Songs From The Big Chair

I really wish the guy didn’t sing in that stupid fake crooner voice.

Nice album from the 80s. Apart from the two well-known songs, the rest of the album is not very inspiring.

2.5

Fun

started strong, ended weak. solid stuff in the middle but nothing too special imo

Some good hits

You know what, this exceeded expectations. Pop-rock, but introspective. 3/5

Head over heels is the stand out for me. Very cohesive as an album. Overall good. Not 100% my vibe.

Way more avant-garde jazz feel than I was expecting. The instrumental tracks had a very sad vibe. Lots of synthesized sound, very 80s. These guys were in a sad place when they made this.

Deze is toch wel lekker hoor. 1 pokkoe zit zelfs in mr robot. Verder niet heel speciaal

Par bengera i ostalo meh

I didn't realize how many of these songs I know. Enjoyed listening to this with the exception of one or two of the songs which were a little to cacophonous for me.

There were some good songs on here, but the second half seemed to blue together, and not necessarily in a good way. The good stuff on here was good enough to pull this up to a 3/5

seamless but ever everybody wants to change the world is the star. would listen again

I'm really not sure how to rate this. I enjoyed the hits, but the rest not so much. Definitely a product of its time which isn't necessarily a bad thing, but a lot of it was pretty boring.

Songs are pretty long The hits are spectacular Don’t love the production

Not bad. Heard a few singles off of this. Very melodramatic and full of 80s vibes

A bit hit and miss but some pretty epic 80's music overall. 3 stars

The two hits are still awesome.

Ready or Not! Shout!

Good, but I'm not super into the 80s synth sound. Too new agey for me

'Shout' by Tears For Fears is one of my default songs. You know, those songs so deeply ingrained in your psyche as a child that they pop into your head unbidden and you find yourself humming them regularly when you are not concentrating. I haven't listened to the song itself in decades. I only just referenced Tears For Fears in an unfavourable comparison in another review days ago (Scissor Sisters) and now here they are. Does non-mullet Tears guy look like a young Sly Stallone here or is it just me? Obviously he has a mullet too, it's just hidden on the cover. Anyway I always got huge Construction Time Again era Depeche Mode vibes from Shout, in good way, both musically and vocally. I can't say I enjoyed hearing Everybody Wants to Rule the World again, it's so inextricably linked with the shit going on at the time and is also endlessly played over documentaries detailing the shit going on at the time I can't disentangle it from those emotions. But Shout, Shout is a banger. Perhaps unsurprisingly, I've never heard the rest of this album besides the earth-stalkingly huge singles. Half the album is singles and I don't even recognise them beyond the big two. Don't even remember Head Over Heels from when it was in Donnie Darko. I only remember their earlier song of course, Mad World. The end of HOH just before it transitions into the instrumental is really strong however. I Believe starts off like Shipbuilding, but kind of fails to go anywhere. The other songs are good but not outstanding for me, so an enjoyable listen but I'm not adding it to the library.

A couple of huge hits, obviously, which makes it hard to imagine what it must have been like to hear them for the first time. I am wavering between 3 and 4 stars, that last song was so weird I'm afraid it's pushing me to giving this 3.

80 classic

Genre: Pop Instruments: 2/5 Modern Translation: 2/5 Dance Potential: 2/5 Listening Location: Commute to work Heard it before: Yes Favourite Song: Everybody Wants to Rule the World Made me feel: Easy listening, upbeat. Liked the instrumental songs towards the end of the album and appreciate that it’s only 41 minutes in length.

Clasico entre clásicos del pop ochentero

The hits are fun, the rest of the album is up and down.

Quiet, I knew 1 song

1. zhout - 1.5 2. uuorking hour - 0 3. rule the uuorld - 1.5 4. motherz talk - 0 5. i believe - 1 6. broken - 0 7. head over heelz - 2 8. lizten - 1.5

3/5

3.5

Okay

Exceptional sound and beautiful lyrics. I can absolutely see how people love these kinds of songs and bands but personally my taste was never aligned with the late 80's, early 90's sound. This doesn't take away from it being a great album probably worthy of 4 or 5 stars, just not my personal favorite.

Me gustó mucho al inicio, luego se fue poniendo mas y mas ochentoso.

Even though my formative years were during the 70's and 80's I didn't really subscribe to 'pop' music. I was familiar with the two classic hits from this album, but the rest of it was really virgin territory for me. Perhaps it was a result of familiarity with those two tracks but the rest of the album was instantly forgettable. That's not as bad as it sounds, any album that contains two iconic tracks can be considered well above average.

