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

SOMETHING HAPPENS AND IM HEAD OVER

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.

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.

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.

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)

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

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.

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

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

Very 80s. Starts strong but fizzles

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.

WHEN THE WIND BLOWS WE CAN WORK IT OUUUUT

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!

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

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

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

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.

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.

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

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

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.

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.

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

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

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…

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.

very good

The true definition of a timeless classic. 40 years later, "Songs From The Big Chair" is a sure shot at the hearts of the general public.

First cassette tape I ever bought.

Juste pour l'instrumental break de Shout, l'album est un turbo banger

Classic record.

An absolutely fantastic album. Something about the darker and more mature sound is incredibly appealing. Every song is captivating, and I appreciate that the longer runtimes are utilized in a way that let's instrumental breaks shine with fills and solos. So much more than a pop album, and one that should be held in high regard by other pop artists looking for a meaningful sound

Oooh wow. This is one of my all time favorites. Beautiful and intricate eighties pop. Some of the greatest songs ever - Head Over Heels, The Working Hour, Everybody Wants to Rule the World, Shout, Mothers Talk. This is just a perfect collection of perfect songs. I’m sure this sounded fresh in the eighties (I was born the year the album was released) and it sound just as fresh today. A great range of emotions and instrumentation. Powerful music that tugs at your heart strings but can also make you dance and even meditate. It even has great guitar solos! What more could you want. I listened to these songs so many times and it feels like there's still more beauty to discover in them. I just love everything here, the synths, the drum machine, the guitar, obviously the vocals. The songs dynamics are great, the lyrical topics are varied and introspective. It's just so good.

Everybody wants to rule the world é uma das minhas músicas favoritas de todos os tempos.

I mean, if you're going to have a TFF album on this thing, this is DEFINITELY the one to get. I have one or two friends who are DEEP into Tears For Fears, but I really only know the stuff on this album and one or two other songs. It's definitely an album I enjoyed. There's the three big songs on it, and "Head Over Heels" is probably my favorite of theirs (although "Everybody Wants To Rule The World" is a real close second). The only track I was not fond of was the last track. I kinda feel it was a bit of a letdown after "Head Over Heels / Broken". But apart from that, I like/love every other track on it. Some people may say the album is dated because of the 80s synths and such, but I think the production really moves it ahead and gives it more of a timeless feel. Classic album.

Another big new wave / synth-pop/rock band and album. Made me think a lot about Depeche Mode and Violator. Similar sultry baritone vocals that can go high too, but too great vocalists in Roland Orzabal and Curt Smith. Similar synth with some nice real guitar or bass mixed in (but a lot of synth bass and drum tracks). I think Depeche Mode's lyrics are slightly better, but these guys penned some very deep songs. Violator was a 4 for me and I don't know if this one should go higher. There are less spots where this album drags - they keep a better tempo from song to song. Especially as they crank out Shout and Everybody Wants to Rule the World at songs one and three - those are classics. Enthralling beats, great wordplay, awesome vocals. They set and keep such a big tone. The Working Hour (in between them) is okay but Mothers Talk at song four is very good. I see why it was the lead single - a little overly produced and goes on about a minute too long but still a rocking song. I Believe is a nice soaring ballad - slows the tempo but doesn't feel out of place. Broken, on either side of Head Over Heels, is a bit redundant. Didn't need the reprise and some of the best beats in the first part (the piano intro) are also on Head Over Heels. Still, the first part isn't bad electronica. Head Over Heels is almost every bit as good as the two big singles. Always loved that one as well. Listen, like I Believe, is another song that slows the tempo down again as the album closes. Another one that is just okay and probably goes on longer than it needs to. Not perfect, but no clunkers. Probably worthy of a 4.5. I'm going to round up for the mostly seamless ride that listening to it was.

Love this album! Long time fan. It was fun to put it on and listen closely again as part of the 1001. The songs are so varied yet all share great composition and production quality. Shout is an anthemic opening. Play it on 11. The Working Hour is a nice track - I hear Peter Gabriel influence, but maybe that's just me. Love the sax solo and TIL it's Mel Collins from King Crimson! Nice. Jerry Marotta was also involved in the track, so maybe that's part of the Gabriel perception I'm getting (Jerry was Gabriel's drummer on his first set of solo albums). Everybody Wants to Rule the World - classic track. Simple, yet brilliantly composed and arranged. Mothers Talk - great rocking track. I Believe - Mellow track apparently influenced by Robert Wyatt, but without Wyatt's weirdness (they also covered Wyatt's Sea Song around this time). Broken - fun track, but for me it's just a segue into my favorite track on the album: Head Over Heels. Man, that opening piano line. So good. The song is like riding a wave. Love the flanged drums on the transition to the "four-leaf clover" section. Love the la la section - so easy to get swept away singing along. For a good laugh, look up the "Head Over Heels Literal Video" on YouTube. I admit that the Literal Video lyrics live rent free in my head when I hear this song, but I still love it. Such a great song. Listen brings us to a nice mellow close. Brilliant, perfect album.

