DavesMusicDatabase.com is devoted to ranking, rating, and reviewing music of all genres and eras. The DMDB blog serves up album and song reviews, best-of lists, music history snapshots, and music-related essays.
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 | Dave’s Faves:Albums of the Year, 1963-2024 |
These are my personal favorite albums each year from 1963 to the present. You can check out other album of the year lists here. See more Dave’s Faves lists here. 
Resources and Related Links:
First posted 8/12/2020; last updated 12/23/2024. |
 | Tears for FearsA Retrospective: 1978-2024 |
OverviewTears for Fears is a new wave group from Bath, England, which formed in 1981. Band members Roland Orzabal and Curt Smith, both from broken homes, met as kids. The pair helmed three albums as Tears for Fears in the 1980s before Curt Smith departed. Orzabal continued the band for two more albums, although they were effectively solo projects at that point since there were no other members from the ‘80s heyday. They reunited for 2004’s Everybody Loves a Happy Ending, but then went on another lengthy hiatus, only releasing an EP in 2014 and a couple of new songs on a 2017 compilation before finally reconvening for 2022’s The Tipping Point. The Players
Links
Spotify PodcastCheck out the Dave’s Music Database podcast Tears for Fears: The Best of. It debuted February 22, 2022 at 7pm CST. Tune in every Tuesday at 7pm for a new episode based on the lists at Dave’s Music Database.
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Awards
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The Studio AlbumsIn addition to Tears for Fears’ albums, this includes additional works by Curt Smith and Roland Orzabal. Hover over an album cover to see its title and year of release. Click on the album to go to its dedicated DMDB page.
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Compilations
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Live Albums
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Acting My AgeGraduate |
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Released: May 1980 Peak: -- Sales (in millions): -- Genre: new wave/ska Rating:  2.967 out of 5.00 (average of 11 ratings)
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Tracks:
Total Running Time: 36:11 About the Album:Before forming Tears for Fears, Orzabal and Smith were in the ska-revival band Graduate from 1978 to 1981. The name came from the Dustin Hoffman movie The Graduate. They released one album and a few singles and started work on a second album that was never finished. Go to the DMDB page for more about this album. |
The HurtingTears for Fears |
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Released: March 7, 1983 Peak: 73 US, 11 UK, 7 CN, 15 AU Sales (in millions): 0.5 US, 0.3 UK, 2.0 world (includes US and UK) Genre: new wave/synth pop Rating:  4.175 out of 5.00 (average of 22 ratings)
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Awards:(Click on award to learn more).
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Tracks:
All songs written by Roland Orzabal. Total Running Time: 41:39 Other Tracks from the Era:
About the Album:After Graduate, Orzabal and Smith formed Tears for Fears, a snyth-pop group who “were initially associated with new wave and the New Romantic movements, but quickly branched out into mainstream chart success.” WK The band’s name and first album were inspired by Arthur Janov’s primal scream therapy, which advocated for patients screaming, crying, and beating objects during therapy to express childhood feelings. The “lyrics reflected Orzabal’s bitter growing-up experiences with his parents.” WK Go to the DMDB page for more about this album.
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Songs from the Big ChairTears for Fears |
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Released: February 17, 1985 Charted: March 9, 1985 Peak: 15 US, 2 UK, 113 CN, 5 AU, 17 DF Sales (in millions): 5.0 US, 0.9 UK, 11.3 world (includes US and UK) Genre: synth pop Rating:  4.426 out of 5.00 (average of 22 ratings)
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Awards:(Click on award to learn more).
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Tracks:
Total Running Time: 41:53 Other Tracks from the Era:
About the Album:For Songs from the Big Chair, Tears for Fears “broke out of the new wave mold; featuring instead” WK “a more streamlined and soul-influenced sound” STE “that would become the band's stylistic hallmark.” WK “Orzabal also took over the lion's share of lead vocal duty from Smith.” WK They shot to international success on the strength of #1 U.S. hits Everybody Wants to Rule the World and Shout. Go to the DMDB page for more about this album.
