Tears For Fears / “The Hurting” four-disc box set: exclusive details

Hi Paul, do you see any chance for a reprint of this first TFF box set now that Seeds Of Love is finally being released?

First off, great work. I’m sure this was a serious undertaking, so my few comments are just geeky questions and in no way detract from what is otherwise a great box set:

1. I may have missed above, but is “Ideas As Opiates” (Single Version) (Disc 2, Track 4) actually the single b-side version, or is it simply the album version with 11 extra seconds tacked on? If my aging ears aren’t failing me, it is the same song, and the b-side version of “Ideas As Opiates” is actually missing.

2. I expect you have nothing to do with the proof reading, but if we are forking out US $80, I’d love it if they were consistent on spelling (David Jensen vs. David Jenson) and also, especially, with song titles. To completists (aka dorks like me) it does make a difference if it is the demo version or the promo CD version.

Again, LOVE the box set, and appreciate all the hard work. Just wish they would be as anal as the folks purchasing it, since we are the target audience.

Thanks again

I hate to be the first quibbler, but having just received this (lovely, well-put-together) set I do have a question: is it my imagination, or is track 15 on CD 2, credited as “We Are Broken” [4.03], actually the “Broken (Revisited)” [5.17] remix included on later cassette pressings of _Songs From the Big Chair_?

Now some positive comments to put this into perspective: I’m thrilled to finally get “Wino” and the single version of “Ideas as Opiates” and “Change [new version]” on CD. The art, booklet, and programme replica are of excellent quality and I’m really pleased with the liner notes.

Hey Paul! This is a great edition, really. Finally TFF get the attention and recognition they deserve, and how many bands can say that they’ve created such a classic with their first album?

Three questions for you:
– Can you tell us whether the lyrics will be included (also for the bonus tracks)?
– And what happened to the leftovers from the “In my Mind’s Eye” concert? “The Way You Are” and “The Marauders” were played at the gig but not included on the original VHS!
– Do we get all the credits, and do they make sense? I haven’t yet understood what “Jazz High, Dynamic Toggle” is supposed to mean…

What determines whether this gets a U.S. release?

Back to The Hurting, it’s worth pointing out that the old Mercury/Universal CD “The Working Hour – An Introduction to Tears for Fears” contains full length, unsegued album versions of both Pale Shelter and Memories Fade. The latter is particularly nice to have as a full recording.

Amazing news and we need a songs from the big chair same treatment edition ;)

I agree with paul, not sure i see the point in a reissue of seeds of love the, its not rare and neither are the b sides, better off with another take on ‘songs’ with the four missing mixes.

I hope that in the future ‘Elemental’ will be released in deluxe edition. That album also have some solid bonus tracks like Bloodletting Go, Deja-Vu and the Sins of Science, New Star, Schrodinger’s Cat…Maybe they dig some extended version of ‘The Working Hour’ on the future release for SFTBC. That kind of song deserves extended version. 6 minutes & 31 seconds is not enough for me. Cherry Pop done a really great job with ‘Raoul’ and another deluxe edition it would be pointless.

This is not my thought, there is thought of someone else who is obviously a big fan of TFF (from another site). This is his track list for deluxe editions of “The Seeds Of Love”:

1. Sowing the Seeds of Love (7″ version)
2. Woman in Chains (7″ version)
3. Famous Last Words (Single Edit or French Radio Edit)[these first three tracks wouldn’t be essential as they’re just radio edits]
4. Advice for the Young at Heart (Single Mix)
5. Tears Roll Down
6. My Life in the Suicide Ranks
7. Always in the Past
8. Woman in Chains (Instrumental)
9. Ghost Papa
10. Woman in Chains (Jakkatta Awakened Mix)
11. Music for Tables
12. Johnny Panic and the Bible of Dreams
13. Johnny Panic (Instrumental)
14. Year of the Knife (Canadian Single Remix)
15. Johnny Panic (Shock Mix)
16. Johnny Panic (Unstable Mix)
17. The Body Wah (from the Best of era)
18. Lord of Karma (from the Best of era)
19. Laid So Low (Tears Roll Down) (Best of)

I think that is the great track list, but obviously missing part in this deluxe edition probably will be conncert, because California concert is already released on DVD.

What material bar the cd single b sides and the edit of Year Of The Knife would be on a reissue of the Seeds of Love?