Holy moly this is 80s! The songs “Shout” and “Everybody Wants to Rule the World” are on this album, but they’re so so long. Every song is at least 6-8 mins. There’s only so much of their distinctive 80s sound I can handle.

MEH

This sound, genre, era is not too interesting to me. But this is a good album of its kind

Couple really good songs, mostly weird stuff. I was exposed to tears for fears through the multiple Psych episodes in which Curt Smith makes a guest appearance.

A big famous album loaded with hits. Haven't listened to the whole thing since the 80's. The hits are very good, but the rest seemed like fillers nowadays. So only gets a mid 3.

Starke Stimmen. Leider krass 80er. Der Sound ist schlecht gealtert.

OK

Enjoyed this

Really enjoyed this. Everybody Wants To Rule The World is one of the all time great pop songs. Loses a bit of momentum in the middle.

Enjoyed the hits.

Album piacevole da ascoltare

Shout: 4.5/5 The Working Hour: 3/5 Everybody Wants to Rule The World: 4/5 Mothers Talk: 2/5 I Believe: 2/5 Broken: 2/5 Head Over Heels / Broken: 3/5 Listen: 3/5 -> 2,9/5

chill za ucenje/posa/bolovanje, ali nije me toliko odusevilo

Love this album

Итс окэй. Немного слишком 80-ые: стереотипные, вылизанные и Том Крузовые. Трудно сказать, может быть эти красавчики на обложке и начали вот этот звук, и в таком случае очень за них рад. Пользуясь случаем, хочется отметить, у этой группы ультра-крутое название. Лучшая песня - Shout.

shout is very long okay everything is very long not sure i liked oop very sleepy besides shout and everybody wants to rule

Very 80s.

With the exception of “everybody wants to rule the world” which is a perfect song, the second half of this album is notably better than the first

Liked this a lot more than I thought. 3.25

Classic 80s with some iconic songs. Just not a genre I’m a huge fan of

Of course I knew all the hits from this one. Head Over Heels is my favorite form this. Good album - nothing new to discover here. I’ll likely never come back to it.

A couple of good old songs

80s music is the epitome of "I am cringe but I am free". Through all of the wacky, over-the-top, theatrical synths on this album, it actually turns out pretty good and has some fire songs on it

Songs were fine to listen to. Few classics.

In the 80s, synth pop was definitely not(!) mine. Today, I’m a little bit more relaxed :-) I can hear it as background music without being bored. That’s good - 3,5stars would be the correct number for voting this album

It is fine for what it is

Quintessential 80s

Cool album. Recognized two songs, Shout and another. Not my style.

It's got some really great songs. In the end, not really my style. 3.5

Everybody Wants To Rule The World: 4/5, a classic Broken: 3.5/5 Τα άλλα average. Cool, but not something I would listen to by myself.

synth pop album with social commentary. great listening experience.

Moments of excellence but overall average

I liked TFF back then but like them a lot more now. Besides the hits, though, this was a little unmemorable.

Very solid - power energy than the mood I was in (busy at work) but still a nice listen.

I don't know, I'm split on this. It starts off very strong but then tacks on 4 songs that basically could have been left off. I really wanted to like this album since it's super 80s but I think that meandering last half should stay in the 80s, however for the first half I have to give it it's credit as some bangers up front so I'll split the difference and give it a 3.

# 143 : Good album, has a well know hit or two and some other banging songs. Good harmonies and stuff. What's not to love about 80's pop with saxophones? Fave Track : Everybody Wants To Rule The World.

Includes several 80s pop classics

58/100 Based on this scale: 1 star - 0 to 19 2 stars - 20 to 39 3 stars - 40 to 59 4 stars - 60 to 79 5 stars - 80 to 100 I expected more from this. The three hits were good, but the rest felt like filler, with decent moments.

A couple of proper smash hits, then a whole shwack of synthesised kitchen sinks and slap bass being thrown at you

Shout - Pretty popular tune. Decent but a little vanilla. The Working Hour - pretty smooth tune with the sax. Could be cut down a few minutes as I think it goes on a little too long toward the end. Everyone Wants to Rule the World - Not bad, but kinda cheesy stereotypical “80s” sound and lyrics that puts it in an average tier in my opinion. Mother’s Talk - Kinda sounds like a Michael Jackson tune with the opening riff. Lyrics are kind of mid, but has a really good groove and bass line in the background that I dig. I Believe - A bit more melancholic. Could see listening to this on a rainy day. Not really a fan of the lyrics, but instrumentals are okay. Broken - Has a nice riff preluding to their next song in the album. Best song of the album so far imo Head Over Heels- Seems to be a continuation of the previous song and more well known to me. I’ve always liked this tune a fair bit. Listen - Kinda tuned it out. Good as background music, but I find it pretty repetitive and boring.