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The Seeds of LoveTears for Fears |
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Released: September 25, 1989 Peak: 8 US, 11 UK, 5 CN, 18 AU Sales (in millions): 1.0 US, 0.3 UK, 4.0 world (includes US and UK) Genre: new wave Rating: 4.223 out of 5.00 (average of 20 ratings)
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Awards:(Click on award to learn more).
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Tracks:
Total Running Time: 49:40 Other Tracks from the Era:
About the Album:“Instead of quickly recording a follow-up, Tears for Fears labored over their third album,” STE building up “a reported production cost of over a quarter-million dollars.” WK When The Seeds of Love finally emerged in 1989, it “retained the band’s epic sound,” WK while adding “psychedelic and jazz-rock-tinged” STE elements. There were also tinges of everything from the “blues to The Beatles, the last of which is extremely evident in the hit single ‘Sowing the Seeds of Love,’” WK “a joyous, profoundly Beatle-esque burst of rich melodic pop accompanied by an equally memorable video.” TF Second single featured Phil Collins on drums and Oleta Adams as a guest vocalist.“Smith and Orzabal began to quarrel heavily” STE over “supposed creative differences and personal strenuous commitments.” MW “Following a charity performance at Knebworth in June 1990, Smith packed up and left Tears For Fears.” TF “’We had become hugely successful,’ he says. ‘And…with that comes a certain amount of pressure…Under pressure, I’m not very happy. I’m really not. And leaving was driven by pure unhappiness. I wasn’t enjoying it, it wasn’t doing anything for me anymore. I went through a marriage split-up at that point in time – I’d met somebody in America, my now wife, and we’d fallen in love and…I wanted to move to New York, I wanted to get away from England…To do that, Tears For Fears…couldn’t be part of that equation.” TF Go to the DMDB page for more about this album.
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Tears Roll DownTears for Fears |
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Recorded: 1981-1992 Released: March 2, 1992 Peak: /font>53 US, 2 UK, 19 CN
Sales (in millions): 1.0 US, 0.6 UK, 4.0 world (includes US and UK)
Genre: new wave
Rating: 4.388 out of 5.00 (average of 17 ratings)
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Awards:(Click on award to learn more).
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Tracks:(1) Sowing the Seeds of Love (2) Everybody Wants to Rule the World (3) Woman in Chains (4) Shout (5) Head Over Heels (6) Mad World (7) Pale Shelter (8) I Believe (9) Laid So Low (Tears Roll Down) (10) Mother’s Talk (11) Change (12) Advice for the Young at HeartTotal Running Time: 59:15 Other Tracks from the Era:
About the Album:With Tears for Fears’ future in limbo, this compilation served as a memento of their first decade, gathering up all the major hits which had turned them into international superstars.Tracks Not on Previously Noted Albums:
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Soul on BoardCurt Smith |
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Released: date Peak: -- US, -- UK, -- CN, -- AU Sales (in millions): -- US, -- UK, -- world (includes US + UK) Genre: -- Rating: 2.756 out of 5.00 (average of 12 ratings)
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Tracks:
Total Running Time: 51:52 About the Album:After Smith and Orzabal parted ways, Smith released his first solo album while Orzabal continued on as Tears for Fears. Go to the DMDB page for more about this album. |
ElementalTears for Fears |
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Charted: June 5, 1993 Peak: 45 US, 5 UK, 18 CN, 56 AU Sales (in millions): 0.5 US, 0.06 UK, 1.5 world (includes US and UK) Genre: new wave Rating:  3.627 out of 5.00 (average of 23 ratings)
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Awards:(Click on award to learn more).
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Tracks:
Total Running Time: 46:51 Other Tracks from the Era:
About the Album:In Smith’s absence, Orzabal collaborated with writer and musician Alan Griffiths, “pursuing more sophisticated and pretentious directions to a smaller audience.” STE “On the strength of the adult contemporary hit Break It Down Again, Elemental became a modest hit, reaching gold status in the U.S.” STE Go to the DMDB page for more about this album.
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Saturnine Martial & LunaticTears for Fears |
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Recorded: 1983-1993 Released: August 13, 1996 Peak: -- US, 32 UK, -- CN, -- AU, 12 DF Sales (in millions): -- Genre: new wave Rating: 3.411 out of 5.00 (average of 10 ratings)
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Awards:(Click on award to learn more).
