Songs From The Big Chair

It's hard reviewing an album that's perfect but here's me giving it a shot. I've been well acquainted and quite familiar with Tears for Fears's work for quite some time now. It's obviously all the smash hits I know them for, but I'd be lying through my teeth if I didn't start grinning when I saw this album as the next to listen to. I was excited and I had damn good reason to be. This is the album with Shout! With Everybody Wants to Rule the World! It's quite the star studded affair and hopes were high. Suffice it to say, this album didn't disappoint, not by a long shot. The aforementioned Shout kicks off the album in a downright chilling manner. The samples and loops used are accompanied by ice-cold keyboards and Roland Orzabal's chilling vocals. If I didn't know about the song beforehand, it would've probably stunned me into silence. It's a masterful track and the first one, no less. Moving on from there, we descend into smooth jazz with The Working Hour. It's yet another superb blend of various different genres, but the mood of desperation and bitterness rages on. These guys have a lot to say on this album and they don't mince their words or leave out details; they get to the point backed with vast arrangements and multiple different things happening at once. Nowhere is that better enunciated than on The Working Hour. Moving on from there we have the smash hit of the album Everybody Wants to Rule the World. I don't think I need to say much about it. It was always an iconic track and one I've known for as long as I can remember. The message often flies through people's heads but the truth is the commentary on corruption and dictatorial rule that was prevalent during that time (after all, this album was literally recorded at the pinnacle of the Cold War of the 1980s) will always be ahead of its time. The arrangement is glistening and glossy, while the lyrics, continuing with the theme of the album, are anything but. Another iconic track that proved to be an intergenerational hit. From here on out we really get to the meat of the album. Mothers Talk is more of a drum exercise than the previous few songs incorporating world music elements and in the process almost sounding like a Talking Heads leftover. Of course I mean that in the nicest and sincerest way possible. I Believe is built upon one of the sparser arrangements of the album. It's also my favourite song of the entire album. The saxophone solo merely sealed the deal, but even before that I was entranced by Roland's lonesome vocals and the slow, brooding drums and piano. From there on out we enter what I like to call a medley of sorts. Broken kicks off where I Believe left off and it's one of the more vibrant songs of the album. It gets into gear almost immediately and in its 2 and a half minutes accomplishes a lot with seemingly nothing. After that we have another instant transition into Head Over Heels, another well known track off the album and another absolute masterpiece. I wouldn't be surprised if people write this song off because of its pop sensibilities ,but I like it directly because of that. The poppier nature of the track serves as a cleanser to the past few moody songs that have preceded it. The live snippet of Broken, featured earlier on the album, makes a cameo at the tail end of the song, following another seamless transition. I don't find much rhyme or reason in putting that short snippet there, but it really does the track no harm and it's not something worth wasting energy over. The final track on the album is also the most emotionally poignant and daring. Listen starts off simple enough with a keyboard line, but eventually crescendoes and evolves into this African chant-like structure, furthering their relations with world music. Drums are barely present and yet you don't notice it, because the squealing guitar and atmospheric keys more than make up for it. What a joyride this album was! Who knew that a simple band from Bath could string along different genres so easily, seamlessly and in a way that amplified their messages and improved their songs. From start to finish, this project is an all killer, no filler affair. It's also one of the few albums whose album cover defines the music present on the album. The monochrome cover perfectly encapsulates the music behind it. The arrangements are often cadaverous and chilling, other times hypnotic and soulful and on occasion smooth and mellow as well. The lyrics get to the point and the core of many sociopolitical issues of the time. Sensational doesn't even begin to describe it; this underrated gem is a must for everyone trying to broaden their horizons as far as British 80s music goes and further acknowledge Tears for Fears as one of the most underrated bands of the 1980s. 10/10

Classic. Feels like I took a time machine back to the 80s listening to it

Excellent synth pop album. A more accessible, but still very interesting, successor to their debut The Hurting.

Masterful pop production. It wears its era on its sleeve, which is perhaps the only complaint, but also a big part of the charm. There are plenty of legitimately interesting ideas across the eight songs, while they all manage to sound like the commercially successful pop music which they were.

SOMETHING HAPPENS AND IM HEAD OVER

wild how the 80s exist huh first track is lame but everything after is pretty great. everyone wants to rule the world is some of the best shit from the 80s prolly. this was before pop artists stopped making 6 minute songs so a couple songs drag a lil but never too bad since theyre all good anyways. 9/10

Atmospheric while also being poppy. Still feels fresh 40 years later. Has both very well known songs, and also songs that would be considered lesser known. I am almost on the verge of giving this a five. Actually the more I think about it, the more I like this album. Fuck it.

Excellent

Fuck it, too many hits and the 2nd disc makes this another 5.

Super into this. What's not to love about 80s synth pop?

so funky cool

I fucking love this album. Only listened through it entirely about 3 times, but I've heard Everybody about a thousand times. So glad that the whole thing is just as great.

Amazing!

OMG, was a great album, automatically added to my favourites

Probably top 3 albums we’ve listened to thus far yeesh.

I wouldn't mind listening to the happier songs 24/7. The other songs are somewhat more boring, though

I love the variety of music, I love how songs are interconnected, and I love the music. Especially the lesser known songs (eg Broken).

Und immer schön so’n büschen Hall drauf, gell? Nein: Wow. Das ist mal ein „Album“: ordentlich Abwechslung, feine Dramaturgie, Ruhiges und echte Knaller – das alles bei konsistentem Sound und hervorragenden Musikern. Souverän, zart, geil.

Unbelievable classic

Hoezo zijn al die nummers zo een schijven? Echt geweldig om naar te luisteren. Schril contrast tussen begin van de plaat en het einde

Este es uno de mis álbumes favoritos de siempre - es genial... y qué recuerdos 😍😍😍

Nice

Отличный альбом. При первом прослушивании показалось, что провисать начинает, но это просто бонус треков наебенили от души. Если ограничиться оригинальной восьмёркой – то не придраться. Внятные, мелодичные, разнообразные цепляющие композиции, интересный инструментал, яркие вокальные партии, и лидирующие и фоновые. Мотивы, которые оседают в голове на годы и которым можно подпевать. И при этом вроде не сказать, что какая-то беззубая коммерческая музыка, нет, оригинальное живое творчество. Всему бы быть таковым. но нет, далее нас снова будет ждать якобы дохуя экспериментальное репетативное душилово…

ну тупа одна из лучших групп 80х, имхо. пацаны хуярили хит за хитом, и немного более попсово чем Дипишмот, конечно, но зато с изобретательностью партий проблем не было (чего стоит только сакс в Working Hour). Сам альбом — просто шлягер на шлягере, чуть ли не сборник лучших песен, из плюс минус нехитовых номеров можно разве что заключительную Listen назвать. Лично мне небольшая сырость и распиздяйность их первого альбома чуть больше заходила, но и против такого годного синтипопа ничего не имею, твердая пятера

There's no way to remove our own biases, experiences, and subjectivity from, well, anything, really, and rendering an opinion on music is no exception. This is one of my favorite albums of all time. It surprised me when it was released and fell in love with it (its release year, 1985, was the year I graduated high school and entered college) because this was so popular and I fancied myself quite a bit of a hard rocker and wannabe punk rocker who was just way too cool for silly ol' popular music (I was then, as I am now, completely full of poop). Didn't matter though: this band, this album, these songs...they all gripped me. I know it's all associated with what was, for the most part, an extraordinarily memorable year for me, in many outstanding ways (had some really crappy moments, too, but that's how life does its life thing). I have a particular fondness for Roland Orzabal's voice and I believe he is an underrated guitarist. (Speaking of guitar, Neil Taylor's outro solo on "Everybody Wants To Rule The World" is excellent.) Curt Smith's voice is great, too, and his bass playing is also overlooked. They are actually fantastic musicians, composers, and writers. A good look into their abilities can be found YouTuber Rick Beato's 'What Makes This Song Great' episode on "Head Over Heels," one of my favorite of many favorite TFF songs. Check it out if you're interested. So glad this project gave me an excuse to listen to this masterpiece all the way through again. 5+ Stars from me.

