Songs From The Big Chair

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.

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

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

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

Mom bought the first Sony Discman, the D-50, shortly after it came out: a minimalist, chunky half-cube of a gadget with an LCD readout, maybe four buttons and a volume dial. It was the future. It played shiny discs that had a prismatic glow when you held them under light. As far as I was concerned at five or six years old, it was magic. Among the discs Mom would purchase following her acquisition of the new magical music machine: selections from The Beatles’ catalog, Phil Collins’ “No Jacket Required”, Simon and Garfunkel’s “Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme”, a host of classical and new age recordings and this record right here, Tears For Fears’ “Songs From the Big Chair”. If you asked me the name of my first grade teacher or what I got for Christmas in 1987, I couldn’t begin to tell you, but I remember sitting in our living room on the dark blue carpet popping this disc or “No Jacket Required” or “Help!” into the CD player like it was yesterday. …Fuck me, I loved “Sussudio” back then. Now I’ve a got a closet full of prismatic discs that haven’t seen the light of day in close to two decades. For me, they’ve been rendered obsolete by the even more minimalist and thin rectangular slab that nearly everyone on earth carries with them at all times and by a format that’s even older than the compact disc: the vinyl record. I’ve been collecting vinyl for nearly a quarter century now and have found that I prefer the experience of listening to the medium that preceded the cd when sitting crosslegged on the floor of my living room. So here’s to the Compact Disc and all the other inventions that changed the world and have since been relegated to dust: Sic transit gloria. (Glory fades)

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.

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

Everybody Wants to Rule the World was my favorite song then ("Real Genius" anyone?) and remains one of my favorites to this day. The whole album is iconic; an 80's colored jewel that continues to sparkle even as the years tumble by. Thank you to the reviewer who mentioned Beato has covered Head over Heels. Heading there now.

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

Saw a tweet one time that was just this picture, captioned “these honkeys were COOKING” and it’s so true. ‘Shout’ is just one of those few 80’s gems that will never be replicated. It’s got AURA. It’s got ATTITUDE. This can be said for the entire album actually. Tight, direct song structure that knows when to slip in and out of instrumental atmospheres. A massive generational pop hit. One iconic vocal melody after another. A mystical album ender. Socially conscious messaging. This album has it all and doesn’t overstay it’s welcome at all. Perfect! It’s incredible that we got this less than a year after Purple Rain. It’s worth noting that they’ve done the impossible recently - they made a song that’s unique and new sounding, unlike every other legacy band from the 80’s or earlier pumping out nothing-burgers to cash in on yet another world tour. Check out ‘No Small Thing’ it’s worth a listen

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

Very 80s. Starts strong but fizzles

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.

I love this album. Was already familiar with several of the songs but hadn't listened to it all of the way through. The way Broken hints at then shifts into Head Over Heels is fantastic.

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

One of the best albums of the '80's, hands down

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

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

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

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

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

my era music. The hits are there and enjoyable, rest of album pretty good too.

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.

I was today years old when I found out “Shout” was not a Depeche Mode song lol. That EWTRTW song is a meme, a beat up meme also. Good I hate the 80’s pop sound. So cliché, so clownish…

WHEN THE WIND BLOWS WE CAN WORK IT OUUUUT

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

I love this band and album with my whole heart

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

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

Amazing!

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.

so funky cool

Excellent

1985!!! yo era un niño cuando sonaba esto en la radio pero aún lo recuerdo. Está bien, las dos canciones que recuerdo son un bombazo: "Shout" y "Everybody Wants to Rule the World". Solo por eso merece la pena, el sonido años 80 real también es un extra.

Shout....can't bear to ever hear it again....Head over Heels...same. The only redeeming song on this album, to me....is Everybody wants to rule the world....that song is a classic!

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

Perfect catchy pop rock.

Музыка: 9/10 Разнообразие: 10/10 Тематика и вайб: 10/10 Цепляемость (отдельные песни зашли): 8/10 Реиграбельность (можно ли рандомно врубить на фон): 9/10 Итог: 9.2

Still rules the world

Almost perfect. The ultimate 80s album. One that has grown on me over the years rather than one I was drawn to immediately (The Smiths were everything in ‘85, but the more I hear this album the more I love it. Almost brings me to tears of joy and nostalgia every time.

