Songs From The Big Chair

Wasn’t a big fan at the time, still not really my thing. The singles are decent enough and the sax is pretty cool but don’t think I’ll be revisiting any time soon

Mouth gang once again

7/10 Buen album, tiene dos temas muy buenos, el resto no decepcionan pero tampoco son una locura, bien los ritmos y divertidos para escuchar

i liked the popular songs but not my favourite

for 80s chart music quite interesting.

This album triggered quite a powerful sense of dread. Some great songs but i don’t know that i could say i enjoyed listening to any of them. Undeniably evocative…

I actually had quite high expectations for this which were sadly not met. It sounded very 80s not necessarily in a good way, the songs felt a bit hollow? Considering there were three quite big and familiar singles on here i thought it might sound more exciting. I've heard their debut is a lot better?

Meh…2 good songs.

'You shouldn't have to jump for joy'; 'Find out, find out / What this fear is about'; 'We can, we can work it out.' Unjustifiably repetitious, Songs From The Big Chair is dark but soft, emotional but small, & not as good as other eighties releases that do more w/ similar stocks of sounds & rhythms, e.g., The Blue Nile. I'm not even sure we can count this as sincere, which would be its saving grace, since the lyrics are mostly uninspired & uninspiring, the saxophonic moments are sterile, & Orzabal bitches faintly, especially when he's louder than he ought to be. This is indeed a record that has one great song, the ubiquitous 'Everybody Wants To Rule The World,' & another one that's at least notable, 'Head Over Heels.' The rest? Drabber than G Ford.

7/10 shout is overrated

Intelligent, progressive synth-pop. And out of all those syllables it’s the prefix “synth” that drags this down to a 3/5 for me. Even when I recognize the lyrical quality it leaves me cold. Or bored. I think I could appreciate a live, acoustic performance…

Solid pop album, but time has proved that much of their battle of relevance and sophistication waged against their peers (Wham and George Michaels, specifically) were unfounded. Sure the may have been slightly more heady than Wham, but in the long run, they are just a solid pop band.

As a piece, it's good. Starts off weak with Shout but then every other song is a 3 or 4. Lightly carried by Everybody Wants to Rule the World, but Mothers Talk and Head Over Heels

Muy buen disco. Logra equilibrar hits comerciales con momentos más experimentales. Los sintetizadores envejecieron muy bien y se siente como un álbum importante en la discografía de la banda. ¡Vale la pena la escucha completa!

The good songs are really good, the rest sound like poor imitation of the good songs

Decent enough album, with 2 bangers, shout, and rule the world, the band passed me by in 1985, as other Indie bands took over my airwaves.

Did not hate this album. Some slightly slower songs that didn't relate with me, but also some really good tracks

There I was thinking Shout was the absolute pinnacle of human achievement when Everybody Wants to Rule the World came on... Anyway, that debate ended in 1985. Shout is incredible.

The two most well known tracks "Shout" and "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" are well known for a reason. They could find a place in my collection. There are maybe a couple of others that deserve more plays.

It was my first listen of this album, made by popular British new wave/synth pop band. Pros: it is very nicely made, there are two very famous hits, the album sounds fresh despite of the mid-80s sound. Similar to Depeche Mode. Cons: all the other songs apart from the hits are not that interesting although these songs work well as an album. I don't like synth pop in general and most of the 80s sounding albums. I would give it 3.5 stars if there were half stars but I will stick to 3 stars.

Favorite songs: Shout, Everybody Wants to Rule the World, Broken, Head Over Heels 3.5

Las canciones son muy largas, pero me gustaron dos de las que las guardé en fav. Buen sonido, me hizo acordar a soda o a cerati más bien

All songs everyone definitely knows however it hits harder as an album.

Álbum solido con clásicos de toda la vida

Majority decent songs, but many had an awful sound to them that almost forced me to skip half the album. The band has a nice sound, but it's a bit synth heavy

Love the 2 big classics on here- brought back memories of these years from my youth, they sort of passed me by

Very, very 80s. A 42 minute album that could be 24 minutes.

The hits hit. The A Side is pretty good, even if track 2 sounds like interstitial music from a Miami Vice episode. I Believe lags in the middle of side 2, and the rest of it is mostly a long version of Head Over Heels. I didn't appreciate this when it was released. My loss.

I prefer Depeche Mode

I didn't know recognize Tears For Fears at first till I saw Everybody wants to rule the world and head over heels. Although these two are some of the most iconic and popular, there are many contenders such as the Working Hour, I believe, and Broken for standout songs. The album is overall solid but even after a listen through I'd give it a 5/10 for replayability as there are only 2 songs that have become the most popular that carry the album and a 7/10 for enjoyability as the ablum had many standout songs.

I tried it. But most songs of the album is not really interesting or unforgettable to me

Overall a decent effort. Musically interesting but I Believe is a bit of a dirge in the middle of the album and brings the mood down. Still there’s something about the timbre of the vocal that grates with me and doesn’t quite sit right, although I’m sure others would disagree. 3

Surprisingly dark industrial sounds on the bonus tracks

This is hard to rate for me. On the one hand, I don't like the genre. On the other hand, I think they perform it so well that I have to give them credit for it. I also love the song Head Over Heels.

Couple good ones but mostly meh

The hits are great. The rest of it is good.

I liked this one more than I thought I would, but it is no more than three stars for me.

Shout would be a better song if it stopped about two and a half, maybe three minutes earlier. The rest is ok righties pop.

Saved? ✅ Would listen again? ✅ Would recommend to anyone? 🤔 Would buy on Vinyl? 🤔

Mid with one banger

Expected better

Great album Some songs weren’t THAT good tho

Two classic new wave hits on one album? And then a bunch of okay filler? Sure. It’s better than a generic album but really doesn’t cross into great. 3.5

Great !

Not too bad as far as 80’s pop goes.

On the face of it this is 80s synth pop with no redeeming features. Most of the album is true to form and the sax thrown in is really bad. However, I think there is some songwriting talent there and in particular shout and the excellent Head Over Heals save the day.