I love this band and album with my whole heart

Super relaxed album. Best song is for sure "Everybody Wants To Rule The World". Best deep track is "Listen"

This may be the perfect 80s pop album and I’ll definitely be revisiting this one! My favorite tracks are “Shout”, “Everybody Wants to Rule the World” and “Head Over Heels”.

Great album. Enjoyed it immensely

A wonderful album from the 80's. There are 3 Bangers on this album: "Shout" "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" and "Head Over Heels". I loved listening to the whole album, before I had just heard their singles. "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" is still my favorite song by them.

A1 has that yoke from gta on it

A favorite.

Vgood

Astonishingly good, apart from somewhat meandering limp ending to "Listen", the final track.

Saved Prior: Shout, Everybody Wants To Rule The World, Head Over Heels Not Saved: 8. I Believe 7. Listen (wouldn't listen to it on its own, but nonetheless works well as a bookend to this album) Saved: 6. Mothers Talk 5. Broken 4. The Working Hour (other 3 songs have familiarity bias, but this song has the potential to jump them. This is a beautiful song) 3. Shout 2. Head Over Heels / Broken (odd choice to tack on Broken to the end of this song, would've just preferred it exist on its own to avoid the musical whiplash. Probably would've been number 1 if not for that) 1. Everybody Wants To Rule The World (not that this song isn't deserving of #1. Nutty song.) Overall Notes: Up there with the most artistic yet commercially viable new wave albums of all time. Straight up beautiful album. Must hear for SURE.

Awesome record. Of course I heard Shout and Everybody wants to rule the world before, but never the whole album, and it's awesome and consistent.

Awesome

An 80s pop album has no right to be this good, yet here we are.

Perfection

WTF where has this album been all my life. I knew Everybody Wants to Rule the World and Head Over Heels were great, but didn't realise they were on a banging classic album

I was SO happy to see this album pop up. IT'S SO GOOD!!

Perfect modern pop album! If u like depeche mode - listen!

I mean, clearly an iconic album from the 80s' most iconic band.

4.5 star album for me: mostly excellent. and the typical 80s sound is of course the best sound ever.

With a track list like this, how could it not be 5 stars? Favorites: Shout, Everybody Wants to Rule the World, Mothers Talk, Head over Heels

One of my favorites, rings of childhood for me

Head over heels er best 80s lag í heimi. Platan mjög góð í heildina.

Excelent

“And my favorite band will always be Tear for Fears” - Matt Theisen

Awesome 80's vibes.

Pretty good. Very 80s

Solid stuff, thought I would just like the hits, then a great sax hit and I was sold

Absolute classic. I met Roland in at The Ivy in LA once. He was lovely.

classic, nog steeds wat moeite met shout door de disturbed versie maar deze is gewoon genieten. everybody wants to rule the world is ook gewoon zo goed. Al moet de rest niet onder doen.

One of my all time favorites..the 80’s were my time …single in Honolulu and young and prime..music was sensational

Despite being jam packed full of well popular singles Songs From The Big Chair, as I discovered, is best enjoyed as a full album, its v decent. Prog-pop? Is that a thing?

Absolute classic. Took me back years, T4F at the height of their talent. 👍👍

Ace record !!!

80's pop perfection. I've never heard this album before just because I was never all that excited about 80s music in general, but recently I've fallen in love with the pop scene of the decade and knew this would be an album that would stand out to me. I was right. Every song on here is perfect or near perfect, from the singles to the deep cuts.

This really held up well. I recall how much I liked this at initial release and to me it sounded just as good, if not better, today. I liked the music and vocals.

This album has a special, special place in my heart. All of these songs are amazing, especially Head Over Heels. That's my favourite of theirs and one of my all time favourite songs.

I am already a bug fan of this record and it somehow still gets better with each listen.

10/10 amazing album, so many of these songs are underrated

Now we're talking. Solid 5. One of my favorites.

An absolute classic from the 80s, with three songs that will live long in my memory. Wonderful.

Loved this, great songs from a great band.....also had this album as a kid and wore out the tape.

80tero puro y duro. Buenisimo.

I'm not sure saxophone is what I associate with TFF and it was a low point for me. Overall a really great album with solid pop lines and a perfect mix of darkness.

3/25/2022 Today's Album: "Songs From The Big Chair" by Tears For Fears - The opening track, Shout, sets the stage perfectly for this album of memorable classics and a little more. Being such a big hit itself, Shout is a great synth ballad with some very colorful auxiliary percussion, the ever-present 80s synth, and a really cool flute solo about half way through the track. The guitar soloing is also fantastic near the end. The Working Hour starts as a beautiful follow up before transitioning into this extremely groovy samba track that reminds me of the soundtrack to Tarzan (Very Phil Collins). I really like the chill nature of this track and it does enough to not feel boring. Everybody Wants To Rule The World is a perfect song. It's just one of those songs that supersedes any explanation because if you've somehow never heard it, you probably don't care enough about music to be reading this review. It's a great song and still holds it's ground despite how much it's overplayed. Mothers Talk is also a really great track. The bass sounds so funky but is playing so fast it gives the whole track this really groovy disco energy. The vocals are as great as any of the bigger hits and the background vocals really add a lot of personality and soul to this track. I Believe is a much slower and lowkey track, stripping back to just a piano, bass, and drum kit. The vocals are really smooth and emotional, feeling really authentic in the process. It might drag out a bit long, but it sounds nice while it's on and adds a lot to the flow of the record. Broken is another insanely groovy and fun dance tracks with some really impressive guitar work and musical breaks. Head Over Heels / Broken is a really great rock track that feels a lot like Boston by Boston. The lyrics and vocals are on point and there's a really warm and smooth rock band arrangement backing it up. Yet another highlight on a really great sounding record. Finally, Listen is a fantastic closer to this album, being a lush and wide soundscape of a synth ballad. There's a lot of random noises and sparkly synths overcasting the velvety base and synths. There's some great chorus vocals and screaming guitar tones that just sound fantastic. The name of it being Listen really does make sense because it makes me want to get this album on vinyl just to listen to it. The production of the entire record is fantastic start to end and I highly recommend this for anyone who even sort of likes Shout or EWTRTW (or just likes 80s Rock in general). Score: 9.5/10 Fan-freakin'-tastic Highlights: Shout, The Working Hour, Everybody Wants To Rule The World, Broken, Head Over Heels / Broken, Listen.

