Listen, And You Shall Hear... (Songs From The Big Chair - Tears For Fears)

Member Name: sam1942

Product:	Songs From The Big Chair - Tears For Fears
Date:	07/04/06 (267 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: The finest moment for an inspirational band

Disadvantages: Marked the end of a creative era in music history

We endured the ‘British Invasion’ twice in the twentieth century. The first stage of the front line campaign started, as most of us will know, in the early to mid sixties and came in the shape of Mersey Beat. Our lovable suited, mop topped friends with wobbly heads and innocent melodies fell at our feet as The Beatles, Gerry And The Pacemakers, Eden Kane, The Searchers and Herman’s Hermits to name only a handful. What passed us by was the second tour of duty in the early to mid eighties, exactly twenty years after. What we received was a very watered down version of the sixties revolt on the charts. Because the first invasion had been so obvious, (all we had up until then was duck tails and black leather, the all of a sudden, these young men ditched the brill cream, or as my father used; soap and water,) what we got the second time around was more in what we heard than what we saw. Again, as their predecessors, we gave birth to pop groups of extreme success and power to dominate not just us but across the pond also. The fundamentals were still the same; both eras reeling in the teenage and the innocent like minnows. The examples of the eighties invasion were groups like The Stranglers, Human League, XTC and, of course, Tears For Fears.

This particular duo set the aim for their contempories of conquering the U.S again after their fore fathers of British pop and changed the direction of the British Invasion with their first haunting record, ‘Mad World’ released in October 1982. Yet to stun America, it still, had given us a taste of what this two man set up could achieve in time.

Ronald Orzabal and Curt Smith finally hit the states and beyond with ‘Everybody Wants To Rule The World,’ in March 1985. Both number one over here and over there, it was taken from this featured album, ‘Song From The Big Chair,’ released, itself, only two weeks later. This album struck a meaningful chord with the buying public, thus, it sat proud at its number 2 slot. Not a number one unlike their first album, ‘The Hurting,’ in March 1983, a self analysis piece where they had indulged in some self help therapy to cure the ills of troubled teenage upbringings.

Formed in Bath, 1981-82 as a Ska based band, they started out as ‘props’ for each other. Both undergoing very troubled childhoods including split parents and petty crime, they turned together to the teachings of the controversial and infamous Dr Janov who had famously taught John Lennon on dealing with his turbulent past. As a full numbered group in 1981, they called themselves ‘Graduate’ after a term used in Janov’s work for new pupils in his primal scream therapies, they struggled to find any form of success with four singles and an album that all failed to enter either charts. On dropping all the other members in 1982, they quickly found success in their first hit, then changing their name to ‘Tears For Fears,’ another term used in the primal scream therapy.

‘Songs From The Big Chair,’ was, unarguably, the epitome of all that was the greatest albums of the decade. With their electronic sounds and synth based heavy drum beats, they captured the art of melting their soul searching lyrics making them world wide news over night. Thoroughly directing their healing process through their music, they had devised a way of expressing their personal hurt and anger. Not in the least political, although causally termed by the media, they projected on a social level and merely hinted at the social problems faced by youngsters and adults with disorientated pasts. Their lyrics could be held on any level, be it deep or superficial, their touched on point and notes in people’s lives, making their the most ‘human’ of all artists in the music industry at that time.

The very fore runners of groups like The Verve and Oasis, they chose Beatle-esque themes for their compositions, perhaps knowing full well that this would allow them to easily seep into any sized record collection in any suburban household.

On this note, we now turn to the album in question. The cover shows Smith and Orzabal close in a black and white pose, looking curiously at the camera, almost embracing. Now that we have an understanding of their reasons for becoming the most touching performers of their generation, we can almost sense strong life experiences in their eyes from this shot. We can only think that perhaps the music from within is going to powerful in the sense that we may come away fully cleansed and better people. We wonder….

