Tears for Fears - The Tipping Point

[Altitude]

I've been into Tears for Fears the whole time. As a kid in the 80s I heard all the MTV tunes 50 times a day like everyone else. But right around the "Seeds of Love" record I started to understand that these guys were operating at a higher level as songwriters, arrangers, and musicians. One of my favorite bands.

Through the years I became a fan of Roland Orzabal in particular and listened to everything of his I could find. Curt Smith I could take or leave, but Orzabal is seriously a tier 1 writer. Underappreciated.

So I'm happy to say that the new album "The Tipping Point" is outstanding. The songs are lush and fully formed, the playing is as good as always, and the recording is excellent. This is not one of those albums by an aging band trying to squeeze one more out. It's inspired music by guys who have been at the top of their game for a long time. Much the same as I felt about "Clockwork Angels" when Rush released it.

The bass playing itself is fine if unremarkable - I think Curt Smith laid down all the bass tracks. The songs and musical arrangements, as usual, are really all Orzabal's work. They split vocals maybe 60/40 in Orzabal's favor, though their voices are more similar than different and it can be hard to tell who it is sometimes.

If you like Tears for Fears at all, or are curious - I recommend this album. It doesn't have the radio-friendly fare that "Songs From the Big Chair" had, but it could be their second best album.

 

[Bob_Ross]

I haven't really kept up with Curt or Roland's work since Sowing The Seeds Of Love, but whenever I think about bona fide pop music that represents the pinnacle of the craft, I have to confess that

- A) Songs From The Big Chair is one of the most gratifying albums from the 1980s, one of the few pop albums from that era that rewards repeated listenings without having to make any apologies; and

- B) One of the most powerful lyric couplets of all time is from Tears For Fears' "Mad World" when they sing
"And I find it kind of funny
I find it kind of sad
The dreams in which I'm dying
Are the best I've ever had"

So yeah, I just might check out their new album. Thanks for bringing it to my attention!

 

[alack]

Going to the Tampa show in June!

 

[Altitude]

I haven't really kept up with Curt or Roland's work since Sowing The Seeds Of Love, but whenever I think about bona fide pop music that represents the pinnacle of the craft, I have to confess that

- A) Songs From The Big Chair is one of the most gratifying albums from the 1980s, one of the few pop albums from that era that rewards repeated listenings without having to make any apologies; and

- B) One of the most powerful lyric couplets of all time is from Tears For Fears' "Mad World" when they sing
"And I find it kind of funny
I find it kind of sad
The dreams in which I'm dying
Are the best I've ever had"

So yeah, I just might check out their new album. Thanks for bringing it to my attention!

I think this one is more like “Seeds of Love” than “Big Chair”. I went back and listened to “Seeds” again tonight to compare. Not sure there’s anything on the new record that has as much single power as the title track on Seeds, but I think on average the songs on this new one are better. In Roland’s non-Curt period he experimented with some electronica aspects that take residence nicely on this album in a more subtle way.

The first song “No Small Thing” is a really gutsy way to begin a record. It starts out small, like some weird campfire song. I think impatient people might hit the forward arrow too soon. It gets bigger and bigger until you’re almost headbanging by the end. Stick with it.

 

[JimK]

..I was looking forward to this. I sampled the tunes. I dunno.

 

[P. Aaron]

..I was looking forward to this. I sampled the tunes. I dunno.

Considering where they originally set the bar, and how their music defined an era, that's a very high hill to climb in a sense.

The other challenge is that knowing what we have heard, like the new music Depeche Mode released a while ago, we remember them from when we first heard them and those impressions they left are pretty distinct.

 

[Altitude]

Considering where they originally set the bar, and how their music defined an era, that's a very high hill to climb in a sense.

The other challenge is that knowing what we have heard, like the new music Depeche Mode released a while ago, we remember them from when we first heard them and those impressions they left are pretty distinct.

Agreed. I think the new stuff stands up. Songs From the Big Chair could be one of the best pop albums of all time. New material doesn’t have to be at that level to be very good.