music.wikisort.org - CompositionSongs from the Big Chair is the second studio album by English pop rock band Tears for Fears, released on 25 February 1985 by Phonogram Records. The album peaked at number two in the UK and at number one in the US, becoming a multi-platinum seller and the band's most successful studio album to date. Songs from the Big Chair spawned the commercially successful singles "Mothers Talk", "Shout", "Everybody Wants to Rule the World", "Head over Heels", and "I Believe".
1985 studio album by Tears for Fears
Background
Originally, the album was to be titled The Working Hour, but Roland Orzabal fought to change it to Songs from the Big Chair,[5] which was derived from the 1976 television film Sybil about a woman with multiple personality disorder who only feels safe when she is sitting in her analyst's "big chair". The title of the album reflects the band's view of being targeted by a hostile English music press at the time.[6]
In an interview for the 2006 deluxe version booklet, Curt Smith noted that "We were very introverted on The Hurting; it was a very dark album. We found the need to be more outgoing on The Big Chair".[7]
The band started to generate new material around the beginning of 1984. The first song written for the album was "Head over Heels", which the band played live during a tour undertaken between the two studio albums.[7]
While a mostly-instrumental track called "The Big Chair" (which includes dialogue samples from the film) was released as the B-side of "Shout" in 1984, it was not included on the album (but was available on its "special limited edition" cassette version, released in the UK in 1985).[citation needed]
Writing and recording
The album was recorded at The Wool Hall in 1984. Conceptually and musically, it was a development of the band's previous studio album The Hurting (1983), re-introducing guitars to their electronic sound and an overall lighter approach than before. Early songs written for the album included "Head over Heels" and "The Working Hour". "Mothers Talk" was released months before the album as a single. These songs, as well as "We Are Broken", were all performed on Tears for Fears 1983 tour.[8] The song "Shout" became a central work during the recording of the album, and the band and producer Chris Hughes spent months working on that track alone.[9]
The songwriting uses many different styles and influences, particularly progressive rock as a cited main influence on the album.[10] "I Believe" was influenced by the songwriting of Robert Wyatt.[3] "Broken", featuring a straightforward rock sound, was a reworking of an earlier song and a live version is repeated at the end of "Head over Heels", while the largely instrumental "Listen" has been described as a symphonic piece.[3]
Near the end of the completion of the album Roland Orzabal played two simple chords on his acoustic guitar that was the foundation of the song "Everybody Wants to Rule the World". Initially not very interested to work on it, Orzabal was convinced to write a song based on those two chords and eventually added the chorus line. The most straightforward song on the album, "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" was completed in about a week and the last track recorded for the album.[9]
Release
Songs from the Big Chair was released on 25 February 1985[1] with a black and white photograph of Orzabal and Smith on the record cover.
The album reached number two on the UK Albums Chart and spawned five commercially successful singles: "Mothers Talk" (UK #14), "Shout" (UK #4), "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" (UK #2),[11] "Head over Heels" (UK #12),[12] and "I Believe" (UK #23).[13]
The radio-friendly "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" marked the band's breakthrough in the United States; both this single and its follow-up, "Shout", reached number one in the US. "Songs From the Big Chair" also reached number one on the Billboard 200 and sold five million copies in the US alone.[1] In the UK, the album spent 79 consecutive weeks on the album chart, remaining on the chart for eighteen months until September 1986.[13]
To mark the album's 30th anniversary, Universal Music released the album in five different formats on 10 November 2014.[14]
Critical reception
Professional ratingsReview scores |
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Source | Rating |
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AllMusic |     [15] |
Consequence | A+[16] |
The Guardian |     [17] |
Mojo |     [18] |
Pitchfork | 8.9/10[3] |
Q |     [19] |
Record Collector |     [20] |
Record Mirror |     [21] |
Smash Hits | 8/10[22] |
The Village Voice | B[23] |