The Good: anthemic album off an age gone by The Bad: that too many people confuse this with Synth-Pop The Ugly: or just plain’ ol’ po’ p’ Back in the day, like any teenager, I too enjoyed Everybody Wants To Rule The World, while Shout was a little beyond my taste at the time… Today, I wish I could go back in time and actually purchase the album and listen to it countless times, like I did to the more poppy contemporary artist such as Prince, Phil Collins, Duran Duran. Madonna, What and later George Michael. Tears For Fears are one of few acts that survived the ‘80s and when you listen to their “old” recordings now, you realize that how great the stuff is. It has held up wonderfully, even if it sounds like the ‘80s, it isn’t like listening to Spandau Ballet, or ABC, or Bronski Beat, or any true synth-pop from that era. 5* even if, technically speaking, it should get a 4 1/4

Peak 80s

Tears for Fears, a band that made Pop music that sounded 80's but was much less annoying than most and aged pretty well. Their blend of Synthpop and New Wave with catchy melodies and hooks that created the anthemic and introspective masterpiece titled 'Songs From the Big Chair\". It's one of the best Pop records released in the 80's and maybe of all time. Multiple classic songs are featured here including the generationally known 'Everybody Wants to Rule the World' 'Shout' opens the album in the typical blend of Synthpop, New Wave & Big Music that is present on the pretty much every song here. It also gets a little progressive by bringing in slight notes of Industrial into the production which as weird as it sounds, works really well. And even at its nearly 7 minutes of length it really keeps the attention of the listener with great performances and production. The song is so unbelievably catchy and melodic that I am mad that not every 80's pop band with a smiliar sound turned out like this! The bridge is crazy and the whole way they keep the flow of the song and add more and more detail is phenomenal. It's a hypnotic and atmospheric listen especially in the second half, nearly ethereal. And the way it changes its emotional depth by adding slight changes but keeping the same rhytmn and melody. Yeah, I think you get that I really like this song. It's perfect start to finish. On 'The Working Hour' they take on a very mature and sophisicated nearly Jazzy sound that stands in complete contrast to the darkness that the first song ended on. It does take time to build up but it's worth the wait. The vocals are really good and the calm sound is very relaxing while keeping the intricate production. Do I love it? No, but it is a great song nonetheless even if it does drag a little and feels streched towards the end. And to return to the greatness of the start, 'Everybody Wants to Rule the World' with the intro that everybody recognizes. What can I say: the song is perfect in every way. It's romantic and full of great lyrics and songwriting. Do I prefer it over 'Shout'? No... that one's got my heart even more than this classic. 'Mothers Talk' gets a little funky and artsy with the influences ranging from Dance-Punk to Industrial Dance. All of it gives a lot of similarities to Depeche Mode's early stuff. It's very groovy and interesting by being kind of weird with the details in the production. I really like it for the raw and energetic performance and chorus. It's really good, like incredibly good and if they would've left the outro away, it might've been perfect. The albums second half starts with 'I Believe' which returns to the calm and relaxed sound that nearly feels like some Lounge music with the simpler production. Again, I think that makes it a little boring for my liking even if I think they did a great job. It just feels too much like background music and doesn't grab my attention enough for me to genuinely appreaciate the song. Luckily, 'Broken' returns to the Dance-Punk influences in an even punkier way. That results in one of the most underappreaciated tracks on the album. Just because it's short doesn't mean that's worse. Quite the opposite actually, it's incredibly groovy and energetic and I love it. The other song that most know is 'Head Over Heels' because it is one of the best songs on the album. The chorus is so intricate and emotional, the vocals are performed to perfection. The production, songwriting and melody are all curated to its greatest possible form. And as if it wasn't enough, they added a little bit of 'Broken' to the end as a kind of continuation of that. Another perfect song. The album ends with the weirdly ambient 'Listen' that closes the album in a minimal but hypnotizing finale that includes many details from choir to glitchy video game sounds to whips to tribal anthems. It's a magical and atmospheric experience, relaxing and sentimental without being boring. Yes, it's not one of the craziest songs but it has so many incredible moments that I feel like the vocals weren't actually needed at all. This closes the album in the way it should've ended. favourites: Shout, Everybody Wants to Rule the World, Head Over Heels, Broken least favourites: I Believe, The Working Hour Rating: light 9 https://rateyourmusic.com/~Emil_ph for more ratings, reviews and takes

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.