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Tracks:(1) Johnny Panic and the Bible of Dreams (2) The Big Chair (3) Schrödinger’s Cat (4) My Life in the Suicide Ranks (5) When in Love with a Blind Man (6) Pharaohs (7) Déjà Vu and the Sins of Science (8) The Marauders (9) Tears Roll Down (10) New Star (11) The Body Wah (12) Lord of Karma (13) Bloodletting Go (14) Always in the Past (15) Sea Song (16) Ashes to Ashes (17) Empire Building (18) The Way You AreTotal Running Time: 78:32 About the Album:This collection pulls primarily B-sides from Tears for Fears singles from 1983 to 1993. Also included are the 1983 single “The Way You Are” and a 1992 cover of David Bowie’s “Ashes to Ashes.” |
The Millennium CollectionTears for Fears |
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Recorded: 1983-1993 Released: June 27, 2000 Peak: -- Sales (in millions): -- Genre: new wave Rating: 4.000 out of 5.00 (average of 3 ratings)
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Tracks:(1) Everybody Wants to Rule the World (2) Shout (3) Sowing the Seeds of Love (4) Head Over Heels (5) Woman in Chains (6) Break It Down Again (7) Mother’s Talk (8) I Believe (9) Advice for the Young at Heart (10) Change (11) PharaohsTotal Running Time: 55:42 About the Album:“Pharaohs” is the only song here (and it’s a fairly unnecessary B-side) that isn’t also on the far superior Shout: The Very Best of. That set covers the same ground but in 17 songs instead of 11. |
Shout: The Very Best ofTears for Fears |
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Recorded: 1981-1993 Released: September 25, 2001 Peak: -- Sales (in millions): -- Genre: new wave Rating: 4.554 out of 5.00 (average of 9 ratings)
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Tracks:(1) Mad World (2) Change (3) Pale Shelter (4) The Way You Are (5) Suffer the Children (6) Mother’s Talk (7) Shout (8) Everybody Wants to Rule the World (9) Head Over Heels (10) I Believe (11) Sowing the Seeds of Love (12) Woman in Chains (13) Advice for the Young at Heart (14) Laid So Low (Tears Roll Down) (15) Break It Down Again (16) New Star (17) Goodnight SongTotal Running Time: 79:07 About the Album:This collection includes everything from Tears Roll Down plus two cuts from 1993’s Elemental. This set is also presented in chronological order – other than “Suffer the Children,” which was the band’s first single. |
Raoul and the Kings of SpainTears for Fears |
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Released: October 6, 1995 Peak: 79 US, 41 UK, 62 CN Sales (in millions): 0.5 world Genre: new wave Rating: 3.414 out of 5.00 (average of 20 ratings)
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Awards:(Click on award to learn more).
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Tracks:
Total Running Time: 50:18 About the Album:“Orzabal and Griffiths released another Tears for Fears album in 1995, Raoul and the Kings of Spain, a more quiet and contemplative work that showed a new Latin music influence. (Raoul was originally the name Orzabal's parents wanted to give him.) It failed to perform well on the charts but featured more of Orzabal’s outstanding songwriting.” WK Go to the DMDB page for more about this album.