Anfangs fad, 2. Hälfte toll

80s classic, can't help but sing along

Buena música y muy buenos Riffs. Para mi gusto le falta presencia a la voz.

Of course knew of "Everybody wants to rule the worlds: but Iwasn't familar with any other song or the artists. Not too into it, a bit too busy/messy for me even though I appreciate the melodies and how energizing it felt.

A really good listen from a band I’ve always liked well enough but not really gotten to know about.

I Believe and Listen are bleh but the rest is good. Good vocals good harmonies when used. Ez 3.5

shout

Other than the hits this was pretty boring. Soft 3

Not a big fan of Tears for Fears, to much synth for me. This album seems well put together but not really my cup of tea. I can appreciate it but not likely to listen to it again. Favorite Songs: Everybody Wants to Rule the World, Broken.

A meticulously crafted and very sophisticated 80s pop record. I do feel like it loses a bit of steam towards the middle/end, but it's hard to find any particular fault with this piece. That said, I'd generally say this fits into the category of I can appreciate it, but it's not really my taste. Given how much of a staple these songs have gone on to be, it definitely has earned its place on the list. Favourite songs: Shout, Everybody Wants to Rule the World, Broken

OK aber halt 80er

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

This is a very variable record. Head over Heels and Everyone Wants ... are objectively good songs. Mothers Talk and Listen are not. I Believe sounds like a Sade version of Shipbuilding, The Working Hour has elements that remind me of Genesis' The Brazilian. Its on OK record, good in parts, but I'm not going to hurry back.

80's I can actually tolerate for half an hour

Good songs. Almost a 4.

Contains the iconic "Everybody wants to rule the world" track.

The Hits (Shout, EWTRTW, and Head Over Heels) are amazing but the other tracks are mid at best (for me). So we've got some amazing tracks but not an album I'd willingly sit through completely.

Good album, but not really my style. Features a few big hits. I do like how many of the songs are connected with the same riff.

- the album as a whole isn’t necessarily my taste - they have some iconic songs on here though and i like them

Three huge songs that were part of the soundtrack of my youth, and five others I've never heard before. I remember singing and making up lyrics to Shout with my friends in 5th-6th grade. Rule the World and Head Over Heals are great songs even without the nostalgia. No question Tears had a unique sound that cut through the noise and became part of the landscape. I still don't know if this is a great album exactly, but they did something right and tattooed their music on millions of brains worldwide.

I recognize that this album is good, but I do not like the singer’s voice.

en tiiä oliko vaa väärä hetki tän kuuntelulle vai enkö vaa vibannu mut 40min tuntu puolelta ikuisuudelta 🫠 toki isoimmat biisit släppäs mut ei nyt tarttunu mitää uutta kivaa

Not my favorite 80s group, though their hits do slap! An interesting concept album where the music is variations on a theme, but it has too much repetition in places.

Cool

When I saw Tears for Fears I figured another 1 star rating might be incoming, but this album wasn't actually too bad. Slightly cheesy 80s synth-pop with guest guitar and some saxophone chucked in. There were the obvious two tracks I already knew very well indeed, both of which managed to hold up reasonably well considering their era. I quite liked some of the other stuff and was surprised to even hear a few progressive elements coming in from time to time. The ballads at the end of the first side and the start of the second side were rather dull, lowering the score from a possible 4 back to a solid 3.

3/8, 38%

Had cool moments. Strange vibe and some interesting repeated melodies, especially in the vocals.

Some great tracks but not complete. Also stop looking at me like that

I am familiar with this music. Never listened to the album all the way through before. . . It is ok. The hits are the best songs.

So many classic songs on this one, it’s also one of those rare instances where it’s aged gracefully

Some nice atmosphere on this album, though I can't say it did much for me overall. Enjoyed some of the harmonisation and key choices.

Nice, but a bit short. Spotify quickly moved me to other artists. Of course, this could also be because Spotify are c**ts and geo-fence a lot of music in my area.