I'm about 400 albums into this list, and there's a lot of 80s pop. A lot. Ironically, despite being on this list, a lot of it is a little dime-a-dozen. This record, however, is pretty goddamn close to flawless. A solid range of sounds and moods, while remaining cohesive and extremely catchy. If there were more narrow ratings, I'd probably give this a 4.5, but I feel it's close enough to warrant the 5. Favorite tracks: "Head Over Heels", "Shout", "The Working Hour"

Pros: - Has some ABSOLUTE bangers on this album. - "Everybody wants to rule the world" is one of my favorite songs of all time - "Shout" is so moody and such a strong opener. - "Head Over Heels / Broken" - another damn slapping BANGER. - I just love their sound. This was 1985, right smack in the middle of the 80's. They had that weird 80's "we're embracing this new synth world" sound that was weirdly serious and I will forever love that. - The first track is super synth heavy (with all of the limitations of early synths), and then the second track comes in with an evocative and VERY human-y saxophone. Then bongos. Such a cool contrast to start an album. I really can't say how much I love the ground covered instrumentation wise in the first two songs. I don't know if I've ever heard another pop album cover so much ground so quickly while also being effective and now adding timbres for the sake of adding timbres. - LISTEN TO THE INTRO GROOVE ON EVERYBODY WANTS TO RULE THE WORLD. UGHHHH - "Mothers Talk" bass part at 3:48 is literally videogame battle music. - "Listen", the outtro is really so amazing. Lots of moods. Cons: Misc: - It's hard for me to give a quantified star rating for this album. It's a high 4 for me. JUST a 4 is too low IMO but 5 is too high for me. It's an amazing album, with 3 songs that are probably in the conversation of being 3 of the top 25 songs of a decade, which is amazing- specially so because the 80s were such a wild time for pop music. This is really my hardest vote yet. Ok I'm giving it a 5, it's just too good.

5/5. Unrelentingly 80s, holy shit. Masterpiece 😎

Uuuuh. Been waiting for this Love it, reminds me of my mom :)) 5

2nd album. 80s classic.

Usually not a fan of new wave so I was surprised to find myself liking this so much. Great album

Absolutely slaps, closer to a 5 but not quite there for me. S/o Jake making this my 5th (?) Listen this year

progressive pop for the time. i loved shout and everybody wants to rule the world.

its nice but i dont think its exceptional

Great album

Classic New Wave. Curt Smith is an 80s god. Classic songs too.

Different start then I expected. Has a weird psychedelic sound meshed with the 80s. Shout has a real stadium sound. Working Hour has a weirdly George Michael feel but with more rock. Ok so Working Hour is SMOOTH. Everybody Wants To Rule The World is a classic for a reason and it sounds like a Full House opening. Mothers Talk took me off guard sounding like funky fight music. Mothers Talk is fine kinda funky but kind of a mess maybe i don't know. Was I Believe made by Joji? I Believe is actually one of the best jazz lounge sleep songs I've heard. Broken should not come after I Believe it took me way off guard. Broken was fine but Head Over Heels/Broken is a really awesome transition song. OH MY GOD IT'S THIS SONG. 🎶Something happens and I'm head over heels🎶 Best song on the album so far so triumphant and high energy. I adore the transition into Listen. Listen sort of sounds like OG vaporwave and I just wanna drift off to it. Listen was really strange but I also think it's one of my favorites on this album.

Classic 80s. What's not to love?

Has a few big hits, really enjoy this album.

Am a Tears For Fears fan in general, but had never heard more than the singles from this album. They were definitely the strongest offerings, as it turns out. The album is still a good one though, and I'd easily listen to it again. 4 stars.

The first part is the best

Mother's Talk is the best song, and I don't see how that can be argued. This album is a hit parade, and even someone who had never heard the name Tears for Fears would have recognized at least one song. Shout is far too long- it could have been cut down by two minutes. I enjoyed the jazz elements and the vocals were great.

Actually quite enjoyed, have never sat down with a Tears for Fears album before. Might listen again.

Enjoyed that, blast from the very past.

Good songs but a lot of them sounded very similar.

This is one of the defining albums of 80s New Wave. This is a big budget record with a big budget sound. The layers of synths and drum machines provide good color while their voices are clearly the focus when they’re present. Overall, very solid record. Favorite song: Shout Least favorite song: Broken

Shout fucks.

De todo el synth-pop ochentero que nos ha tocado en la lista, este es por mucho el que más me ha gustado. Quizá es porque tiene mucho menos énfasis en el lado synth, o porque es un disco corto y va al grano, o porque cada canción tiene su sonido propio, sin convertirse en una rola original y luego un montón de malas copias de ella.

No había escuchado el disco completo y que gusto haberlo hecho tiene coherencia entre canciones y te hace sentir en un solo track sin molestia EWTRTW es una de mis canciones favoritas y ahora mas con el plus de tener rolas tan buenas al lado a muy pocas bandas le ha funcionado tener sax en la mayoría de sus canciones

Some good tracks and memories

I thought this was gunna be hella shit and yes it was cheesy but so catchy and ‘everybody wants to rule the world’ is just a classic hit

I really enjoyed this album, but I have really mixed feelings about this genre. I don’t like the vocal style, it’s just weird to me. On the other hand, the layers to the music is incredible, for being “pop” music there are a good amount of complex rhythms, instrumentation, and chords.

Some solid classics here.

Actually good

Great album. Can’t believe Shout, Everybody..., and Head Over Heels are all from the same album. Some songs are forgettable, but the highs are so high. The transition from Broken to Head Over Heels is so smooth. Head over heels is my fave, followed by Shout.

Great songs, great production.

Great album top to bottom. Got to love that 80's synth pop sound.

A few classics, forgettable others. Still a good listen

A damn classic. It even has their two most popular songs on it but don't let them distract form the rest of this bad boy

classic 80s new wave. some classic 80s cheesy sax in there too.

So so 80s

So many great songs, but I think the sequencing is kinda whack. You can’t follow “Shout” with “The Working Hour,” sorry. Total buzzkill. Pretty amazing sax solo on that one tune!

Really cool album from the 80's, I'm normally more of a rock/metal guy, but the writing and mixing is fantastic

The album is short and stripped of filler, just how I like it. The opening track, "Shout", is a 10/10 masterpiece, but some others are a bit too singy for me.

Just "Shout" and "Everybody wants to rule the world" already make this album worth it. I liked it!

The first song is amazing

3 good songs but they’re really good songs

I already knew I liked this album beforehand. Everybody Wants to Rule the World & Head Over Heels are classics. Honestly both Shout and Mothers Talk are a bit boring compared to the rest of them. Production is insanely clean as well.

Pop rock

Aussie classic

Un 4 ... no me ha encantado el álbum del todo. Aunque está muy bien.

Iconic song

I just knew one song from this band, but this album surprised me. It's very good.