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MayfieldCurt Smith (as Mayfield) |
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Released: June 17, 1997 Peak: -- Sales (in millions): -- Genre: new wave Rating:  2.714 out of 5.00 (average of 12 ratings)
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Tracks:
Total Running Time: 47:19 About the Album:“Curt Smith was getting on with his new life stateside.” TF He “hosted shows for MTV, started a syndicated college radio show, and, significantly, found an able music partner in guitarist/songwriter Charlton Pettus, with whom he formed the group Mayfield. ‘I guess I got the bug again,’ he says. ‘We started writing songs and then he persuaded me to start playing. So I just started playing clubs in New York and I had the best time ever. Because I would leave my apartment, walk to the club, play, and then walk home. It was basically rekindling my love of music, which was kind of for the right reasons-you do it because you actually want to do it, as opposed it just being a business, which is the side I didn’t really like.’” TFIn late 1997, Mayfield ”released its self-titled debut. The material caught a slight buzz in the college music scene but quickly fell out of the loop. Also during this time, Smith married longtime girlfriend Frances Pennington and had a baby girl, Pennington Diva Smith. Go to the DMDB page for more about this album. |
Aeroplane (EP)Curt Smith |
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Released: May 2000 Peak: -- Sales (in millions): -- Genre: new wave Rating:  2.240 out of 5.00 (average of 4 ratings)
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Tracks:
About the Album:His second solo effort, the Aeroplane EP, followed in June 2000, featuring new versions of Tears for Fears’ ‘Pale Shelter’ and ‘Everybody Wants to Rule the World.’” MW Go to the DMDB page for more about this album. |
Tomcats Screaming OutsideRoland Orzabal |
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Released: March 26, 2001 Peak: -- Sales (in millions): -- Genre: new wave Rating: 3.296 out of 5.00 (average of 15 ratings)
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Awards:(Click on award to learn more).
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Tracks:
Total Running Time: 54:35 About the Album:With “two young sons at home in Bath, [Orzabal] then did “the semi-retirement thing,” working at home on technology-based music and in 1999 co-producing a solo album by Icelandic singer Emiliana Torrini.” TF “After a period of inactivity, Orzabal reteamed with Griffiths and released…Tomcats Screaming Outside as a solo project, under his own name. As Elemental and Raoul had essentially been solo projects, the sound is identical to Tears for Fears, combining big production values with varied songwriting influences.” WK Go to the DMDB page for more about this album. |
Everybody Loves a Happy EndingTears for Fears |
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Released: April 6, 2004 Peak: 46 US, 45 UK Sales (in millions): 0.5 world Genre: new wave Rating: 3.498 out of 5.00 (average of 23 ratings)
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Awards:(Click on award to learn more).
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Tracks:
Total Running Time: 54:40 About the Album:“Still out on his own in the U.K., Roland notes, ‘every time I walked into a record company with any music, they were going, `Oh, this is great! Can you get back together with Curt?’ It was just on and on and on – market forces, and that kind of thing.’ Finally, the inevitable occurred – Curt and Roland again met, and the meeting was good. ‘We’ve always had business interests which have carried on after we split in ’90,’ says Roland. ‘So we’re always signing off on things together anyway. We have mutual friends, and it was just a matter of time, really, before so much water passed under the bridge. And it was like – well, what are we worried about? Let’s start chatting and see where it goes.’” TFIn a script they couldn’t have written better themselves, “the name of Tears For Fears re-emerged with some surprise at the end of 2003 when a dark, piano-only version of their debut hit Mad World, sung by Gary Jules and featured on the Donnie Darko soundtrack, reached the UK Number 1 spot for Christmas. Despite chart-topping success in the USA, Tears For Fears never themselves got to Number 1 in their home nation.” WK In September 2004, the duo finally emerged with Everybody Loves a Happy Ending, their first collaboration in over a decade.” STE “Standout tracks like Closest Thing to Heaven, ‘Call Me Mellow’ and ‘Who Killed Tangerine,’ are spectacularly contemporary and unmistakably classic Tears For Fears.” TF “‘This is the album that should have followed The Seeds of Love in many ways,’ says…Orzabal.” TF Go to the DMDB page for more about this album.
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Secret World (live)Tears for Fears |
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Recorded: June 18, 2005 Released: February 27, 2006 Peak: -- Sales (in millions): -- Genre: new wave Rating: 3.114 out of 5.00 (average of 9 ratings)
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Tracks:(1) Secret World (2) Call Me Mellow (3) Sowing the Seeds of Love (4) Pale Shelter (5) Closest Thing to Heaven (6) Mad World (7) Everybody Wants to Rule the World (8) Head Over Heels (9) Shout (10) Secret World (radio edit) (11) Floating Down the River (12) What Are We Fighting ForTotal Running Time: 57:05 About the Album:The first nine cuts were recorded live in Paris. The last three are studio cuts. “Secret World” was originally released on Everybody Loves a Happy Ending and “What Are We Fighting For” first appeared on Curt Smith’s Mayfield album.Tracks Not on Previously Noted Albums:
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Halfway PleasedCurt Smith |
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Released: March 19, 2007 Peak: 12 DF Sales (in millions): -- Genre: new wave Rating: 2.850 out of 5.00 (average of 11 ratings)
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Awards:(Click on award to learn more).