Wasn't expecting this to be so great Sounds very 80s but in the best way Head over heels is so good Might be a 4 in the future

AJ: welcome to your life

Mothers talk is going on my playlist

Didn't love it

I was excited about this one because the singles are so good but the fluff was extra fluffy. Evens out at a 3

Tulee lämmin olo tästä

Not my cup of tea, the singles are good but the rest left no impression.

The second song on this album has some intentional skipping mixed in. IT sounds awful.

fine

Decent

Shout, Everybody Wants to Rule the World, and Head over Heels/Broken are great songs, the rest are fairly boring and forgettable. Strong 3, Weak 4

The hits/singles are awesome. But the album as a whole is short, has filler, and seems disjoint.

Was meh

2 bangers in shout and everyboyd wants to rule the world. otherwise needed some acid or pot to really enjoy listen. fine otherwise

The hits are great the rest ok

Just okay. Has some good songs and some I don’t care for. They can be long and lyrically repetitive.

Bangers bang, rest isn’t inspiring. Mid/vocals muted which although a style is not my cuppa

Good album, Shout and Everybody Wants to rule the world are obvious classics. I also enjoyed head over heels and Listen was a nice chill closer to the album.

Very unique vs the rest of 80s new wave, only tepid song on the album is believe, the rest is strong. Shout is the standout and would hold up as a pop song in any era.

Not really great, too pitchy at times.

5.5/10 To første sangene løfter albumet. Høyfrekvent temposkifte (høytaktssanger blir litt vel 80-talls). Fine synth- og tromme partier. Harmonisk og helhetlig komponert. Liste sang (listen): 8/10

Solid

Avec un nom comme ça on se doutait que ça allait chialer un maximum et on a pas été déçus.

Un excellent album de la part de nos pleurnichards de Tears For Fears.

Oof. Outside of the few hits every other song is awful.

decent, singles are really good

I was really struggling with this one. Why is shout so long and droning? Then the last 3 songs kind of won me over and I’m relistening. There are a couple of droners but I get it now. Down marks for the pain of sitting through "I believe" twice.

After the first few songs (which I enjoyed) I found it extremely bland.

Big echoey sound, a bit similar to u2’s sound. Very 80’s, good songwriting.

En klassiker

Really liked 'Everybody wants to rule the world', otherwise liked the sound but the songs went on a bit

Objectively pretty good record but it got pretty boring. Head over heels was my fav.

I found this incredibly boring but Everybody Wants to Rule the World is catchy. His voice is interesting but the airy-ness of the whole thing became boring.

I can see why people like this, but personally, it just doesn’t hit me. I guess I’m not a big fan of this sound. The songs are good, but they also have a tendency to be too slow and long, outside of ‘Everybody Wants To Rule The Word’, obviously, plus a few others. Not bad, just not my jam.

medium eighties pop (except Shout)

Tears For Fears are great for sure. I have never listened to a whole album of theirs but know the hits and this is about what I expected.

Ah in the future I’ll try to do this sooner after listening. I liked it. Everybody Wants to Rule the World is probably the reason for its inclusion since even I know that song, the rest of the album sounded noticeably different to that one. Hm

Some big hits (shout, rule the world, head over heels), as well as songs that blend into one another.

Not sure about this one

Really liked it

Having recently spent the best part of a week on Holiday with their greatest hits CD on constant rotation in the car (and absolutely loving it), I was looking forward to this. But sadly it was a letdown, with only the singles standing out. Half the album is amazing, the other half is really bland and mediocre (the ballads). A real shame. A few of the bonus tracks were actually quite good.

Surprisingly enjoyable for yet another middle of the road eighties pop act.

Shout, Everybody Wants To Rule The World and Head Over Heels are great, the rest were a bit hit and miss.

Classic 80s. I liked it more than I thought I would.

Starts off very very strong but then meanders a bit.

Un álbum clásico del “new wave” de los ‘80s. Con pistas realmente destacables como “Scout” o “Everybody Wants to Rule the World”. Sin embargo, a pesar de que no dura mucho, se vuelve repetitivo bastante pronto. No sé si sea un indispensable de la música, pero si es un disco bastante sólido.

Some good songs, some not so good. A Couple of classics.

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

Some monster 80's pop hits and featured in the 80's movie Real Genius! However this album and honestly the hits are just ok, I can pretty take it or leave it.

I thought this was going to be torture because the airwaves were saturated with the hits from this record. But I actually enjoyed it. Let’s not get crazy though, it’s good not great.

