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

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

Listen is almost 7 minutes long and still seems far too short

Really, the entire second side of this album is perfect

"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.

My experience is the opposite - "EWTRTW" is way way overplayed and "Shout" still retains its primal power.

Also note that "Mothers Talk" was the first single released in August 1984 and it caused a sensation at my college radio station. TFF were still quite underground in the US at the time, I viewed their stadium climb with bemusement.

I remember them suddenly bursting fully-formed into the US pop scene with "Everybody Wants To Rule The World" and knowing they had a previous album but not knowing much about it at the time; decades later, when I went back to The Hurting, I discovered I already knew half the songs on it (I have conscious memory of my first encounter with "Mad World" but I knew "Pale Shelter" and "Change" almost by heart and never knew they were Tears For Fears songs until some time in the 00s, the first time I played the album).

Then it got that single remix in spring 1986.

xpost

I don't think I knew they had a previous album until I saw some live broadcast of a Knebworth concert, when they played "Change."

When the album hit "Change" I actually shouted "WAIT THAT WAS THEM??? I'VE BEEN LOOKING FOR THIS SONG FOR YEARS"

I place SFTBC in the category of Big British Summer Crossover Album, as [Dare/i] did in 1982 and So would in 1986

I enjoyed that, it really is one of the most 'classic album-y' docs I've seen for a while, it has nearly all the hallmarks.

What a wonderful documentary. I'm not sure what it did differently from many of the others, but at least tonight it felt like one of the better ones. Not just nuts and bolts and pulling away the curtain, but telling a good story. And I never would have guessed that the album was so influenced by Talking Heads, let alone Ryuichi Sakamoto or Robert Wyatt. And never knew (or noticed) that Chris Hughes was "Merrick," the drummer/producer for Adam and the Ants. Good (er) talking heads, too. Sylvie Simmons and even the dude from Disturbed.

aaaaa i NEED to SEE this

It can be found easily if you f/w torrents

I was thinking wow Roland Beelzebub is looking quite old all of a sudden then a friend pointed out that he lost his wife suddenly a couple of years ago, poor guy :(

thank u for putting me on the path maresnest

it's on YouTube.