were Tears for Fears influenced by Prog
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Topic: were Tears for Fears influenced by Prog
Posted By: Icarium
Subject: were Tears for Fears influenced by Prog
Date Posted: July 14 2010 at 13:32
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I belive some of TfF are influenced by GG some songs have GG like Bass lines like Advanced for the Young at heart
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Replies:
Posted By: Vompatti
Date Posted: July 14 2010 at 14:16
If they were, they sure did a good job to hide it. 
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Posted By: Slartibartfast
Date Posted: July 14 2010 at 14:18
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They did do one song dedicated to Robert Wyatt.
------------- Released date are often when it it impacted you but recorded dates are when it really happened... 
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Posted By: WalterDigsTunes
Date Posted: July 14 2010 at 14:28
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Perhaps King Crimson? Taken at Discipline's first concert in 1981, these lovely pictures show a young Curt Smith on the far right. Dig it. http://www.dgmlive.com/vision.htm?&show=423&id=463 - http://www.dgmlive.com/vision.htm?&show=423&id=463 http://www.dgmlive.com/vision.htm?&show=423&id=462 - http://www.dgmlive.com/vision.htm?&show=423&id=462 |
Posted By: Blacksword
Date Posted: July 14 2010 at 16:23
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I think you mean 'Advice for the young at heart'
Cant hear a GG influence myself. Pretty good band though. ------------- Ultimately bored by endless ecstasy! |
Posted By: Snow Dog
Date Posted: July 14 2010 at 16:50
 ------------- http://www.last.fm/user/Snow_Dog" rel="nofollow"> 
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Vompatti wrote:Posted By: chopper
Date Posted: July 14 2010 at 16:54
I'd have to agree. They did do a pretty good Beatles impression on "The Seeds of Love" though. |
Posted By: Snow Dog
Date Posted: July 14 2010 at 16:56
Hell yeah! ------------- http://www.last.fm/user/Snow_Dog" rel="nofollow">
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Posted By: Icarium
Date Posted: July 15 2010 at 03:08
| http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7xfkd7Js_P4 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7xfkd7Js_P4 this is the song I was thinking off that have some Gentle Giant traces (the Bass line and the EL-guitar in the intro) Playing the Game is similar i think |
Posted By: Chris S
Date Posted: July 15 2010 at 03:13
Sorry but I have been down this road before - No Cigar!!. Gentle Giant aside I believe Roland Orzabal offers much for prog related in his songwriting. Still a good general music discussion. Their debut and Seeds of Love for sure. ------------- ...As I venture through the slipstream, between the viaducts in your dreams...[/COLOR] |
Posted By: Icarium
Date Posted: July 15 2010 at 03:22
fixed 
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Posted By: Blacksword
Date Posted: July 15 2010 at 04:23
I was hooked on that song when it came out. I bought the vinyl 7" and played the bloody thing until it could be played no more! It was a good Beatles 'pastiche' (is that the right word) I liked 'Woman in Chains' and 'Head over Heels' too. Why don't modern pop groups bother writing melodies like that anymore. Are they incapable, or is it considered un-cool to make memorable music?  ------------- Ultimately bored by endless ecstasy! |
Posted By: Roj
Date Posted: July 19 2010 at 07:59
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Fantastic band, and certainly crossover prog in parts to these ears. I would describe TFF as pure class. They also happen to have a great vocalist/musician/songwriter in Roland Orzabal.
Have a listen to Badman's Song and Swords & Knives from the Seeds Of Love album for starters. Prog influence there without a shadow of a doubt.
The vast majority of the Raoul And The Kings Of Spain, Seeds Of Love, Elemental and their final (to date) album are brilliant. Much better than their earlier stuff imho.