Songs from the Big Chair received generally positive reviews. Barry McIlheney of Melody Maker wrote that "none of you should really be too surprised that Tears for Fears have made such an excellent album", calling it "an album that fully justifies the rather sneering, told-you-so looks adopted by Curt Smith and Roland Orzabal on the sleeve", before concluding, "An awful lot of people will, of course, go on and on about overcoats, The Lotus Eaters and an alleged lack of depth. And an awful lot of people will have to eat an awful lot of words."[24] In Sounds Johnny Waller gave the album four and a half stars out of five and said that compared with their debut, "Tears for Fears have lovingly crafted a new masterpiece with softer, smoky vocals, more tempting melodies and less abrasive rhythms". He called the record "glorious pop" and that "within accepted confines, Tears for Fears are stretching and growing, expanding both their imagination and their horizons".[25] Ian Cranna of Smash Hits described the album as "looser, more exploratory" than the band's previous work and praised its "unflinching lyrical honesty".[22] Rolling Stone reviewer Don Shewey found Tears for Fears reminiscent of various other acts, noting traces of "U2's social conscience, the Bunnymen's echoing guitars and XTC's contorted pop wit" in the album's music, but commented that Chris Hughes' "sparkling" production "nudges Songs from the Big Chair slightly ahead of the pack".[26]
Robert Christgau was less enthusiastic in his review for The Village Voice, observing some substantial lyrics, particularly on "The Working Hour", and musical elements such as an "uncommon command of guitar and piano, Baker Street sax, synthesizers more jagged than is deemed mete by the arbiters of dance-pop accessibility". However, he felt these are all beneath a prevailing "portentous" mood suggesting "a depth and drama English lads have been falling short on since the dawn of progressive rock".[23] In NME Danny Kelly called Songs from the Big Chair "a calculated and brilliant peak, a quintessence of polished pop putty ... perfect at its shimmering surface, worthless to its craven core". He described it as a descendant of 10cc's The Original Soundtrack (1975) and Pink Floyd's The Dark Side of the Moon (1973) – "a product of obsessional care and attention to (often unnecessary) detail".[27]
In a retrospective review for AllMusic, Stanton Swihart wrote that Songs from the Big Chair "heralded a dramatic maturation in the band's music, away from the synth-pop brand with which it was (unjustly) seared following the debut, and towards a complex, enveloping pop sophistication", deeming it "one of the finest statements of the decade."[15] Mark Elliott of Record Collector said that the album found Tears for Fears "making it big, coating their consistently interesting material in a high-gloss commercial sheen that captured the mid-80s zeitgeist perfectly",[20] while Q highlighted its "sound of spotlit, spacious sophistication plus anthemic choruses you'd bet your house on."[28] Writing for Stylus Magazine in 2006, Andrew Unterberger concluded that "even today, when all rock musicians seem to be able to do is be emotional and honest, the brutality and power of Songs from the Big Chair's catharsis is still quite shocking".[29] Songs from the Big Chair was included in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.[30] Slant Magazine ranked the record at number 95 on its list of the best albums of the 1980s.[31]
In February 2020, the album was the focus of an episode of the BBC's Classic Albums documentary series. The episode included new interviews with key personnel including Orzabal, Smith, Ian Stanley, producer Chris Hughes, engineer Dave Bascombe, and A&R man David Bates. Additional interviewees included Oleta Adams and John Grant.[5]
Track listing
Side twoTitle | Writer(s) |
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5. | "I Believe" | Orzabal | 4:53 |
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6. | "Broken" | Orzabal | 2:38 |
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7. | "Head over Heels / Broken (reprise)" | | 5:01 |
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8. | "Listen" | | 6:48 |
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Total length: | 41:52 |
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Personnel
Tears for Fears
- Roland Orzabal – vocals, keyboards, guitars, synth bass (1), LinnDrum programming (1), grand piano (5)
- Curt Smith – vocals, bass guitar, synth bass (3) [32]
- Ian Stanley – keyboards, LinnDrum programming, arrangements (8)
- Manny Elias – drums (2-7), drum arrangement (2)
Additional personnel
- "Shout": Chris Hughes – drums, Sandy McLelland – backing vocals
- "The Working Hour": Andy Davis – grand piano, Mel Collins – saxophone, Will Gregory – saxophone solos, Jerry Marotta – percussion and saxophone arrangements
- "Everybody Wants to Rule the World": Neil Taylor – second guitar solo, Chris Hughes – LinnDrum and MIDI programming
- "Mothers Talk": Stevie Lange – backing vocals
- "I Believe": Will Gregory – saxophone
- "Broken": Neil Taylor – guitar solo
- "Head Over Heels": Andy Davis – grand piano, Marilyn Davis – backing vocals, Annie McCaig – backing vocals, Sandy McLelland – backing vocals
- "Listen": Marilyn Davis – operatic vocal
- "The Big Chair": samples dialogue from the film Sybil (1976)
Production
- Chris Hughes – producer
- Dave Bascombe – engineer
- Tim O'Sullivan – cover photography
- Paul King – management
Charts
Certifications and sales
Notes
- "Broken" (live) recorded December 1983 at Hammersmith Odeon
- "Mothers Talk (U.S. remix)" recorded 1986
References
- Gallucci, Michael. "How Tears for Fears Hit the Big Time With 'Songs From the Big Chair'". Ultimate Classic Rock.
