Tears for Fears - Seeds of Love (12 tracks) +Album Reviews

One of the best ever recorded?

Michael Erisman | Seattle, WA | 09/13/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"While this CD was recorded over 14 years ago the music resonates as powerfully today, perhaps even more than when it was released as it was a bit ahead of its time. In fact, the songs here seem to fit as easily into the 60's/70's rock and roll era of Pink Floyd, the Beatles and Led Zeppelin as they would into the 80's pop scene or the darker moods of the 90's era. This re-released version has four extra tracks that are worth the effort.Truly representing a wide range of styles starting with the smooth ballad "Woman in Chains" featuring the soulful voice of Oleta Adams. The highlights are the following two tracks: "Badman's Song", a bluesy jazz number and "Sowing the Seeds of Love" the hit single inspired by the Beatles better work. The track "Year of the Knife" is a powerful rock and roll song. "Famous Last Words" and "Advice for the Young At Heart" round out the single releases. Both are great songs. The extra tracks include a jazz instrumental, and a couple of unique blends of late 80's pop, including a rap version with the "Sowing the Seeds" lyrics called "Johnny Panic". I have to say this is among my favorite recordings ever. From the deep lyrics to the wide range of musical styles, the CD has no weak spots for me. If all you know of Tears for Fears are top 40 pop hits, then try this one out. One of the best CDs from any era."

A Grand Farewell To the 1980's

R. Carpenter | Dallas, Texas | 03/09/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"A classic pop swan-song to the 1980's, this masterful and well-crafted piece of pop genius still resonates with me today. The music of the 80's is constantly trashed by today's musical "know-it-all's" as being too bland, faceless, and overly-produced. It's all a joke to them. My argument would be simply be, what is wrong with listening to music that has multiple layers and multiple production values? The Beach Boys did it with "Pet Sounds" in 1966, and the greatest albums from the Fab Four were all production milestones.
The 1980's were filled with great music, and many of the best groups from England were able to produce that smoky, languid, shimmering, late-at-night sounding British pop that still sounds fresh to me today. Check out Thomas Dolby's "The Flat Earth," the Blue Nile's "Walk Across Rooftops" and "Hats," Nick Heyward's "I Love You Avenue," Prefab Sprout's "Two Wheels Good," and countless others by artists such as Alphaville, Deacon Blue, and others.
"Seeds of Love" is THE definitive masterpiece of the 1980's, a devastatingly beautiful album of pop gems that was a fabulous goodbye to the decade. Every song on the CD is almost like a mini-suite in itself; there is not one even remotely unsure moment on this one, but the highlights would have to be the achingly beautiful "Swords And Knives" and the astonishing "Advice For the Young At Heart." Listen to this album on a beautiful morning with your windows down, or late at night with the moon as your only source of shadows....I predict that you will fall in love with it over and over as I have."

A Timeless Classic

Jack Khor | Malaysia | 04/04/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"SOL has been one of my all time favorite albums even until today and I guess this says a lot about the band. There has not been another album quite as superb as this (if anyone has found one please let me know) and it certainly puts the band high up in my list of favorite albums of the 20th century.Roland Orzabal is definitely the genius here and it is sad that he has not been able to repeat this astounding feat in the later years. The techniques employed in this album are so superb and the layers of orchestration are so amazing and bordering on opulence, it is not surprising that this is one album that will beg for your attention on your first and subsequent listening. The first single "Sowing The Seeds Of Love" immediately brought in rave reviews and favorable comparisons to the Fab Four. But it is the other songs that are real gems. Oleta Adams with her soulful and endearing vocals opens the album with gusto in "Woman In Chains". This is then followed by what I believe is one of the most accomplished song ever written in pop history - "The Badman's Song" - just listen and marvel at its most intricately wound verses of vocals and instrumentations! Simply heavenly!"Advice for the young at heart" features the excellent voice of Curt Smith to the fore and this one well written song which truly deserve to linger forever in our memories of sweet love songs that will never be overplayed till death. "Year Of The Knife" will certainly put all other rock bands in their respective lower rungs and "Famous Last Words" definitely places Orzabal among the most respected songwriters of the century. The rest of the songs do not dissapoint either and they all feature the same impeccable vocals and mesmerizing instrumentations that somehow manages to blend themselves into one unholy union of incredible tunes.Credits have to be given to the producers, technicians and guest artistes too but I really believe Roland is the dude here. He deserves all the applause and you definitely deserve to listen to this album even if this is one last rock album you will ever buy!"