Das war die erste Platte mit der ich meine Mutter „geschockt“ habe. Als Cassette ausgeliehen aus der Katholischen Öffentlichen Bücherei und dann mangels eigener Technik immer in der Küche gespielt. „Was ist das denn für schreckliche Musik, Guido? So unmelodisch!“. Über diese 36 Jahre alte Aussage/Einschätzung denke ich tatsächlich bis heute immer mal wieder nach, weil ich sie so komplett nicht nachvollziehen konnte/kann. Ich war Riesenfan von Shout und Everybody Wants To Rule The World, und was bitteschön ist denn an diesem Songs unmelodisch??? Da jetzt echt mal 3 (!!!) Fragezeichen dran. Jedenfalls: mit bombastigen Synthie-Arrangements krichse mich ja immer, luftige 80s-Drums dazu und dann noch so räudige Gitarren: Ja klar komm ich mit! Ach so, Stimmen von den beiden fand ich auch immer top, von mir aus auch in Balladen. Vom Sound her kaum deutlicher in den 80ern einzuordnen und trotzdem fresh wie Ulricke Jokiels Kühlschrank morgens um 6 - dieses Album hält für mich alles, was Depeche Mode letzte Woche versemmelt haben. Einmal mit Profis arbeiten! 4,2 Punkte.

Sound of the 80s. 2 temazos, buenas instrumentales. Shout!

Well, Everybody Wants to Rule the World is good of course, and Shout has some nostalgic value for me that makes up for the fact I don't really like the song. Head Over Heels was good too, and most songs were at least pleasant to listen to passively.

I used to think the 80s was crap. I was wrong

Biggest surprise was me liking _The Working Hour_, despite it having a sax

Pretty good! I liked the sounds and instrumentation a lot but I felt like the songwriting had some weak moments

Really good

Shout. Everybody Wants to Rule the World. Another great album.

7.5 solid

The Working Hour Everybody Wants to Rule the World I Believe

Nice 80's vibe, with an awesome opening number ;)

Nice

Peak 80's with some classics.

Good fun 80's vibes

Was not expecting to really like this. It slaps.

Big bangers, classic nostalgia and interesting percussion. Some filler.

Probably 3.5*. Much better than I expected. Very 80s, but huge sound.

A good album. Really, really strong singles, unfortunately muddled by some lackluster deep cuts, but overall a great slice of 80s synth pop

Really good pop album. Not usually my style but this is the gold standard

Sounded great, singer had an interesting voice, recognized some classic songs too! Now I can place some faces to the name 'Tears for Fears'

Очень хороший альбом. Shout / Everybody Wants To Rule The World прекрасны.

Ich habe gerade nach 10 Tagen work am Stück einfach nicht mehr die Energie jeden Songs bis ins kleinste Detail zu analysieren. Die Singles sind geil, Shout ist geil, everybody wants to rule the world ist geil und jetzt kenn ich endlich den interpreten davon haha, Head over heels auch geil und listen klingt gerade ziemlich nice. Sehr coole 80s synths sounds auf der Platte ok bye next

Not my cup of tea.

I often confuse TFF with depeche mode. fun 80s music! 4.0

9/10 👌🏽

A classic. The sound is dated, but I love it for that.

There are some indispensable bangers, but a lot of space fillers too... "Listen" is three times too long

Shout was my favorite so far

Good album with a couple of big hits…

Still a completely unique sound in my mind, plus three huge hits.

A few classic 80s anthems interspersed with some not as well known but equally as excellent synth pop. A few tracks dragged on a bit (only 8 songs in a 40 minute record!) and the last track didn’t add much for me which stops it being a 5

Sympa les premières notes de l'instru de la première. - Everybody Wants to Rule the World: validé - The Marauders: très longue et redondante

This was good. Enjoyable to listen to in the background.

Solid gold pop bangers. The kind of "don't give a fuck" pop music that feels very 2020s.

Here's one we all know and love, with the big hits too! A lot of long songs on here, and unfortunately I kind of feel the length on some of them. But as a whole, this is a great '80s pop album. "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" continues to rip almost 40 years later, as does "Head Over Heels." I also really liked the interlude prior to Head Over Heels, with hints of the melody to come. This is a terrific album, I think it's against the law to give this any lower than a 4. Favorite tracks: Everybody Wants to Rule the World, Head Over Heels, Listen, Shout, Broken. Album art: Not a bad band photo, very intimate. Are they lovers? It's not super interesting but I wouldn't disagree with anyone labelling this iconic. Love the sweater, need that sweater. 4.5/5

Classic album alert! All the great Tears for Fears songs are here on one album. I didn't fall in love with any of the songs that weren't hits but of course Shout, Everybody wants to rule the world, and Head over heels are enough to push this into the 4 category.

Great album “Shout & Head over Heals, Mothers Talk, Listen Like their ability to make such varied songs on one album 💿 makes this a great listen

Big fan of this group… loved this album

4/5 well that was a surprise, nice!

Songs from the Big Chair is the second studio album by English pop rock band Tears for Fears, released on 25 February 1985 by Phonogram Records. The album peaked at number two in the UK and at number one in the US and Canada, becoming a multi-platinum seller in all three countries. It also reached number one in Germany and the Netherlands and the top 10 in various other countries including Australia, New Zealand and Switzerland.

This album has all the hits.

Excellent album. A couple of slower songs that weren't great, but almost all bangers.

Muy buen disco

80s goodness with a twist that excels it forward, great album

Big fan of that lead in to 'Head Over Heels' from 'Broken'.

Some real classics on this. A general theme of the album is the oppression of the working man so it felt satisfying listening to this when I should have had my head in spreadsheets. Sounds similiar to Talk Talk's Colour of Spring (just not as good)

VERY EXCELLENT

Solid. 7.5/10. One bummer song- #2

Opening track is a killer, and Everybody... is pretty much the 80's encapsulated in pop perfection. Rest of the album is great too.

Yes.

A great 80s pop album, great songs throughout though a couple get annoying at times (Mothers talk, I believe). The keyboards and guitar drive this album with heart-warming songs of Everybody Wants to Rule the World and Head over Heels, to darker material including The Working Hour. Apart from a couple of songs, a fantastic album.

some solid classics and these guys have great voices. Very stereotypical 80's, makes me miss GLOW worried I might not remember these guys when I want to listen to just 80's because this is a solid album. Def 4 out of 5

The sounds of the '80s

head over heels es un hit universal nunca identifiqué shout con ellos

-I liked this album -Love the 80's feel -Kind of wish the last song on the album was a little more exciting -Favourite songs are Shout, Mothers Talk, Head Over Heels/Broken

This was an interesting ones. The only songs I knew by Tears For fears were Mad World and Shout and I had no idea that the two songs are by the same band. That feeling holds true for this entire album. Between one song and the next it can feel difficult to believe that it's the same album. Some tracks are really straightforward and simple, while others are really deep and ambitious. Some seem more akin to synth-pop while others are more akin to prog rock, yet their basic sound stays very recognizable with a character of its own. I needed to give it two spins and still can't entirely wrap my head around it, but I certainly enjoyed it.

Seminal 80s power-pop

Loved it when it came out. Still sounds very good.

head over heels is one of my all time favs and the album is great

Like so many albums of this era, it's got some bangers (❤️Head over Heals), tracks that made 31 on #TOTP and some absolute fillers. But definitely very polished and great singalong material.

Solid 80s album with a hanful of pretty great hits.

Interesting!

I already knew some, enjoyed it.

I’d listen again

The sound of the Eighties, was often to throw in everything up to and including the kitchen sink. That's what this album sounds like. But _soulfully_

A rounded up three and a half. It's not so much dated as frozen in amber, but the bangers still hit home and it does feel like a coherent collection of songs. A proper album.