Pretty solid!

Take any individual moment from this record and it would be the epitome of cringy 80s pop: frictionless synth, overwrought lyrics, vocals sung with clenched fists. There is a saxophone on The Working Hour for goodness sake. But that would be a terrible way to evaluate or enjoy a record. Better than any moment is the totality: the intricate arrangements that balance juddering synth bass, with clean percussion, with bright guitar, and the interplay of the two voices. The voices of Roland and Curt are a case in point. Neither voice is exceptional, both have this peculiar, strained banality. Yet, unlike the trio from last week, they rarely sing in harmony and they rarely adopt of protagonist role in the song: rather they assume positions within the song, within the lyric, that complement and enhance the music itself. A similar role that Michael Stipe and Mike Mills play in REM. Or Black Francis and Kim Deal. The song itself is an entity that the group brings to life, rather than a performance by a lead singer that the others frame. Everybody Wants to Rule the World is a fair example of this attention to detail. The pedalling chords of the verse are banal. The guitar arpeggio like something from a BBC travel show. The solos painfully twangy. Yet, somehow, it all works. And it works especially when they subtract: the two chord vamp is scaled back just before the vocal enters; on one chorus, the concluding ‘world’ is excised, replaced with a guitar bend. Every element, whether present or absent, is calibrated to ensure totality of form and, more important, dramatic tension. The song is always moving forward. It’s how they manage to make so many of the songs five minute or greater without significant drag. This unifity of effect doesn’t extend totally to the macro-level. The hits outshine the rest of the album, although there is nothing truly rotten - Mothers Talk could have been a single, if not a hit. And those hits cause the album - the band even - to be a victim of their success, instances, like the individual moments of the record, that become emblematic of the time, of the production choices, of the Smash Hits image. There is more to Tears for Fears than the surface, but whether there is more than the integrate craft, I’m not sure. 3 ‘Shout is six and a half minutes long!’ is the headline for me. I like Shout but I have always thought of it as a small song, regardless of the size of chair from which it comes. I have the Greatest Hits in the house (somewhere). It’s probably 6 1/2 minutes long on that as well but why haven’t I noticed before? Perhaps it isn’t built for scrutiny; being 90% chorus it could be easy to misunderstand as a brainless pop song, by rights no more than 3 1/2 minutes, rather than the mood piece it was intended to be? Anyway I still find it small. This is an album of surface impressions I think. Good long running times denoting seriousness. Big drum hits denoting drama. Plenty of grand posture in the lyrics and the reverbed richness of the top line throwing sevenths and ninths all over the place. That intro to Head Over Heels; teased in Broken and then fanfared into your speakers like a spaceship has just arrived to teach us a new tonal language. Alas, you get to the end of the album and no aliens have come out. Nothing memorable has been said. Nothing profound has happened - not even in the ponderous nothingness of ‘Listen’s seven minutes. Tears for Fears are good all the same - just not as good as they think they are. 2.5/5

Very good, very 80s. Shout and Head Over Heels were my favorites, and Everybody Wants To Rule The World is a classic. 6.6/10

Some classic bangers, but also some very drawn out instrumentals following the big hits. Good listen overall!

Not bad, wouldn't choose those songs if I were alone

Not my kind of music but rythm was relaxing

Ja classic ofc, maar ik word gewoon nooit zo warm van die intense jaren '80 sound. Het laatste nummer (Listen) is wel echt sick tho

(3) at one time I loved this album, now it sounds dated…

Must have sounded like a great idea at the time 3.4

A very '80s album, with toms and synth sounds very much of it's time. Very anthemic and ambitious in it's way, in contrast to most of the same type of music of the period. It's fine, certainly not a bad listen, and I've always appreciated the rhythmic undercurrent of "Everybody Wants To Rule The World."

Pre Listening: Very excited! I know "Everybody Wants to Rule the World", so hoping to find some more bops like that on here. I haven't listened to a lot of Tears for Fears in the past. Didn't realize they were from the 1980s, I would have guessed newer based on the one song I know from them. After listening: I didn't like this one as much as I thought I would? There were some fun songs in here, but I also felt like some were kinda bizarre. The overall listening experience, for me, wasn't it.

It sounds like the 80s. Didn't do it for me, wasn't even that swept up by the (heard many times) singles. Inoffensive.

I can't understand why this gets such high marks. The singles are fine..but everything else is pure filler and even unlistenable, particularly the one with the sax

Some good-great singles from this, wasn't too much into the rest . Not generally into sax on pop/Rock stuff and thought this had great examples of how to sax - I Believe - and how not to sax - The Working Hour.

The songs I already knew hit very well and those that I didn’t…didn’t. I was rocking along to Shout, Everybody Wants to Rule The World, and to some degree Head Over Heels but I felt like I should have been crying in my coffee with the other tracks. The music itself is good, but I’ll listen to this band as it finds me and I won’t be seeking it out.

Listens: 3 Standout Tracks: Shout, Everybody Wants To Rule The World I don't think there's any doubt about the absolute staying power of Everybody Wants To Rule The World, and to a lesser extent, Shout. Even as someone who largely despises the new wave genre, I find these songs to be catchy, melodic, culturally impactful, and I recognize the incredible popularity of them. They're just plain old good songs. Maybe even nostalgic, though I wasn't even alive in 1985. But man, is the rest of the album a chore to get though. It's just not my style. Tears for Fears and pretty much every other new wave band that's come up on the List. I give it a 2.5 rounded up because of the two extremely popular songs.

Everybody wants to rule the world!!

Head over heels saves it

More like songs from the cuck chair

Es ist okay, nur head over heels und everybody wants to rule the world zu kennen

Lowkey grandiose.

I liked that better than I expected. New Wave was never really my jam, but the first half of this album was quite enjoyable. I like the overall mood and style basically aside from the vocals.

Standard 80s rubbish really. Like so many 80s albums trying to be political & deep but not really my thing. Love Donnie Darko though so was disappointed by the rest.

its solid, but its mostly based on “everybody wants to rule the world” and “head over heels”.

