Customer Reviews

Elemental

5 star:		(60)
4 star:		(20)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Whatever happened after the amazing "Seeds of Love" release, it looked to be the end of Tears for Fears. Curt Smith left Roland Orzabal to go it alone with the TFF name. Orzabal enlisted the help of Alan Griffiths, and although took a step backward, laid down the groundwork for a great collaboration that would reshape TFF into the last decade of the century.

As compared to "Seeds of Love" I'd say that this album is not as good, but it sure is close. With the title track Orzabal let us know that the band is still the same sans Smith, with just a bit of a twist. The song has more of an edge to it than previous TFF stuff, a little heavier sound, but still the same great Orzabal voice. After reaching out a little, Orzabal comes back into a signature sound with "Cold". "Break It Down Again" is a little funky with a Orzabal's staccato lyrics helping to drive the rhythm. The album goes back to being heavy with "Dog's a Best Friend's Dog". The album ends with "Goodnight Song", a great song with Orzabal's voice ringing, and almost bluesy electric guitar. Very recognizable format in today's music scene, a song way before its time.

Orzabal is definitely trying out his new wings of freedom. "Elemental" is definitely a transition album. You can hear the change in TFF from "Seeds of Love" to "Raoul, and the Kings of Spain" and on to "Tomcats Screaming Outside". Orzabal picked a good title for this album, as it is the building stone for the second half of his career. It's a good start, and a must own for any Orzabal or TFF fan.

Tears for Fears were one of the rare pop groups whose music survived the 80's image and still sounds great today. After the classic "Seeds of Love", the duo broke up. Roland Orzabel recorded this follow up without Curt Smith. While the music is missing some of the vocal balance of their previous work, this CD contains one of their best songs: "Break It Down Again". Part of the song lyrics below show the introspection the band is famous for:

"It's in the way you're always hiding from the light, See for yourself you have been sitting on a time bomb, No revolution maybe someone somewhere else, Could show you something new about you and your inner song - And all the love and all the love in the world, Won't stop the rain from falling, Waste seeping underground - I want to break it down....Break it down again"

The rest of the CD has some great moments as well, and typical of the band, the lyrics and songwriting is well above the meaningless chatter of most pop songs.

The title track "Elemental" , and the driving "Dog's a Best Friends Dog" are on par with their previous work, while the smooth and moody "Gas Giants" sounds like an updated "Working Hour" intro. Of particular note is "Fish Out of Water" an obvious slam on his departed band mate.

While the music always takes me back to Virginia, and my grad school days, it still sounds up to date as well. A great addition to your collection.

It's the Tears for fears's album that I like the most. Maybe because it was not as popular as the other ones and I never get tired since it is not over played.

"Good night song" is my favorite but every other songs have something special in it. Check out "Brian Wilson song" starting at 1:50 minutes how the music is beautiful.

By the way, Tears for fears came back together and just finished a new album that should be out in April 2004. Curtis said, our best album so far. Can't wait to see that.

Once free of the deadweight that the band carried with them through "Seeds of Love" and "Soul on Board" (Released only in England), Tears for Fears , now comprised of Roland Orzabal (lead vocals, guitar, keyboards) and Alan Griffiths (keyboards, guitar), began producing truly creative music. "Elemental" is the beginning of the New Tears for Fears, and a daring start at that. Its general tone is one of ethereal keyboards and lyrical guitars, in the manner of Pink Floyd's "Wish You Were Here." Roland Orzabal has one of the best voices in current rock music, which can be anything from wistful and quiet to deep and powerful, and his compositional skill is no less admirable. Some highlights from the album are "Cold," a guitar-driven song about the desire for solitude, "Fish Out of Water," a scathing attack on former member Curt Smith ("With all your high class friends you think you've got it made / the only thing you made was that tanned look on your face"), and "Goodnight Song," a wistful recollection. Definitely worth the purchase.

i'm not sure i could truly convey my emotional attachment to this record. it is one of their lesser known albums, but in my opinion it is their best. while "big chair" was full of quality hit singles, elemental is a flowing, layered, lush album from start to finish. it covers the spectrum of emotions, it's easily their most versatile album to date. i am completely biased towards this record because this was the band and album that made me obsessed with music for life. highlights: "elemental", "mr. pessimist","fish out of water" and "brian wilson said".

"Elemental" is quite more than that, as a matter of fact. Not only does it introduce the band to a new decade, after the eighties during which they harvested one hit after another. It is the first TFF album after Curt Smith and Roland Orzabal parted ways, leaving the latter to produce arguably one of the best albums of the band... makes you wonder how much did Smith actually contribute to their sound, but that is just speculation, or maybe not?

As for the album specifically, though "Break it Down Again" is the track that made it famous, it's far from the best song. The opening track is fabulous. "Mr. Pessimist" and "Gas Giants" both remind of Talk Talk, which is to say a lot to me, considering they are one of my favorite acts. And "Brian Wilson Said" and the closing track leave you more than wanting more: they show the great musicianship and songwriting that will continue to make Roland Orzabal legendary.

Simply put, this is an album not to leave on the table. It belongs in the shelves of any serious music collector. Get it so you can "get it".