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Posted By: LOUDTRAX
Date Posted: July 19 2010 at 08:58
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Raoul and the Kings of Spain is one of those rarely talked about albums that is a good record and stands the test of time. As for prog, maybe in the song structure on that album, lots of nice changes and lush arrangements. ------------- www.Loudtrax.com |
Posted By: Wiktor Hatif
Date Posted: July 19 2010 at 10:10
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you should check album "Saturnine, Martial & Lunatic" (1996), one of the best, containing unreleased material from 80's and 90's. There's lots of very experimental, electronic stuff, lots of non-musical sounds etc: one of my favourite, very psychedelic, stick till the end: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2nNNwPluue0 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2nNNwPluue0 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-uB1kFkN_zk - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-uB1kFkN_zk http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aEYy_q3FVZQ - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aEYy_q3FVZQ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GNESaIrL_zs - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GNESaIrL_zs the great Robert Wyatt's cover: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uYHsiWbXNBE - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uYHsiWbXNBE David Bowie cover: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LReqeLYgjhQ - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LReqeLYgjhQ (personally like it better than original, at least vocal) pretty interesting, huh?  ------------- "Ffffaaahhh, seeko baaaaaa Neeeeee toe, kare lo yeahhh Sa sa sa sa saa! Fssss Drrrrrrrrr bo ki! Rapateeka! do go taaaam Rapateeka! do go tchaa" - "Atom Heart Mother" Pink Floyd/Ron Geesin |
Posted By: LakesideRitchie
Date Posted: November 09 2014 at 06:46
| They definetely were. Whenever I listen to their eighties top album "The Seeds of Love" I am overwhelmed by the timeless quality of the songs and their structures. Except for the title track, which is deliberately reminiscent of both Hello Goodbye and I am the Walrus by The Beatles, there is hardly any "pop" on this album. And even The Beatles are considered prog on Progarchives, and how righteous that is! |
Posted By: Blacksword
Date Posted: November 09 2014 at 07:13
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I would say most of those 'new romantic' bands had probably listened to some prog in their time. They were the right age to have been teens in the 70's. I know OMD were very influcnced by Krautrock in the early days. Andy Taylor, guitarist of Duran Duran once said he was influenced by Fripp. ------------- Ultimately bored by endless ecstasy! |
Posted By: tuxon
Date Posted: November 09 2014 at 09:15
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actually progressive rock is pop music isn't it, just not very popular nowadays. But it was popular in the 70's so naturally popbands post 70's are likely to have been inspired by some progressive acts that made it through to the pop-side (Yes, Genesis, Kraftwerk, Moody Blues, Pink Floyd) So there is a logical influence in bands like Talk Talk (who went progressive over time), Crowded House, OMD, Blue Monday, Tears For Fears, Frankie Goes To Hollywood, Duran Duran, XTC etc. But it doesn't make them progressive rock in my book. ------------- I'm always almost unlucky _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Id5ZcnjXSZaSMFMC Id5LM2q2jfqz3YxT |
Posted By: TheGazzardian
Date Posted: November 09 2014 at 09:21
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Tears for Fears is and has been one of my favorite bands for like ten years. But I don't really see them as prog, even though I think they've released music that prog fans would like (much of which has been discussed in this topic already). I have to disagree with the sentiment above that Elemental is better than any of their 80s stuff ... I would say that album is the one stain on an almost perfect run of records. But it still has some great stuff on it (Break it Down Again and the title track are both amazing, as is the closing track). But that's just my opinion on the matter. They are supposedly recording a new album to be released in 2015 ... I am waiting with diminished expectations. Maybe it'll be another ELAHE. Maybe it won't. One song that I think would appeal to prog lovers that hasn't been mentioned in this topic yet is 'Listen' - it almost has the strangeness of the stuff from Saturnine Martial and Lunatic, but this was actually on one of their albums instead of a B-Side. |
Posted By: Icarium
Date Posted: November 09 2014 at 11:55
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Listen is an amazing song, Kurt Smith best vocal work, -------------  
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Posted By: Slartibartfast
Date Posted: November 09 2014 at 12:52
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The first album I heard was their debut. I had to get the deluxe box set recently for the live DVD, in particular. I had a copy of it on VHS but it crapped out before I could make a DVD copy. It's a really nice blend of prog and pop. ------------- Released date are often when it it impacted you but recorded dates are when it really happened...
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Posted By: PrognosticMind
Date Posted: November 09 2014 at 13:17
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I couldn't tell you if they were "officially" prog or not, but I do love Tears for Fears. ------------- "A squid eating dough in a polyethylene bag is fast and bulbous. Got me?" |
Posted By: johan15
Date Posted: November 21 2015 at 12:35
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Those photos of Curt at the Discipline gig are utterly fantastic! Thank you for posting those. Roland and Curt pushed the envelope so hard. I'm a hardcore fan of mainly the first 2 LPs and love the prog-laced undertones. "The Working Hour," "Listen," and "Start of the Breakdown" are some examples.
Their use of the PPG Wave synthesizer, Fairlight CMI, Prophet 5, Jupiter 8, and Yamaha CP-70 piano also provide a sonic link to Peter Gabriel's output at the time as well as a physical link to both being located in Bath. Apparently Roland said the first day he met with David Lord to work on the first single before The Hurting Gabriel was at the studio and he was speechless. |
Posted By: Tom Ozric
Date Posted: November 22 2015 at 06:41
| I have listened to SFTBC (my sister still has all her beautiful vinyl from the 80's) and it's mostly a decent listen - as far as Prog goes - I find about as much Prog in it as I do with Kajagoogoo (my preferred New-Wave 80's act) - and if you didn't know what Prog was, you wouldn't pick up on it (or imagine to). Their drummer on the album (Manny Elias) often appeared on later Peter Hammill albums !! |
Posted By: RoeDent
Date Posted: November 25 2015 at 10:42
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I once heard someone on the radio say that if you put The Beatles and ELO together, you'd get Sowing the Seeds of Love. Which pretty much nails it, imo. The structure of that song is impressive, too. The way you think the chorus is coming back after a standard bridge section (Roland even says "Chorus!" in the background), then suddenly (with an "OK!") the song veers off into a new bridge (organ solo, then "Time to eat all your words") before the chorus properly comes back in.