Interesting sounds and good musicality. 3.5/5

3.5, surprising for such an 80s album

A really strong start then it sort of blends into more of the same in the second half. If I could rate the two halves it would be 4.5 followed by 2.5

enthusiastic, energetically young, smooth and “new”? fading outros and repetitive choruses, but that doesn’t take the beauty out of it. 80s sound for sure. Very fresh sonically, atmospheric and crackly. The feeling of being in an arcade. If I had to choose one pop rock album, it would be this. (even if I don’t dig pop rock too much.)

能听出年代感，还是挺舒服的

I can’t tell if they invented the sound of the 80s or they ripped it off for 40 minutes. Best to play it down on the middle on this one.

Hadn't listened to this entire album since its initial release. After almost 4 decades I find that the singles from it are still amazing, but the rest of the album isn't as nostalgia inducing. It was nice to have on while I was working though

Stylish pop music that mostly satisfies

It’s Ella, so it’s good, but it’s just too long.

Everybody wants to rule the world is one of my favorite songs ever, but the rest of this album was just fine! Enjoyed it, but no new favs.

Hadn't ever listened to anything else from this other than the 3 that everyone knows! I get why those are the standouts, they are by far the standout tracks on this album, but I enjoyed the others too. 'The Working Hour' was really interesting, why do so many 80s songs loooove that type of drum... Good album!

Great album. Not perfect, but great.

Two hits ("Shout", "Everybody Wants To Rule The World") and an almost forgettable rest. 2,5

I used to think of Tears for Fears as a typical example of that very specific 80s pop sound, without really listening closely. But once I paid attention, I realized the music isn’t light at all. The rhythm section is solid, and at times the grooves even feel slightly funky, which I didn’t expect. That subtle depth is what makes the band more interesting than I had assumed.

Some massive hits on this one

Aged pretty poorly given synth pop falling out of favor in the 90s. In general the album feels pretty jumbled and disjointed, the thing that prevents it from being 1 or 2 stars is the staying power of the hits included on this album, especially considering many different groups (Weezer, Lorde) covering everybody wants to rule the world in the 2010s

day 1, immediate banger. shout - such a bop, tho feels a bit repetitive towards the end. the solo is nice. the working hour - cool sax intro, i kinda like the instrumental parts, rest doesnt really catch me. everybody wants to rule the world - wrong, i dont. banger tho. mothers talk - dont have muchto say for this one. pretty decent ig i believe - pretty. instrumentals and vocals compliment eachother nicely. the clapping in the last quarter was a bit irritating broken - banger, maybe my favorite of the album head over heels - pretty decent listen - pretty mid, not a bad outro to the album but not strong either. overall its ok, very 80s. not the biggest fan, shout and broken are my favotrite songs on the record.

Pleasantly surprised by the non-single tracks here, moody and experimental.

I really wanted to love this but I just didn’t. It’s a shame because Everybody Wants To Rule The World is genuinely a perfect song in my mind and I liked Shout and Head Over Heels but everything else fell flat for me.

Classic album

A very solid 3 but I didn’t love it enough for more. Everybody Wants To Rule The World is a great song and the production throughout was good, albeit very 80s.

This was certainly their pop moment . . . and it was a big one! The songs are as ear-wormy as you probably remember them. If you're too young to remember 1985 and have somehow managed to avoid hearing this album your entire life, be warned. You WILL get these songs stuck in your head!!

bit of a lull in the middle but solid album. Shout is an absolutely cracking opener

Heard

The Singles are classic, but there was redundancy in the rest that took the edge away. Will listen to the classics forever, but the filler brings it down as an overall.

Excelent album!

6.5/10

Solid

I enjoyed this album; the background was pretty cool. It got pretty repetitive, though, and I can’t say I loved the songs. This was a high 3.

I am pretty sure every Tears for Fear song I know is on this album. While I struggle with most 80s stuff I can see the roots of some music I listen to daily in this album. Rating this much higher than I would have thought when it first came up. Another surprising listen.

Decent. Not my thing but not bad.

80s pop is somewhat of a blind-spot for me. The 80s nostalgia bait slop that has shoved down our throats since I've been born has soured me to lots of stuff that sounds like this. "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" and "Head Over Heels" are fun, and some of the other tracks are spacey and texturally cool, but I don't think I'd check them out again. Still a decent record.

Missed the boat on this. Was okay

Probably could have been recorded at no other time than the 80s. Production that glows, it's so highly polished. Linn drums and synth along with a male voice that's filled with emotion to the point of melodrama. On the surface these are bangers. Shout is a magnificent opener and there are tracks that sound amazing - Head Over Heels and Everybody Wants to Rule the World in particular. The problem is, once you get past the surface, they're not really a lot of fun. Deadly serious young men talking about pop psychology and the troubles of the world. And as deadly serious young men do they expect to be taken seriously, without a whiff of irony or humour. Best enjoyed as a sort of darker Human League and don't think about it too much.

better than the album cover

Didn't bang as hard as I thought it would. Couple of donkey kongers so it gets a 3

classic 80s, didn't realize all their hits are on that album

Not my thing, but it was alright I guess.

I like the 3 over played radio hits but not much else

so so so overly 80s but not like that horrendous

Cool album, I was only really familiar with the singles but the whole thing is worth it

Pretty good overall. Obviously "Everybody Wants To Rule The World" is a mega hit but I found "Shout" and "Head over Heels / Broken" great as well. I don't think I will be returning much to this album but it wasn't bad.

Het album bevatte een paar hits die ik kende, het had behoorlijk jaren 80 achtige sounds die ik tof vond, shout is een goed nummer maar wel lang, er komen ook heel veel verschillende instrumenten en partijen bij kijken, dat is echt meer iets van die tijd maar in het huidige tijdbeeld duren nummers wat korter en zijn ze minder langdradig, ik vond het leuk om naar te luisteren maar ik zal het niet nog eens op zetten.