SHout, Everybody wants to rule the World, Head of Heals - the soundrack of my early youth. Rest of album, ok, nothign special.

Already a big Tears for Fears fan so will try not to be bias going into this one. The Hurting is one of my favourite albums but I don't think I know most of these tracks. Shout - It's hard not to be bias when you lead with a fantastic track like this. The Working Hour - Absolutely love this, the intro and saxophone is beautiful. Everybody Wants to Rule the World - Classic track and not really much I can say other than it's loved for a reason. Mother's Talk - Sounds a little James Bondy in the intro - oh, I actually know this song, a bit less poppy that the previous tracks and probably the worst so far. I Believe - Much slower than the others, feels like I'm in an empty, jazzy dive bar at night. I like this, even with such an odd vocal style it sounds pretty. Broken - I Believe led so well into this with it's flashier style and with the hints of 'Head Over Heels' in it, this sounds great alone and amazing between the two tracks. Head over Hells - And then into one of my favourite Tears for Fears songs, what a great song with such an amazing guitar. Listen - Not a fan of this (and tbh a fan of good albums tending to end on the dullest, saddest song) - it's not bad just not great in comparison to the tracks leading to it. Overall it was a fantastic album (bias or not) and I can see why it's considered a classic though I would still personally rate and recommend The Hurting over it. A couple of tracks I didn't get on with which stops it being a 5 star but I'd definitely rate it a 4!

Fun and sad at the same time. You can hear the influence they had on a lot of other artists. Definitely gonna listen to it again.

Wow! Of course I heard some Tears for Fears before, but this album is just full of hits and even the deeper cuts are great. The production for the time it was recorded is crystal clear. It has some low moments and some of the songs are maybe bit too long, but maybe it will grow on me over time. Fav tracks: Head over Heels, Broken, The Working Hour, Shout

I really like this one. Seems like a transition point between 80s pop and the indie loved in the '00s. The two hits are the best songs on the album.

Some bangers, album zit goed in elkaar. Was ook fan van listen (laatste liedje) heel close bij een 5, denk als ik het meer beluister dat het dan nog wel komt 4,5

Ahhh ca... Pensé que todas esas eran Depeche mode

A couple of great hits in there.

I've never heard this full album before but it's fucking cool. A few slow moments but the good bits make up for it. Also, 8 songs and 40min is a great album length. 4/5.

4, dang good. the non-hits are excellent too without overstaying their welcome.

Classic album, some big hits on here.

The reverb-heavy power-pop invokes a sense of scope with each track, making it a captivating listen. I love the guitar and synth work. BEST TRACKS: Shout, Everybody Wants To Rule The World, Mothers Talk, Broken WORST TRACKS: I Believe

Tears For Fears' Songs From The Big Chair is the kind of album that one can go back to again and again and learn new and wonderful things about this great duo.

Unexpected and interesting

Some corkers, some unlistenable

look it's,, fine?? would almost say a bop. but there's just something off.. idk how to explain it my brain is telling me 'this is a good thing, this is an enjoyable thing', but the enjoying part of my brain hasn't got the memo. is this good? yeah, i think so. do i like this? hmmmmmm

Oh man the vibes this record is giving off. Most of this album was still in rotation in the early 90s when I was growing up and started hearing pop music. I have a lot of nostalgia for Shout, Everybody Wants to Rule the World and Head Over Heels

I grew up with this album on cassette in my early pre-teen years. And it has been fun to re-listen to this after so many years. And interesting how well this music has been ingrained in my memory. It's a great album with some really good songwriting, even better than I remember. But on the other hand Tears for Fears suffers from the thing that's so prevalent in the 80's, and that is that every possible silence had to be filled with another sound. And another. A cowbell here, a trumpet there, a quick voice over the top and then a drumroll. Nothing wrong with their songwriting, clearly talented, but the lesson of 'less is more' never reached them.

Очень красиво, атмосферно

"shout" + "everybody rules the world"

Good

Big songs, big ideas, feels like a pop concept album. A forgotten master of 80s hit LPs.

Really picked up towards the end!

Great 80s album.

I'm not sure what it was that got me interested in this album enough for me to purchase the cassette but I did. It just was not the type of music I remember being into at the time, I was an avid reader of Circus and Hit Parader, magazines that largely focused on hard rock and heavy metal. Ratt, Dokken, Judas Priest and Iron Maiden were more my speed. We didn't have MTV but there was Friday Night Videos on network tv so that mustbe were I came across these guys. There's some great stuff here of course, the three singles, "Shout," "Everybody Wants To Rule The World" and especially "Head Over Heels" are mid 80s all-timers. I probably liked "Shout" cause it seemed kind of pissed off and badass and then the rest kind of sorted it out I suppose. Looking back on the year this came out and the other music that came out around the same time, I was definitely into Rush's "Power Windows," (sort of a hard rock band really leaning into synths) "Brothers In Arms" by Dire Straits and Weird Al's "Born To Be Stupid" so I guess it was a transitional time for me. I was growing up and it probably had something to do with girls.

Always slightly put off listening to this album as the singles , especially Shout and Everybody Wants To Rule The World were a source of constant irritation back in the day due to seemingly never being off the radio! I much preferred the later Sewing The Seeds Of Love album featuring the great Oleta Adams which had less of an 80s production ( to these ears at least). However it's hard to deny the brilliance of the songwriting and the arrangements and I was surprised by how much of it I'd already heard. Favourite tracks have to be The Working Hour and I Believe. 7/10

I find the '80s synthpop sounds boring, I also find slow pop-jazz boring, But the struggle between the two in "Songs from a Big Chair"? Surprisingly enjoyable. PS. "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" sounds familiar. It's popular, but it's not that great. PPS. Slow pop-jazz won. Hence the boring latter half. Not that it'll be better if the synthpop elements engulfed it anyway.

Un son très typé 80s. Des petits côtés Depeche Mode. Je connaissais pas du tout, j'aime beaucoup

I thought I hated "everybody wants to rule the world" but this album is full of bops

Pretty gewd for some 80s tunes. I already knew half the songs though

Hi- Shout, Everybody Wants To Rule The World, Mothers Talk, Broken, Head Over Heels Lo- The Working Hour Chances are if you're into New Wave even a tiny bit, you're going to run into this album at some point; Shout launches right out of the gate with velocity and variation, but then transforms into the clunker The Working Hour, which sounds like someone's been over-working the saxophone beyond manufacturer's specification for an entire hour...Everybody Wants To Rule The World brings the show back on track, and Mothers Talk's driving beats really keeps things moving, then we get time to catch our breath with I Believe, a minimalistic late-night track with much more restrained use of sax. But then you're thrust right into Broken, with its big beats and driving bass...then it flows right into Head Over Heels, which at its core is a simple track but manages to sound much larger than the sum of its parts, this track is featured prominently in the movie Donny Darko and it just makes the movie come alive. But then, we're pulled back into Broken! The song-within-a-song is a wild experience and really the highlight of the whole album. The album concludes with Listen, which evokes an otherworldly sense of wonder, something, you'd hear it at the Laserdome at your local planetarium, though it tends to overstay its welcome. It's a worthwhile album to listen to, if for nothing more than the Broken/Head Over Heels/Broken progression.

