NewsTears For Fears / MASSIVE “Songs From The Big Chair” box set coming
Universal team up with SuperDeluxeEdition.com to create stunning 6-disc super deluxe editon box set.
Roland Orzabal: (speaking to Paul Sinclair in 2014)
“We had let go of any Tears For Fears ideology, because it all came out in The Hurting. We were getting older, we had a bit of money, so life wasn’t that bad [laughs]. I mean, I bought my first house at 21. There wasn’t the ‘difficult second album syndrome’. It was an easy second album syndrome. You know, instead of being so het up by ‘the message’ we started to relax.”
Universal Music will reissue Tears For Fears‘ second album Songs From The Big Chair in November as a six-disc super deluxe edition box set that, amongst all the bonus material, delivers every commercially issued b-side and remix of the era, previously unreleased radio sessions and early mixes and a high-resolution 5.1 surround sound mix courtesy or highly respected remixer and engineer Steven Wilson.
As with last year’s The Hurting reissue, Universal brought SuperDeluxeEdition editor Paul Sinclair on board to assist with the reissue project. He has not only had access to the archives to help with the track selection, but has also interviewed the key players from the era, including band members Roland Orzabal and Curt Smith, producer Chris Hughes and A&R man Dave Bates. The result of this work is an extensive “In their own words” track-by-track guide to Songs From The Big Chair within the 32-page booklet. Additionally, Paul has written a guide to every bonus track within the box set, so as well as knowing what has been included, fans will understand why each extra track has been included.
Disc one within the box set contains the remastered album and includes all the original Songs B-sides. In fact, the first 14 tracks deliberately replicate the original running order of the limited edition UK cassette version of Songs From The Big Chair that added six bonus songs to the eight-track album.
The second CD – Edited Songs From The Big Chair – largely contains various single versions/edits released around the world, including the U.S. Remix (actually a re-recording) of Mothers Talk (a song that was both the first and last single from the album), and I Believe (A Soulful Re-recording). Previously unissued on any audio format – but included on this disc – is the ‘Video Version’ of the American remix of Mothers Talk which contains a unique intro, as well as a promo-only ‘Radio Version’ of Head Over Heels that has never been commercially released. Charity single Everybody Wants To Run The World finally makes it onto a Tears For Fears deluxe edition (along with the semi-instrumental B-side ‘Running Version’ of the same song) and stunning album closer Listen is included with a clean intro so it can be enjoyed without the normal cross-fade. A Curt and Roland interview with short audio clips (originally included on the UK seven-inch double-pack of Everybody Wants To Rule The World) completes disc two.
Remixed Songs From The Big Chair is an appropriate title for the third CD which is packed full of twelve-inch remixes. The UK extended versions of The Way You Are (a non-album single), Mothers Talk and Shout are all included (having all been omitted from the 2005 deluxe edition) along with the ‘Acappella’ Mix of Shout and the instrumental version of Everybody Wants To Rule The World – both previously unreleased on CD. The alternate US Remix of Mothers Talk which (apparently inadvertently) appeared on the 2005 deluxe in place of the standard US Remix is also repeated here.
A fourth and final CD contains 14 tracks that have never been commercially available. Unreleased Songs From The Big Chair treats listeners to 1984 BBC radio sessions, the three tracks included on the Canadian promo-only Live At Massey Hall twelve-inch, along with three further tracks from Massey Hall (Shout, Mothers Talk and The Working Hour) newly mixed from the multi-track tapes. For the first time the band have authorised lifting the lid on some of their work-in-progress. To that end, early mixes of Mothers Talk, The Way You Are, Broken and Shout are included on disc four along with an unheard, rejected seven-inch edit of Everybody Wants To Rule The World.
A fifth disc is a DVD that contains a brand new 2014 5.1 surround sound mix of Songs From The Big Chair created by Steven Wilson and personally approved by Roland Orzabal. A new 2014 stereo mix is also included. Both mixes are flat transfers with no additional mastering EQ or compression applied. Paul Sinclair encouraged Universal to issue this as
a DVD-A (DVD Audio) to allow fans with the appropriate hardware (DVD-A compatible DVD player) to enjoy a lossless hi-res surround version of Songs From The Big Chair. The disc remains fully compatible with standard DVD players which will still be able to deliver the surround mix in Dolby 5.1 and DTS. A hi-res stereo mix can be enjoyed by all. This DVD is region free.
A standalone Pure Audio blu-ray audio is also being released that includes the 5.1 and stereo mixes in hi-res as well as the original album mix.
A sixth and final disc is another DVD that delivers the classic Scenes From The Big Chair documentary, along with the 2005 interview with producer Chris Hughes that was added to the standalone DVD reissue). Additionally, all the promo videos from the album are featured separately, including the rare early UK promo and US versions of Mothers Talk and non-album single The Way You Are). The icing on the cake is a selection of eight performances on BBC TV including six appearances on Top Of The Pops and a couple of spots on eighties chat show Wogan.
Songs From The Big Chair super deluxe box set and other formats are released on 10 November 2014. This BIG box is currently available for a relatively SMALL price from Amazon UK. See links below along with the full track listing.