Feels like a view into the 80s. Has some classics I had heard, while also having some songs I was less familiar with. Good mix of vibes throughout.

Amazing album.

I was excited to see this album show up today as it has some memorable songs that I am glad to listen to again. The other songs are also pretty good, though "Listen" may be a little long for my liking. Standout tracks: Shout, Everybody Wants To Rule The World, Head Over Heels

glad i gave this one a relisten

9/10 Bend kojeg sam kao klinac znao jedino po pjesmi Shout i uvijek se pitao kako to nije Depeche Mode. Tek prije nesto manje od 10 godina sam dozivio i njihovu Everybody Wants To Rule The World, koja mi je i danas jedna od najboljih stvari iz 80ih. Poslusao sam ju pozorno bezbroj puta, cuo live izvedbe, a i par modernijih artista koje volim ju znaju izvoditi tako da se ocjena vec popela prilicno visoko. Osim nje, svaka stvar mi je skroz sjela i nema smisla da ih nabrajam poimenice. Album mi je dosta ozbiljan za to razdoblje, a opet mi nisu pompozni brijači kao neki. Shout mi je zapravo mozda i najlosija, a zadnju, eksperimentalniju Listen bi izdvojio kao bas po mom ukusu. Odličan!

3 all timers on here, and they sound even better in album context then as singles. 80s synth music gets a bad rap and this is as good as it gets

one of my moms favorite. love the songs i've heard from this album Everybody Wants to Rule the World is actually indisputably one the best songs ever. I don't even know if there's a point in saying that because its so obvious. peak 80s pop for sure

Classic 80s. Loved it

A classic from my youth.

Obscenely good from the first beat to the last.

Excellent. Chill, ethereal, undeniably 80s. Awesome instrumental and vocal work. 'Everybody Wants to Rule the World' is an easy pick for my fave, but this album was fantastic from start to finish!

Amazing and powerful album, the music is excellent, and the sound is so cool, they are a little angry about everything, and I am too, but not too rude... A classic plenty of hits...

Just some of the most polished music the 80s has to offer, somehow is both perfect and still has personality.

Big sound, deep emotion. It’s layered and precise. Somewhere between the drama of Kate Bush and the pulse of New Order. Every piece fits, but it still surprises you.

Fantastic. 5/5

Quite simply one of the finest pop albums ever made

Uno de los discos más representativos de la mejor música de los 80. Tears for fears, sinónimo de calidad (y siguen publicando excelentes discos hoy en día) tocaron el cielo con este magistral álbum repleto de melodías geniales: Shout, Head over heels, Mothers talk, I believe o la inigualable Everybody wants to rule the world. Habían debutado con un estupendo disco (The hurting) y continuarían su racha con otro maravilloso álbum como es The seeds of love. Habría que esperar varias décadas para que publicaran un disco de este nivel (The tipping point) pero el más representativo y exitoso es este The big chair. Ya lo has escuchado cientos de veces, aunque tal vez no lo sepas... Otros discos del 85, el año del C85, Psychocandy, This is the sea, Low-life, Once upon a time, Brothers in arms, Hounds of love, Steve McQueen, Love not money, This nation´s saving grace, Fables of the reconstruction, Around the world in a day, Rain dogs, Meat is murder, Slave to the rithym, What Does Anything Mean? Basically , Rum, sodomy and the lash, Don´t stand my down y Picture book.

LOVE LOVE LOVE

Fantastic

Starting off with a banger, Shout is a ton of fun! Good sax music in The Working Hour. Everybody Wants To Rule The World is another great one. Dips a bit for the next few tracks, still solid though. Then the amazing Head Over Heels. Great album, love it! Best song: Head over Heels

One of my all time favorite albums, and probably my favorite 80s album

I think this album is probably the last great peak of New Wave influence. It has such an awesome feel to it - not at all detracted by heavy MTV airplay - coupled with sick singalong lyrics. Personally, I think it’s an encapsulation of the grandeur of “the 80s”. I am too glad to see it on this list. I believe it’s a desert island disc for me.

5 Because it brought back memories of a time when we couldn't get enough of hearing this... Oops, I guess we still can't get enough ;-) It's so, so good <3

Unbeliveable! I knew Tears for Fears but never let them sink in before. I laid on the couch and really let this what works, but this literally wept while listening.

Phenomenal album of original music that transcends time and "popular" categorization. Insightful lyrics, wonderfully composed music, soulful vocals, and clean instrumentation underscore how great this album is.

