Tears For Fears - Everybody Loves A Happy Ending

While there has been a trend of bands getting back together and doing a reunion tour and putting out a new album I don't know of any that have succeded as well as Tears For Fears-Everybody Loves A Happy Ending did. After The Seeds Of Love album in 1989 and the great single of Sowing The Seeds Of Love Curt Smith left the group and Roland Orzabal carried on with the band name, although he was always the main songwriter and vocalist, he never hit the heights artistically or commercially they did as a duo.

Fifteen years later who would have thought that this new album would be this good an obviously Beatles influenced neo-psychedelic pop record. Full of well written songs with good arrangements, great singing, wonderful harmony backing vocals and that seemingly rare thing lacking in the music of today called melody are in abundance in these hook filled tunes. The opening track Everybody Loves A Happy Ending is filled with so many ideas it sounds like four songs in one and actually mentions kitchen sink in the lyrics which is very appropriate. One of my favorites is Who Killed Tangerine? with its insistent chorus of "and when you think it's all over, it's not over, it's not over" driving you to the end of the song that seems to go on too long but I just love it. As far as I am concerned this is the best thing these guys have ever done.

I saw them this past summer on tour and they were very good. Previously I had seen them in '89 at the Cow Palace and had vague memories of the show being good but this was a much smaller venue and I really enjoyed it. One of the things you notice is that these guys can really sing and don't need studio tricks to "enhance" them.

Buy it here.