Is this topic stuck at the top of the page? I keep checking for updates and this one seems to be glued on the screen. –lol–

Just saw the wonderful news about this Deluxe Edition in the new Classic Pop magazine! Great work, Paul. This is something I’ve been hoping for ever since the deluxe Songs… double disc reissue, although it’s a shame that a couple of the UK 12″ standard remixes couldn’t have been accommodated on that second remastering. Licks lips. Looking forward to it already – easily the reissue highlight of the year!

Slightly off-topic, but I notice there’s no mention of Visage in the ‘tags’ section to the right. How many more budget Spectrum CDs (the lastest this past month or so) and greatest hits, all with the wrong versions of tracks and generally little re-mastering, do we have to suffer until their three albums get the same, diligent treatment given to other Universal acts like TFF.

With the 35th anniversary of their debut album coming up in 2015, it would be a perfect time to sort this out, especially with all the material yet to surface on CD (the 7″ cut of We Move, If You Want Me to Stay – the song they performed with Ronny, the beautiful Visage 7″ b-side Second Steps…). After all, Visage were one of THE bands to kick-start the electropop that dominated the early 80s charts, and yet they have still to receive any remastered editions after all these years of such CD delights.

Okay, I’m biased, I admit it! Besides the Visage album being the first album I ever bought (on cassette), these days I publish an Ultravox and related artists magazine (re:VOX), so we’ve certainly covered the band in depth.

I can’t be the only one thinking the same thing :-)

Hooray finally the record companies are paying attention to the fans. Your involvement Paul is the best news i’ve heard in months. Any news of a Seeds of love deluxe edition??

One of the greatest albums ever made, this deluxe edition is long overdue – I was hoping for a 12″ single box (on CDs) reissued but this will do just fine since just about everything after this era is available somehow on CD. The Rockpalast show is great – the live show here is notorious for the ‘overproduction’ and use of cheesy effects that hampered enjoyment of what was a GREAT performance. All those alternate versions that I’ve had on various formats for years will finally be available. THANKS for your involvement in making this the great package it deserves to be.

I’ve got nothing to add, I just didn’t want to be the only one not to post something on this thread.

Looks like an excellent boxset for the material. Would have liked them to include the videos on the DVD but whatever. The only problem is that Peter Mew is doing the mastering, which if it is like anything he has done in the past I would not hold your breath for this sounding any good. Hold on you your German Atomic pressing.

Fantastic re-issue…ordered; I was listening to that album the other day, probably their best!!
Do we know what’s on the bonus 7”?

Wow, is this the longest comment tread at SDE ever?
I’ll probably buy the 4CD set to get the DVD concert. I remember seeing it 28 years ago on a borrowed VDO tape.
Paul, could you please give a pre-review regarding the audio quality. What I’m most concern is the quality of new remaster. I hope it won’t be earbleeding and harsh.
Thanks,

This re-issue does seem amazing, this is how bands should be doing them. A lot of effort has gone into this, so congrats for that. I will be getting the deluxe one. But, I do have to agree, ‘The way we were’, certainly fits more into this album project, rather than ‘Songs from a big chair’. It almost sounds like it from the same sessions as ‘The hurting’. That is a shame I think, as it was the first thing I noticed should be there, that isn’t. Silly decision by the band. Great stuff, 5 stars.

No No No No No No and No…. :-)
Clearly I must be one of the few people that actually loves ‘The Way You Are”…

And actually having listened to Saxophones as Opiates (via a quick Internet search) I can sort of understand why they chose not to include it – it’s pretty pointless and the sax sounds almost discordant in places. The whole thing sounds like a hastily pulled together piece because they needed a b-side…

It would be interesting to know the reasons for the omission, but what could be worse musically in their repertoire than Wino?!

‘The Way You Are’ belong to the SFTBC deluxe editions. That is the first song that Roland writes after ‘The Hurting’ album. He said that in ‘Scenes From The Big Chair’ documentary. Second song he writes is ‘Mother’s Talk’. There is only hope that in the future we will see Deluxe editions of SFTBC & TSOL. Probably there will be no deluxe editions of SFTBC, beacuse documetary ‘Scenes From The Big Chair’ & Deluxe Editions in 2006 preety much covers almost everything. Maybe will see the re-release of that deluxe editions, perhaps in 2015. INXS do the same thing with ‘Kick’ album. Deluxe edition in 2002 and again in 2012.

Neil, there was a video for ‘The Way You Are’ – http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xs9ny1_1983-the-way-you-are_music

Great stuff Paul. Ordered my copy.

I happen to love The Way You Are (one of my favourite early TFF tracks) but don’t mind that it was left off the set as it is available elsewhere.
However I had not even heard of Saxophones as Opiates before reading these comments so I think it’s a shame that it was vetoed from the track listing.
I would certainly favour an MP3 download as an exclusive for those that by this reissue…

Still a minor quibble – all in all I’m very excited by this.