6-disc super deluxe edition box set
- • UK Pre-order: Songs From The Big Chair
- • USA Pre-order: Songs From the Big Chair
- • CANADA Pre-order: Songs From the Big Chair
- • GERMANY Pre-order: Songs from the Big Chair
- • ITALY Pre-order: Songs From The Big Chair
2CD Deluxe Edition
- • UK Pre-order: Songs From The Big Chair
- • USA Pre-order: Songs From the Big Chair
- • CANADA Pre-order: Songs From the Big Chair
- • GERMANY Pre-order: Songs from the Big Chair (Deluxe ed
Blu-ray Audio
- • UK Pre-order: Songs From The Big Chair
- • CANADA Pre-order: Songs From the Big Chair [Blu-ray Audio]
- • GERMANY Pre-order: Songs from the Big Chair
- • FRANCE Pre-order: Songs from the Big Chair (BluRay Audio)
- • ITALY Pre-order: Songs From The Big Chair
Vinyl Edition
- • UK Pre-order: Songs From The Big Chair [VINYL]
- • USA Pre-order: Songs From the Big Chair
- • CANADA Pre-order: Songs From the Big Chair (Vinyl)
- • GERMANY Pre-order: Songs from the Big Chair (180gr+Dow [Vinyl LP]
2014 Stereo Mix on vinyl
Track listing
DISC ONE
- 01. SHOUT : 6:31
- 02. THE WORKING HOUR : 6:29
- 03. EVERYBODY WANTS TO RULE THE WORLD : 4:09
- 04. MOTHERS TALK : 5:04
- 05. I BELIEVE : 4:54
- 06. BROKEN : 2:38
- 07. HEAD OVER HEELS : 5:02
- 08. LISTEN : 6:54
Bonus tracks
- 09. THE BIG CHAIR : 3:20
- 10. EMPIRE BUILDING : 2:41
- 11. THE MARAUDERS : 4:13
- 12. BROKEN REVISITED : 5:15
- 13. THE CONFLICT : 4:02
- 14. THE WORKING HOUR – Piano Version : 2:08
- 15. PHARAOHS : 03:42
- 16. WHEN IN LOVE WITH A BLIND MAN : 2:22
- 17. SEA SONG : 3:51
DISC TWO – Edited Songs From The Big Chair (this is second CD in the 2CD deluxe)
- 01. THE WAY YOU ARE : 4:49
- 02. MOTHERS TALK – Single Version : 3:53
- 03. SHOUT – Single Version : 5:58
- 04. EVERYBODY WANTS TO RULE THE WORLD – Single Version : 4:14
- 05. HEAD OVER HEELS – Remix : 4:15
- 06. I BELIEVE (A Soulful Re-Recording) : 4:39
- 07. EVERYBODY WANTS TO RUN THE WORLD : 4:30
- 08. THE WAY YOU ARE – Short Version : 4:21
- 09. MOTHERS TALK – U.S. Remix : 4:14
- 10. SHOUT – U.S. Single Version : 4:51
- 11. EVERYBODY WANTS TO RUN THE WORLD – Running Version : 4:30
- 12. HEAD OVER HEELS – Radio Version : 4.20
- 13. MOTHERS TALK – Video Version : 4:14
- 14. SHOUT – Short Version : 4:03
- 15. LISTEN – Clean Intro : 6:52
- 15. INTERVIEW WITH CURT & ROLAND : 7:35
DISC THREE – Remixed Songs From The Big Chair (exclusive to box)
- 01. THE WAY YOU ARE – Extended Version : 7:37
- 02. MOTHERS TALK – Extended Version : 6:18
- 03. SHOUT – Extended Remix Version : 7:40
- 04. EVERYBODY WANTS TO RULE THE WORLD – Extended Version : 5:40
- 05. BROKEN / HEAD OVER HEELS / BROKEN – Preacher Mix : 8:00
- 06. MOTHERS TALK – Beat Of The Drum Mix : 8:54
- 07. SHOUT – U.S. Remix : 8:02
- 08. EVERYBODY WANTS TO RULE THE WORLD – Urban Mix : 6:06
- 09. MOTHERS TALK – U.S. Remix alternate : 4:12
- 10. SHOUT – Dub : 6:49
- 11. EVERYBODY WANTS TO RULE THE WORLD – Instrumental : 4:21
- 12. SHOUT – Acappella : 5:02
DISC FOUR – Unreleased Songs From The Big Chair (exclusive to box)
- 01. HEAD OVER HEELS : 4:14 Richard Skinner Session
- 02. THE WORKING HOUR : 6:06 Richard Skinner Session
- 03. BROKEN : 3:19 Richard Skinner Session
- 04. MOTHERS TALK : 4:05 Live At Massey Hall
- 05. BROKEN / HEAD OVER HEELS : 5:01 Live At Massey Hall
- 06. MEMORIES FADE : 6:50 Live At Massey Hall
- 07. THE WORKING HOUR : 7:31 Live At Massey Hall
- 08. EVERYBODY WANTS TO RULE THE WORLD : 4:19 Live At Massey Hall
- 09. SHOUT : 7:50 Live At Massey Hall
- 10. MOTHERS TALK – Early Mix / Instrumental : 4:39
- 11. THE WAY YOU ARE – Early Mix : 4:25
- 12. BROKEN – Early Mix : 5:38
- 13. SHOUT – Early Mix : 5:08
- 14. EVERYBODY WANTS TO RULE THE WORLD – Alternate Single Version: 4.20
DISC FIVE (DVD-A)
5.1 and Stereo mix
- SHOUT : 6:32
- THE WORKING HOUR : 6:31
- EVERYBODY WANTS TO RULE THE WORLD : 4:11
- MOTHERS TALK : 5:10
- I BELIEVE : 4:54
- BROKEN : 2:38
- HEAD OVER HEELS : 5:20
- LISTEN : 6:49
DISC SIX (DVD-V) (exclusive to box)
Documentary
- 01. SCENES FROM THE BIG CHAIR – Documentary : 1:14:43
- 02. INTERVIEW WITH PRODUCER CHRIS HUGHES : 35:00
Promos
- 03. THE WAY YOU ARE – Music Video : 3:57
- 04. MOTHERS TALK – Alternative UK Video : 4:00
- 05..MOTHERS TALK – Music Video : 4.49
- 06. SHOUT – Music Video : 6:31
- 07. EVERYBODY WANTS TO RULE THE WORLD – Music Video : 4:52
- 08. HEAD OVER HEELS – Music Video : 4:26
- 09. I BELIEVE – Music Video : 4:45
- 10. MOTHERS TALK – US Mix – Music Video : 4:52
- 11. EVERYBODY WANTS TO RUN THE WORLD – Music Video : 4:52
BBC TV Appearances
- 03. THE WAY YOU ARE : 4:11 Top Of The Pops
- 04. MOTHERS TALK : 3:48 Top Of The Pops
- 05. MOTHERS TALK : 3:51 Top Of The Pops