I liked a lot of this. Very 80s, but in a good way!

Everybody Wants to rule the world is one of the greatest songs of all time. Shout is goated too. rest is ok

Didn't appreciate it enough at the time. Isn't that always the way?

This album may have the most new-wavey vocals I've ever heard - it's that seamless switching between soft and smooth, and deep, towering cadences. I heard this album a while back, a couple of times because I liked the song 'Everybody Wants to Rule The World', but I don't remember many songs off of it. Re-listening to it now, I can see why. To me, it sounds like the type of album you'd thoroughly enjoy while listening, front-to-back, but the next day you'd struggle to remember a single song off of it. Relax that's just how I feel! I'll need to test that hypothesis again now, though I won't be able to update this review with the conclusion. Anyways what am I talking about? Oh yeah, this album. Nice, colorful, fluttery, well-produced, new-wavey power music that can very comfortably soundtrack a walk through a tropical beach. 'Shout' is the perfect, anthemic, and catchy opener this album needed; and while I usually dislike clean saxophone lines in '80s (white) music, the one on 'The Working Hour' managed to win me over. 'Head Over Heels/Broken' is another incredibly solid cut with one of the most earwormy choruses here. The synth lead and pads that open up the song 'Listen' are yet another incredible production moment here, the entire track is ethereal, sounding like you've stumbled upon this gorgeous bio-illuminated grotto in the middle of the jungle. It's got ambient elements like that. I tend to use the descriptor "clean production" with a negative connotation a lot of the time, but despite this album being the epitome of that descriptor, I'd say the shininess of the production only helps elevate its lush and scenic sound. The high quality of it all makes everything just pop. A great album with a great sound that captures its era beautifully, there's a reason this album's so revered in the new-wave world. Let's hope I remember how much I liked it come tomorrow night.

I first heard this band on TV ads for one of those MEGAHITS OF THE 80s compilation CDs and though that 'Shout, shout, let it all out, these are the things I could do without' was a hilarious thing to say in a song. But you know what, there are things I could do without and if I could just shout to let them all out, I would love to. Everybody Wants to Rule the World rules. That little guitar intro thing that's pushed aside by the two synth chords, ooh baby! So simple, so effective, just pure pop perfection. Head Over Heels has an incredible piano riff that builds tension and releases into a floaty verse and propulsively off kilter chorus and some totally unique vocal delivery. The rest is full of cool tones and textures, angsty vocals, smooth sax, glossy simmering synth surfaces and rubbery bass and some of THE definitive 80s drum sounds. Drags a bit on the slow stuff in the middle. It's like if Splenda was an album.

My distaste for 80s synthpop instantly leaves my body like an evil spirit the moment I hear the opening notes of "Everybody Wants To Rule The World". There's some filler on this album ("I Believe" is boring as hell), but it's still like Top 5 synthpop albums of all time. They really let it all out.

TFF, were you progs out of joint? Just a little bit? You mind if I respond in kind? Had my second listen had been on the whispering domestic speakers of the first rather than headphones, I would’ve dismissed this with Simon’s “go to the Greatest Hits” instruction, but a closer listen unveils a well-balanced, nicely-lit structure, with gentles wafts of charcoal, designer hash and hot tarmac, held up by two mighty singles, tapering to a moody spot at the back for the devotees. I’ve spent the last two hours preparing for our first Canadian Thanksgiving, and I think the Turkey fumes and heat have infused into my bone-house. The lyrics are abstract, but not pretentious, which is a hard combination to achieve, and in part due to the musical context: the urgency in the songs alternates between being martial, foreboding, or introspective, avoiding monotony, and the words come off as code between lovers and comrades. Now all is clear: Tears for Fears were the secret Bath Resistance.