The first track from this album is titled, ’Shout,’ and will, if you are of a loud and big ego-ed disposition, will have you sat down, arms crossed and a finger over ones lips in the flick of a guitar chord. The arrogant righteous piece is dominating and possibly off putting and we wonder about how we will handle the rest of the album if we continue to get the impression that we are being dictated to. We’re not, of course, but this is a primal scream album and we should adjust accordingly. These are two young men with a lot to say at authorities, their long lost parents and the general state of social decline in the country. We should listen, intently as this is not a dig at the listener but just to everyone else. The track certainly hits their message home, whatever that message is. It tells us to ‘let it all out, these are the things I can do without, come on. I’m talking to you, come on,…’ We’re at a point of spinning round subconsciously to see if there is someone behind us they might be talking to. Using Chris Hughes on drums and Sandy McLelland on backing vocals, the track was written by Orzabal and keyboard player for the band, Ian Stanley. The listener is struck by the thundering bass line and the echoed vocals. Percussion is used to the hilt with tinkling bells and shuffling tambourines. The break comprises of clever synthesisers giving the track a fullness. Perfectly composed, the power is felt through the very theme of the melody, if there can be seen one. A stadium feel of spiralling guitar riffs captures the essence in a direction of subject, being a social wake up call. A striking note to begin an album that most other artists would have been afraid to even put on the end of an album. The very boldness of this duo effortlessly deciding that this should be the opening track completes all that was the strength behind Tears For Fears.

Moody and mysterious sax notes open our next track of ‘The Working Hour.’ A heading home in the pouring rain theme runs through this track from beginning to end. The extensive intro pours through the speakers in this strong thoughtful piece. Yet the vocal still rings out almost in the middle distance. An elaborate drum working pattern captures this track on a slow, relaxed feel. This track features Manny Ellias on drums who also co wrote this piece. Jerry Marotta gives us sultry sax and more drums. It is left to William Gregory to actually give us the sax solos along with the help of Mel Collins and Andy Davis on piano. Strangely, this track turns an awkward direction from the first allowing the listener to feel a different side to this hard hitting band. More an instrumental piece, it speaks words far greater than any vocal could produce. A three in the morning piece full of thought and depth, it finishes on a sax note that somehow enlightens us to take on the next piece with grace and ease.

‘Everybody Wants To Rule The World,’ is perhaps most remembered for the running drum machine theme, the type that lays a thick and heavy groove through vinyl. Powerful enough to conger up all styles of imagery in the mind and noted for a very fitting video of a car racing along the open dessert at speed. The subject could be seen as a note for everyone in the sense that we all want to better ourselves, become someone we are already not and all striving for the same massive illusive goal, perhaps, most of us never reaching. A significant 2nd guitar solo by Neil Taylor, a track that was slightly rearranged for the title of ‘Everybody Wants To Run The World,’ released as a single in May 1986. It will always be one of those records that will be mentioned on Channel Four documentaries about pop singles now and forever more. Also a track that sparks off one of those ‘remember where you were when you first heard it,’ type talks. An anthem for social change used by politicians, athletes and general public alike. The continuous guitar riff on only three notes has set in our minds for over twenty years. A record loved by all, desperately, nearly copied on a couple of occasions, yet never mastered again. Time to get on the silky shorts and do the Marathon…or at least for now, flick the stylus and play it again and think about running perhaps next year…

With its Thomas Dolby intro of short blasts of string sounds on synthesisers, the jangling guitar riffs and Dead Or Alive drum machine, this track epitomises the theme of electronic eighties. Foot tappingly energetic, this track its heavily layered in its collection of sounds and textures. It is hard to pick out any section of instrumentalisation , the best thing to do is listen to it as a whole. An intricate piece of mixes from both electric instruments and strings. The vocals are hard to follow apart from the chanted chorus, shouted, as only this band can do perfectly, it is just as much a Tears For Fears theme as the previous track. The madness of the arrangements on this track will leave you either stunned at its experimental cleverness or a blinding headache. Only to be appreciated by die hard electric eighties fans and best left alone by everyone else. Still a good hit for the band, ‘Mother’s Talk,’ as it is titled, was released in August 1984 and reached number 14. Putting undetectable lyrics aside, we must not shrug off these subjects as just coincidental. They are, after all, the very thoughts and feelings of these two trouble men from childhoods unbearable to most.

Moving on, we find ‘I Believe,’ as the next track on this album. Dedicated to Robert Wyatt, who, I’m not sure of, it features Gregory again on saxophone and Orzabal on grand piano. A different arrangement of this track was released as a single in October 1985 apparently reached number 23 and I wonder if it was overseas. Perhaps if George Michael had come across this track, he would have chomped at the bit to record it. A depressing, I must say, track featuring the very basis of the slow, meandering piano. The vocals are as soft and feminine as Michael and could, as a quick listen, one would very much think that it was performed by the latter. Incredibly soulful with its over powering sax solo. A track that, by anyone else, we would feel a strong desire to skip, but hold on. It must be listen to just for the sheer fact that this duo were as talented to accomplish deep, very personal love songs as the stormy and ever so danceable tunes they also produced. Short in length, it doesn’t offend the listener for any longer than it should.