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Tracks:
About the Album:Curt Smith’s second solo album included two cuts originally released on his 2000 EP Aeroplane. Go to the DMDB page for more about this album. |
Deceptively HeavyCurt Smith |
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Released: July 16, 2013 Peak: 12 DF Sales (in millions): -- Genre: new wave Rating: 1.998 out of 5.00 (average of 8 ratings)
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Awards:(Click on award to learn more).
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Tracks:
About the Album:It took six years, but Smith finally returned with Deceptively Heavy, the follow-up to 2007’s Halfway Pleased. Meanwhile, Orzabal hadn’t released anything since Tears for Fears’ Everybody Loves a Happy Ending. |
Ready Boy & Girls? (EP)Tears for Fears |
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Released: April 19, 2014 Peak: -- Sales (in millions): -- Genre: new wave Rating:  1.317 out of 5.00 (average of 6 ratings)
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Tracks:
Total Running Time: -- About the Album:A decade after Everybody Loves a Happy Ending, Tears for Fears were back – albeit only for an EP of three covers – Animal Collective (“My Girls”), Arcade Fire (“Ready to Start”), and Hot Chip (“And I Was a Boy from School”). |
Rule the WorldTears for Fears |
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Recorded: 1982-2017 Released: November 10, 2017 Peak: -- US, 12 UK Sales (in millions): -- US, 0.1 UK Genre: new wave Rating: 4.466 out of 5.00 (average of 10 ratings)
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Awards:(Click on award to learn more).
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Tracks:(1) Everybody Wants to Rule the World (2) Shout (3) I Love You But I’m Lost (4) Mad World (5) Sowing the Seeds of Love (6) Advice for the Young at Heart (7) Head Over Heels (8) Woman in Chains (9) Change (10) Stay (11) Pale Shelter (12) Mother’s Talk (13) Break It Down Again (14) I Believe (15) Raoul and the Kings of Spain (16) Closest Thing to HeavenTotal Running Time: 74:14 About the Album:This collection features all the songs on Tears Roll Down except for “Tears Roll Down (Laid So Low).” It adds one cut from each of the post-1992 albums and two new tracks.Tracks Not on Previously Noted Albums:
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The Tipping PointTears for Fears |
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Released: February 25, 2022 Peak: 8 US, 2 UK, 20 CN, 7 AU Sales (in millions): -- Genre: new wave Rating: 3.865 out of 5.00 (average of 18 ratings)
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Awards:(Click on award to learn more).
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Tracks:
Total Running Time: 42:25 About the Album:Eighteen years after Everybody Loves a Happy Ending, Roland Orzabal and Curt Smith reunited for this album. Go to the DMDB page for more about this album.
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Songs for a Nervous Planet (live)Tears for Fears |
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Released: October 25, 2024 Peak: 104 US, 6 UK Sales (in millions): -- Genre: new wave Rating: 3.725 out of 5.00 (average of 8 ratings)
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Tracks, Disc 1:(1) Say Goodbye to Mum and Dad (2) The Girl That I Call Home (3) Emily Said (4) Astronaut (5) No Small Thing (6) The Tipping Point (7) Everybody Wants to Rule the World (8) Secret World (9) Sowing the Seeds of Love (10) Long, Long, Long Time (11) Break the ManTracks, Disc 2:(1) My Demons (2) Rivers of Mercy (3) Mad World (4) Suffer the Children (5) Woman in Chains (6) Badman’s Song (7) Pale Shelter (8) Break It Down Again (9) Head Over Heels (10) Change (11) ShoutAbout the Album:This double live album includes most of the hits fans would expect alongside six songs from the 2022 album The Tipping Point plus four new studio cuts. The live version of “Suffer the Children” is the highlight of the album.Tracks Not on Previously Noted Albums:
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Resources and Related Links:
First posted 3/24/2008; last updated 11/15/2024. |
