another bath

[duane@Sun.COM (Duane Day, I.R. - Applications Development)]

First off - thanks, IED, for not enclosing Peter Gabriel's name in the 
quotation marks you use in referring to most other artists mentioned in this
group. :-) 

Steve Tynor writes:

>...re: ...Tears for Fears. I've never paid much attention to them
>(always thought they sounded too 'pop'.  I'll give another listen.

and Richard Jennings hums:

>TfF a serious rock act? -- hmmmm.

At the risk of earning TfF a set of IED quotation marks, I'd suggest that
you listen to "The Working Hour", "Listen" and "Mothers Talk" from _Songs
from the Big Chair_ (the album version of "Mothers Talk" being the one to
check out, IMHO).  First impressions notwithstanding, I think you'll find
that TfF is definitely not Wham!.

In *that* context, rather than the context of being sandwiched in between
the latest Top 40 or AOR faves, you might even want to give another listen
to "Shout" (from _Big Chair_, definitely *not* the butchered 7" version)
or "Change" and "Start of the Breakdown" from _The Hurting_.  You might
even discover some value in "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" or "Pale
Shelter"...

Whether or not TfF appears to be a serious act, I'd say most of the lyrics
seem to be quite serious.  These boys do have something to say, and it's
a pity that the marketing machine has attempted with some success to
establish them in the public mind as just another Brit-pop duo.  My guess
is that they were asked not to dwell on their more serious influences
such as Arthur Janov (the psychologist who came up with Primal Scream
therapy - also a major influence on John Lennon and others) so as not to
jeopardize teeny-bopper sales by appearing to be <gasp> intelligent.

Regarding their musicianship, I can only say I saw the _Big Chair_ tour
and was blown away by the sound and the tight, precise ensemble playing.
Granted, they don't put on much of a show, but they play their songs
very well, very professionally and without the seams which appear in the
live performances of less accomplished players.  Some evidence of this can
be seen on the "Scenes from the Big Chair" video live segments, which,
unfortunately, are interrupted by interviews and video clips - once again,
no doubt due to the decision of some marketing snoid that their fans
couldn't possibly just want to see and hear them play.

Now, where did I leave that asbestos jumpsuit? :-)