spent weeks upon weeks in the top 5 (or at #1 in the case of Shout and Everybody Wants to Rule the World)

i'm sure i voted for 'head over heels' and would probably do so again, but man 'everybody wants to rule the world' is just perfect

Same.

^^yes

This is fun...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GsjhSm4YCfw

thanks, i enjoyed the hell out of that.

Bbc Classic Albums documentary this Friday! First new episode of Classic Albums for a while.

https://www.superdeluxeedition.com/news/tears-for-fears-celebrate-35-years-of-songs-with-classic-album-doc/

^ Will have to find that somewhere.

Sometimes this seems like the best record I liked as a 9-year-old. The tracks receiving no votes definitely feel like the least best, but I dig them all.

I'm old enough to remember when this came out. "Shout" was the first single and it sounded very cool to me at the time, not like anything else on the radio. Nowadays I'd go for "Everyone Wants to Rule the World", which has somehow managed not to become overplayed.

All of the singles on this album rank among the best songs ever written.

I like everything on this album, and especially in context. Never have a problem just throwing it on start to finish.

DJP extremely OTM

sometimes i think Head Over Heels is the absolute pinnacle of '80s new wave pop music