What a great reminder of all the fantastic music that came out of the 80's. What was particularly interesting was the way that the album seemed to defy genre. It seemed at times new wave, at times experimental rock, at times early indie and at times soundscape. Loved exploring the couple of songs that I didn't know on this album!

This was a blast from the past!

Timeless! A classic 80's masterpeice...

Legit great album.

Punchy 80s pop, including some absolute bangers

Has some big hits on here. They don’t know how to make a song under 4 minutes in length lol

All of the hits on this album are bangers and the rest are pretty good too. Epitome of the 80s and still holds up

Really like some of the songs on this album. Always felt like it was a quintessential 80s pop album. There are some songs that aren’t that great and seem like filler but overall it’s pretty good. 7.7/10

First time I think I listened to the entire album...better than I thought it would be.

OMG, la diferencia entre los hits y los no hits parecen marcar lo temporal, qué cosas hace el cerebro con los sonidos. Impresionante. Amé.

something happens and I'm head over heels

Wow I felt like I was listening to a straight up 80's movie soundtrack! Like every song, not just the bit hits. They nailed their sound so perfectly and fully encapsulated a decade of music in the process. Very cool vocals that are just fun to sing.

The singles are definitely the standouts!

Sooooooooo 1980s. This album is totally of its time, but still sounds really great. The production and recording quality is second to none, and really serves the excellent songs. I know they feel Everybody Wants To Rule the World was a throw-away, quick and dirty (minimal) effort, they were at the height of their powers. Everybody..., along with Shout and Head Over Heels provide hooky anchors to this lean yet expansive, experimental yet commercial, personal yet cinematic. A pop highwater mark of the decade

Top production if a tad overcooked at times. Good writing. Vocals aren't great imo. Decent stuff overall.

sonzão tri

Great in the 80’s. Still sounds good.

Such a great New Wave album. The Hurting finally got the recognition it didn't get back then too.

When I was little, I hated "Head Over Heels" for some reason. I think it was the introduction to it. Now, though? I love that song and really enjoy driving to this whole album. Pretty close to pop perfection.

I think this album is alright. I do feel like the pace was slow for me. I always felt like I was in a rush to get somewhere but the music was holding me back. There’s some iconic songs on here.

Well I enjoyed this 80s powerhouse album. Some cracking tunes I needed and bizarrely this was a great Monday morning vibe.

Well, that takes me back to high school dances. Really great song writing. One of the few New Wave bands I got into. I think maybe because they were less synth oriented than others. Either way, loved this album.

Wauw, dit vond ik echt een te gekke plaat. Kende de hits al uiteraard, maar de rest was ook erg goed.

80-talet komprimerat till ett album.

Nice 80´s representation

Muutama leiskautus

Y

bangers great, the rest is mash

There are some great hits that are iconic of the '80s on this album, and which I enjoy. There are also sappy songs. I also hear some sillier synth used, a sign of the times. They always kind of remind me of a cornier version of the Cure. Not bad, but not my favorite!

it started strong and there's a couple good songs there, but that's it

not badddd

Decent enough.

Took me back to my youth. Still holds up

Yeah these guys were alright, had some good songs.

Endel kjente sanga, decent bakgrunnsmusikk med noen høydare

Big anthem from the 80's!

Chill. Some good songs and overall nice sound, but it mostly stayed in the background.

Nice easy listening, but easy to forget. I literally had to refresh myself on what this was.a

Este es un buen disco en verdad. No estoy seguro por qué el grupo no es más conocido (el nombre no les ayuda, creo), pero al menos "Everybody wants to rule de world" es una canción que suena mucho en el radio. Algo que me llama la atención es lo diversas que son las canciones. Por ejemplo, "Everybody..." (probablemente la más conocida) tiene un sonido pop-rock ochentero, tipo "Frankie goes to Holliwood", mientras que Shout tiene un sonido más techno estilo Depeche Mode. Debería calificar este álbum con 4 estrellas, pero no es mi estilo, y no me veo escuchando este álbum tan seguido.

Multiple big hits. Aside from those the album is pretty laid back. Sounds like any 80's-movie love scene.

Shout felt good to sing along to

Very 80s pop. Everybody Wants to Rule the World is a great song. Lots of filler. Very distinctive voices.

I actively disliked them as a teenager in the 80s. I was pleasantly surprised to hear some solid tracks backing up the hits. It will never be a favourite of mine but much better than I believed it would br

2.5 | Cuando vi que tocaba Tears For Fears me dio gusto y curiosidad; conocía las dos canciones obvias Shout y EWTTRTW y son de mis canciones preferidas del género en New Wave y en general puedo decir que de todo el pop ochentero, siempre se me han hecho pegajosas, muy bien hechas, bastante distintas a la mayoría de lo que se producía en esos momentos y con cierta profundidad medio sombría que me llama bastante. Nunca había escuchado el disco completo ni ubicaba otras canciones del grupo y por un lado me agradaron un par de cosas y me decepcionaron otras tantas. Fuera de mi buen gusto por las canciones mencionadas, Mothers Talk bastante buena, con una guitarra aguda ochentera y un sintetizador a los bajos que pega fuerte, acentos de trompeta y es otra gran canción... La otra que me agradó fue Head Over Heels/Broken que fue si bien no tan interesante o distinta sí se siente como una manera interesante de llevar la secuencia entre las canciones y la forma en que se mezclan las melodías es muy interesante. Lo triste es que fuera de eso el resto del disco es tremendo relleno a mi parecer, no solo deja de proponer cosas interesantes y terminan con canciones que se sienten de plantilla ochentera genérica sino que a ratos se sienten hasta un poco engreídas en creer que están presentando más de lo que es. El cierre de Listen se siente que quiere ser mucho más épico de lo que realmente se merece y termina sintiendose como copia mediocre de Toto pero producida por Yanni (nada en contra de Yanni). Las canciones que me gustan son buena parte del disco pero el resto en realidad me desencantó mucho. Me agrada haber descubierto dos nuevas canciones pero en conjunto creo que no es un disco que me termine agradando volver a escuchar completo y eso hasta me entristece por lo que esperaba al inicio.

Some iconic tunes on this record, no doubt, but the other stuff left me a bit flat. Fave track on the album proper is probably "Everybody Wants to Rule the World", but I really dug an industrial sounding bonus track "Empire Building", which was a b side of "Mothers Talk". Apparently they were listening to a lot of Art of Noise when they wrote that one, so imma check them out!

Tenía una canción bastante buena y me gustó el disco en general. No me flipó pero estaba bien

Listened twice thru. Unless its on the Lethal Weapon soundtrack, I do not particularly enjoy the saxophone. Especially trill sax. And the drum machine can fuck right off. The synths were good but I also don’t like them much. However, the stadium reverb on the bigger drums actually kinda made me smile. A little bit. I never realised ‘Everybody Wants to rule the World’ had the same hook as Billie Jean until today. The standout track is definitely ‘Head Over Heels/Broken’. And not just because I pretend to understand the plot to Donnie Darko... 3 stars.