We are transported very quickly back to the Tears For Fears that we know and love, this next track, with its extended intro focuses once more on the textured feel of the sound and a ‘let’s cram in as many instruments and sounds as we possibly can,’ mood. ‘Broken,’ features again the dynamic talents of Neil Taylor on guitar. Written by Orzabal, it turns fast then to slow engaging on a helter skelter theme in this music. It takes on a slight hint of Progressive rock and electronic gothic styles. Perhaps sounding more at home on a Phil Collins B side, it is truly experimental and sounds more like a jamming session that a track. A definite mixture of all sorts of genres and styles, it is hard to actually pick out a theme. Racy and busy like a rush hour in South London, I guess we can put this down to the genius of all that was Tears For Fears. Using the very same chords for its ending, As quick as one can imagine, its is over like a strangely put together interlude before we are gently bathed in the soulful sound of a song we recognise and we know it as the soaring ‘Head Over Heels.’ A track that was used recently in the soundtrack of the film ‘Donnie Darko.’

This track was another good hit for the band, with such tunes featured on one album, we feel spoilt. We find an array of backing vocals by Marilyn Davis, Annie McCaig and Sandy McLelland. Andy Davis features on the grand piano, (nice to know everyone’s having a go at the piano.) A track noted for the simply ‘la la’ tune, it is easy on the ears and full of soulfulness. With raucous applause at the end, we feel as if we have either listened to a perfectly generated live recording or a studio piece ending with a bit of hand clapping. With its touch of religious church bells, we think that perhaps we should be praying, but no, this is very definitely a love song, just when this band do it, it doesn’t have the same ’Alexander O Neal' effect, more of your OMD feel. Lots of soul but without too much wishy washy heart stuff.

We plunged, almost without warning into the final track of ‘Listening.’ Swimming over us like clam waters, we dive into this track wondering if we are still listening to the same band. The mood is somehow on a different plane. Entrancing and quiet fairytale, it uses tiny bells and synth modes that we would expect to find on a Stevie Nicks record when she starts off about Alice In Wonderland. A piece full of violins and thought provoking sounds. It is probably only spoilt by those dull and slightly boring George Michael vocals that actually don't go on for too long. The beauty of this music, and trust me, it is beautiful when combined with soaring female voices and Pink Floyd style guitar experiments that Gilmour would be proud of, the African chanting (yes, I did say that) sounds quiet bizarrely perfect. The soft entrance of African chimes startles us as we didn’t notice them appearing. We hope that this track doesn’t end as to be honest, you won’t want to hear anything else every again after this piece. It's captivating and mesmerising. Pink Floyd must have been kicking themselves when hearing this. A priceless piece to end quiet an expressive yet far from undermining piece of album history that will leave you wishing you had picked up this album before or sad that this duo have long since parted their company.

Famous for, after this album, releasing a record every four years, they finally went their separate ways around the time of 1993, and sadly, it was far from amicable. On a better note, they both enjoyed successful, although brief solo careers. Roland Orzabal won, at the Ivor Novello awards in 1986, Songwriter Of The Year.

From the arrogant yells of ‘Shout,’ to the mysterious, subject of ‘Listening,’ they had accomplished in a relatively short space of time, what most other artists do in a lifetime and sadly, their split effected the music industry. The light at the end of the pop tunnel was fading to grey (to quote Visage) and the future looked bleak and the talents looked very slim indeed. Perhaps the ending of Tears For Fears marked a point in music history, maybe the end on an era where artists and bands alike had been creative, inspirational and exceptional in their craft of allowing us to digest music we had never heard of before and more than likely, never hear again only on precious vinyl.

Perhaps, through the disappointment of their parting, we could be overjoyed that they had come to the end of their therapy and had concluded all that they wanted to say. The primal scream had come to a gentle and blissful ending for them and I hope, they went away, fully cleansed from all their childhood troubles and us, their listeners glad that they had decided to pick up instruments in the first place.

Just all that’s left to say is, thanks a bunch for leaving us to deal with all that terrible dance music in the Nineties….




Solo recordings;
Roland Orzabal, ‘Elemental,’ 1993 (album)
Curt Smith, ‘Soul On Board,’ 1993 (album)





Produced by Chris Hughes
1985 Phonogram Ltd. London.
Bought on vinyl for three pounds at a record fair around ten years ago, but because of it’s historic status in pop music, is still widely available today in all CD shops of less than ten pounds.
The CD includes mixes of the following; The Big Chair mix, Empire building, The Marauders, Broken revisited, The Conflict, Mothers Talk, Shout and Broken (live).

©sam1942 2006

Summary: One of the most creative and thought provoking albums of the eighties.