- 06. SHOUT : 4:20 Top Of The Pops
- 07. EVERYBODY WANTS TO RULE THE WORLD : 4:08 Wogan
- 08. EVERYBODY WANTS TO RULE THE WORLD : 3.35 Top Of The Pops
- 09. EVERYBODY WANTS TO RULE THE WORLD : 3.45 Top Of The Pops
- 10. THE WORKING HOUR : 4:28 Wogan
6-disc super deluxe edition box set
- • UK Pre-order: Songs From The Big Chair
- • USA Pre-order: Songs From the Big Chair
- • CANADA Pre-order: Songs From the Big Chair
- • GERMANY Pre-order: Songs from the Big Chair
- • ITALY Pre-order: Songs From The Big Chair
2CD Deluxe Edition
- • UK Pre-order: Songs From The Big Chair
- • USA Pre-order: Songs From the Big Chair
- • CANADA Pre-order: Songs From the Big Chair
- • GERMANY Pre-order: Songs from the Big Chair (Deluxe ed
Blu-ray Audio
- • UK Pre-order: Songs From The Big Chair
- • CANADA Pre-order: Songs From the Big Chair [Blu-ray Audio]
- • GERMANY Pre-order: Songs from the Big Chair
- • FRANCE Pre-order: Songs from the Big Chair (BluRay Audio)
- • ITALY Pre-order: Songs From The Big Chair
Vinyl Edition
- • UK Pre-order: Songs From The Big Chair [VINYL]
- • USA Pre-order: Songs From the Big Chair
- • CANADA Pre-order: Songs From the Big Chair (Vinyl)
- • GERMANY Pre-order: Songs from the Big Chair (180gr+Dow [Vinyl LP]
2014 Stereo Mix on vinyl
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Related Content
Interview
Mr. Sinclair,
Are the promos videos and live performances on the dvd portion of the box set have DD 5,1 or DTS 5.1 audio options?
No, they don’t.
Any news, updates or scheduled release date for the Seeds box set? Still patiently waiting….for many years now :-( Pst: I’ll keep waiting!
“Next year” is about as accurate as I can be right now (I know, I know…)
Any news,updates or scheduled release date for the Seeds box set? Patiently waiting….
[…] a number of archival reissue projects in recent years including Tears For Fears’ reissue of Songs From The Big Chair, Thompson Twins Remixes and Rarities and Paul Young’s Tomb of Memories: The CBS Years […]
Paul
Can you tell me which track are ‘remastered’ on the first four discs please.
Thanks in advance!
They all are, although some of the unreleased stuff is mastered for the first time.
At least I know the first three discs are remastered. Thanks, I appreciate it.
[…] deluxe treatment and Universal Music explore Tears For Fears’ Songs From The Big Chair over six-discs (including the 5.1 mix) the ante has been upped and the game has […]
Trawled through these comments whilst waiting for my box set to arrive.
There is some useful information here that could usefully be consolidated somewhere more accessibly – particularly the explanation of the DVD sources and the compromises that had to be made.
Paul I forgot to ask, in the Shout mixes/acapella what is Roland saying in the break. It sounds like some type of chant.
Paul, what’s the difference between the 8:58 version of the” Beat of the Drum Mix” of “Mothers Talk” and the longer 9:18 “full version” that only appeared on acetate?
Good question. I’ve never heard the long version – probably a few extra ‘James Browns’ at a guess. I’m not losing sleep over it, although we did try unsuccessfully to get it for the ‘Songs’ box!
I see. I thought it might have been a little different mix. It’s a very bizzare mix and strange that they chose to do it instead of extending certain things here and there and thwing in some reverb etc. like the 12″ mixes of this time.
The Extended Version basically is what you describe.
Paul, I was curious when I saw some of the promo clips on the DVD having title cards and credits. They also look like they come from VHS sources. What are the sources for these especially Head Over Heals where you can just see credits start to roll at the end and why did you choose these sources. Also, any chance of ever hearing those versions of Run The World with the soundbytes and the Mother’s Talk version you too late to include?
Nothing was from VHS. I know some of them were from a 1″ reel. Up to Universal Music about those other tracks, I’m afraid. It will be a while before another “Songs” reissue :)
Very interesting to see them from those sources and yes I think this is the final word on “Songs” as this set really can’t be beat.
is there a possibility to have a new relased of the DVD in PAL ?
and in 4:3 aspect ratio to have the full cinematography seen on the screen?
all clips were 4:3 and all 16×9 TV’s have aspct ratio buttons to
display 4:3 content correctly
Can the DVD with all the promos also be had in PAL format ?
I’m asking because most of the clips were filmed 25 fps.
PAL would faithfully represent the work of the Director.