Their cover of Robert Wyatt's Sea Song is also very much worth a listen.
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Posted By: Rando
Date Posted: December 01 2015 at 01:56
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Aging gracefully, this great band (or duo) have never been shy of using various influences in their music; Jazz, experimental, blues, and yes, in some songs at least some hints of a prog sound. "Advice For The Young At Heart" is my favorite song by them.  ------------- - Music is Life, that's why our hearts have beats - |
Posted By: Tom Ozric
Date Posted: December 01 2015 at 02:32
| There's possibly some Prog in Madonna's work, if you look really, really hard......... |
Posted By: Aussie-Byrd-Brother
Date Posted: December 01 2015 at 04:00
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Influenced by prog without actually being a prog band, but their music was well-played intelligent pop with interesting instrumentation and thoughtful production, with smart lyrics and great vocals as well, and there was a nice darker undercurrent to much of their stuff. Their debut `The Hurting' is exceptional, and if all pop-music was that good and clever, many prog-snobs wouldn't find the term such a dirty word! And I guarantee, Tom, they're a hundred million bagillion squillion zillion times more prog than f*cking Kanja-Roo-Poo!
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Posted By: Tom Ozric
Date Posted: December 01 2015 at 04:17
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^ Why do I not believe you ?? Try playing Beggs' bass-lines, and the multi-layered synth textures........... ....Kanja-roo-poo or not, they are superb at what they do, just like this mind-numbing Tech-Metal arrangement - Meshuggah nailed it, and no-one measures up to them. Looks like I'm ready for the 'growling' Opeth albums............... So, what I'm getting at, in my idiotic glory, the 'Goo lead the way, Limahl or not......You dig Magma ? You should dig Meshuggah - more Zeuhl than cheesy Death-Metal, Black-Metal or whatever........... ........and this post is just demonstrating the extreme umbrella of cleverly, diverse music that is out there. |
Posted By: Aussie-Byrd-Brother
Date Posted: December 01 2015 at 04:29
Oh, look, man, after all these months...I get it, I seriously do. If it's not Kangajoogooo, it's Meshuggah. But good on you for running with it, man, if it means that much to you. You don't have to justify it, if you dig it, you dig it. sh*t, I posted about my freaking love of the `Josie and the Pussyctas' movie soundtrack a few days back on some thread But anyway, then I hear this, and the inventive use of keyboards, the terrific bass playing, the jangling guitar chords, the cool programming, the sax solo, the thoughtful lyrics, the restrained vocals...Tears for Fears are definitely at the top of the smart pop music chain for me. Pop perfection to my ears. |
Posted By: Tom Ozric
Date Posted: December 01 2015 at 04:53
| ^ Mike, don't fret buddy, I thought Big Chair is quite an album, no doubt. But there are just certain elements that I, personally, focus on. And those are the things I focus on within certain music. It's all with a grain of dust.......don't get angry with me.......... |
Posted By: rogerthat
Date Posted: December 09 2015 at 08:49
| I hear more of a general art-rock influence rather than prog specifically (say somewhat along the lines of the Magazine track Parade). As far as preferences, I find some of their songs very interesting but mostly too 80s for my taste. It is not what I'd think of as 80s music that's aged well (as opposed to Aztec Camera, Prefab Sprout, even Police). |
Posted By: tamijo
Date Posted: December 09 2015 at 09:04
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To me there is some retro flavers in their otherwise very typical 80's pop/wave/rock. But there is a long way from that, to a generalt Prog influence, not to mention talking about them beeing prog. Have to want it a lot, to find anything remotely GG'ish. ------------- Prog is whatevey you want it to be. So dont diss other peoples prog, and they wont diss yours |
Posted By: rogerthat
Date Posted: December 09 2015 at 09:15
| Indeed, four man Genesis would be a stretch and GG is likes poles apart. |
Posted By: omphaloskepsis
Date Posted: August 19 2017 at 10:26
| Although it's a stretch, I believe Tears for Fears was influenced by Prog. I also think TFF, XTC, and Talk Talk have influenced some modern prog. |