It was their couple of radio hits and then long instrumentals.

It sounded kind of generically 80s. And many of the songs were really long- not bad, just not my cup of tea!

Nije moj đir ali ok album 3 4 4 3 2 3 3 2 3,0

Весьма неплохо!

I wish that every track on this album was as amazing as Shout and Everybody Wants To Rule The World. But for the most part it was a pretty good listen to overall. Got got one or two duds in this short project, but definitely more to enjoy than just the band's two most iconic tracks.

Agree with the other reviews on this. The stand out tracks are absolute belters (Shout / Everybody…/Head over heels), but the rest sounds a touch 80s filler. Didn’t do much for me. At times it sounds as if someone asked AI to write an 80s song. But the good tracks drag this up a level

Decided against listening to the 5 hours 4 mins super deluxe version and stuck to the actual album. Don't get much more 80s than tears for fears. Everybody wants to rule world is such a good song and I really enjoyed broken as well but these were the only two with a real indie sound. Otherwise it was a bit too 80s, shades of boy George/Duran Duran, but by and large delivered in a more acceptable fashion. Not great but not awful.

I have a lot of time for 80s New Wave. The hits are the hits, not a lot more to say. Liked the sound overall, wasn't mad keen on some of the album tracks. It feels like a 3 - struggling to justify why, but it's not quite a 4. I did add Shout and Everybody Wants to Rule the World to my listening rotation though. On balance, there are stronger records of this ilk.

Apart from the three highlighted songs I did not like this album. However that is 3 out of the 8 songs on the album so maybe it's overall okay. It just sounded very 80s, in a bad way. Highlights: Shout Everybody Wants To Rule The World Head Over Heels

Är svag för synt.:)

The hits are quite good. The other tracks are quite dull. Overall, fine album, but not one I have much desire to sit down and listen all the way through again. Favorite track: Shout

A sophisticatedly produced synth-guitar-pop, and add more 'hammering' edge than their synth-based pop contemporaries. But between me and this, there's no bridge now. Fav Track: Shout

Top 3 Songs: 1 - Everybody Wants To Rule the World (3) 2 - Head Over Heels / Broken (7) 3 - Shout (1)

A few songs I really liked whilst the rest was quite middle of the road

Solid 3.75, some really decent songs with some that were forgettable. Some songs were also a little long for no reason

Good listen, no need to do again

The two most popular tracks are bangers but all together it's just not for me :(

I remember when this album came out and I thought they were overrated. They were so popular, and I couldn't understand why. Listening to it now ~40 years (WTF) later and I realize they are much better than I gave them credit for. Still not for me but at least I sort of get it now. 3.5 stars

The album is best in small doses in the year of our Lord, 2023, and for less than the right reasons. The 80s possess a certain amount of campy, near unbelievable that it was ever a real thing stigma. It truly was a great time to be alive, but also a weird one that when it ended, it ended hard, and no one saw it coming. "Songs From The Big Chair" though, this is a callback to the music of the decade where the camp and unbelievability serve as a delightful foray into nostalgia. While the album at large gets ignored because of how popular "Shout" and "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" remains, the album in its entirety is a respectable masterpiece that captures 80s pop as lightning in a bottle. Electronic dominance notwithstanding, we get to hear that the band members are actually very good musicians from a pop-genre that honestly felt materialistic rather than genuine. In a way, it makes one feel that the 80s was real, and for that achievement of authenticity, this album deserves a listen.

Agradable musicalmente.

BL: Tears for Fears were a major part of my childhood, “Pale Shelter” is probably in my top 50 songs of all time. I know the two hits off of this album but none else so I’ll see how I find it AL: it was a very good album overall. Good composition, good orchestration, good vocals and lyrics. I didn’t think it was exceptional but there were a few tracks that really stood out as amazing. Would I come back to it again? Probably not for a while but I enjoyed the listen. It reminded me however how overrated I think Head over Heals is, that track is just a massive load of uninspired Meh, I don’t know why that song became so popular FT: “Shout”, “Everyone wants to rule the world”, “Broken” 3/5

- Shout Everybody Wants to Rule the World

Very 80s. Meh, this was fine. I did not think it was anything special.

Didn’t really care for most of the album tbh

yeah, that's the 80s.

3 Gute Songs. Der Rest ist leider eher Mittelmaß. 3-4

3,5

it was good not great. Classic 80s. Wouldn’t bring to island with me.