Thanks
Michael
[…] enjoyed the second Tears For Fears album, Songs From The Big Chair on a blu-ray disc that boasted three different versions of the album – 5.1, 2014 Stereo Mix and […]
So, I now have this box, and although I am quite happy with it (despite NOT including the proper We Are Broken and featuring some vinyl rips of the Massey show, which makes no sense as the rest of the trax are sourced from master tapes) – I have discovered another “error”
The original songs from the album (CD1 tracks 1-8) have a weird volume fluctuation going on.
If you listen carefully and examine the WAV files, yuo can plainly hear and see that the Left channel is approx. 1-2.5 dB louder than the right channel.
Why? This is a crazy expensive box set, and the content is amazing – and even the sound of the remastered album is great (finally some low end bass!) – but it is a pain to have to go into a sound editor to fix a mistake, that the mastering engineer should have caught.
Being a mastering engineer myself, I find this appalling, as a lot of deluxe editions and box sets have come out with errors in the mastering (the Frankie box from a few years ago comes to mind, where the first 5 songs were transferred with only the left channel intact) and the fact that we, as consumers who put our hard earned money into the labels’ coffers, get left out in a lurch – having spent large sums of money to get a faulty product.
I have researched this issue with this particular box, and I am not the only one who has heard this issue, as it has been reported on many music forums.
Any ideas on if this will be fixed? or if better attention will be paid for the Seeds box?
Excellent release and wonderfully put together. I treated myself to the box set. The following may interest aficionados of the album: I noticed that on the DVD’s Stereo Mix, ‘I Believe’ ends by fading out completely, rather than running into ‘Broken’, giving ‘Broken’ a clean intro possibly for the first time ever.
I noticed it too and I didn’t like it.
Hi Paul, sorry if this has already been addressed, but can you please let us know exactly which version of the album is on CD1? I gather it’s the “original” mix, but has it been compressed/EQed/normalised for this reissue?
Hi Paul! Excellent job here! I got this for Christmas and there is soooo much to love! I’ve going through the rare tracks first – have a new 7.1 system on the way so this will be the first surround mix I try on it.
I have a question that was skipped waaay above that I can’t find the answer. The “single version” of “Everybody Wants To Rule The World”… what’s the difference between that and the album version? It’s almost identical running time and I can’t tell any differences. Not sure if this was added because it was a different mix on paper?
My only minor gripe is yeah like someone said above – some of the BBC vids are like widescreen, made full screen, then made widescreen again, which is the effect of when you watch full screen stretched to a wide screen, but then put a black bar around it… pretty sure most tv stuff would have been 4:3. It’s an OCD thing mainly. But I fully understand what a nightmare it can be getting those right in a time constraint – I have a compilation that was all wrong like that and fixing it was a headache and a half. Again MINOR in a box full of major triumph. The sound – beautiful! The extra mixes… US and UK both… the promo vids I hadnt seen like the first Mothers Talk. Top Notch box set!
Thanks Robert. My memory is that there are some very minor mix differences on the single version of EWTRTW, although I agree they are very similar. What was used was definitely the single version, so it’s a case of ‘it is what it is’. Hopefully, historically accurate, even if not that that satisfying as a single mix!
Hi Paul, sorry if this has already been addressed, but can you please let us know exactly which version of the album is on CD1? I gather it’s the “original” mix, but has it been compressed/EQed/normalised for this reissue?
It’s a 2014 remaster of the original mix. From all the comments I’ve read, everyone seems happy with the new mastering – in fact I don’t think I’ve read any criticism, so you can rest easy if that’s a concern.
Well I’ve been listening to this, and as a lover of 5.1 mixes it is actually the huge amount of stereo bonus material that I’m really enjoying. I particularly enjoyed the regular 12″ version of Mother’s Talk, and the US mixes. I was also surprised, having not listened to the 12″ of The Way You Are for years probably how much I enjoyed that too. Meant in the nicest possible way, it could have been a classic b-side.
I am also getting my refund as they have confirmed I was sent the wrong one. Still would be great to have that vinyl mix though.
the turquoise 2014 stereo mix vinyl can be ordered from here:
http://store.universal-music.co.uk/euro/tears-for-fears-songs-from-the-big-chair-vinyl-2014/invt/0602547005915
this is where I ordered it from and got it correctly!
BR
Gyula
Can anyone confirm that the U.S. 12″ version of “Everybody Wants To Rule The World” is different than the U.K. 12″ version? In one of my Amazon.com reviews, a fan states that his U.S. 12″ of “Everybody Wants To Rule The World” is different: “the most striking difference is the beginning”.
I would guess they are talking about the Urban Mix versus the standard 12″ extended mix. There is no other extended remix outside those two.
Thank you, Paul. That’s what I thought.
Can someone help me sort out Disc 5? My surround equipment isn’t high end, but I’m trying to understand exactly what’s on the disc. According to my player, it looks like:
Title 1 = Original Mix (What is this exactly? The same mix as on Disc 1?)
Title 2 = 2014 Mix (With 2 audio choices? PCM stereo and DTS 5.1?)
Title 3 = 2014 Mix (In Dolby 5.1?)
Is that right or am I way off? Sorry for sounding like an idiot, I’m new to surround/5.1 stuff.
Thanks!
Hi Kelton – you’re more or less correct…
Original Mix – same as disc 1 but this version better quality being in hi-resolution stereo (96/24).
2014 Mix (Stereo) – this is the new Steven Wilson remix in hi-resolution stereo (96/24)
2014 Mix (5.1) – this is the Steven Wilson surround mix. This is available in Dolby 5.1, DTS, and lossless MLP. The last version (MLP) is only accessible if you have a DVD/Blu-ray player that supports the DVD-Audio format and is equal in quality to the blu-ray edition which is available separately.