- "The 50 Best New Wave Albums". Paste. 13 October 2020.
- Rosenberg, Tal (20 August 2017). "Tears for Fears: Songs From the Big Chair". Pitchfork. Retrieved 20 August 2017.
- Munro, Scott (21 July 2017). "Steven Wilson meets Bollywood in Permanating video". Prog.
- "Tears For Fears – Songs From The Big Chair". Classic Albums. 14 February 2020. BBC Four.
- FitzGerald, Helen (9 March 1985). "On the Beach". Melody Maker. pp. 20–21 & 29.
- Lester, Paul (2006). Songs from the Big Chair Deluxe Edition (booklet). Mercury Records. 983 073-9.
- "Tears for Fears In My Mind's Eye (1984 Video) Soundtracks". imdb.com.
- Classic Tracks: Tears for Fears’ “Everybody Wants to Rule the World” mixonline.com 8 January 2007
- Lester, Paul (26 February 2015). "How Prog Were Tears For Fears?". Louder.
- "U2's The Joshua Tree voted ultimate album by BBC Radio 2 listeners". Music-News.com.
- "Tears For Fears' The Seeds Of Love Remains an Enticing and Challenging Listen on New Reissue". pastemagazine.com. 9 October 2020.
- "Tears For Fears | full Official Chart History | Official Charts Company". www.officialcharts.com.
- Pryor, Terrance. "Tears For Fears To Reissue 'Songs From The Big Chair'". prefixmag.com. Prefix Magazine. Retrieved 30 September 2014.
- Swihart, Stanton. "Songs from the Big Chair – Tears for Fears". AllMusic. Retrieved 23 October 2009.
- Roffman, Michael (11 November 2014). "Album Review: Tears for Fears – Songs from the Big Chair [Reissue]". Consequence. Retrieved 23 May 2015.
- Gibsone, Harriet (11 December 2014). "Tears for Fears: Songs from the Big Chair box set review – beefy, bizarre preposterous pop". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 23 May 2015.
- Eccleston, Danny (January 2015). "Tears for Fears: Songs from the Big Chair". Mojo. No. 254. London. p. 115.
- "Sleep Cycle". Q. No. 356. London. March 2016. p. 105.
- Elliott, Mark (Christmas 2014). "Songs From The Big Chair | Tears For Fears". Record Collector. No. 435. London. Retrieved 17 November 2015.
- Levy, Eleanor (2 March 1985). "Chairs, then". Record Mirror. London. p. 21.
- Cranna, Ian (28 February – 13 March 1985). "Tears for Fears: Songs from the Big Chair". Smash Hits. Vol. 7, no. 5. London. p. 21.
- Christgau, Robert (28 May 1985). "Christgau's Consumer Guide". The Village Voice. New York. Retrieved 9 January 2012.
- McIlheney, Barry (2 March 1985). "Shout to the Top". Melody Maker. London. p. 23.
- Waller, Johnny (2 March 1985). "Electric Chair". Sounds. p. 26.
- Shewey, Don (23 May 1985). "Tears for Fears: Songs From The Big Chair". Rolling Stone. No. 448. New York. Archived from the original on 21 November 2007. Retrieved 23 October 2009.