Timeless

Jacqui_O_Lantern | Route 666 | 08/15/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"TFF are the best band in the entire world! The Big Chair made TFF my favorite band of all time. However the album that made TFF my favorite band in the world for good is this one, The Seeds Of Love. SOL is the most incredible, most colorful album that I've ever heard from a rock band. It's hard to believe that the mechanical sounding Big Chair and the soul-rock sounding Seeds Of Love are by the same band. My favorites are ever so wonderful Advice For The Young At Heart the Gospel tinged Standing On The Corner of The Third World, & the eight & a half minute jazzy blues-rock influenced Badmans Song. Go out and by this CD. It's so worth the money and buy the remastered edition with the four bonus tracks. It's so worth the money."

The ever growing tree of life

Distant Voyageur | Io | 10/18/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Tears For Fears took a daring new turn in their sound with this one and realyy pulled it off. While the Big Chair was a heavily synth laden record this one fuses blues, jazz, rock, and soul to create the most colorful masterpiece I,ve ever heard. There hasen't been a better moment in music than late 1989. This edition I,m reviewing is the remastered with four bonus tracks. Heres my review for each song starting with the first eight tracks...Woman In Chains is a breathtaking power ballad with Oleta Adams on guest vocals. Her voice is unbelievable. This is one of the most soul grabbing song TFF have ever done. Badmans Song is a rock Blues driven song with lots of hammond organs with cool drums and Oleta Adams as guest vocal. This song is eight minutes and a half minutes long. Sowing The Seeds Of Love is similar to Badmans Song but more pop sounding than the previous one. It has cool trumpets laced with cool guiters. Unfortunately this is the only song to feature Curt Smiths excellent voice on this entire record. This was the big hit off this album. Advice For The Young At Heart is my favorite song on this CD. It is a very soul driven song with very powerful lyrics that will grab your soul. The ambient rock bridge in the middle is breathtaking. I almost cried with joy listening to this song. I love the echoing piano at the ending. Standing On The Corner Of The Third World is a haunting song with some Arab horns at the biginning and ambient organs. It becomes an almost gospel like song in the middle. The last minute features harmonica playing. The song speed up in the last 20 seconds and the fades out. Sword And Knives is a cool song with blips at the biginnings and ending. It then becomes a jazzy rock song and then becomes a hard driven rock song at the middle. Year Of The Knife is a great song with fast paced drums and rocking guitars. It begins with a crowd cheering. This song is great. Famous Last Words is a beautiful song that begins with a siren and piano for the first minute and a half. It then becomes an orchestra sounding song for the next minute. At 2:24 it blows up to become a power ballad with breathtaking lyrics that will reach your soul. It then slows back down and the siren sound effects kick back then fades out. This is a great closer to the orgininal version of this album.And now on to the bonus tracks.......Tears Roll Down is the primitive version of Laid So Low from the 1992 Greatest Hits but darker and less rock sounding. It builds up over the first two minutes with chanting and triangle sound clicks. It then blows up to become an ambient rock sounding song for about thirty seconds and then quiets back down and fades out. Always In The Past is a fast paced song that could,ve made it one this album. It has horns playing throughout the song. I love the ambient rock bridge in the middle of the song. Music For Tables is a smooth jazz instrumental. It's very nice and laid back and doesn't appear on the Saturnine Martial Lunatic CD. Johnny Panic & The Bible Of Dreams is a song that has the chord structure of Shout but with hip-hop beats and the lyrics of Sowing The Seeds Of Love sung is a rap chorus in a great way. This version is more edgy and less DJ oriented than the version on the Saturnine Martial Lunatic CD. A cool closer to this masterpiece.This is the best pop album I,ve ever heard in my life. It's the fun music that I miss so much in music these days. But whatever the future brings in music this album will definately hold up to the tests of time. In fact it doesn't sound dated at all and sounds more up to date than any of the antiquated rap/r&b garbage on the radio these days. Go and buy this CD. It's worth the price you'd pay. Over and Out..."

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