“Original Mix – same as disc 1 but this version better quality being in hi-resolution stereo (96/24).”
Which is debatable (at least the profit of a higher sample frequency) due to the use of that digital compressor.
i got same letter saying their is no turquoise 2014 vinyl available.
any idea where to get one?
Sigh* I received the standard “grey” vinyl instead of the turquoise 2014 remix, which I preordered from Universal… Today I got the “standard e-mail from them, telling me that they don’t have it any longer…
Is there any way to get this resolved and receive the correct LP? Please
I received my 4-CD/2-DVD box set today. It is wonderful! Beautifully packaged and loaded with information and music, of course. Nice work, Paul and everyone involved in the project. You guys truly did an overall fantastic job!
With that said, I have to admit that I am puzzled with the inclusion of a vinyl transfer for the U.S. Single Version of “Shout”. In my own collection, I have it in digital form (not vinyl transfer) on Universal’s own “More Pure 80’s” CD, released in 2000 on UTV Records, plus a few other compilations (no vinyl transfers either). I am thinking that the U.S. Division of Universal Music has it readily available in digital form, since it just recently appeared on the 2014 release, “ICON: ’80s Hits”, released by Universal Music (U.S.) as well.
If one glances over the All Music (www.allmusic.com) page for the various versions of “Shout” featured on compilations, one will see that the U.S. Single Version (often running 4:03-4:07) has appeared on CD numerous times over the years. I doubt that they are all vinyl transfers either since, as I mentioned above, all the ones in my music collection are not from vinyl.
Any ideas, Paul?
Don’t know to be honest. The whole finding-the-right-tapes situation is a nightmare and you are dealing with a major label going back and fourth on various things. Sometimes a tape will turn up but the whole thing is too far along to stop the process and correct. Not saying that is what happened here, but sometimes ‘business’ stuff or deadlines or budget ‘trump’ other things. We found a great version of Mothers Talk too late to include, which was very annoying!!
Thank you for the response, Paul.
Okay, I’m curious – what was the great version of Mothers Talk that was found too late? (Fair enough if you are not at liberty to say.)
I’d like to know as well. :)
I also received the ‘grey’ LP from Universal instead of the ‘blue’ 2014 remix. Can you please let me know who I need to contact in order to get this resolved and receive the correct LP? A direct email address would be great. Many thanks.
have a look back at the comments – I posted an email address. Thanks.
Just noticed a 2014 mix vinyl sold on eBay for over £100!! Still seems to be available on the record label website though.
Hi Paul –
Just received the correct vinyl version. Not had a chance to play it yet but it ‘looks’ great.
I can’t thank you enough for sorting this out for me (and others), you really went the extra mile. Please convey my thanks to the product manager also.
Very much appreciated!
Cheers
Trash
P.S. By the way, do you happen to know if the MP3 download mentioned on the front cover is a download of the standard mix or of the Stereo Mix?
You’re welcome. Don’t think that download works yet, but I’m not expecting it to be the 2014 version, even though that would be logical!
HI Guys,
does somebody know where can I order the :
Tears For Fears – Songs From The Big Chair (2014 Stereo Mix)
Label: Mercury – 4700591, vinyl?
I followed the link for preorder that was here in the article. It was working I ordered the vinyl, it was showing the green cover one on the site. Then i received today and it is the grey one:
Tears For Fears – Songs From The Big Chair
Label: Mercury – 3794995, backtoblack vinyl.
I checked the Udiscover link here again and the item is not available anymore…can I be so unlucky that they mixed up my order, and this is sold out already and i can only buy it for hundreds of euros??? sometime..????:((
This seems to have happened to a lot of people / everyone. I’ve given up trying to figure out what’s going on to be honest. Sorry.
Hi Paul,
If you have a spare one for me i would be very happy to get one and pay you the price. (Only now i went through the comments..sorry)
tnx
Gyula
Email me your address (via ‘get in touch’ button) and I’ll try and get one to you.
Stumbled upon this amazing site and had to run out to get the BR-audio! It states that the “original mix” is included, in addition to the Steven Wilson 2014 Stereo Mix & 5.1 Mix. Does anyone know if this “original mix” is the 1985 version or the new 2014 remaster by Chris Hughes?
Anyway, am super chuffed with the reissue and now cant wait for Seeds of Love to come next yr!
Hi Keith. The ‘original mix’ is the Chris Hughes version from 1985 but it’s remastered in 2014 by Andy Walter. Despite people worrying about the remaster I’ve read that most are pleased with how it sounds. thanks, Paul
Thanks Paul. Email sent. This is most gracious of you.
Kit
Got your email. Will be in touch. P
Hi Paul. Got the 2014 mix vinyl today! Thanks again for all your help.
Excellent – glad it got there safely.
Hi Paul.
Got an email reply this morning. Same reply Trash got. Simply said they are not available and that I’d get a refund in 3-5 days and to keep the vinyl received. Would love to get what I pre-ordered. If you know of a way to get me a copy it would be greatly appreciated.
Kit
Email me your address (use ‘Get In Touch’ button on the site) and I’ll get a copy sent to you. I’m bypassing official channels and doing this renegade SDE style :)
Thank you so much Paul.
You’ll see my message subject:
“Message from ‘Trash’ re: TFF 2014 stereo mix”
Really appreciate this.
Cheers
Just received my pre-order vinyl of the 2014 mixes, but received the Back To Black version instead. Sent an email to the support email listed above. Will see what happens. Very disappointed that this has happened.
Yes, it seems to have happened to quite a few people. Let us know what happens.