Loveeeed this. Absolutely non skippable

One of the greatest new wave albums ever, really nothing more to say

Brilliant 👏

Fantastic synthpop album with plenty of known songs including one of my all time favorites in "Everybody Wants To Rule The World". Apart from the songs, the production is really great and to top it off, it didn't drag on forever. Quick 41 minute album filled with great songs... don't bore us, get to the chorus! 9/10

an album I like a good deal, but one which I don't have much to say about, apart from "wow, this is layered!" the operative word here is "Big". this is quintessential eighties pop rock fare from top to bottom; most of these songs hit you with a wall constructed of shimmery guitars, icy synths, big drums dipped in thick reverb, and gripping vocal leads. over time, I've grown to really appreciate the tropes from this era of pop, tacky though they may appear on the surface to modern ears! this decade had a very particular production quality, an ethereal nature that always nevertheless feels like it's operating at a slight distance from me as a listener. there's a sort of intrigue in that dynamic that Tears for Fears, Talk Talk, Kate Bush, Depeche Mode and many more utilized to pretty tremendous success. the three biggest (and Big-est) songs here are big for a reason! I'm not sure I had ever heard the full 6+ minute version of "Shout" before but, damn, it's worth every second! a simple, perfectly orchestrated slow build if ever there was one. do I need to say anything about "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" other than "how did this almost not make the album?" I almost forgot "Head Over Heels" existed, so it was a pleasant surprise to be reminded of it again; I'll never get sick of a crafty modulation between a song's verse and chorus. the deeper cuts are nothing to sneeze at either! "The Working Hour" has some incredible saxophone work from Will Gregory; "Mothers Talk" has maybe the album's most infectious drum pocket; "I Believe" feels like a cabaret number floating through space; and I like how "Broken" frames "Head Over Heels" and gives it a greater musical context to exist in, then leads into the dreamy, near-ambient closer, "Listen". I definitely didn't expect to like this as much as I did! hoping for more surprises like that in the days to come. light 9/10.

Amazing

Yeaaaah

A landmark classic that defined a generation of Cocteau Twins enthusiasts, Tears For Fears showed everyone that they had access to an era-defining reverb by writing music that has aged into our hearts - not in our faces.

There are few albums that remind me more of my mom than this one. I grew up on this record. What an incredible opening track. This record is such a solid synth pop record. I love it.

I love all the hits on this album, and the rest of it was pretty interesting too. It's kind of broody and introspective, but with totally radical, totally 80s new wave vibes. Had a great time listening, it's aged like a fine wine!

I mean they really cranked out the bangers on this album didn't they, beautiful soundscape and aggressively 80s, doesn't get much more fun than that.

EVERYBODY WANTS TO RULE THIS FUCKING WORLD

Two regular gothy synthpop dudes strike up the courage to make one of the landmark albums of the 80s and maybe the greatest album of the century perhaps. It’s a production extravaganza with a luxuriance of whirring, grinding, despairing synth mixed with more relaxed, natural and polished instrumental tones and Orzabal and Smith are on super top form vocally as well. Featuring a trio of hugely successful singles and top of the lungs anthems which land so monumentally in a tracklist that is insanely tight and magnificently sequenced. A lot variety as well from the monstrous, mechanical stadium synth rock of Mothers Talk and Broken to the beautiful smooth jazz anguish of The Working Hour and the meditativeness of I Believe and more mystical closer Listen. Easy 5 stars.

Peak 80's right here. A lot of the typical 80's sound is off putting, this nails it to perfection.

Quintessential album from the 80s. I love the cool transitions between the tracks and in my humble opinion, doesn't sound like any other album that came out around the same time. "Head Over Heels," alone, easily makes this album a 5/5. "YEAH!"

I was surprised by how fantastic this album is. The tv show Psych, with frequent 80s “homage,” gave Tears for Fears special place in their 80s pantheon. I thought that whatever band held that spot would be kitschy and overblown. But I was wrong! Shout and Everybody Wants… are both deserved hits. The Working Hour is my favorite song on the record. Big fan!

i hate where TFF are going with the AI slop nowadays, but this album is really something special. the three pillars of the album are the mammoth hits: shout, everybody wants to rule the world, and head over heels. these three tracks really define this album, and it's awesome to hear their riffs and instruments woven throughout the album. broken is a nice little extension of head over heels, and the latter half of the album closer listen reminds me of mad world, which is pretty slick. with that said, for being such a notable 80s band and album, the other ballads on here truly stink. not sure how they flubbed that part so badly but they just don't hit at all for me. that ballad sound is also responsible for the worst two minutes of the working hour. still, the high points on this album are so high that i've really gotta hand it (my five-star review) to them. favorites: shout, the working hour, everybody wants to rule the world, broken, head over heels