Oh yeah - probably the first album I really appreciated as a whole, as opposed to being a few songs I liked co-mingled with boring ones I tolerated and/or fast-forwarded. Being made from wall-to-wall 4 min+ bangers that flow into each other probably helped. Not quite as good as I remember, unsure about the proggy/proto-Enigma last track, but a nostalgic 4* nonetheless. Those haircuts!

All the hits and with some be great (to my surprise) prog rock and truly industrial sounds tucked away between them.

A bit boring but competent

det er virkelig lyden af 80'erne, hvis jeg skulle importere en far der aldrig er kommet videre ville jeg sætte det her på. (min far)

Shout, Everybody Wants to Rule the World, and Head Over Heels are all quintessentially 80s. Unfortunately I don't think they're all-time good enough, and the rest of the album is pretty meh. So this doesn't crack above a 3.

The hits were blatantly the best songs on this album. It was too New Wave, too synthy and too digital for me. This was not awful but I am not a fan.

already know head over heels; absolute banger as well as everybody wants to rule the world cant wait to listen to the rest of the album

Head Over Heels is one of my favorite songs of all time, but really it’s a no skips album. Highly used in soundtracks for a reason.

это очень хорошо конец альбома правда подкачал немного но в целом работа ощущается очень качественно особенно поразил уровень записи

I loved this album. Every track was huge!

Holy cow. What a masterpiece.

Liked Tears for Fears in everything I've heard, but it's only when you listen to it altogether like this you realise how good they were. This is a great album. Starting with the anthemic 'Shout', it's repetitive in it's chorus but the music going on behind is pretty layer with loads of different instruments here. You then get a bit of jazz-tinged shit with the sax-laden 'The Working Hour' before it rolls into 'Everybody Wants to Rule the World' - one of the great 80s hits. This band had a good knack of making quite dark and heavy subjects sound light and uplifting. 'Welcome to your life, there's no turning back' is a marvellous opening lyric. From there, you get a lot of variety with 'I Believe' a ballad nothing like the rockier 'Broken' then into 'Head Over Heels' which cleverly segues back into Broken at the end. Head over Heels is optimistic (or obsessive depending how you look at it) but sounds joyful, losing the cynicism and anger of some earlier tracks. Stunning song. These songs are more complex instrumentally than one might think at first and have great lyrical depth. The album finishes with the hypnotic and meditative 'Listen'. Despite being probably thought of probably as a new wave/synth pop act because of the era and their peers, this is really a big rock band embracing the style of the age albeit with more expansion and intricate arrangements. This is low-key one of the best 1980s albums I've heard and should be celebrated more.

Even the songs I've never heard before are amazing

Дуже стильно та хітово

Never in my life would I think I’d enjoy a Tears For Fears record. But this record was fantastic. Through and through. New wave or synth pop is not my thing. I think the vocal production on these genres are always too much. Even this record was a bit much… but I guess stylistically, that’s the intention. The lyrics and melodies were great. The music was catchy and interesting. I’ve heard the singles far too many times but they’re good. Might be in a good mood tonight because this is my second 5/5 I’ve given on this list.

Fantastic album, so many favorites & new favorites!

4.5/5 Stars Top Songs: Head Over Heels, Everybody Wants To Rule The World, Shout

Great stuff. took me back to those fun years .

Excellent album.

Many Incredibles songs, a few kind of very 80s songs that are not super exciting. Overall, great.

It’s iconic—one of my favorite albums of the ‘80s. It almost defines the era

Yes.