Hi Paul –
Did you see my comment above – even after insisting and mentioning the conversation you had with the product manager they are still insisting that there is no stock :-(
Somehow I don’t see this being resolved…
This is ridiculous. I don’t know WTF is going on. They’ve got 400 of them apparently. Anyway, email me your address and I can get one sent to you because I know a man who has a few spares.
Thank you so much Paul.
You’ll see my message subject:
“Message from ‘Trash’ re: TFF 2014 stereo mix”
Really appreciate this.
Cheers
P.S. Maybe someone is hoarding the 400 in the hope they may be valuable one day :-)
No worries. Got your email. I’m reckon the ‘missing’ vinyl will surface at some point…. P
Hi Paul –
Had a response from Universal who are still insisting that the item is out of stock. Can you get the product manager to have a word with them – this seems ridiculous.
FYI here is the latest response:
———————–
Hi Joe
We are sorry as stated in the email below, we have no further stock left and are unable to send this out to you.
We have therefore issued a full refund and the payment will process within 3-5 days. Please note that there is no need to return the wrong record.
We apologise for the inconvenience and disappointment caused by this.
Kind regards
Jasmin
Digital Stores Customer Services
Incidentally I now notice that the product has now been removed from the site…
This is all so so strange…
Many thanks for any further insights you can glean on this Paul.
cheers
Joe
Hope I am not asking something a second time…
Does anyone know where I can get good jpegs of all the covers for the Super Deluxe Box Set? Have imported all into my digital library and am a bit of a perfectionist..
fanart.tv
Not wanting to take away from the fantastic audio content, but the DVD is awful, looks like awful youtube clips, ratio is all over the place.
Very disappointing, wouldn’t a simple port from any of the few available dvds been easier than what Universal served up
10/10 for the audio 0/10 for the dvd
Hi Paul – I’ve had a couple of comments about the DVD so I went back and had another look.
Putting to one side the whole aspect ration situation, I have to say I completely reject the idea that anything looks like “awful youtube clips”. They don’t. They look like ’80s videos and an ’80s documentary much of which was almost certainly shot on video tape and not film. But even with that proviso I still think they look fine. I’ve watched them on a 40″ HD TV as well.
I’d go further and say “The Way You Are” looks really good. So does the video for the US mix of “Mothers Talk”. I mean, how “good” do you expect these things to look? I don’t see how the quality of that US version of Mothers Talk could be improved, short of going back and colour correcting all the promos. If this was a £100 box set perhaps the budget would have been there to do that.
All of the Top of the Pops and Wogan clips also look quite clean and sharp. Only “I Believe” does look a bit crap and grainy, but that’s mainly because it’s so dark.
On to the aspect ration ‘situation’. Four videos aren’t 4:3. That’s probably about 16 minutes out of 160 minutes of promo/documentary/interview. Two of those four videos (Everybody Wants To Rule The World and I Believe) look like they might be the original aspect to me, which leaves just the second Mothers Talk and Shout
as promos that look a bit cropped. Yes, it would be better if they were 4:3, but a couple of videos at a sub-optimum ration does not make for an “awful” DVD.
The Top of the pops all LOOK fine except nearly all of them are widescreen and not 4:3. Only both clips of Everybody Wants To Rule The World are the exception.
Ideal? No. A disaster/travesty/something worth writing to your local MP about? Hardly.
In short we will have to agree to differ on this. In my opinion the quality is in general FINE, often better than fine. The odd video is cropped and for some reason virtually all the BBC stuff isn’t 4:3. It’s not perfect, but the only reason I’ve answered this point at such length is because I’m worried people with think it’s horrendous and it’s miles from that.
Hi Paul,
Thanks for your reply.
I have the videos from multiple sources over the years & my comments are based what I’ve seen over the years.
Using Mothers Talk (US Version) as you have highlighted it I have in far better quality, so it’s out there.
The incorrect ratio of the clips is terrible quality control, there are many 80’s artists where a professional job has been carried out, Frankie’s – Frankie Said recently being a good example, BBC footage in a ratio that wasn’t in different ratios??
The quality isn’t so much the issue, it is what it is.
Couldn’t Universal have done just a simple port of the Promos etc?, would have been easy & cheaper.
This isn’t a criticism aimed at you Paul in any shape or form & I hope you haven’t taken it that way.
It’s an outstanding Box Set as I’ve said several times over the last couple of weeks, all over Twitter etc
But the DVD isn’t of the same quality , a simple fact
Paul, the 24/96 stereo 2014 mix is divine, thank you.
Is there a 24/96 stereo mix of the Hurting lurking about? The hurting box set did not have a DVD-A disc?
Thanks
Mark
Thanks. There is a 24/96 version of the standard Hurting mix on blu-ray audio, but that’s obviously nothing like the 2014 stereo mix of “Songs” which was a proper remix.
Thanks Paul, I wonder if Universal will release this to HD Tracks as they have with SFTBC, where you can buy the two 24/96 stereo mixes.
SFTBC is available over at HDTracks now. Stereo only, but both the original recording remastered as well as the stereo Steve Wilson 2014 mix.
http://www.hdtracks.com/songs-from-the-big-chair
At first I wasn’t all that interested, as I’d always assumed from the sound of it that SFTBC was a digital recording (or had been entirely processed thru a Fairlight or something). However, I found this curious note at HDTracks:
“Songs From The Big Chair was originally recorded on 1/2″ analog tape in 1983 using a digital compressor that cut frequencies higher than 20hKz before being written to tape. This 2014 remaster was done by Andy Walter, at Abbey Road Studios from these same analog tapes which were transferred to digital at 96kHz/24-bit.”