Tears for fears are not my cop of tea, but this lp sounds great even after 40 years

A few good tracks. Slightly confused album, starts off at a brisk place but slowly progresses away from pop and to a more ethereal style by the end.

Listened Before? Y This is a top-notch mid-80s New Wave album. These guys had a few giant hits on this one and the rest of it is pretty decent as well. Tears for Fears is a band I much prefer to listen to their greatest hits though, as the deep cuts just aren't on par with the hits. Added to Library? N Songs added to playlist: Head Over Heels

There are some real gems on this album. This brings back such strong memories of high school that I'm not sure if I should add, or subtract, a star from my rating. This gets three stars on the strength of the 4 songs that got regular radio play. The rest aren't that great, but the album has aged pretty well for a mid-80's album.

Not special, cool sounds and iconic songs though...

Assez soecial, un style de l’epoque et aumoins du chanson qui ont beaucoup tourne. 3.5

Some obvious synth classics but the balance of the album is more reserved use in comparison to other artists of the era. Songs like I believe stand out as different for it's tempo, but even the up beat tracks are lyrically bleak

This is one of those albums where there were a couple of tracks I was digging, but they were the same ones I've been digging for decades. Overall, alongside that phenomenon is a lot of sound that is so played out.

I really wanted to like this album, since I like everybody wants to rule the world, but it was really mediocre. no songs stood out to me

Tears for fears is sick this album was great and a classic

The hits hit and the rest is fine. A high 3

A good record, one I had and liked back in the day, not sure I needed to listen to it again before I die, but there you go. Roland knows the value of a big chorus and interestingly doesn't need a strict verse/chorus model to get his ear worms happening. I'd forgotten about the wall of sound production, it's very interesting the depth of the sound, the drums in particular. The hits are superb, joyous even in their angst. Head Over Heels is just pop perfection, a timeless song that has lent itself to some lovely covers, always the mark of a great song.

I have 3 of the singles from this album - the 2 biggies ( Shout & Everybody Wants To Rule The World) & I Believe. Apart from these, I was unfamiliar with the trax on this album. I quite enjoyed the whole record. I thought the music was interesting, and the vocals are fine but they suffer from that 80’s English thing where, for some reason, so many male lead vocalists sound the same. Anyway, I thought it was a good listen.

Better than expected

starts strong them becomes 80s mid tier songs

Absolute 80s classic but some filler

If you’re a high schooler that wants to be the kid at school who’s personality is “really into the 80’s”, this is a 5/5. Otherwise it’s fine. Pretty generic sounding overall with a couple of hits that are enjoyable to listen to. Not a “must listen to” for me.

I don’t typically like 80s synth-pop. Bumping this up to a 3 cause “Everybody Wants to Rule the World” and “Broken” are such bangers. Maybe if I did copious amounts of cocaine the rest of the record would sound better.

No m'ha resultat interessant...

Favs are Everybody Wants to Rule the World, Broken, and Listen

So so 80s sounding. Enjoyable but didn't stick with me.

Peak synth pop. Some great singles. A few weak points, but solid overall album. Never dug into this before. Wouldn’t really recommend to a friend though.

Could use more tears. Definitely enough fears.

It's a little too slow and boring. There are some bangers but not enough to make up for the nap style sound it has going on.

I remember these hits so well. They were that pop new wave band that were kinda cool. Probably also kinda irrelevant in the long term but fun back in the day.

Back in the mid eighties you couldn't walk through a shopping mall without hearing "Shout" or "Everybody Wants to Rule the World". It appears that T&F had more fans per capita in Canada than in any other country (7XPlatinum)! Overall, their sound is a bit poppy for my tastes, though I thought the track, "Broken" was interesting and the live version suggests they have a lot more edge on stage than on vinyl. As a side note, I really enjoyed the critics' reviews on this one. Since we started 1001, I don't know how many times I've read, "Robert Christgau was less enthusiastic..." Between a 2 and 3 for me.

Enjoyable and had some clear hits!

Decent album. Everybody wants to rule the world is one of my favorite songs. Most of the rest of the album doesn't hit as strong though

Ekkert svo slæmt 80s. Nokkrir hápunktar sem gætu alveg slædað í guilty pleasure.

Un bon classique ne va pas sans un peu de médiocrité

classique album de pop des annees 80 qui revient tous les 10 albums tu connais

Pretty decent album overall, the second half really heightened my enjoyment overall. Pretty good little 80s new wave record. 3.5/5

...

classic pop

Had never known Tears For Fears, don't really love this style of music but always thought they were another band so glad for the listen.