I always lumped Tears for Fears in with the likes of Duran Duran, Pet Shop Boys, Human League, etc., and never really paid much attention to them, although it was impossible to ignore their massive pair of hits from this album ("Shout" and "Everybody wants to rule the world"), both of which seemed to play constantly on the radio for years. I was a bit disappointed that the rest of the album didn't really live up to the legacy of those singles, but I'm glad to have gotten a chance to hear something else by them (and to revisit "Head over heels"), and I thought it was more interesting than I expected, albeit marred by a very 80s production quality and style. I was surprised to read that one the tracks was included in the "Donnie Darko" soundtrack ("Head over heels"), as I thought the only Tears for Fears song in that movie was the amazing cover of "Mad world" by Gary Jules (in contention for the best cover song ever, I'd say). And I'm sorry for them that they chose a very Hall & Oates-style album cover; I'm guessing they've regretted that cover for many decades now.

Good but maybe not my taste Especially liked: Broken

Good album. I really like the singing 6/10

Bangers in the first disc then it becomes very experimental and remakes of the good songs.

Liker det her ganske godt egentlig, deilig 80s vibes.

Likte det overraskande godt. Nokre bangers.

generally good songs but nothing major stood out to me! head over heels is great but ends up being a bit overplayed in my opinion

Interesting. Love the extended bouts of music with no speech.

Ya no le pondré mucho color con esta reseña. Song from the big chair es un álbum ochentero con un sonido synth pop bien característico, muy new wave, tiene buenos clásicas, tengo que reconocer que los 80 debe ser mi década menos favorita en la música, por su sonido que muchas veces me suena sobre producido, donde se dejo de lado el bajo y la guitarra y porque tiene algo muy estético que impacta no solo en la música sino que también en la forma de vestir o peinarse y que creo que tiene una intención muy comercial. Los teclados y producción es muy característica, algo como espacial, harto efecto en voz y baterías. Conociendo la portada pero nunca habiéndolo escuchado, reconozco que esperaba bastante menos. Me sorprendieron las canciones, más allá de everybody wants the rule the world que me dejaron chato de lo viral que se hizo, tiene cosas interesantes melodicamente y termina siendo un álbum no tan synth pop como pensaba, añade elementos análogos como piano, vientos y alguna que otra guitarra. Creo que se gana bien el 3, sin ser sobresaliente, creo que es de los mejores del género y así lo confirma la crítica. Canción favorita: head over heels

80s classics. But I was never a huge fan. Too serious, too self-important.

The sequencing of this album is really interesting to me because the first half feels so iconic, with creative applications of 80s pop music trends-really driven and exciting- but by the second half the songs start to feel a little formulaic and tired. Favorite Song: Shout

80s pop duo with two huge hits on this album, 'Shout' and 'Everybody wants to rule the world's. The second half of this album was more instrumental.

Pretty good, didn’t finish though

It’s hard to get around just how EIGHTIES this sounds. Not something I would listen to again but not bad. This album is like a food with a very strong and specific flavor.

Innovative but low energy

i bought this on vinyl because it has two incredible songs. haven't listened to it as a whole more than once before and after listening again i know why cause this is boring. i like how all the songs are connected.

not as many bangers as expected

Feels classic 80s but I feel like their songs work better individually vs as a whole album

An album of big hit songs that you know, but maybe didn't realize were on the same album. Yes, some of the sentiments and sounds are a little dated, but the tunes are catchy and it works. I enjoy it for what it is...3.5 with a round down because I feel like I'm getting too generous lately.

i feel like id have to listen to this more to get it but 3 for now

A few bangers but the fillers let it down

Vividly recall putting ne hair up into a pony tail on the top of my head and dancing to Shout in my grandparents' home office. Do do do do, do do. -Head Over Heels

Wanted better bangers from the songs I hadn’t heard.

need to listen to more of the songs better but i see myself liking some of these

its okay

not as good as the hurting but still good stuff

Not for me.

6/10

Too 80s for me. Couple standout tracks.

I knew the radio songs, some of the others were not great - and sometimes the switch between songs was jarring. Overall, it is fine.

I liked it well enough; I've heard some of the big ones off this album before, and the rest was good, it just hasn't stuck with me that well.

Not exactly my usual taste, but it did a great job of cleansing my ears after Limp Bizkit. Seriously though, there are several great songs here. Also some that don’t do much for me.

10 songs in 33 minutes and it seems 10 of those are chat - which is what this album has left me with, as JC comes across relaxed enthusiastic and funny. 1. Darling Companion 2. A Boy Named Sue 3. San Quentin

This album came out in 1985 and it couldn’t feel any more 80s than it is. It has all the requisite cheesiness and instrumentation that should be expected from the peak of the 80s. It’s not really my cup of tea, but it’s undeniable. It’s one note all the way through, but it’s so catchy. How can you pass up a song like shout? It’s so cheesy and you can’t help but give it its flowers. A solid 3/5, closer to a 4 than a 2. An album I’m equally likely to praise and poke fun at. Its formula is easily picked apart and prodded at, but it’s done exceptionally. Not an album I’d really ever seek out, but also an album I think I’d reasonably defend. It really nails a specific sound I don’t love, but man it really nails that sound. The eighties are strangely missing from my musical touchstone. I can wax poetic about the sixties and seventies, but 1978-93 is sort of missing. Obviously like anybody who has heard of music I can talk to you for too long about joy division, and that’s sort of where my ear goes here. The love of reverb and chorus effects, the similar strat tones, big echoes everywhere, there are noted similarities with joy division. But, for lack of better explanation, Joy Division and Tears for Fears sat on different sides of the high school cafeteria.

The songs that were inescapable in the 80s and some filler.

I mean obviously an iconic album of the time shaping two of some of the biggest songs in history, but other than that it fails to capture a lot of my attention. Solid 80's album, but nothing super crazy.

Was ok Will I listen to again: 40%

5/5 for the two songs I know and love. 2/5 for the rest.

3.3. Nostalgia

Ok. I’ll give it a 3.