So it sounds like the original master, having gone thru probably a 44.1kHz/16-bit digital compressor back in the ’80s, might as well be a digital recording. In other words, there’s little to no advantage to doing a high-resolution edition of the original master.
However, now I’m very interested in Steve Wilson’s 2014 remix, since that would have been taken from the original analog multitracks which were NOT run thru a digital compressor. So, apart from anything that had been sampled thru a Fairlight on the recording, you should see quite a bit of improvement in any 24-bit, 96kHz version of Wilson’s remix. The bass in particular should be a lot more realistic at 24-bit.
That’s really interesting – thanks John.
Am I wrong or the track list in cd 2 is wrong? Track 14 should be the short version of shout while my player reports 4.40 time while track 9 that should be the us version reports 4.04
Matteo
That’s correct. The Short Version is longer than the US Single Version.
Paul
We’re the original studio recordings analogue or digital and if digital does this mean the source for the 24/96 2014 remaster was actually 16/44.1?
They were analogue. You can see a photo of the box that the tape was in within this post http://www.superdeluxeedition.com/feature/exclusive-remixing-tears-for-fears-and-the-stereo-channel-saga/
By the way – with all my whining about not get the correct vinyl edition I think I may have totally neglected to say what a great job you have done on this Paul.
– The packaging is great – I liked The Hurting packaging too and it is nice that the boxes are consistent. Loved the Gold sticker :-)
– My CDs were held together with a white band which was a nice touch as these things often come loose in transit.
– The content is superb – I have not worked through everything yet but, being a huge fan rather than a detailed completist, it certainly contains all I could want (perhaps more demos would have been nice but I suspect they don’t exist or they would have been included).
– Soundwise: I do most of my listening on headphones and to my ancient ears things sound very nice indeed – balanced and full with nice separation and no remastering artefacts (of the type that unfortunately still seem to blight some remasters).
– I’ve only skimmed the booklet so far and it’s nice to have the artist commenting on their work especially with the benefit of distance. I look forward to reading it all.
– The reproduction program…. hmmm….. I guess it’s a nice addition but as I flicked through it, it really reminded me of why I always found programmes a bit of a rip off (especially as an impoverished student). Still it could have been worse – at least there are no glass marbles in sight :-)
Overall a fitting tribute to a great album. As much as I rave about Elemental, SFTBC is still my favourite TFF album and this reissue *finally* does it justice.
Thanks again Paul.
Thanks, much appreciated. You’re right about the demos!
Quite annoyed to get the black and white version of the vinyl…thought the blue version LOOKED great as well as I’m sure sounding great. Hope universal pit this right!
The box set though is ACE!!
This is indeed annoying as mine was posted late last week and received the next day. I email them straight away to say there had been an error and yet they are clearly still sending them out.
Perhaps they think/hope we wouldn’t notice :-)
I’ve contacted Universal and this is the email address that you need to contact if you have received the wrong SFTBC vinyl: [email protected]
Apparently you need to just explain the situation and include some kind of receipt number or proof of purchase and they will sort. You’d hope they might let you keep the other vinyl as a gesture of goodwill, but I’m not promising that that will happen…. let me know how you get on. thanks, Paul
Hi Paul –
Thanks for doing this. I have been using the web from up until now which seems to send emails into a black hole.
I have now contacted them using the email above as you suggest. I’ll let you know when/if I hear anything.
Thanks again
P.S. Ordered the David Rhodes album :-)
Yeah, let me know. Hope you enjoy David Rhodes!
Hi Paul –
Just received this fromUniversal:
Good morning
We are sorry to hear that you have received the wrong album.
Unfortunately we have no remaining stock left and are unable to arrange a replacement.
We have therefore issued a full refund and the payment will process within 3-5 days. Please note that there is no need to return the wrong record.
We apologise for the inconvenience and disappointment caused by this.
Kind regards
————————————–
I’m kind of suspicious as I pre-ordered this pretty much straight away. I’m wondering was it ever *actually* available?
Oh well disappointed but at least I won’t be out of pocket. :-(
Thanks again for your help with this.
Really sorry for you re this. It’s poor from Universal I have to say. I’ll make a few further enquiries…
What were you offered? Refund, but return the black LP? Or refund and keep the black LP or what?
Sorry about lots of messages. Here’s the situation, there are PLENTY of the limited edition 2014 mix vinyl left in stock. Please contact them again and if necessary say James Meadows in UK marketing has confirmed that.
I got the same reply as trash. Thanks for the advice Paul – I will try that as well and hope they don’t now suggest an exchange as I have now unwrapped the black vinyl!
Thanks for the continued updates on this Paul – I really can’t believe the effort are having to o through just to to get a simple order fulfilled.
Luckily I I have kept the album intact and unopened (as I really have no interest in replacing my original with a repressing).
I’ve taken your advice and written in again. I let you know what I hear…
Thanks again.
No reply yet. Meanwhile, I notice that the album seems to be available here: http://store.universal-music.co.uk/restofworld/tears-for-fears-songs-from-the-big-chair-vinyl-2014/invt/0602547005915
I wonder if I should place an order or whether I will get yet another black album…
Just got my vinyl and it too is the black cover vinyl version instead of the 2014 Stereo version. Really disappointed after the long wait.
“Do deluxe editions get any better than this?”
Yes – IMHO, the XTC CD/BD release are still the yardstick by which other SDEs need to be judged…
Totally agree – The XTC reissues certainly set the benchmark in terms of quality and value for money…
But not packaging. XTC isn’t as nice as this. And the booklets just fall out when you open the digi-packs ?! Can’t argue with content though and obviously a great price.
