r/tearsforfears

"I’ve already recorded nine songs this year. I was staying in Los Angeles for the first half. Nowadays I’m a bit more fruitful. I’ll visit those songs again in November when I’m back in Los Angeles. I’m under no pressure because there’s no one saying, “It’s gotta be a hit single, it’s gotta be this, or nothing like that.” So an album won’t take 18 years because I don’t think I’ve got 18 years, but I don’t really know. There are plans at the moment to do some shows next year in June, July, and August. In terms of future music, we would probably need something to happen to give us a kickstart."

Source: http://www.vulture.com/article/tears-for-fears-roy-orzabal-interview-memoir.html

How Chris Hughes Produced Tears For Fears' Greatest Album | Songs From The Big Chair

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q9sbeW_d_aA

What a great song it is I mean I don't why curt hate it but this one of the best curt's song according to me from start to chorus to the end I mean such a great song what are your opinion

As a complete gear nerd, I wanted to display the guitar that shaped TFF's sound in the 80s: Roland's 1982 Fender Walnut "The Strat". This was Roland's main guitar between 1984-1989, one which he spoke very highly of. While he admitted that he initally bought the guitar for the looks, the sound of this thing is UNMATCHED. The X-1 bridge pickup made for some slightly hotter tones in the solos. A good amount of SFTBC was recorded on this guitar (majority on the neck pickup through a Roland JC120). Most of the Big Chair tour was also done using this guitar. Eventually however, the guitar sorta just vanished off the face of the earth. After 1993, it was never seen publicly again, however a 2024 interview with about the creation of EWTRTW confirmed that it's still in his collection. I created a little brief history of it too:

1983: Roland makes the first live appearance with the Strat, a mimed performance of Pale Shelter in Italy, and a live performance at Pop Carnival In London. Neil taylor also used it in the "In my Mind's Eye" video which was recorded at the Hammersmith Odeon in London in December of that year. It's possible that Roland used it to record songs on "The Hurting", but it's likely that most of the album was his red Telecaster.

1984: The time rolls around to record Songs From The Big Chair, and Roland has a few guitars by this point. A good amount of it was recorded on this guitar. The most notable one being, of course, Everybody Wants To Rule The World, which was Roland on the Strat's neck pickup through a JC120. This by far is one of my favourite guitar tones out there, which I have really only been able to recreate using Strats through Jazz Choruses.

1985: During the Big chair tour, the Strat was Roland's main guitar. While I do enjoy hearing it, I feel like some of the tones through the JC were a bit too thin. This was the last time Roland was seen using it for a plugged in performance.

1989: Roland was seen with the guitar two times this year, once for the music video for Woman In Chains, and once for a performance of Woman In Chains on TV. The means that a good amount of The Seeds Of Love may have been recorded with the Strat.

1990: TFF start touring for The Seeds Of Love tour, and Roland has mostly switched to two other guitars, those being mid 70s Strats (One blue and one Olympic white). Neil Taylor, however, used the Strat on this tour. This was where I think the guitar shined the most. TFF had switched to using Mesa-Boogie amps on this tour, and it sounded amazing through them. Knebworth 1990 was the last time it was publicly plugged in from the best of my knowledge.

1993: The guitar was seen two times this year, both for mimed performances of Break It Down Again, after which, the guitar was never seen again publicly.