Idk de är bra men everybody wants to rule the world är ända enda sången ja vill höra på nytt

Mostly great songs that still hold up. Hearing them in high quality vs. on the radio really helps them shine.

I think Everybody Wants to Rule the World is a great song, and there are some other pretty decent tracks on this album. Ultimately, though, this album doesn't rise above 3 stars for me.

80s all the way

Head over heels was a nice discovery. Already familiar with the bangers shout and everybody wants to rule the world. the rest of the songs were forgettable and boring - so the album is average overall with a couple of exceptional songs. i reckon their other album was a lot better and more consistent.

The opening track 'Shout' sets the ethos of album perfectly. The musical space created across 'Songs From the Big Chair' is voluminous and enveloping, thanks to ambient keyboard pads and reverb-a-plenty. The result is a sense that each song feels like there is enough space in it to shout your lungs out and still barely be heard. And from within that space, the group laments, longs, reflects, and rejoices. The track 'Working Hour' shows how enchanting the effect can be. It really is a beautifully enduring album, in addition to being a powerhouse hit of its time.

Nice but not exciting

Love the hits...head over heels is an absolute banger. However there was too much filler. 3/5

Great album, 80s classic. Very forward thinking production that defines its time period. The synths can get repetitive however it’ll draw you right back in.

shout and everybody wants to rule the world are great; the rest of the tracks on this album didn't really grab me

ok album

I remember these songs being cooler when I was younger.

Rule the World is a fabulous song. The rest of the album has never really grabbed me but I can appreciate TFF's talents.

so 80s. I predict three but it could be a surprise. they look VERY different on their album cover.

Rick Beato's videos explaining what's great about Tears For Fears are very interesting watches. To be honest, I didn't need him to convince me "Everybody Wants To Rule The World" is a great song sporting awesome arrangements and instrumentation. Because, hey, I thought so before. And yet I have to admit Beato's admirable passion for "Head Over Heels" didn't fully won over my own estimation that this latter track is not exactly up to the level of the first. Arrangements, knowledge about chords succession and sophisticated instrumentation are not enough sometimes, especially with 80s pop. You need that extra melodic spark that fully transcended the artificial sounds of that particular time period in popular music history. You've probably guessed it already, everything is indeed a little hit or miss for me when it comes to *Songs From The Big Chair*. "Shout", the second timeless hit from this record, is an incredible track, dark and relentless in its obsessive drive. Comparatively, "The Working Hour" soon overstays its welcome--that by-the-number sax solo can't hide the way this song actually turns in circles for way too long. "Mothers Talk" is more focused, but even with its grand chorus (erring a little too much on the side of 80s cheesiness), it can't compete with the band's best tunes from some of their other albums ("Mad World", "Changes" or "Sowing The Seeds Of Love", to name only a few...). As for "I Believe", "Broken" and "Listen", they're nice atmospheric tracks, but they still sound more like interesting footnotes, and not what makes the meat of a truly excellent record. In spite of my reservations, I would still grade this one with a 3.5/5 mark. As far as I know, it's still one of the 15 or 20 best LPs ever released in 1985 (the eighties were a problematic time for the album format--so one can't be too *picky*). But does that make *Songs From the Big Chair* an *essential* listen, even with the two undeniable hits in it? For everyone still interested in Tears For Fears who might yet have similar doubts, I suggest the compilation *Rule The World*. Minus two or three missteps, this compilation has all the major songs the British pop band has ever written--and this on a single disc. Those shelves harvesting all your favorite records can't extend forever, can they? Number of albums left to review or just listen to: 799 Number of albums from the list I find relevant enough to be mandatory: 106 Albums from the list I *might* include in mine later on: 50 (including this one) Albums from the list I will certainly *not* include in mine (many others are more important): 45

It's a great Brit-pop album from the 80s and you still hear some of the hits today, but a must listen? I haven't listened to this album in over thirty years and today's revisit makes it feel dated. 3/5.

En vieläkään erityisemmin välitä 80-luvun synasoundista tai "isoista" rummuista, mutta tämän levyn melodiat ovat sen verran onnistuneita, että ne pakottivat kuuntelemaan loppuun saakka, eikä edes tehnyt tiukkaa.

Feels like I heard something different than everyone else because I found it boring, only really liked Everyone wants to rule the world lol.