I get fatigued by bright mixes with tons of reverb. 3 I guess? Feel pretty middle of the road about this but I didn't dislike it

the intro(s) on The Working Hour is so god damn amazing. I've returned multiple times. There's the lil string intro, then the drums, then the drums + weird horn thing, all before the intro or A progression comes in. THEN the song really starts at 1:42. Fucking nuts. So good. Everybody wants to the rule the world is a classic pop smash. Mothers Talk drums are so heavy. The outro vocal samples thing is so ahead of its time. I'm wondering if it was sampled in some rap shit. OK nope just checked whosampled and it's mostly sampled by plunderphonics artists lol that makes sense. This is right on the edge of a 4 for me but not quite. favs: the working hour, everybody wants to rule the world, mothers talk

First album I ever owned. Hits are good - others are meh.

3.5

Early memory of listening to this. It was so different

It's diverse pop music. I liked some songs, but some bored me.

The first song! Weyyyyy!! The rest of the album is soso. I tried a few times but never made it till the end.

A little underwhelming. Everybody Wants to Rule the World is a 5 on its own. I feel like I am starting to repeat myself but this is really a record carries by its hits. The rest is just OK, though the closer "Listen" finishes the album on a high note. A decent album with a few very strong songs.

That was good. The singles are classic and timeless but also perfect 80s music. Never was my music, but it really is a good listen.

харашо

Oddly long songs, with unexpected instrumental interludes. But nice and nostalgic.

Impressive. Too synthy for me to get super into it.

I feel somewhat like Duran Duran although I find their b sides more listenable. I don't think I need a repeat listening of TFF besides the hits. 3 for great singles.

Starts off very strong and kinda falls off in the second half for me. I'm already not that big on the 80s sound, but I think it's done very well. Strong 3*

drago mi je da sam ovo odslušao. ima tu dobrih hitčina, ali malo predugo traju s obzirom na stil; s druge strane, zadnje dvije stvari skroz bezvezne. stoga solidna trojka

Was okay. But i have had 'shout shout let it all out' stuck in my head for days

I have a soft spot for a particular 80s synth sound. And on this album, Tears for Fears definitely employ some of that sound. 'Shout' especially is just cheesy pop perfection. Some of the other songs fare less well though. 'The Working Hour' is just a bit TOO dated.

Couple big songs otherwise just too long of an album even at 8 songs.

Some great songs on here, but way too much mediocrity, especially towards the end.

Just never could get into this band, decent enough but overplayed and too synth heavy.

I've never listened to this album (49). The hits are there, but its repetitive. I guess you had to be there in 85.

It was fine

An absolute massive pop album that you probably couldn't avoid if you tried. While the big singles off of this are extremely catchy and definitive ear worms, I feel they have been played to death and hard to unironically appreciate. The songs I wasn't familiar with didn't feel like they quite stood up to the rest of the album which very well might be a reflection of how massive the singles were. It's hard to pick this apart due to its massive pop culture succes but the music style really doesn't do much for me. Very much synth heavy 80's Pop and while I appreciate the success I don't necessarily love the style.

It’s an ok album enjoyed more than I thought Last song is boring Best song everybody wants to rule the world

I just cant get through it because overplayed you know

3.5/5

I still love several of these songs, and I liked the woven motifs I heard. But several of the songs were snoozers.

I really wanted to like this due to the high production values and the reputation of this album. However, I think the melodies are uninteresting or even poor, the songs are overly repetitive and don't develop enough to warrant the song lengths, and the vocals are weak. 2.5/5.0: Mixed

great songs but they werent interesting enough to warrant the 5 and 6 minute runtimes; not every song needs to be a sprawling epic.

Hate the opening track, the rest of it was good. The very good songs were very good. I’m very tired. Bwaaaa

Good but not my jam

This was an enjoyable listen! I knew the hits (and of course I love "Everybody Wants to Rule the World") and "Broken" into "Head Over Heels" with the reprise were the surprise standouts, but "Shout" has never worked for me and "Listen" was a weird nothing of an album closer. Best: "Head Over Heels" Worst: "Listen"

A few memories here.

Big hair, big tunes, but too much filler.

Huge for New Wave. Not my genre, though.

Some absolute stone cold classics. Some really bad 80s sax cheese. Last two songs were great lynch pins, almost making it conceptual. Good stuff.

Singles are up there but the rest is gratuitous filler

Some great songs on this

Well this was a throwback, it’s a proper 80s synth pop vibe. I know and like the singles from the time and Donnie Darko helped make them cool again many years later, Head Over Heels is great but shame Mad World isn’t on this one. Whilst I enjoyed it, I can’t see myself coming back here other than for the hits.

Moody and emotional style but doesn’t evoke any strong emotion for me. The 4 songs from this album that play on the radio are sufficient and I wouldn’t recommend a start to finish listen.

Hard to deny the classics on this album, enjoyed it

Solid hits. Sounds like 1984.

Classic radio jazz. Something I’d put on to fall asleep to with all the instrumental breaks and haunting voices. Favorite songs: Shout, Everybody Wants To Rule The World

A lot of decent tunes here

Well done, but not for me

Meh. Forgettable aside from the couple singles.

Some of the best songs from the 80's, but also a little dated. 7/10

du du du ddu du du du du Ok, I`m in

My initial response to the band is cheesy, reverby, gated pop from the eighties, which doesn’t do much for me, but let’s see… Maybe not quite as bad as I thought. For sure, lots of cheese and reverb but some bangers on here too. A bit more variety and force than I thought but probably not going to go towards it to listen by choice after today. Maybe just edges 3.5

After getting through the interminable Shout, a bunch of decent tracks on here, all culminating with a resounding thud of a closer. Still, a 3-star experience.

3,5/5 Classic 80s album. Even though I’m ‘07, songs like ‘shout’, ‘everybody wants to rule the world’ and ‘head over heels’ gives me nostalgia about being in the car with my parents and sister going to school and these just blasting through the radio. I’m crazy about the saxophone part in ‘the working hour’. This isn’t the first time I’ve listened to this album in full. Like last time I enjoyed it but it wasn’t that special or edgy. I gave 3 stars in my previous review (system of a down - system of a down) bc even though I didnt fully enjoy it, I appreciated the uniqueness. This one gets 3,5 for being a classic and bringing me some nostalgia.