- Kelly, Danny (9 March 1985). "Snoozing". NME. p. 27.
- "Tears for Fears: Songs from the Big Chair". Q. London. p. 125.
[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.
- Unterberger, Andrew (28 February 2006). "Tears for Fears – Songs from the Big Chair – On Second Thought". Stylus Magazine. Archived from the original on 8 June 2013. Retrieved 23 May 2015.
- Doran, John (2006). "Tears for Fears: Songs from the Big Chair". In Dimery, Robert (ed.). 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die. Universe Publishing. p. 531. ISBN 978-0-7893-1371-3.
- "The 100 Best Albums of the 1980s". Slant Magazine. 5 March 2012. Retrieved 24 August 2013.
- "Classic Tracks: Tears for Fears' "Everybody Wants to Rule the World"". Mixonline. 1 August 2007.
- "Austriancharts.at – Tears for Fears – Songs from the Big Chair" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 9 June 2014.
- "Top RPM Albums: Issue 0508". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 9 June 2014.
- "Dutchcharts.nl – Tears for Fears – Songs from the Big Chair" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 9 June 2014.
- "European Top 100 Albums" (PDF). Eurotipsheet. Vol. 2, no. 15. 15 April 1985. p. 12. OCLC 29800226 – via World Radio History.
- Pennanen, Timo (2006). Sisältää hitin – levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972 (in Finnish) (1st ed.). Helsinki: Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava. ISBN 978-951-1-21053-5.
- "Offiziellecharts.de – Tears for Fears – Songs from the Big Chair" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 3 January 2021.
- "Classifiche". Musica e dischi (in Italian). Retrieved 31 May 2022. Select "Album" in the "Tipo" field, type "Songs from the big chair" in the "Titolo" field and press "cerca".
- Okamoto, Satoshi (2006). Album Chart Book: Complete Edition 1970–2005. Oricon. ISBN 978-4-87131-077-2.
- "Charts.nz – Tears for Fears – Songs from the Big Chair". Hung Medien. Retrieved 9 June 2014.
- "Norwegiancharts.com – Tears for Fears – Songs from the Big Chair". Hung Medien. Retrieved 9 June 2014.
- Salaverri, Fernando (2015). Sólo éxitos 1959–2012 (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-866-2.
- "Swedishcharts.com – Tears for Fears – Songs from the Big Chair". Hung Medien. Retrieved 9 June 2014.
- "Swisscharts.com – Tears for Fears – Songs from the Big Chair". Hung Medien. Retrieved 9 June 2014.
- "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 3 January 2021.
- "Tears for Fears Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 3 January 2021.
- "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 3 January 2021.
- "Ultratop.be – Tears for Fears – Songs from the Big Chair" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 19 March 2021.
- "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 3 January 2021.
- "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 3 January 2021.
- "RPM's Top 100 Albums of 1985". RPM. Vol. 43, no. 16. 25 December 1985. p. 14. ISSN 0033-7064 – via Library and Archives Canada.
- "Jaaroverzichten – Album 1985" (in Dutch). Dutch Charts. Retrieved 5 October 2018.
- Bakker, Machgiel; Inglis, Cathy (23 December 1985). "Pan-European Awards 1985" (PDF). Eurotipsheet. Vol. 2, no. 51/52. p. 7. OCLC 29800226 – via World Radio History.
- "Top 100 Album-Jahrescharts – 1985" (in German). GfK Entertainment. Retrieved 5 October 2018.
- "Top Selling Albums of 1985". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved 5 October 2018.
- "Schweizer Jahreshitparade 1985". hitparade.ch (in German). Retrieved 6 September 2021.
- "Top 100 Albums (January 5–December 28, 1985)" (PDF). Music Week. 18 January 1986. p. 11. ISSN 0265-1548 – via World Radio History.
- "Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 1985". Billboard. Archived from the original on 30 July 2018. Retrieved 3 January 2021.
- "European Hot 100 Albums – Hot 100 of the Year 1986" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 3, no. 51/52. 27 December 1986. p. 35. OCLC 29800226 – via World Radio History.