Tears for Fears became a favorite of mine right from the start as they were much more than a cut above many of their synthesizer-powered contemporaries during the mid 1980s. Their angst-driven "The Hurting" was a classic and cohesive debut that signaled that these guys had a lot to say. "Songs from the Big Chair" was a more was a hit-filled production that brought soul into the equation and brought them massive commercial success all over the world. The greatest thing about that release is that it succeeded without relying on any particular pop formula. Any release that includes the anthemic "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" and the jazzy "I Believe," just to name a couple, shows that these guys were going to be much more than a passing trend. Although it took many aborted tries, the duo's third release "The Seeds of Love" was another smash and introduced the world to Oleta Adams and highlighted the duo's softer side. After again struggling to produce their fourth album, Curt Smith wound up leaving the group. Roland Orzabal retained the rights to the duo's name and released "Elemental" as a Tears for Fears product.

Many critics and some fans did not like "Elemental" (although thankfully not most Amazoners), but although it sold well, many found it to be less compelling their any of their first three releases. I only agree to a degree, as "Elemental" may not a 5-star release (the rating that I give to Tear for Fear's first three releases), it easily earns 4 stars on the strength of the first 4 songs (the powerful and addictive "Elemental," the melodic and catchy "Cold," "Break It Down Again" which may be THE song that captures the essence of their first three releases, and the jazzy "Mr. Pessimist"). I love "Gas Giants" and all the other songs, with the possible exception of "Power."

In a nutshell, if you are a fan of Tears for Fears, your collection should not overlook this release. If you are not a hardcore fan, you might be better off going for one of their greatest hits compilations as they flow quite well. So 4 starts it is and be on the lookout for "Everybody Loves a Happy Ending," as it represents Curt's return to the band, but as is always the case with this group something gets in their way of getting their music out there. It appears that the issue is now label-related as Arista (the duo's new US label) changed regimes before the CD was scheduled to come out in mid 2004 and it seems like everything in the pipeline is being questioned by the new regime. Not even the UK version has a release date, but until them enjoy all off Tear for Fears' music, including the underrated "Elemental."

This is by far the best Tears For Fears album ever made, it's darker and edgier than their previous (jamming)fluff of the 80's. "Elemental" is musically, lyrically, meaningfully, sonically superior to almost anything the bowel of the 90's polluted us with. It's a shame most people don't like to be challenged a little musically. Boring, woe is me, all sound the same grunge knocked this brilliant gem off the airwaves along with (I.Q. of 70 degrees on a warm day) rap. This CD jams! every song! what more could you possibly want?

After first hearing "Songs from the Big Chair" I absolutely fell in love with Tears for Fears, and the voice of Roland Orzabal. On this effort, Orzabal has essentially gone solo (with the departure of Smith), while still retaining the TFF name, and he released one of the most underrated albums of the 90's. For me, this is definitely a "mood" album, and I find when I'm down this disc always seems to find its way into my CD player... that's not to say that this is a depressing album, but that for whatever reason "Elemental" always seems to pick me up a bit.

Thematically several of the songs are darker, while still keeping an upbeat tempo. Even the most radio friendly single "Break it down again" is not lighthearted pop fluff. As Roland sings, "...they make no mention of the beauty of decay", he allows the lyrics to set the mood rather than the instrumentation. Speaking of the instrumentation, he does an excellent job of layering different textures and sounds, and it really creates a complex and beautiful atmosphere onto which he lends his trademark vocals.

In addition to "Break it down again" which most people have heard on the radio, there are several songs worthy of mention. The title track "Elemental" and "Cold" really display the honesty of Roland's songwriting (read the lyrics... they're amazing). The title of "Power" says it all, and when Roland slows it down a bit on his Beach Boys tribute "Brian Wilson Said" and the closing gem "Goodnight Song" he shows that his voice is a formidable instrument. "Mr. Pessimist" is a great song that tends to run a bit long, as with the instrumental "Gas Giants", but overall the quality of the songwriting is high, and there's great continuity throughout the album.

Although Smith is missed on this album, Roland shows that he is prepared to work solo, and that he is more than capable of carrying an album by himself from start to finish. Although it is something of a departure from "Seeds of Love" (and people expecting Seeds II may be disappointed), this is a great Roland Orzabal album, and if they give it a chance the Tears for Fears faithful will not be disappointed.

This is the first album done since Roland Orzabal's break-up with Curt Smith, however retaining the Tears for Fears name and Roland being the sole member of the band. After listening to this wonderful album, I see really who the driving force behind Tears for Fears really is and that there was no need to keep Curt Smith, eventhough he held his own very well during his years with Roland. Roland Orzabal proves in this album who the real leader of this band was all these years. I particularly liked the following songs: Cold, Fish out of water, and Goodnight song, perhaps some of the best songs made in 1993. The hit song, Break it down again is cool, but not as good as those others mentioned and with respect to the rest of the songs they are quite good. Hey I was about to give five stars, but Mr Pessimist and Dog's a Best Friend's Dog reforced me to go down a notch. Still an enthusiasic thumbs up here.