I’ll tell you why the XTC edges out the Tears for Fears, and it’s not (just) the price – it’s the fact that all the music (original mix, remix, 5.1, demos, b-sides) is on the XTC Blu-ray in hi-res.
I think Universal have missed a trick with the Tears box set – if I had been in their shoes I would have pushed to put everything on the CDs on the included Blu-ray as well (at least in hi-res if not in 5.1), and included this expanded Blu-ray only in the box set.
So the casual fan gets the option of the standalone 5.1 Blu-ray in hi-res – and the dedicated collector gets *everything* in hi-res.
Will there be a CD of the 2014 stereo mix?
‘Fraid not.
Mine has just dropped through the door.
I went straight for the DVD-A 2014 stereo mix as I don’t really do surround. It’s clearly less compressed and more detailed than the previous deluxe edition without even running it through the Dynamic Range Meter.
It’s not a big an upgrade as the Hurting but it’s one of my favourite albums so any sound improvement is welcome.
Probably could’ve lived without the tour programme but the booklet is a good read with a lot more detail than you usually get with these sort of things.
Will work my way through the cds next week.
So glad to hear they’re going to do this for ‘Seeds.’
Really? Where did you hear that out of interest. I hope it’s true.
Seeds would be good but I would be even more interested in a remaster of Elemental – a great album with a really strong set of b-sides. I’d love to hear the demos for this album too.
Paul said this, it’s the first or second comment on this page :-)
Oops – sorry.
September was so long ago… :-)
Bad feedback already?
I received my copy today, looks good and sounds good.
My only comments ate the booklets feel like fanzines, other Universal box sets I have like this are hard back books.
Why no CD of the 2014 Stereo Mix? Its not even available to download, poor. I’m not an audiophile who has a surround set up and don’t fancy sitting in front of my tv to hear this new mix. Poor.
The booklet says the footage on the DVD was restored, but it looks like straight transfers from the old ‘Tears Roll Down’ VHS compilation complete with bad blurry graphics and at one point you see credits for it before they fade out quickly. I’m disappointed with the TOTP’s clips, the ratio for most of them have been recreated as widescreen but while others aren’t, strange. they are also poorer quality, probably due to the disc being a DVD9 and compression. The same happened with Universal’s Big Country BBC box set.
However, saying this its a great box to have and look forward to the next one one.
Hi Tom,
Thanks for your comments… a few further comments in response…
I like the soft-cover booklets. Much easier to actually read (the whole purpose after all) and I always think the spines on the hardcover ones will fall apart quite quickly!
You don’t need a surround sound set-up to hear the new stereo mix – just a DVD player which is connected to two speakers or your TV. You have to draw the line somewhere with these sets… a CD of the new mix would have meant 7-discs! It’s on vinyl if you have a turntable.
The videos came from various sources – it wasn’t a straight transfer from the Tears Roll Down compilation as you suggest. Some are better than others – I think The Way You Are is very good for example. Some of TOTPs are 4:3, some aren’t. I can’t recall all the details but if Neil Wilkes reads this he might be able to offer some further comment. We did the best we could with the deadlines and budget etc.
Hi Paul
As I said, I don’t want to sit in front of my TV to listen to this new mix. I’d rather have it on the go, car, mp3 player etc.
I don’t have a turntable and its a bit much to buy just to have the download of the new mix. I know, everyone is different but if it was me compiling I wouldn’t have included the bsides from The Hurting, regardless if they were on a SFTBC cassette because they shouldn’t have been included on that anyway. They are on The Hurting box set already. I don’t need a disc of single edits either. A new stereo mix is far more interesting than those, but I know there are completists for these things.
I’m going to rip the new stereo mix from the DVD with with some software and burn it to a disc assuming there is a LPCM layer on the DVD. I do agree though that the new stereo mix should have been released on CD because for the life of me i cannot see why anybody would be interested in buying the 2 disc edition to get a bunch of edits and i agree The Conflict should not be on this.
I have a 2nd copy secured at £37.99 but i may cancel it. Was hoping it would go back to £31.90 at some point. It’s currently about £45.99. I may be able to make a few quid towards my first copy but don’t think it’s worth the risk!
Just received my supposed 2014 Stereo Mix blue cover vinyl edition – ordered specifically from Universal. Was very excited until I opened only to find it looks like a reissue of the standard edition – despite the fact that this is not actually listed on their site!
Still waiting to hear what they have to say about it – I still have my original so I’m not interested in a reissue of the same thing!
:-(
Do you mean you got the black cover vinyl version by mistake?
Yes indeed – I got sent the black cover version which is not listed on the site so I don’t see how I could have ordered it in error.
Not happy…
To be clear – I ordered directly from Universal using the link posted above…
The link still points to the new Stereo mix version (and Universal don’t seem to be selling the normal version) so I think someone screwed up – but I’ll see what they have to say when they eventually get back to me.
You may get to keep that one too, so might work out….
Hi Trash. The same happened to me! I’m not happy either. Ordered the “blue version” and today received the normal black and white version.
I’ve made some enquiries about this for you at Universal. Will let you know what they come back with.
I’ve sent three emails to Universal so far and heard nothing (not even an acknowledgement that they have received my emails).
Thanks for following up on this Paul – anything you can find out will be much appreciated.
Dave, if I hear anything I will post back here…
Cheers
the same thing happened to me. They sent me the normal black and white edition. Not the green color tinted package. i emailed them now
Slightly annoyed Amazon just jacked the price up for the 6 disc set by £10 over the last few days.
I was over the moon it was £35, now it’s £45 I’m a little more “wait and see”. I’ll still get it mind you, I just will need to wait.
Why didn’t you get an early pre-order in to secure the lower price? It doesn’t cost anything to do that.