REVIEW: Songs From The Big Chair

Tears for Fears
Songs From The Big Chair — Remastered
© 1985 Mercury Records

Tears For Fears’ second album, Songs From The Big Chair, is not only their best selling album, but is widely regarded as an 80s classic. But how has the album held up? Is it truly the type of album that no collection can be without? Or has it, like much of the pop music of yore, become irrelevant? (Popularity of the hilarious literal video aside.)

The general answer is that, yes, this album is deserving of much of its status. Though not every track is a gem, this nonetheless contains some of Tears For Fears’ best songs and is a well-crafted piece of pop-rock.

The album opens with one of its strongest tracks, the anthemic “Shout.” As well as being an impressive single, its layered, guitar-backed sound creates the expectation that the listener is not in store for just another synth-pop album.


This expectation is largely met, though there are some stumbling blocks, often in the form of the album’s mellower songs, such as the jazzy “The Working Hour” or the minimalistic “I Believe.” While not unpleasant, they seem unfortunately ordinary compared to high points such as "Everybody Wants to Rule The World" and "Head Over Heels." Their saving grace comes from serving a role within the larger tapestry of the album; even if they aren’t the best songs, they fit.

In 1999, a remastered version of Songs From The Big Chair was issued featuring a selection of b-sides, many of which are instrumentals. While some of these are enjoyable tracks on their own, they do not fit well with the album as a whole. Several are hold-overs from the period surrounding their previous album The Hurting and reflect the more somber and simplistic sound featured then. Also included include are some missable remixes. These bonus tracks do not devalue the preceding album, but in terms of value-adds, they leave some to be desired.

There was also a 2-disc deluxe edition issued in 2006. This version includes a different set of b-sides on the first disc (following the album proper) and a collection of remixes on the second disc. While some of these mixes are decent, they fail to justify the additional cost of this edition.

STRONGLY RECOMMENDED IF… you enjoy the pop music of the 80s; no 80s fan should be without this album. If your familiarity or interest in the music of this period is low, check out the videos linked in this review. You may hear something you like.

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