Would love to see a deluxe remaster of Elemental (a sadly overlooked gem imho).

As regards The Way You Are and the reason for changing direction was the simple fact that they knew the song was rubbish and it only reached number 24 in the charts where their previous 3 singles had all gone top 5. The other argument about it being on that cassette of SFTBC doesn’t hold any water either because The Conflict and Broken were on that as well and they were Hurting b sides. The Way You Are was that bad that they didn’t even bother to make a video for it.

I’m really happy about this, it’ll be great to have Wino and all the early single versions of tracks in quality. Superb looking presentation and I look forward to reading the book as well. Tempted to order the one with bonus 7″.

I get why The Way You Are is considered Songs From The Big Chair period but it sounds and the cover looks like a Hurting era release and fits in better with that. The band also note it as ‘the point where we knew we had to change direction’ thus tying it to that era.

Saxophones As Opiates always felt thrown together anyway, but it’s as shame it’s being left off, only because there’s otherwise been great effort to make this definitive.

Still, those are minor things, I am very impressed that an album like this gets treatment like this these days.

This looks amazing. Great job.

I am *likely* to buy this just because I would support any double-disc (or more) effort of Tears for Fears. Their music commands my respect.

I am *certain* to buy this just because they are adding a DVD to the other content.

And *Thank God!* they are finally releasing Wino on CD. I don’t care if it is the worst song ever (I happen to like it). It’s an integral part of their history, and you can’t tell their story properly without it! (Actually, I think they consider The Way You Are as their worst song. I like that one, too, and also its video.)

And finally, thank you for all of Disc 3. This release is doing it right! Hopefully, we’ll get Live from Massey Hall on a 2015 SFTBC bonus disc.

Loving your work. A fantastic box set, lovingly approached! A question. Is the rest of the Oxford Apollo show going to surface? Or was it a case of local radio can only afford to tape two songs? A desk taping by the band? Help! ia

Given how sometimes reissue track lists look fine, but then the record company pulls the wrong mix or a mix is mislabelled, or the mastering is off… (um, FGTH, Aztec Camera, Thompson Twins, Duran Duran…), I sure hope they give you an advance CD for you to verify before they ship these out. I love and respect Tears For Fears and their ability to give their personal lives the attention they need. I would love for this release to go off without a hitch! And… maybe you could persuade Saxophones to be an mp3 release, ala the download-only bonus tracks of recent years from A-Ha, Duran Duran, Arcadia, and Thomas Dolby! Or, after the official release, mp3 EP’s of each single could be released, whereby that track would see the light? Or they can save it as an exclusive for their own website… not that TFF has been very active with their website in the last decade. Curt was pretty good about his… maybe he would be willing to put it on Soundcloud if nowhere else. He does like Soundcloud!

What is known about the World Remix of Mad World? I know it is slightly longer, and it has a little more reverb. It isn’t so much a remix as it is a new single mix with the production reworked on it. Appropriately, the ‘World Remix’ was used in other countries, however, it wasn’t used as the 7″ mix in the UK (except as the b-side to the double 7″, which even my remix-hungry ears would have thought was a rip-off, as it sounds nearly identical to the a-side mix). Was this prepared as the UK 7″ a-side, and simply not ready in time? Did the UK release the wrong mix for the single by mistake?

Paul, nothing but congratulations from the great State of Michigan. Very best with the release

Yes, leaving off the way you are seems odd given the space left on disc 3 and its definitely not a songs from the big chair track. That song is what stopped the next sessions and then forced the band into a rethink of direction. Looks great though, hoping the 4 cd set comes down when amazon list.

The Way You Are belongs on The Hurting as both were released in 1983 and has nothing to do with SFTBC which was two years later. So i feel the extended version should have been on this box set regardless of whether it was on the 99 remaster or not. I don’t know their reasoning for not allowing Saxophones As Opiates to be on this but i would have much rather have had this on here than that rubbish Wino.

Finally managed to order my copy. Hope I was in time for the free 7″.

Absokutely amazing and a long time coming! I’m 100% in agreement with Steve Marine above and congratulations Paul on your contribution to the project.
Though the sound quality/mastering will speak for themselves, seeing the care and meticulous work that have gone into this deluxe edition I have no doubt it will be top notch.
Paul just to be 100% crystal clear, both the single and extended versions of ‘Pale Shelter (You Don’t Give Me Love)’ from 1982 and produced by Mike Howlett are included on this reissue, is that correct?