This is a band that doesn't get the accolades they deserve. Often pigeonholed as an 80s synth-pop band, they are WAY more diverse than that. They have crafted some damned good tunes, and deserve the recognition!



Their most recent release, Everybody Loves a Happy Ending, is pure pop perfection. To see a veteran band reunite, and do an album of this caliber, after so long a time is truly a major accomplishment. So, let's give Roland and Curt some love here! What are your favorite tunes, albums, concerts, etc. for this incredible band?



















Solo Stuff:








[Edited 11/16/05 9:37am]

JediMaster said:

I remember when my next door neighbor use to blast "Shout" on a daily basis. I had to be about 3-4 yrs. old when that song was out. "Head over Heels" is my favorite.

I know SHOUT was the Most POPULAR BUT I like the first album the best. Pale Shelter is My favorite song.
[Edited 11/16/05 8:10am]

interesting ... havnt heard about them in ages ....

i remember doin a radio show in college --- and my radio show partner would play this band --- which was odd cus he was into Led Zeppelin....

didnt the one guy go solo .... and then what ??? did they reunite for "everyone likes a happy ending" ... and did it do anything on the UK charts ??? just curious ...

aight...i have a question. at the end of Curt's beautiful "Who Are You" which is a song about isolation it ends with a revisit of "Who Killed Tangerin" i think....and Roland singing "wake up....wake up"..

i always hear that as a diss to Curt. anyone else think that?

sosgemini said:

No, it is a reprise of the title track, where both Roland AND Curt sing "wake up". I think that is a very intentional reprise on Curt's part to say that it is time to "wake up" from the isolation.

From what I understand, the last time Roland was dissing Curt was on Elemental. They apparently got along quite well during the reunion, and are planning a double disc retrospective that will cover the entire history of the band, including tracks from their solo projects as well.
[Edited 11/16/05 8:39am]

Tears for Fears played at The Brickyard here in CT last summer, I think. My band played the next night and the club owner gave me their jar of honey. I was amped. I sang Head Over Heels for sound check. They rock and Mad World haunted me for weeks after I saw Donnie Darko.

one song of many i love,

Head
Heels
[Edited 11/16/05 8:29am]

MisterMan38 said:

well, I'm into Zepplin as well, so I can relate!

Essentially, this is what happened. After 1989's The Seeds of Love, Curt went off to work on a solo record (later released as Soul on Board). Eventually, Roland and Curt had a falling out, and Roland decided to carry on using the TFF name. He released Elemental and Raoul and the Kings of Spain as TFF records, eventually deciding to give it up after the tour for Raoul. After releasing a b-sides compilation, TFF was done.

Curt released Mayfield and Aeroplane as a solo artist, while Roland released Tomcats Screaming Outside under his own name. Around this time, Curt and Roland were forced to meet to discuss business matters. The two had grown up considerably, and discussions led to music. The two shared some of the stuff they were both working on, and were shocked to see how similar some of the ideas were. They decided to at least try to reunite, as both really enjoyed what they were hearing, and each was enjoying the other's company.

The band released Everybody Loves a Happy Ending in the US in 2004, after an extemely long delay (they were signed to Arista, but the deal fell through with the departure of L.A. Reid). It was then released in early 2005 in Europe. It didn't fare all that well on the charts, but it did receive critical acclaim.

At this point, neither Curt nor Roland will say whether they plan to do anything together beyond the compilation. Curt does have a solo record that he has been working on since before the reunion, and that will probably be his focus in the near-future. Still, if ELAHE winds up being their last record together, then it will truly be a happy ending to a great band.
[Edited 11/16/05 8:38am]

TheSmyrk said:

Man, I was so mad they didn't come to Houston on that tour!

Oh, and Gary Jules cover of "Mad World" rocks! I actually like it better than the original, and that is saying a whole lot, since I LOVE the original!

Zelaira said:

Have you ever heard the re-recording Curt did for his Aeroplane EP? Good stuff!

One album that is missing that I HIGHLY RECOMMEND is Saturnine, Martial, and Lunactic....its a whole cd of about 17 b-sides that are in some ways better than all their other material!

JediMaster said:

I missed em too, so don't feel bad. If it's any consolation, everybody said how incredibly nice they were and that they played a great show. And you're right, Jules did play the fuck out of it. Sadly, it's usually career suicide for your first single to be a cover, with the exception of Joss Stone, though I wish it wasn't an exception.

JediMaster said:

ahh...thats cool to hear....ill have to listen to the song again with this new perspective.

EMattP said:

Great collection! It was wonderful to have some of those old tunes on CD for the first time.

I just listened to this earlier this morning! I'm totally in a TFF mood.

TheSmyrk said:

Oh, I have no doubt they played an incredible show! I saw them on the SoL tour, as well as Roland's solo outfit on the Raoul tour. Great shows!

my favorite TFF song is "Advice for the young at heart"

TheRealFiness said:

That's a good one!

EMattP said:

I've always loved their version of Robert Wyatt's tune, "Sea Song", and I'm glad they included it on this compilation!



...

JediMaster said:

more than good, its melodic,not to heavy,light and free

woman in Chains w/Oleta Adams

Bad man's song

paligap said:

i must find this album..NOW!!

TheRealFiness said:

So I take it SoL is your favorite album of theirs?

Anyone else here ever heard "Until I Drown"? It was the b-side to the Japanese "Secrets" single. Beautiful song! One of my faves.

TheRealFiness said:

Interesting that keyboardist Nicky Holland became Roland and Curt's writing partner for a lot of the tunes on Seeds of Love, though because she stayed in the background , she didn't get the kind of exposure Oleta Adams got...but she co-wrote Badman's Song and Advice for the Young at Heart, Year of the Knife, and Famous Last Words, and had been playing keyboards with them since their Songs from the Big Chair tours.

she also had a great solo album:





...
[Edited 11/16/05 13:37pm]

JediMaster said:

That's from the Raoul & King of Spain sessions. All the b-sides are great from that CD. And Saturnine Martial & Lunatic CD is a great compilation of their B-sides up through Elemental, as Matt mentioned.
ELAHE gets my vote for Best CD of 2004. I still listen it to regularly, which is rare for me as I listen to a lot of music. I've since got their entire back catalog.
They rereleased ELAHE in the UK with two extra tracks which I still haven't heard.
Anyone heard and if so how do they compare to rest of CD?

paligap said:

Holland's album is superb!

Bfunkthe1 said:

I haven't heard them yet, but a good friend of mine snagged one recently, and he's been raving about the bonus tracks, saying they shouldn't have been left off the US release.

Apparently, the UK edition is sonically superior as well. My bud claims that the mastering is way better, and that you hear all sorts of things that you miss on the US edition.

Uhmmm
I needed that education from AFTER Sowing The Seeds...

I am currently plowing into Talk Talk... talking about under-appreciated...

I`m not so familiar with tears for fears, but i`m a BIG fan of Oleta Adams It`s strange though, i don`t like woman in chains and bad man`s song, but the song me and my big ideas is a wonderful song, with amazing vocals by Oleta. Anyone else know that song?

Icicle said:

I loved her involvement SO much, I wish they had become a trio after that....

Missed opportunity.