Comments inspired by Tears For Fears - THE SEEDS OF LOVE [Blu-Ray Audio]

Advertise with us
Amazon
Find deals on ebay
QuadraphonicQuad

Help Support QuadraphonicQuad:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
Clement said:
This is a 10. Let me just get one thing out of the way before i get into specifics: with ALL that is included in the package (i'm thinking of the three CDs worth of extras, the glorious book, and the tour program[me] repro), i can't fathom deducting a point for a lack of printed lyrics.

This album came out the September of my first year teaching high school students. I spent many a late night grading papers with this playing in the background . . . truth be told, sometimes in the foreground. My daughter was born in 1996, and she and i used to dance to the title track when she was newly peripatetic. I mention these tidbits to say i know this album well, and it has brought me much bliss over the years. Perhaps, having sung along to the album hundreds of times, i am less irritated by not having lyrics included.

When i first found QQ and read of the existence of a Steven Wilson mix of this Tears for Fears masterpiece, it became one of my most-hoped-for releases. Although i can't really say there aren't things about it that i wish were better done, i can say it ultimately brings me such joy that i can't help but rate it a 10.

"Woman in Chains" kicks things off with a sonically delicious use of the surround channels (highlighting Phil Collins's driving drumming), and Oleta Adams and Roland Orzabal's vocal performances come through the lushness of production clearly and powerfully; this opening track transcendentally sets the scene for all that follows, laying the foundation for the vast spectrum (the sun and the moon, the wind and the rain) of themes filtered through a lens of social consciousness.
Adams is again featured on "Badman's Song" with continued stellar use of the surround field from Wilson, playfully integrating more deft drumming (this time from Manu Katche) and some awesome bass work (from Pino Palladino) simultaneously holding it down and driving it forward. I love the gospel-like vocal stylings and Nicky Holland's jazzy piano work ("Birdland" anyone?). So many layers in all of these songs; Wilson is having so much fun throughout!
The monumental title track, as noted in previous posts, does have some problems, but--for me--its majesty is retained as it builds to its transcendent refrain, out Beatle-ing the Beatles, taking the social/political to the spiritual, riding the rising wave of horns and strings multi-tracked everything! I can't help but believe in LOVE POWER!
Despite having sung "Kick out the style, bring back the jam" in the titular song, "Advice for the Young at Heart" reminds me of much that is wonderful about the Style Council--an elegant and driving coupling of pop and jazz with smooth and soulful (blue-eyed, that is!) vocals.
Each track switches gears from what precedes it; "Standing on the Corner of the Third World" starts with some playful world music trumpet and ultimately morphs into sophisticated jazzy pop with hints of folk and rock, highlighted by some great vocals from the dynamic duo.
Yet another sonic and tonal shift with more of Wilson's effective use of surrounds in "Swords and Knives," which couples prog elements with a driving, almost Afro-Cuban beat over which the duo's vocals again soar magically and mysteriously, playfully accompanied by trippy, proggy guitar.
A cheering crowd connects the anthemic, driving rocker "Year of the Knife" with the preceding cut(s). If you thought that what came before was lush and layered, this cut pulls out all stops: vocals, percussion, guitars, synths, strings, samples, sumbitch i think i even hear the kitchen sink! Surrounded by swirling WALLS of sound--it's ALL there: the sun and the moon, the wind and the rain roiling in the building cacophony!
And it's almost all stripped away for "Famous Last Words," which begins with Eno-esque ambiance, a distant piano, and cryptic whispers. Orzabal brings it all home with a beautiful, heartfelt vocal that is eventually joined by swelling strings. Two minutes in he sings "When the light from above/ Burns a hole straight through our love/ We will laugh/ We will sing/ When the saints go marching in/ And we will carry war--" the musical accompaniment explodes ". . . no more," and his vocals soar: "All our love and all our pain/ Will be but a tune/ The Sun and the Moon/ The Wind and the Rain/ Hand in hand we'll do and die/ Listening to the band that made us cry/ We'll have nothing to lose/ We'll have nothing to gain/ Just to stay in this real life situation/ For one last refrain," and the accompaniment fades back to ambience and a piano for the famous last words: "As the day hits the night/ We will sit by candlelight/ We will laugh/ We will sing/ When the saints go marching in/ And we will carry war no more"

The whole remains so much greater than the sum of its parts, elevating pop culture to the realm of beaux arts, healing hearts and salving souls, re-membering fragments into realized wholes. I began with a simple proclamation; i offer it again: this is a 10
Click to expand...
You’ve outdone yourself with this one, Comrade - simply a fantastic review!
 
Neil Palfreyman said:
Holy shit. How good is this mix? 😲 I think SW may have just raised the bar on how good a 5.1 remix can be. I haven't voted yet, partly because I want to listen a few more times, but mostly because I think we need an 11 or 12 in the voting system. Yes, it's that good.
Click to expand...
so We can pencil in a 10 for you?
 
sjcorne said:
...I've always wondered how SW decides which elements should end up in the center channel, aside from vocals. Like in "Badman's Song", the piano pops up in the center during the reprise of the 'jazz' section midway through the track, but not at the beginning when it's playing the same melody. Or in "The Working Hour" on Songs From The Big Chair, the sax is only in the front channels during the intro, but also appears in the center during the outro.
Click to expand...

When I mix, I am always trying to keep the listeners attention. Changing something up the second time around when you are expecting what you heard the first time is something that I continue to go back to. And aside from placement, there are a bunch of other ways that you can do that! Throwing an effect on or compressing and eq changes also work the same way but just more subtly. This is probably why I like really active mixes, keeps my mind stimulated while if its just an "immersive" mix, I lose interest much quicker.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

C
SOLD Seeds of Love Tears for Fears
Replies
10
Views
1K
CWillCalho
C
sbrom
FS: Box sets Fleetwood Mac “Tusk”, Tears For Fears “The Seeds Of Love”
Replies
3
Views
624
sbrom
sbrom
rtbluray
  • Sticky
  • Poll
HiRez Poll Tears For Fears - SONGS FOR A NERVOUS PLANET [Blu-Ray Audio (Dolby Atmos)]
Replies
4
Views
639
FrankieZappa
FrankieZappa
M
*SOLD* - Tears For Fears - Songs From The Big Chair Blu-Ray
Replies
2
Views
665
Monkish
M
sjcorne
  • Poll
HiRez Poll Keane - HOPES AND FEARS [Blu-Ray Audio (Dolby Atmos)]
Replies
13
Views
2K
GOS
GOS

Latest posts

Back
Top