Some great singles from the MTV era.

Some brilliant synth-pop sections here limited by its excess

I'm 50/50 here, but it's split between either really enjoying things or really wishing I could skip a song. There are a few VERY famous songs on here, but I'm not sure anything but the hits really stands out. The harmony is cool - these guys were definitely jazz fans and adopted some pretty advanced concepts. There's really cool guitar playing, too. However, the vocals are definitely not for me, and many songs seemed one or two minutes too long ('Shout' comes across like the same ten seconds of music repeated indefinitely). Overall, a good onetime listen, but probably not revisiting.

Tears for Fears have written two of the greatest pop songs of all the time- Everybody Wants to Rule the World and Head Over Heels- and two others on here really grabbed my attention but unfortunately that's all. Mothers Talk and Broken really bring the goods. I wish Broken was longer but I can see it being used as a transitional piece in a live setting. 3.5/5

3.5

it spunds like the 80s 2.5

Deux tounes que je connaissais, le reste est correct, meilleur que ce que je pouvais espérer. Pas pour moi.

stacked album, many classics. not my vibe though

столько хитов! но такие 80е, сложно

No mi musica favorita, me gustan los instrumentos, pero muy lento para mi gusto

The big hits are so good, and in particular Head Over Heels really holds up. Rest of the album is some pretty standard 80's brit synthpop.

Quintessential 80s right there

Some iconic bangers in here, but the rest of the album doesn't do much for me. Shout, Head Over Heels, Everybody Wants to Rule The World are all I ever need to hear again from this one.

I was expecting more from this as a whole tbh. Every song was just a bit longer and more repetitive than I wanted it to be, even some of the hits like Shout. Head Over Heels is so so good and the lead in from the song before was clean.

I was all ready to be cynical about this one as I didn't remember much about it from my last listen. But Shout got me out of bed and Everybody wants to rule the world is a banger. The rest of it seemed pretty derivative and bland though.

It was kinda boring, though I've never been a huge fan of this kinda 80s stuff. I did like the song that sounded like it should be in 'Commando' and the one that sounded like it should be in 'Miami Vice'. Not sure if putting a song with a 4 minute sax soundscape as the second track on the album was a great idea.

Evocative. Miserable. Enjoyable. An emptiness in the sound that feels intentional and like a grey 80s day on a boarded up highstreet with towerblocks. Swishy synth sounds. Drained vocals. The hits are songs I have played and heard a million times. I mostly kinda enjoyed the rest but also felt a bit weighed down. I liked the abstract number at the end, which I hadn't heard before.

I came across a YouTube video the other day of one of the Tears for Fears guys playing Head Over Heels solo on the piano. I realized that it's a really good song, at its core. I think that applies to a few songs on this record - the hits and maybe a few others - but it can be hard to hear it through the din of the very-80s production. I did enjoy the nostalgic trip of listening to Shout, Everybody Wants to Rule the World, etc, but much of this album had me bored to tears. (Hey oh!)

I had hoped 35 or 40 years distance would give me a new, more positive perspective on this band. It did not. File under: crap, easy listening. But, there's a couple okay songs that, at a minimum, play a significant role in my memories of high school. So.... I guess 3 stars.

This was decent. There are a couple of hits on here, and they were great. The rest of the album falls into the "decent and forgettable" category. Favourite Track(s): Everybody Wants To Rule The World Least Favourite Track(s): I Believe, Broken, Listen

No Need to SHOUT

The highs are high (everybody wants to rule the world and head over heels) and then there is the classic, or at least it was in my mind in reality of the album version it is actually far too long which detracts from its greatness. But the rest is just middling at best and punctuating the album with the three better songs only serves to highlight what could’ve been.

I really expected to like this more than I ended up liking it. But I'm not entirely sure why it didn't click with me. Everybody Wants To Rule The World is obviously great, as is Shout, though suffers from being too long. I think I will probably revisit this at some point, but for now it's a 3/5

If I could give a 3.5 I definitely would really good to listen to the album 😁

Like the synth 80s sound. A few all time greats…one too many ballads for me.

Couldn't have told you they were Tears For Fears songs, but I knew quite a few. I enjoyed it and I think I'd be interested in a closer listen sometime.

3 stars. Everybody wants to rule the world is so good that it carries it to 3.

Obviously a classic album - quintessential 80's music. Time and a place for this stuff, but not really on my list of normal listening. I still appreciate it and will always keep it in the back pocket. Solid stuff.

Very cheesy 80s. Some good tunes though, but a lot of cheese.

Very ambient, good, but I prefer the tracks with more melody

I know their iconic song but it does have another two songs that are recognizable. A classic 80’s album.

A classic pop album.

good new wave album

New wave with a bit of bite - at first Favourite songs: The Working Hour, Everybody Wants To Rule The World

I’ve had a bit of a soft spot for some of their songs as a bit of a guilty pleasure. The album has peaks and troughs. The synths on some of the songs haven’t held up well, even when trying to eke out 80s nostalgia from them. Ballads and slower songs aren’t great. Suspect they are better as a singles band.

Tears for queers

Very memorable 80s radio and soundtrack play.

Some bangers but some not so much 3

Songs are too long

3 good songs that take me down memory lane and the rest rather forgettable. - 3/5

An uneven pop experience - Shout, Everybody Wants to Rule the World) are wonders - the rest so so

Es hat ein paar richtig gute Songs aber dir restlichen entsprechen nicht meinen Geschmack.

As far as 80s pop goes, it's pretty decent. Definitely nostalgic. 3/5 #155

Not really for me. Some solid high points - Shout is a hell of a song - but, yeah.

