Tears for Fears - New Greatest hits with 2 new songs

I prefer Stay to I Love You but, I hate to say it, this new album will be a challenge as the Europop synth thing is not a personal fave. They're about five years too late with this sound, not that that matters but it sounds pretty dated.

 

Too bad they didn't go with a 2cd Singles comp using all 7" versions, radio edits, etc.

 

I won't quibble with the track list. I can see why they included most of it (although the version of "I Believe" on this comp wasn't even a single). But the sucky packaging and the Curt track are really sub standard. "Stay" doesn't sound like any song TFF has ever recorded ever and sticks out like a sore thumb on this. At least I Love You But I'm Lost has a great melody and sounds like something that would fit on a TFF album.

With this strategy I feel like Roland and Curt are taking bad advice from their management about how to re-launch their career. Just like in the old days when they took bad advice from their management!

Edit: Strangely, the version I bought here in the US doesn't even say "Greatest Hits" anywhere on the packaging.

 

This is a bummer. I've been waiting for my CD to arrive to play the tracks. Stay is that bad? Are we talking "Wino" bad? I'm happy to buy the CD to show my support but I wish they'd put out the Seeds box while we're all waiting.

 

YMMV. I am not a fan of Curt's solo material, and this sounds like his solo material. I can't imagine hearing this on a TFF album. But who knows? Maybe if the new album ever comes out it will be filled with weepy ballads sung by Curt.

 

Stay isn't a bad track but hardly "Greatest Hits" level. I hope they're saving the best new tracks for the album launch but that doesn't help them fit in well with the new comp.

 

What Tears for Fears sounded like tended to change on every record, so I don’t know if I’d want to say it doesn’t fit them stylistically... however, it doesn’t sound like Roland wrote it, which is the bigger issue. (He didn’t write it did he?)

 

No, nor as bad as Ghost Papa.

But having substandard songs on a Greatest Hits comp merely serves to point out what is missing from the album.

Seeds box would be quite welcome!

 

I doubt he wrote it. It sounds like a Smith/Pettus song.

 

So true. I Love You fits in nicely, but still shows a lowering of quality musically. More prominent lead vocals would have made a big difference, though. But when you add Stay to I Love You as the new songs against powerhouses like EWTRTW, etc., it doesn't make one excited for the new album.

I ordered it. I'd hate to think that low sales of this GH album would affect whether their new album is released or not next year. So I purchased it mainly for that reason. Hopefully, it was just political, like mentioned, that Curt wanted his song on the GH album as a lead vocalist, but that the new album will be like always, Roland as the main songwriter and lead vocals, with Stay and one other from Curt. On ELAHE, , Size of Sorrow was written by Roland back during the Elemental period and given to Curt to be lead vocal. It was better than Who You Are (Smith/Pettus) on ELAHE in my opinion.

I do hope musically Roland isn't slipping and it is more adventurous than this preview, though.

Stay is like a poor imitation of Maybe Our Days Are Numbered by Roland.

 

I enjoyed it James. But i'm a sucker for those 'Weepy Ballads'
I'm the guy who thought Superheated was the best track off of New Orders- Music Complete

 

No kidding, I would of been all over it if it were like Level 42's-'Collected' 3 disc from last year.

 

Thing is ... I think pretty much any TFF enthusiast would have welcomed a 2-CD chronological complete singles collection.

I don't understand who this new set is meant for - new fans? Which new fans, exactly? The new songs are lackluster - I'm sorry, but "I Love You But I'm Lost" is such a crass capitulation to the "millennial whoop" that it still boggles my mind.

This band were innovators. They weren't followers. Everything they did, you knew it was TFF. Not these two new songs.

 

Yes. The songwriting credits in the booklet, which were clearly copy/pasted by an intern and contain several blocks of mistakenly repeated text, confirm that "Stay" was written by Smith/Pettus.

 

Ghost Papa doesn't care for your comment.

 

This release needed the amazing Goodnight Song on it.

 

Really? And they wonder why we don't care about physical product anymore?

 

No, this is geared for everyone particularly long time fans hence the bait of the new songs.

Well I don't know that they were innovators but they wrote amazing material with a clear distinct voice?

 

I'm going to make a playlist in iTunes using some of the suggestions by Paul at SDE, some personal favorites that were omitted, and placing the two new songs in a spot where they are less "fish out of water"....

Great one!

James, I typically love their b-sides and will strongly consider Pharoahs for my playlist. GP will not make the cut.

 

I had to listen to it this morning to refresh myself. It's definitely one of their weaker tracks, especially around that time being surrounded by amazing b-sides like The Body Wah and Bloodletting Go.

 

The b-sides album Saturnine, Martial and Lunatic is a great listen, and it wisely left off GP and Wino!!

 

"Ghost Papa" and any B-sides from Raoul or later aren't even available on Spotify.

 

Five years minimum. More like ten to fifteen.

Exactly so. When Roland explored the then-contemporary electronic sound on Tomcats it seemed confident and full. This new material sounds bland both in terms of recording/mastering/mixing and in content.

I'll always stay interested and optimistic, but these two two songs are not inspiring.

 

Tomcats is a killer album. I knew OF it for 6-7 years, before I finally tracked down a copy. Anyone who calls themselves a TFF fan, really ought to check it out. DAMN fine album.