I went in with high expectations because this is the kind of music I enjoy. I left with a mixed bag. 4 songs on this album are legitimate great. Shout, Broken, EWTRTW, and Head over Heels. The rest is absolute drivel. Not even a saxophone could save all of the one note filler. Still, 3 of these songs are absolute pop mainstays. That’s impressive.

Yuck, more 80s. Not a fan of the "Big" spacey sound with the massive drum. Some big hits the were massively overplayed. This guy always sounds (and looks) a bit sneery. 3.3. (This will sound really contrary but they made an album this year [The Tipping Point, 2022] which I've just listened to and I prefer it)

Kinda funny classic. SHOUT SHOUT let it all out.

Mega boring album. The latter half has some good guitar work and the production throughout is classic 80s, but it does not have a single point of excitement.

I have very mixed feelings. Parts of this album (e.g., Mothers Talk) are too "Rick Astley" for me to enjoy unironically. Other parts are too sappy for me to take seriously (e.g., I Believe). On the other hand, Everybody Wants To Rule The World is deservedly eternal and the opening to Head Over Heels (also, closing notes to Broken) make me feel like I'm heading out on an amazing adventure. Shout is also a banger. The 80's synth-pop vibe is something I had to grow to appreciate; I have to get past ingrained bias against traditional wood and metal instruments. That said, I've listened to it four times today and have zero regrets. 4/5.

Heard it before?: No but I have heard the two biggest songs from this album before Enjoy it?: Yes, I pretty much enjoyed it all apart from the last two tracks, very strong vocally and has aged rather well Favourite song: Track 1 - Shout

80’s to the max. This is one of the first albums I remember my parents playing as a kid. The first song “Shout” brings me right back to being a kid. Everybody Want to Rule the World is alright, but has been overplayed over the years. Head Over Heels is such a classic 80’s song. I don’t really like much from the 80’s, but this album will always have a bit of a nostalgic soft spot in my heart.

A very solid pop album from the 80s, but like so many albums of that era it contains several great singles interspersed among a lot of filler.

made me cry from fear :(

Singles=awesome, rest=yeah, ok

3.6 - I was excited for this having loved TFF's singles through the years. But aside from the big hits, I didn't connect with much of the rest. I do admire the peak-80's sound - there are interludes of mountainous soundscapes filled with striking contrasts of harp, massive synthesizer and reverb-laden saxophone. But all of this drama and atmosphere becomes too much of a good thing. Insufferably, they end the record with an extended ambient exploration and I rejoice when it's finally over.

Good Dark wave

There were more guitar solos on the album than I remembered which was fun. overall a decent listen

Like others we heard this week, it’s not bad but VERY 80s. I think the last 2 tracks were the strongest and stronger than the 2 hit songs which I already knew. There are some very Rich sonic textures here including a beautiful sax solo in “The Working Hour”. I’d give a 3.5 if possible.

Couple of anthemic songs and the rest was fine.

Two bangers and a lot of insufferable filler. Best track: Everybody Wants to Rule the World

Pop

Felt like I was in American Psycho. Quintessential nineties. Was OKAY, not necessarily groundbreaking….curious what came first: Genesis or Tears For Fears. Knew three songs of their top five.

Some HUGE hits on this, and a great little trip down memory lane. Would I listen to the album again in it's entirety, possibly not.

Tears for Fears is a funny name isn't it

Shout has me off the bat interested in where this album goes. Everybody Wants To Rule The World is a perenial hit. The rest is just sort of filler.

Was ok. Basic, ya know?

A couple of gyms. The album flows pretty well. He’s a good vocalist. Instrumentals match the decade, but the sum just doesn’t equal up to the parts.

Too much sax but what singles. Head over Heels!

Leuk plaatje, geen blijvertje

Dit was heel behoorlijk goed te pruimen!

Fijne stem en best prettige muziek.

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

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

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

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

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

Notable hits on this albums paired with catchy tunes. It's otherwise a bit boring. Not insulting to be less than decent though. Highlights: Shout, Everybody Wants to Rule the World, Mothers Talk

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

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

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

Too much synth, not bad, but not great.

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

2.5

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

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

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

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

1985. Everybody Wants To Rule The World, Shout

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

Some fine tunes

Good

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

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

Lembrou Donnie Darko :)

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

3.5

Extremely 80s sound, but not bad.

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

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

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

80s but in a way that I despise

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

Stadium Pop, packed with yearning. Sonically VERY 1985.

3/5

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

gg