Coincidentally, this gets generated a few days after I watch Marty Supreme. For those who have seen the movie, you know what I'm referring to. If not, move along. Even without that in mind, the music stands out. This is the best synth-pop you can get from this era. Absolute hit after hit, masterpiece after masterpiece. It's insane how stacked this tracklist is. Hit single > Great follow-up album track > the big one > Hit single > Slow-down track > First part of musical motif > Second part hit single > First part reprise > Closing symphony. Beautiful stuff, I get why the guy from Psych was obsessed with this (9/10, 5/5 on this scale)

Great album with a lot of bangers. Excited to hear more of their music.

so many bangers from one album wow!! so so 80s. such a great time

A classic. Doesn't have a bad song. Never feels old.

Now it's getting better

the joy i felt when i received this album😻😻

Ouiiii

LOVE tears for fears. It’s such a good feeling album. I cannot explain how much I love it lolz

One of the best albums of the 1980s. A sublime mix of pop, rock, and new wave with hints of prog in there as well. Just an utterly superb album!

First 5 yet! Have always been a fan of their hits, but this album in full is a masterpiece. That Sax!!!!!

I was surprised that I hadn't heard more of the songs on this album. But I loved it, it's such an emotional journey in the best 80s new wave way possible. So dramatic and fun.

Лучший синтпоп альбом

Love head over heelz

I mean c'mon. Easy 5. "Shout" and "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" were already familiar to me but also enjoyed "Head Over Heels" "The Working Hour" and "Mothers Talk"

5/5. Masterful album. The production, the arrangement, the bare bones structure of each song, the vocal performance, everything is outstanding.

So well produced and every song is a banger. Quintessential 80’s pop rock. SHOUT!

Oh boy. This one is near and dear to my heart! Back when I was a kid, I’d listen to this cassette while I mowed our lawn. I feel like this tape survived a number of Walkmen. What strikes me listening to this album today is the immediacy and intensity of the songs- "Shout" is so insistent! There is such an energy to these songs, even the slower, more mellower ones. The happier songs balance out the dark, more serious ones. It's nearly perfect. "Head Over Heels" has to be one of my favorite songs of all time. Stupendously good. And then to finish the job with "Listen" - which always sounds like the movie "Legend" to me..... incredible. Easily - FIVE STARS

Was one of the first albums I bought as a kid with my own money, loved it then, and still love it know!

100/5 - hands down, one of my favorite albums of all time

This is a really strong contender for my favorite synth pop album ever. These guys were on such a creative run with these songs. So beautifully produced. Also I have to give them huge props for trimming this project down to its most minimum concept. Zero bloat. Every song is important, and in its place. The working hour is a masterpiece, and one of the greatest prog synth songs I have ever heard.

Was going into this album expecting a 5 star. Starting of with the excellent “Shout” and then following up with one of the best songs of the 80s - “Everybody wants to rule the world”. Such a good intro, such a good chorus, that song is just 5 stars, no notes. After that the album took a bit of a dip, it sounded too 80s even for me. Luckily “Head over Heels” saves the end with another strong song. Torn between a strong 4 and a weak 5. Going for a weak 5, “Everybody wants to rule the world” really is that good.

Fijn, eindelijk weer een iconische plaat. Vroeger door mij verguisd, want typerend voor de 80s met de synths en drumcomputers. Maar nu durf ik deze zelfs op te zetten zonder dat het huiswerk is. De classic albums aflevering helpt er zeker bij om de nummers beter te waarderen. Het is heerlijk bombastisch, duister en bezwerend. Maar er staan ook grote hits op. En zo'n nummer als the Working Hour is een parel, lekker opbouwend, Disintegration-stijl. Ze weten in al hun nummers alle laagjes perfect te doseren: drums, synths, zang, maar ook gitaar waar nodig. En het wisselt elkaar moeiteloos af. Dat is echt heel knap gedaan. Met recht een notering in de snoblijst, die een complete pagina had verdiend in plaats van een stukje in de kantlijn. 5 sterren waardig.

Allt epískt við þessa plötu 🪑

loveeeeed this

Banger of an album. Hit after hit amd the sequence makes perfect sense with one song taking you into the other for the most part. Repetitive sounds and harmonies make it sound uniform and precise. Loved it

Absolutely brilliant. Wow. Surprised me.