For as good as these songs are - and they are *very* good - I can’t quite get past the production. Big Chair is a fitting title, because the songs sound huge! Like it was recorded in an empty glass cathedral. The songs lack a bit of warmth, but it’s also candy on the ears. The singles are relentlessly catchy, and everything else in between is fairly consistent. A solid 3 for me. ✨

Je n’ai pas trop aimé l’instru et les voix un peu effacées dans le fond

Some bangers on this one. Some of the tracks could probably be shortened from 6 min to 4 min and be better for it, but they are still good Standouts Shout Everybody Wants To Rule The World Head Over Heels / Broken 4/5

A mix of, well, Everybody Wants to Rule the World and a handful of other songs that aren’t that one. As a whole, the album’s fine but not memorable for me.

There were some interesting moments, but nothing too special. Good for background while coding

Everybody wants to rule the world is the one where the straight cooked, but When the wind blows is a great mention. A bunch of beautiful songs about revolution.

I started listening

This isn't really my type of music but I was into it for the historical aspect. Not knowing much about the musical history of this genre I am kind of bewildered about how emerged out of the 70's, it sounds entirely different than whatever came before. Just a really hard and distinctive style of the 80's. So that much is pretty cool. "Everybody Want to Rule the World" was a good song and I'm not sure if I'd ever listened to it all the way through before. The rest of the album was decent background music - I was kind of offput when it was over, deep in focus lol - but probably nothing I'd return to.

Une de mes chansons prefs dans l'album A part ça j'aime pas trop 3/5

Fine. Really strong opener but no other standouts

The hits are hits for a reason but the other songs don’t really hold their own weight.

Úlllltima semana de julio, gente. Vamos hoy con una banda que sólo ubico por dos de sus canciones-emblema que están en éste disco ("Shout" y "Everybody Wants to Rule the World"). ¿Qué tienen los 80 de magnético? ¿Es algo que sólo me pasa a mí o a los de mi generación? Me gustaría investigar sobre ello alguna vez. Resumen: ideal para amenizar cualquier reunión. Hasta mañana

I have heard a number of these songs before. I may not have been entirely sure they were Tears for Fears songs. Let's Go. Track 1 is classic 80s. Lots of synth and electronic noises throughout. I always find 80s songs to be somewhat bloated, this song didn't need to be 6 minutes long. It got repetitive. Track 2 was meh. I have a feeling this album is going to be carried by the two big songs. Track 3 is the all-timer of course. As it should be. It has everything, good tempo, great lyrics decent "riff". And a tight 4:11 of runtime. Track 4 was unique, it had lots going on. Very fun! Track 5 slows things down. This is generally a bummer for me as most bands are better when they keep things moving. This was no exception. The rest of the album was meh as well. I feel like the two heavyweight tracks could have been featured in a "1000 Songs to hear..." but the album as a whole is just okay. An interesting question might be how many great songs does an album need to have to be considered great. Maybe it is just two. 2.9/5

Classic rock for the 80s. Got two known songs.

I had no idea shout was by tears for fears. I guess this album deserves credit for such a hit, but what an obnoxious song. The Working hour had a beautiful introduction and a pretty silly set of messaging when set to the second British Invasion sound. I guess it is par for the course. Everybody wants to rule the world is a certified banger, unfortunately. I believe was a truly painful four minutes. Just ugly songwriting, even with beautiful wind. Fun transition into broken though. Head over heels is just a brain dead chorus. The redeeming aspect of the song is the chord progression change for the bridge. Listen is an interesting track. I appreciate the formal deviation here. I think it is the best track after Everybody Wants to Rule the World. Overall, this album is uneven. Far from a five star album with confidently cliche artistic choices, and a lot of insubstantial drama. But, when you have eight tracks, and a few remain as cultural touchpoints and one is a truly excellent song, it deserves a middling rating.

Some of these songs are fun, but no decade could make music as boring as the 80s

Listening Notes: -Shout: oh so I know two songs by these guys. The sound feels very depeche mode, but less spooky. I think I can get behind that. -Everybody wants to rule the world is a fine pop tune, but I don't really feel like it gets me anywhere -Really fully-fleshed out use of synths and other stuff here. -Mothers Talk really doesn't do much for me. and its also about 2 minutes too long. -Now we try to slow it down for I Believe, and I really just don't think this vocal styling works. It feels mopey rather than reflective. -Head over Heels is pretty good, but doesn't go anywhere they haven't already been. -Listen feels like an ambient track to chill and study to, which I guess is fine. Review: It seems like this album has very limited thematic range, and beyond its big hits (which are famous and catchy, but ultimately don't feel terribly substantial), I don't think it has that much to say. Really cool synth stuff here though. We'll say 3.5 rounding down.

1985. Other than the obvious hits, I'd not heard this before. It's actually quite a good listen, if a bit of commercially over-produced, but such is it's appeal from a time that big power-pop songs were ubiquitous in our every day lives. I'm unlike to go back to this, but it was a enjoyable 40 minute, 80s throwback. Heard before ❌️ Listened this time ✅️ Revisit ❌️ Retro 80s ★★★☆☆(6/10)

The hits are great but the rest just average. 3 stars or C+.

Not my go to genre, but absolutely solid album with a little bit of a lul after the midpoint, however a good number of solid singles which elevate the album a bit more. The band is also a bit "cool uncool cool" which I like.

Schönes Saxofon bei "the working hour"

Everybody wants to rule the world is one of the greatest pop songs of the 80s. Shout is nostalgic. Head over heels/broken is the sleeper song. Lyrics mention ‘change in weather’ often 3/5

A few good ones

3.5

This album has some hits, but I really didn’t like the song it ended on, Listen. It took me out of the vibe of the album.

I’ve never been a fan of Tears for Fears although I do like Head Over Heels. I think Everybody Wants to Rule the World is one of the most overplayed 80’s songs. This album was very 80’s. I also knew the song Shout.

Definisjonen av 80-tallet.

Pop, Rock, 1985 -> 3

Poppier, less edgy Depeche.

Tears For Fears, c'est peut-être encore plus over the top que toutes les années 80 réunies. Plusieurs moments forts. De la grosse pop avec des pointes de prog qui surgissent par bouts. 3.49 étoiles.

