• Artist: Tears For Fears
• Album: Songs From The Big Chair (1985)
• Purchased at: The Lucky Tiger (St. Joseph, MO) for $7

The 80s had tons and tons of really, really crappy music. The drum sound of 80s songs alone makes my head hurt. There weren’t a ton of mainstream acts that did the bulk of their work in the decade that find their way into my listening rotation much if at all. One notable exception is Tear For Fears.

The two members of the band pictured on the cover, Roland Orzabal and Curt Smith, provided for a dynamic songwriting duo that embraced the 80s sound and were clearly among the best at crafting it. Everybody knows the mega-hits “Shout” and “Everybody Wants To Rule The World” and they are both here on Tears For Fears’ second release and best album. Woven in are horns and instrumental parts that are reminiscent of soundtrack scores. Also here, hidden on the second side of the album is the song “Head Over Heels” which could be considered better than the two giant hits found here on “Songs From The Big Chair.”

At this point it can be tough to listen through the drums on this record because it makes it sound so dated but this music is clearly a keyframe of its time and place and any eclectic record collection should consider finding room for this album.

Rating: B