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The second Tears for Fears album following Curt Smith's departure finds Roland Orzabal treading water (and self-consciously deep water at that). Long removed from the simple, melodic melancholy of the band's early work and abandoning the mid-period Beatles-influenced pop, Raoul and the Kings of Spain often borders on progressive rock. There's some genuinely pretty, if unexciting, music like the piano-driven ballad "Secrets," with it's soaring guitar line, and the gentle "Sketches of Pain." Unfortunately, everything is undone by Orzabal's lyrics (mostly co-written with guitarist/keyboardist Alan Griffiths). There seems to be a lack of ideas that cannot be concealed by the words, which are either inscrutable or embarrassingly silly ("What's the matter with your life/Did someone come and shoot your wife," he asks on "Sorry"). Listeners on both sides of the Atlantic couldn't be bothered, and the act's commercial fortunes fell even further.
© Tom Demalon /TiVo
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Alan Griffiths, Composer, Lyricist, Producer, Guitar, Keyboards - Tim Palmer, Producer - Brian MacLeod, Drums, Percussion - Bob Ludwig, Mastering Engineer - Mark O'Donoughue, Background Vocal - ROLAND ORZABAL, Composer, Lyricist, Producer, Guitar, Keyboards, Vocal - Tears For Fears, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - Jeffrey Trott, Guitar - Gail Ann Dorsey, Bass Guitar
(P) 1995 Epic Records, a division of Sony Music Entertainment
Alan Griffiths, Producer, Guitar, Keyboards - Tim Palmer, Producer - Brian MacLeod, Drums, Percussion - Bob Ludwig, Mastering Engineer - Mark O'Donoughue, Background Vocal - ROLAND ORZABAL, Composer, Lyricist, Producer, Guitar, Keyboards, Vocal - Tears For Fears, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - Jeffrey Trott, Guitar - Gail Ann Dorsey, Bass Guitar
(P) 1995 Epic Records, a division of Sony Music Entertainment
Alan Griffiths, Composer, Lyricist, Producer, Guitar, Keyboards - Tim Palmer, Producer - Brian MacLeod, Drums, Percussion - Bob Ludwig, Mastering Engineer - Mark O'Donoughue, Background Vocal - ROLAND ORZABAL, Composer, Lyricist, Producer, Guitar, Keyboards, Vocal - Tears For Fears, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - Jeffrey Trott, Guitar - Gail Ann Dorsey, Bass Guitar
(P) 1995 Epic Records, a division of Sony Music Entertainment
Alan Griffiths, Composer, Lyricist, Producer, Guitar, Keyboards - Tim Palmer, Producer - Brian MacLeod, Drums, Percussion - Bob Ludwig, Mastering Engineer - Mark O'Donoughue, Background Vocal - ROLAND ORZABAL, Composer, Lyricist, Producer, Guitar, Keyboards, Vocal - Tears For Fears, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - Jeffrey Trott, Guitar - Gail Ann Dorsey, Bass Guitar
(P) 1995 Epic Records, a division of Sony Music Entertainment
Alan Griffiths, Producer, Guitar, Keyboards - Tim Palmer, Producer - Brian MacLeod, Drums, Percussion - Bob Ludwig, Mastering Engineer - Mark O'Donoughue, Background Vocal - ROLAND ORZABAL, Composer, Lyricist, Producer, Guitar, Keyboards, Vocal - Tears For Fears, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - Jeffrey Trott, Guitar - Gail Ann Dorsey, Bass Guitar
(P) 1995 Epic Records, a division of Sony Music Entertainment
Alan Griffiths, Composer, Lyricist, Producer, Guitar, Keyboards - Tim Palmer, Producer - Brian MacLeod, Drums, Percussion - Bob Ludwig, Mastering Engineer - Mark O'Donoughue, Background Vocal - ROLAND ORZABAL, Composer, Lyricist, Producer, Guitar, Keyboards, Vocal - Tears For Fears, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - Jeffrey Trott, Guitar - Gail Ann Dorsey, Bass Guitar
(P) 1995 Epic Records, a division of Sony Music Entertainment
Alan Griffiths, Composer, Lyricist, Producer, Guitar, Keyboards - Tim Palmer, Producer - Brian MacLeod, Drums, Percussion - Bob Ludwig, Mastering Engineer - Mark O'Donoughue, Background Vocal - ROLAND ORZABAL, Composer, Lyricist, Producer, Guitar, Keyboards, Vocal - Tears For Fears, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - Jeffrey Trott, Guitar - Gail Ann Dorsey, Bass Guitar
(P) 1995 Epic Records, a division of Sony Music Entertainment
Alan Griffiths, Composer, Lyricist, Producer, Guitar, Keyboards - Brian MacLeod, Drums, Percussion - Bob Ludwig, Mastering Engineer - Mark O'Donoughue, Background Vocal - ROLAND ORZABAL, Composer, Lyricist, Producer, Guitar, Keyboards, Vocal - Tears For Fears, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - Jeffrey Trott, Guitar - Gail Ann Dorsey, Bass Guitar
(P) 1995 Epic Records, a division of Sony Music Entertainment
Alan Griffiths, Producer, Guitar, Keyboards - Tim Palmer, Producer - Brian MacLeod, Drums, Percussion - Bob Ludwig, Mastering Engineer - Mark O'Donoughue, Background Vocal - ROLAND ORZABAL, Composer, Lyricist, Producer, Guitar, Keyboards, Vocal - Tears For Fears, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - Jeffrey Trott, Guitar - Gail Ann Dorsey, Bass Guitar