- "Top 100 Albums (January to December 1986)" (PDF). Music Week. 24 January 1987. p. 25. ISSN 0265-1548 – via World Radio History.
- "Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 1986". Billboard. Archived from the original on 8 March 2021. Retrieved 30 July 2021.
- Barker, Glenn A. (15 November 1986). "Majors (Australia Spotlight)". Billboard. p. A-10. Retrieved 13 December 2021.
- Serpa, Paulo Ernesto (2 January 1990). "A parada de sucessos do Hollywood Rock". Jornal do Brasil (in Portuguese). p. 28 – via National Library of Brazil.
- "Les Certifications". Info Disc. Retrieved 13 December 2021.
- "Dutch album certifications – Tears for Fears – Songs from the Big Chair" (in Dutch). Nederlandse Vereniging van Producenten en Importeurs van beeld- en geluidsdragers. Enter Songs from the Big Chair in the "Artiest of titel" box. Select 1989 in the drop-down menu saying "Alle statussen"
- "New Zealand album certifications – Tears for Fears – Songs from the Big Chair". Recorded Music NZ. 2 June 1985. Retrieved 3 January 2021.
- "Da Londra Curt e Roland portano "I semi d'amore"". la Stampa. 16 March 1990. p. 12. Retrieved 5 April 2022.
Non a case lo scorsolo album “Songs from the big chair” era riuscito a vendedre ben nove million di copie
Bibliography
- Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
External links
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На других языках
[de] Songs from the Big Chair
Songs from the Big Chair (englisch für „Lieder aus dem großen Sessel“) ist das zweite Studioalbum der britischen Band Tears for Fears. Das Album erschien am 25. Februar 1985 bei Phonogram bzw. Mercury Records und wird dem Genre New Wave zugerechnet. Damit erreichte die Band den weltweiten kommerziellen Durchbruch. Das Album hielt sich fünf Wochen an der Spitze der amerikanischen Billboard 200 und wurde mit fünf Platin-Schallplatten der RIAA für mehr als fünf Millionen verkaufte Tonträger und drei Platin-Schallplatten der British Phonographic Industry (BPI) für mehr als 900.000 verkaufte Tonträger ausgezeichnet. Das Album schaffte es auch an die Spitze der deutschen Albumcharts und wurde mit einer Goldenen Schallplatte des IFPI Deutschland für mehr als 250.000 verkaufte Tonträger ausgezeichnet. Mit den Singleauskoppelungen Shout und Everybody Wants to Rule the World erreichte die Band zwei Nummer-eins-Hits in den Billboard Hot 100. Everybody Wants to Rule the World gewann 1986 den Brit Award für die Best British Single. Orzabal wurde 1986 mit dem Ivor Novello Award der British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors als Outstanding Songwriter ausgezeichnet.
- [en] Songs from the Big Chair
[es] Songs from the Big Chair
Songs From The Big Chair es el segundo álbum del grupo inglés Tears For Fears, publicado el 25 de febrero de 1985 bajo el sello de Mercury Records. El álbum gozó de un éxito a nivel mundial muy importante, y desde su salida ha vendido más de 10 millones de copias, sobre todo gracias a los sencillos Shout y Everybody Wants to Rule the World.
[it] Songs from the Big Chair
Songs from the Big Chair è il secondo album in studio del gruppo musicale britannico Tears for Fears, pubblicato il 17 febbraio 1985 dalla Mercury Records.
[ru] Songs from the Big Chair
Songs from the Big Chair (с англ. — «Песни из большого кресла») — второй студийный альбом британской рок-группы Tears for Fears, вышедший 25 февраля 1985 года на лейбле Phonogram Records (англ.) (рус..
В него вошли международные хитовые синглы «Mothers Talk (англ.) (рус.», «Shout», «Everybody Wants to Rule the World», «Head over Heels», «I Believe (A Soulful Re-Recording) (англ.) (рус.».
Альбом занял второе место в чарте Великобритании и первое в чартах США и Канады.
На сегодняшний день этот альбом остаётся самым продаваемым альбомом группы.
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