This sounds like everything that played at Live Aid rolled up. No doubt many of us were conceived to ‘Head Over Heals’, but it falls over in the last song, which is troubling when it’s 1/8th of the album. Sweet bass on ‘Broken’

1. Shout - Great, albeit a bit long. 2. The Working Hour - Kind of blows, honestly. 3. Everybody Wants to Rule the World - A huge song for a reason. Catchy, cool production, dynamic. 4. Mothers Talk - First thoughts: this song slaps. Later thoughts: Still slaps. 5. I Believe - accidentally ignored almost all of this song. Not my thing. 6. Broken - ANOTHER SLAPPER. Also, tone. 7. Head Over Heels / Broken - I dig the continued use of the motif from the prior track. Sick bass in the opening. Got some Hall and Oates vibes here and there. I really dig all of the falsetto. The head over heels refrain part seems very familiar, but I don't think I actually know the song as a whole. 8. Listen - Slow to start, and doesn't seem to really ever get going... I kind of feel like they just had too much fun dicking around with noises/effects/chimes in the studio. The synthy organ tone while he sings reminds me of Bill Wurtz, which is funny. Overall this song is meh. This album does have some really good New Wave on it. Shout, Everybody Wants to Rule the World, Mothers Talk, Head Over Heels / Broken, and Broken are all really good tunes.

Hits, ja Hits, veritable Schmuckstücke (Quote: immerhin 3 von 8). Aber 5 Mediokre ziehen heavy am Gesamteindruck. Auch blitzsaubere Arrangements überdecken nicht den Mangel an Rührung - lässt über weite Strecken kalt.

Excellent album. Shout - great opening track. Also, straight into the chorus. Statement of intent. Maintains quality throughout. Shows it is better to have fewer good tracks than to include filler.

I didn't much care for it when it came out, but I appreciate it more now. Not a fan of "Shout".

.

There are a few gems in there, but also a few quite forgettable background sound songs. I liked it overall, but don't know if I will put it back on spontaneously.

Toegankelijke New Wave. De extra nummers in de Deluxe-versie zijn wel een stuk meer experimenteel (en niet zo mijn ding).

Dug it! Very moody 80’s vibe

sempre achei que tias fofinhas era banda só de greatest hits, mas esse disco é quase um greatest hits. quer dizer, falta mad world. e sowing the seeds of love. e woman in chains. e pale shelter. e advice for the young at heart... eita. (acho os dois super parecidos na capa)

Couldn't get past the Jeremy vine-ness of it but better than I thought it was going to be

A few good tracks and some huge hits, but the overall album was okay.

Amai ik haat Shout met een passie

Well... I liked it more than I expected to.

After a strong start, the working hour is way too over the top for my taste. The album is then ok, before the final song, which is pretty awesome.

Some real gems. Have always loved EWTRTW but never knew the album as a whole.

New to me. The ORIGINAL SHOUT?! Awesome! :D After a couple of songs the album, especially the singing, begins to sound very samey.

Solid 2nd album. Like the vocals.

didnt actualyl listen yet, but Im sure ill dig it

good instruments but voice kind of annoying just like morrisey! fuck the smiths too!

Not a huge fan of that he big spacey production. None of the tracks are 5 star for me but most are still enjoyable

Ik vind dit wel erg algemeen klinken. misschien zelfs een beetje nostalgisch.

Overdone synths and bells make for an overly glossy and cheesy effort, though I do enjoy most tunes on Songs From the Big Chair. Don't get me wrong, the production is great, the melodies are rich and the overall sound is intense and engaging. Because of its overly sweet and sappy nature, I can't in good conscious give this more than a 3/5.

This has some classics but I actually didnt enjoy the whole as much as I expected to

couple classics but too much of the same

3 classics. Vintage 80s sounds. Interesting sax work. AOR. Good experimental production (live sounds). Each song builds.

It's nice, but a little bit bland stylistically. Just very samey

one of the better representations of the early 80s. I like a couple of the songs,

Album 1 Some good tracks bit dated

I love new wave. It definitely feels dated but I can’t help but still dig it. This album is one of the better ones

A little too pop for my taste but a solid album

Sure it was fine

Felt like I was in a New York noir crime drama from the 80s during some tracks. 5/10 would track down murderers again.

Some nice tracks, but no strong desire to come back to this

I'd buy this. Got some great tracks and some pretty non-memorable ones.

OK

Great 80s pop album.

7,0/10 Legal

Cool saxophone!!

Certainly doesn't hold up to my memory of it. It has 3 great songs. The remaining 5 I think are actively stressful to listen to. I would prefer to listen to their prior album, The Hurting.

Everybody Wants To Rule The World is an 11/10 track. Rest of the album didn't do much for me

Reminds me of cassettes my mother owned and listened to on road trips.

3.5/5

Pretty solid

"Man, this guy is a shining example of an 80's voice" seems to be true. A fine album, didn't hear anything specific.

Very 80s. Starts strong but fizzles

It's alright. Some of these were pretty neat, others forgettable.

gg

Some absolute bangers on there but the Rest Kind of falls flat in comparison Also rather dated sound

3/5

Stadium Pop, packed with yearning. Sonically VERY 1985.

Heerlijke 80s popmuziek. Ik vind dit soort muziek wel leuk, maar dit album is ook weer niet zo goed als ik verwacht had. Favorieten zijn het bekende "Everybody Wants To Rule The World" en het lekkere "Head Over Heels" ***

80s but in a way that I despise

Good album with some big 80s choons. Plenty of memories here with some great sing a long songs

Some bangers in here. Some sad numbers. Didn't pay much attention to the lyrics on this listen.

Pop progresivo. Un megahit. Al final, me ha cansado por lo lento... Un 3.

Extremely 80s sound, but not bad.

3.5

p531. 1985. 3 stars Prime example of 80s stadium synth pop, even down to the audience whooping it up on the end of Broken. No doubt that they could knock out a good tune - some of these tracks are instantly recognisable - and the album has excellent production and musicianship. Lots of synths, sax and big guitars, and as a consequence it does sound a bit dated. Most of the tracks meander and outstay their welcome. Whilst it's well done, I always found them a bit soulless. 3 stars just because of personal preference.

Lembrou Donnie Darko :)

J'avais jamais écouté l'album dans son ensemble mais je dois avouer que c'est vraiment bon, très années 80 mais reste que c'est agréable à écouter, mais sans plus ! 3

1st Track: 8/10, I’m a fan of music with a darker tone and the obvious 80s influence, that being since it was made in the eighties. Wish it had a few more lyrics, but the heartbreak concerned lyrics were cool, Like it and could start to love it. 2nd Track: 8/10. Liked it abs added to play. Loved the instrumentals and beats. Solid lyrics too. 3rd Track: - 4/5

Good

Some fine tunes

Conor and Shannah like all the hits 3.5+ star. Bill hated it - 1 star (would've been 2 if Mad World was on).

More like 'Songs From the Big Hair'. Best Tracks: Shout; Everybody Wants To Rule The World; Head Over Heels/Broken.

This one was strange for me. Several songs that are incredible works of art, and several songs that are not the least bit memorable. Good album overall though. 3.75 stars?

Not bad. I knew about half of the album because they are really popular songs from the '80s. Shout never really did much for me though. A lot of the non-singles are ok but nothing special. The last track is just filler. Everbody Wants To Rule The World is an all-time great. This album made me think of the tv show Psych. Not much else to say. It's probably more of an essential 80's album than am all-timer. There's so much worse though. So. Much.

