Originally Posted by
Bungalow Bill
When I lived in India (2010-2012), I binged on three bands: Opeth; Tears for Fears; and Wilco. I had never heard anything by these bands except for singles by TfF.
I went through the entire TfF catalog (excluding any solo releases).
My final opinion was that:
The Hurting is a classic album but it's not something I can listen to as more than an artifact of a particular era. I liked the songs and the arrangements but I wasn't especially fond of how the album was recorded, just in terms of overall sound and production values. I'd give it an A for it's era but I never return to it.
Songs from the Big Chair is obviously a monster album from the 80s. I thought at the time it came out, and still do think, that "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" was the best single of the era. But I find the album to be patchy, overall. I never understood how "Shout" became such a big hit. Generally, I like the sound of the album, especially the guitar tones.
I find The Seeds of Love to be the best album of the first three, if only for the massive variety of styles on it. In terms of the strength of the individual songs, this one is a start-to-finish enjoyable album for me. When it was released, I hated "Sowing the Seeds of Love" because I was (am) a huge Beatles fanboy and didn't like what I thought was a derivative rip-off. Later, I learned the word "homage" and then got what the song was trying to do. All-in-all, this is the album from the first three that I can return to and appreciate.
After these three, I think TfF gets far more interesting.
Elemental basically kicks ass. I consider "Elemental", "Cold", "Mr. Pessimistic", "Fish Out of Water", "Brian Wilson Said" and "Goodnight Song" to be some of the very best rock music I've ever heard. The remainder of the tracks are, at worst, solid. I played this one out and don't listen to it much but I was blown away the first time I heard it and I still think, just for including those six songs, it's one of my top rock albums of all-time. This album convinced me that Roland is a extremely underrated singer: great control, great emotion, great power.
Raoul and the Kings of Spain is a mild drop-off album for me. The title track, "Falling Down", "Sketches of Pain", "Los Reyes Catolicos" and "Humdrum and Humble" are all the equal of the tracks on Elemental, though. The other songs don't do much for me, though. Roland's Bowie on "Humdrum and Humble" is very cool. There is a lot of haunting sadness throughout this album and Roland's singing brings it out well.
Everybody Loves a Happy Ending was a lark for me. This is the only album I had heard before my binge in India. I bought it out of sheer curiosity: "OK, TfF, what sort of music did you make on this one?" I was quite shocked by how much I loved the album, although it took maybe three listens to get into it fully. The only songs I don't care for are "The Devil", "Secret World" and "Ladybird". Everything else sounds nearly perfect to me. Roland is on fire on "Closest Thing to Heaven". I love the Jimmy Page buzzing guitar on "Size of Sorrow", even though I'm not totally sure it's appropriate for the song. "Who Are You" is beautiful and "Last Days on Earth" is another excellent nod to Bowie.
I've never heard Tomcats Screaming Outside, although I have it. I need to give it a spin, since many TfF fans praise it.
So, while I think all of the first three albums have merit and a portion of fine songs, the final three albums are really the ones that impress me. For whatever reason, I put them into the same category as latter-day XTC (that is, some of the best, unheralded rock music ever made) but I'm not sure why.
I'd be happy to see a new album released.
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