(P) 1995 Epic Records, a division of Sony Music Entertainment
Alan Griffiths, Composer, Lyricist, Producer, Guitar, Keyboards - Tim Palmer, Producer - Brian MacLeod, Drums, Percussion - Bob Ludwig, Mastering Engineer - Mark O'Donoughue, Background Vocal - ROLAND ORZABAL, Composer, Lyricist, Producer, Guitar, Keyboards, Vocal - Tears For Fears, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - Jeffrey Trott, Guitar - Gail Ann Dorsey, Bass Guitar
(P) 1995 Epic Records, a division of Sony Music Entertainment
Alan Griffiths, Composer, Lyricist, Producer, Guitar, Keyboards - Tim Palmer, Producer - Brian MacLeod, Drums, Percussion - Bob Ludwig, Mastering Engineer - Mark O'Donoughue, Background Vocal - ROLAND ORZABAL, Composer, Lyricist, Producer, Guitar, Keyboards, Vocal - Oleta Adams, AssociatedPerformer - Tears For Fears, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - Jeffrey Trott, Guitar - Gail Ann Dorsey, Bass Guitar
(P) 1995 Epic Records, a division of Sony Music Entertainment
Alan Griffiths, Composer, Lyricist, Producer, Guitar, Keyboards - Tim Palmer, Producer - Brian MacLeod, Drums, Percussion - Bob Ludwig, Mastering Engineer - Mark O'Donoughue, Background Vocal - ROLAND ORZABAL, Composer, Lyricist, Producer, Guitar, Keyboards, Vocal - Tears For Fears, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - Jeffrey Trott, Guitar - Gail Ann Dorsey, Bass Guitar
(P) 1995 Epic Records, a division of Sony Music Entertainment
Alan Griffiths, Composer, Lyricist, Producer - ROLAND ORZABAL, Composer, Lyricist, Producer - Tears For Fears, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer
(P) 1995 Epic Records, a division of Sony Music Entertainment
Alan Griffiths, Composer, Lyricist, Producer - ROLAND ORZABAL, Composer, Lyricist, Producer - Tears For Fears, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer
(P) 1995 Epic Records, a division of Sony Music Entertainment
Alan Griffiths, Composer, Lyricist, Producer - ROLAND ORZABAL, Composer, Lyricist, Producer - Tears For Fears, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer
(P) 1995 Epic Records, a division of Sony Music Entertainment
Alan Griffiths, Composer, Lyricist, Producer - ROLAND ORZABAL, Composer, Lyricist, Producer - Tears For Fears, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer
(P) 1995 Epic Records, a division of Sony Music Entertainment
Alan Griffiths, Author - ROLAND ORZABAL, Author - Tears For Fears, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer
(P) 1995 Epic Records, a division of Sony Music Entertainment
Alan Griffiths, Composer, Lyricist, Producer - Tim Palmer, Producer - Brian MacLeod, Composer, Lyricist - ROLAND ORZABAL, Composer, Lyricist, Producer - Jebin Bruni, Composer, Lyricist - Tears For Fears, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - Jeffrey Trott, Composer, Lyricist - Gail Ann Dorsey, Composer, Lyricist
(P) 1995 Epic Records, a division of Sony Music Entertainment
Alan Griffiths, Composer, Lyricist - ROLAND ORZABAL, Composer, Lyricist - Tears For Fears, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer
(P) 1995 Epic Records, a division of Sony Music Entertainment
Alan Griffiths, Producer - T. Yorke, Composer, Lyricist - P. Selway, Composer, Lyricist - C. Greenwood, Composer, Lyricist - J. Greenwood, Composer, Lyricist - E. O'Brian, Composer, Lyricist - ROLAND ORZABAL, Producer - Tears For Fears, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer
(P) 1995 Epic Records, a division of Sony Music Entertainment
Album review
The second Tears for Fears album following Curt Smith's departure finds Roland Orzabal treading water (and self-consciously deep water at that). Long removed from the simple, melodic melancholy of the band's early work and abandoning the mid-period Beatles-influenced pop, Raoul and the Kings of Spain often borders on progressive rock. There's some genuinely pretty, if unexciting, music like the piano-driven ballad "Secrets," with it's soaring guitar line, and the gentle "Sketches of Pain." Unfortunately, everything is undone by Orzabal's lyrics (mostly co-written with guitarist/keyboardist Alan Griffiths). There seems to be a lack of ideas that cannot be concealed by the words, which are either inscrutable or embarrassingly silly ("What's the matter with your life/Did someone come and shoot your wife," he asks on "Sorry"). Listeners on both sides of the Atlantic couldn't be bothered, and the act's commercial fortunes fell even further.
© Tom Demalon /TiVo
About the album
- 1 disc(s) - 20 track(s)
- Total length: 01:23:29
- Main artists: Tears For Fears
- Composer: Various Composers
- Label: Epic - Legacy
- Genre: Pop/Rock Rock
(P) 1995 Epic Records, a division of Sony Music Entertainment
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