Classic 80s

Kinda disappointing. I like him better in psych

Tienen clásicos conocidos como "Shout" y "Everybody Wants to Rule The World" muy buenos. Aparte de estas dos, me ha gustado "Head Over Heels". El pop de los 80 no entra dentro de mis gustos musicales por lo que aparte de estos tres temas, no me ha despertado mucho interés. 6/10.

Never let anyone tell you this generator isn’t educational - I thought I Believe sounded a bit like Robert Wyatt and then discovered Tears for Fears actually dedicated the song to him. Not sure I would have made that connection 180 albums ago. But despite I Believe giving me a chance to feel a bit smug, I have to say I preferred the poppier tracks, so I’m still a basic bitch at heart.

Another quintessential 80’s synth pop sound. 2 pretty big songs on an 8 track album is solid. Idk what else to say. It’s good but 2 songs is also plenty to kind of get it. Feels like someone should be strutting through a carpeted mall with a windbreaker.

as far as synth pop goes... this wasn't terrible. i generally shy away from a sound like this, but not sure if i went in with more of an open mind or what... but i was jamming to this album. not necessarily going to make it into full music rotation... but overall it was a good experience

Elsker tears for fears!! Yay. Nogle sange er lidt mærkelige. “Shout” er ikke lige mig fx. Men obvs elsker jeg EWTRTW Sangene på det her album er godt nok lange. Sange jeg kendte i forvejen: Shout, broken, og ewtrtw

I got to feel like the star of my very own bad 80s movie! Most of this was quite enjoyable, but I found the couple slow songs to be borderline unlistenable.

This was a pleasant listen. I could imaging bopping around to this in a perm in the 80s, were I born a couple of decades earlier. I thought it started strong then got a bit lost, “I Believe” was a bit dull. Actually enjoyed this a bit more than the Television album but not quite enough for a 4.

I think its fair to say this album hasnt entirely aged well albiet there is some familiar songs that I still highly enjoy. I think my main complaint here aside from how its aged is some songs are not as strong so not entirely winning on that front. I found Broken / Head Over Heals (2 songs on Album) was quite cinematic. Very sci-fi theme at times and swear I recognise from somewhere (Masters of the universe maybe). I enjoyed that side of them. Ultimately a good band that I enjoy listening to every song. Lots of little jingles amongst the songs that I found oddly familiar. Maybe we need the plagiarism investigators on this one!

A pretty classic 80's pop sound from a classic 80's band. I can't quite work out what makes this a cool sound. Some bold rhythms (although sometimes a bit robotic in nature, presumably due to using drum machines), synths that now simultaneously sound nostalgic and futuristic, and why is saxophone so neglected in pop music nowadays? I didn't exist in the 80's so there is an added historical interest for a decade I've only seen through old photo albums and documentaries (the soundtracks to which are probably where I've heard the singles from this album). This isn't something I'd listen to out of choice but it was a fun listen and definitely feels like a big and relevant album.

Their sound is excellent when it hits but feels off when it doesn't. Still a decent listen

Everybody wants to rule the world är en fantastisk hit. Resten av plattan har kvaliteter som gör dem till mer än ett onehitwonder, men faktiskt inte mycket mer... Trea

Great 80's sound!

The good is great. The other is just meh

This one epitomizes that signature 80s sound, which is a testament to its quality. This is synth sound done right, with plenty of real instruments and real musicianship driving it along. Not every track is a banger, but the ones that land are amongst the all timers of the genre.

This was more interesting than I was expecting? I was expecting something more conventional from one of the biggest pop records of the 80s. But it's big and strange and ambitious. It's so 80s but not in a cheesy way. It's very well produced and the sounds are very of that time, but it ages weirdly well. It's more stark, moody and haunting 80s vs a shimmery fake optimistic 80s. I only had time for 1 listen, but I'll definitely check it out again. Weirdly I think i have a copy of this on vinyl from my parents who gave me their sparse collection. General thoughts... The three hits are great (shout, everybody wants to rule the world and head over heals). No complaints. I know head over heals from Donnie Darko, might be my favourite of the 3. So good. Also these songs are weirdly long for 80s pop hits, but it works. They don't feel long. The deep cuts didn't grab me on first listen, except for Broken. I dig that instrumental and how it teases Head over heels. The other 4 are a bit all over the place. Not bad. Not boring. Interesting even. I need to give them more time. The ending did stick out to me... very ambitious. Not what i was expecting from a pop record. Is this new wave? I dunno. I respect the restraint on the track list. 8 tracks is bold, and one of them's basically an instrumental interlude. And yet 3 of the 8 are huge hit songs. I originally clicked on the big anniversary version of the album and holy shit they cut a bunch of a material. They even cut the song called The Big Chair. They were really ruthless in cutting this album down to the core tracks. I wonder if that was driven by the 2 of them or by the record label? Who knows. I like that approach though to an album. Even if you get it wrong and cut something good, you can release it as a b-side... The Smiths approach. It's better to have an album that leaves people wanting more than one that has the audience wondering when it's finally gonna end. Wow... this thing sounds expensive as hell. Like a film score to every sad 80s teen movie combined.

I liked it. I'm familiar with the hits, and the rest of it keeps that same feel. I wasn't blown away, but I had a good time.

Solid 3.5 stars, just doesn't have much depth. - Now THIS is the 80s! - Two songs in, this is quality and I'm enjoying it

Det er sådan noget synthpop, rock new wave agtigt som blev meget rost for sin rigtig god produktion, mixing osv. Det lyder jo også ubenægtetligt godt og der er massere af gode tracks, men 80'er lyden fanger mig ikke helt. Hvis jeg skulle give det et relisten en dag, så ville det nok være for at lytte til mellemnumrene af de store hits da jeg faktisk synes de var meget fede.

Some interesting songs but won't be listening to this one again

They are a funny old mix The big ones are great love em being part of my teens I can’t really judge them. Everybody wants to rule is favourite. The slow experimental stuff starts off kind of interesting then not sure where they going But I like them there wholesome. I’ll go with a 2/ 2.5