I dig the energy even if this isn’t totally my taste. I always respect a sound that’s this distinct and carefully calibrated. Those big, 80’s drums! “Everybody Wants to Rule the World” is one of those songs you can’t get away from but it is very good. And “Shout” is a jam! Definitely my favorite track here.

2.5

Shout and Everybody Wants to Rule the World were good. The rest was fine 80's synth. Nothing too special.

Too much synth, not bad, but not great.

This is the epitome of the 80s sound. Which to me means there’s a few good songs and a few really weird ones.

It was fine. Nothing I disliked. Shout and Everybody wants to rule the world are the best songs on this album for sure.

Such an 80s sound, almost a caricature of 80s music with the slow singing and the synth

Best Song: Mother's Talk. Nice percussion that gives a worldly, dancey feel. Worst Song: I Believe. Eighties ballads might be the worst variety of ballad. Overall: Not bad for what is some painfully 80s fare. Even still, by the end I had started to grow tired of that 80s vocal affectation that makes it sound like they're singing in a big, empty warehouse.

I do enjoy me some 80s new wave but this album just didn't click as much as the others. Still good even if the songs are a little long at points. 3.5/5

Definitely has that 80s feel. Synthesizers galore. Three very well known songs that carry the entire album. The rest of the album is largely forgettable. I don't think I would listen to the entire album again, but I will listen to hits again.

I remember when this album came out. I don't remember listening to the whole album before, but the singles from this album where everywhere. This album holds a high dose of nostalgia for me, because the singles were so popular. I think in general I like Tears for Fears, but I rarely, if ever decide to listen to them on my own. I have re-listened to them at the suggestion of others. The one exception is their track "Woman in Chains", but that's on a different album. Overall, the album is good, but I'm not sure a full album re-listen is in the future.

Ah it's quite cheesey isn't it?? Good job I love the cheese, grate it on pleeeezey!! Everybody wants to rule the world is a classic. I have a lot of time for this kind of 80s pop rock it puts me in such a great mood and it's just great. I think I much prefer their debut album though so I hope that's on this list too, also the album get's more boring and tails off at the end... Mothers Talk is a cool track I like the bouncy base solo hahaha, cracks me up. I really like Listen though too as a closer it's kind of relaxing

Fijne stem en best prettige muziek.

Dit was heel behoorlijk goed te pruimen!

Leuk plaatje, geen blijvertje

Too much sax but what singles. Head over Heels!

Ei jääny mieleen, mut kuunteli sen läpi

Shout and everybody wants to rule the world are great and classics, the rest is a bit meh.

Kinda boring slow 80s pop. I sorta liked the one hit song I recognized.

Osim par pesama koje su mi od ranije poznate, nisam cuo novu, a da mi se svidela.

Bit boring really

Started out great, and I was really enjoying it, but it gets more experimental as it goes on and I eventually had to turn it off. Still some excellent tracks on here that I’m glad I found.

Short albums are the way of old. A bit same samey. Some classics though. Also some ultra slow boring songs - Fro

So 80's it hurts

Definitely not my cup of tea... Second song sounds like the opening to every 80's family sitcom. Some classics on here (Shout, Everybody wants to rule the world), but not ones I'm particularly a fan of. Actively skipped through songs and turned the music down...

Shots

Dreamy and ambient. Some good stuff, but not my style.

Bit meh outside of the main hits

Tiene cosillas buenas (sus 2 grandes hits) pero otras son insufribles

Not good 2.6

Some known tunes surrounded by dross.

1\10

I enjoy the initial parts of each individual song, but I find the rest of the songs when the lyrics kick in to be totally uninteresting. I knew a few songs beforehand, but none of them are very great.

This is crazy 80s sound, like super cheesy I would never listen to this. Oh well. Sticking with it. Only on song 2. On the last song. This is really bad. Awful.

Not for me; couple of cracking tunes but the rest is a dirge I’m afraid. Will almost certainly never listen to again.

2 big hits, lots of meh

Knew some of the hits from this album, not big into ‘80s or synth, so it was meh

Distractingly 80's. Imagine an 80's song. No, more 80's. Let's add some more synth. Even more. Amp up the rototoms. Time for a saxophone solo!

Las canciones estan larguísimas y eso no seria malo si no se sintieran larguísimas, solo son rescatables como tres rolas, sin embargo intentare seguirlo escuchando y encontrarle lo especial

A really sophisticated pop album, but I found myself losing interest as it went on. The final track is incredibly dull

nope. annoying at times even. liked the hits in the past.

Outside of the huge singles, this LP struggles to find an identity for itself. The leading tracks all have strong personalities with their defined guitar or synth hooks, but the meandering quality of the rest derail any kind of overall cohesion.

Not a huge fan of 80's music.. and this album didn't change that. The album had some good beats but honestly it was very forgettable to me..

A victim of the 80s production sound. Shit echoey drums

Einn svaka flottur hittari, annar hittari sem hefur alltaf farið aðeins í taugarnar á mér, 80s hljóðheimur og rödd sem ég fíla ekki sérstaklega. Þarf ekki að hlusta aftur.

When the album first came out, radio was inundated with so much airplay for Tears For Fears I hated this record. Overexposure on radio and music video does translate to huge record sales, but it also pisses off music fans that know there is lots of other music that should be heard. Listening now, the music does have a nostalgic effect, but I am quick to wake up and put on my turntable much better music from the period that gives me a good feeling instead of a feeling of being stuck in an era and decade that produced a lot of crap!

Pretty bad

"Songs from the Big Chair" is the second album from the band Tears for Fears. The singles from this album are what made this album so popular and a multi platinum record. One can classify this music as new wave pop. This is one of those 'nostalgic 80's albums' that lives up the hype. This album is perfect for a brooding or emotional evening, where one just wants to shut out the world.

Honestly just wasnt my thing. I'm not too big on the sounds used/ I can appreciate the experimental sounds for the time though. Yeah

Dated sound. Still appreciate a couple of there tunes

strange album, was going to give it a high score after first 3 songs, then found the rest almost unlistenable. Shout and Rule the world are fantastic, the rest really not so much.

The epitome of 80s new wave, which isn’t usually a problem for me, but because this album was so incredibly boring I wanted to kill myself. Not even revisiting the massive hits, Shout and Everybody Wants to Rule the World could interest me. Tears for Fears blows

I didn’t hate it. The slower songs were a bit harder to enjoy. For some reason, I got a Family Guy skit vibe from a few songs.

no

nope

Also dreadful. Christ - I'm getting sick of these recommendations. I gave it a try, but gave up after the 4th or 5th song, when there was too much wanky saxophone (sorry all the sax players out there.)

nonononononononono

Tedious

All the was bad about 80s music, 41 minutes and 52 seconds too long.

Disliked this band for multiple reasons back in 1985. Notably their image, fan base, music videos and especially the music itself. The image faded, the fans dispersed and the videos are relegated to YouTube obscurity. Yet the music endures. I can’t.

Not for me

Already like this album. Pretty fuckin' solid.

Way better than I thought it would be. Feels dated but not in a bad way.

Very 80's I could feel the hair. Over all great listening will do it again. Even recognized some of the songs so nice to know where they came from