Reviews
Q (p.125) - 4 stars out of 5 -- "[The] album zeroed in on every angsty adolescent's desire to feel heroic, with a sound of spotlit, spacious sophistication plus anthemic choruses you'd bet your house on." Q (7/99, pp.130-1) - 3 stars (out of 5) - "...launched the 'duo' onto the world stage....were it not for the skyscraping 'Shout', the always-uplifting 'Everybody Wants To Rule The World' and the mighty 'Head Over Heels', this would possess museum value only..." Q (7/99, pp.130-1) - 3 stars (out of 5) - "...launched the 'duo' onto the world stage....were it not for the skyscraping 'Shout', the always-uplifting 'Everybody Wants To Rule The World' and the mighty 'Head Over Heels', this would possess museum value only..." CMJ (1/6/03, p.14) - Included in CMJ's list of "Top 25 College Radio Albums of All Time" CMJ (1/5/04, p.16) - Ranked #1 in CMJ's "Top 20 Most-Played Albums of 1985" CMJ (1/6/03, p.14) - Included in CMJ's list of "Top 25 College Radio Albums of All Time" CMJ (1/5/04, p.16) - Ranked #1 in CMJ's "Top 20 Most-Played Albums of 1985" Mojo (Publisher) (p.115) - 4 stars out of 5 -- "'Everybody Wants To Rule The World''s lens flare and Robert Wyatt homage 'I Believe' prove durable." Paste (magazine) - "[A]n epic album that replaced the band's synth-pop with some jangly guitars and a more mature sound."
Additional information
This remastered version of SONGS FROM THE BIG CHAIR contains the omitted title track, rare b-sides and US re-mixes. Tears For Fears: Roland Orzabal (vocals, guitar, piano, keyboards); Curt Smith (vocals, bass); Ian Stanley (keyboards); Manny Elias (drums). Additional personnel includes: Neil Taylor (guitar); William Taylor, Mel Collins (saxophone); Andy Davis (piano); Chris Hughes, Jerry Marotta (drums); Marilyn Davis, Annie McCaig, Sandy McLelland (background vocals). Producers: Chris Hughes, Ian Stanley, Tears For Fears. Compilation producer: Mike Gill. Includes liner notes by Sean Egan. Digitally remastered by Jon Astley and Chris Hughes (1999 Close To The Edge). All tracks have been digitally remastered. Tears For Fears: Roland Orzabal (vocals, guitar, piano, keyboards); Curt Smith (vocals, bass); Ian Stanley (keyboards); Manny Elias (drums). Additional personnel includes: Neil Taylor (guitar); William Taylor, Mel Collins (saxophone); Andy Davis (piano); Chris Hughes, Jerry Marotta (drums); Marilyn Davis, Annie McCaig, Sandy McLelland (background vocals). Producers: Chris Hughes, Ian Stanley, Tears For Fears. Compilation producer: Mike Gill. Includes liner notes by Sean Egan. Digitally remastered by Jon Astley and Chris Hughes (1999 Close To The Edge). Although the opening track, "Shout," takes on the theme of catharsis that dominated THE HURTING two years earlier, the progression evident from that debut to SONGS FROM THE BIG CHAIR is manifest in every other facet. While many of the band's synth-pop peers continued to develop along a linear route, Tears For Fears vaulted into the potentially insipid world of '80s MOR. Curt Smith sings on the radio-friendly "Everybody Wants to Rule the World," but Roland Orzabal's stronger voice takes center-stage for much of the album, including the spirited single "Mother's Talk" and a falsetto on the stadium-sized "Head Over Heels." "The Working Hour" is the perfect realization of the new sound: a smooth six-minute arrangement of saxophone, piano, and guitar that's marked by a restrained sense of drama. SONGS FROM THE BIG CHAIR is an excellent album and, shading Simple Minds' ONCE UPON A TIME, arguably the finest example of epic '80s pop. The 1998 remastered edition includes seven bonus tracks.
