Tears For Fears Songs From the Big Chair

By: Tracking Angle

September 26th, 2025

Category:

News

Tears For Fears "Songs From The Big Chair" 40th Anniversary Issue Editions Due Nov. 14th

press release includes no mastering or pressing credits (grade: F)

Tears For Fears' multi-platinum-selling second album, Songs From The Big Chair, will be reissued in multiple formats on November 14, marking its 40th anniversary and celebrating its enduring impact. Originally released on February 25, 1985, Songs From The Big Chair became a global sensation, topping the US charts and spawning five hit singles: “Mothers Talk,” “Shout,” “Everybody Wants To Rule The World,” “Head Over Heels,” and “I Believe.” The album captured a perfect intersection of pop accessibility, sharp lyricism, guitar power, and new-wave innovation.

AVAILABLE FOR PRE-ORDER NOW HERE

To mark its Ruby Anniversary, UMe will unveil a range of special editions, including a limited edition 2LP Transparent Red vinyl featuring the original unused artwork and tracks previously unavailable on vinyl,

a 3CD deluxe set, a limited edition 1LP Coke Bottle Clear vinyl, and a limited 1LP picture disc.

The album’s influence cannot be underestimated and continues to resonate with new audiences. Everybody Wants To Rule The World has been covered by Lorde for The Hunger Games: Catching Fireand featured in Guardians of the Galaxy (as well as the Guardians of the Galaxy Cosmic Rewind ride at Walt Disney World), Despicable Me 4, and The Lego Batman Movie, among many others.

Formed in Bath in 1981, Tears For Fears—Roland Orzabal (vocals, guitar, keyboards) and Curt Smith (vocals, bass, keyboards)—have sold more than 30 million albums worldwide. In 2021, they were honored with the Outstanding Song Collection Award at the Ivor Novello Awards. Today, the band continues to perform to sold-out audiences around the globe, including their Las Vegas residency.

TEARS FOR FEARS

SONGS FROM THE BIG CHAIR

40th ANNIVERSARY EDITIONS

LIMITED EDITION 2LP RED VINYL WITH ORIGINAL UNUSED ARTWORK

SIDE ONE

1 Shout 6:32

2 The Working Hour 6:31

3 Everybody Wants To Rule The World 4:11

4 Mothers Talk 5:06

SIDE TWO

5 I Believe 4:55

6 Broken 2:38

7 Head Over Heels 5:02

8 Listen 6:53

SIDE THREE

1 Shout (Alternative Mix) 5:08 (First time on vinyl)

2 The Working Hour (Piano Version) 2:08 (First time on vinyl)

3 Everybody Wants To Rule The World (Alternative Single Version) 4:21 (First time on vinyl)

4 Mothers Talk (Early Mix) 4:39 (First time on vinyl)

SIDE FOUR

5 I Believe (A Soulful Re- Recording) 4:42

6 Broken (Demo) 5:39 (First time On vinyl)

7 Head Over Heels (Hughes 7" Edit) 4:16

8 Listen (Clean Intro) (First time on vinyl)

TEARS FOR FEARS

SONGS FROM THE BIG CHAIR

3CD

DISC ONE: Original Album & B-Sides

1 Shout 6:32 Audio Original album

2 The Working Hour 6:31 Audio Original album

3 Everybody Wants To Rule The World 4:11 Audio Original album

4 Mothers Talk 5:06 Audio Original album

5 I Believe 4:55 Audio Original album

6 Broken 2:38 Audio Original album

7 Head Over Heels 5:02 Audio Original album

8 Listen 6:53 Audio Original album

9 The Big Chair 3:21 Audio B-side to Shout.

10 Empire Building 2:52 Audio B-side to Mothers Talk.

11 The Marauders 4:15 Audio B-side to The Way You Are.

12 Broken Revisited 5:16 Audio Bonus track on the ltd ed of Songs From The Big Chair.

13 The Conflict 4:04 Audio B-side to Change

14 The Working Hour (Piano Version) 2:08

15 Pharaohs 3:41 Audio B-side to Everybody Wants To Rule The World.

16 When In Love With A Blind Man 2:23 Audio B-side to Head Over Heels.

17 Sea Song 3:53 Audio B-side to I Believe (A Soulful Re-Recording) in the UK and to the re-recorded version of Mothers Talk in the US.

DISC TWO: Edited Songs From The Big Chair

1 The Way You Are 4:55

2 Mothers Talk (Short Version) 3:54

3 Shout (Alternative Version) 6:00

4 Everybody Wants To Rule The World (Single Version) 4:12

5 Head Over Heels (Dave Bascombe 7" N.Mix)

6 I Believe (A Soulful Re- Recording) 4:42

7 Everybody Wants To Run The World 4:34

8 The Way You Are (Edit) 4:21

9 Mothers Talk (U.S. Remix) 4:14

10 Shout (U.S. Single Edit) 4:06

11 Everybody Wants To Run The World (Running Version) 4:33

12 Head Over Heels (Hughes 7" Edit)

13 Mothers Talk (Video Version) 4:47

14 Shout (7" Edit) 4:47

15 Listen (Clean Intro) 6:52

16 Interview With Curt & Roland 7:36

DISC THREE: Remixed Songs From The Big Chair

1 The Way You Are (Extended) 7:41

2 Mothers Talk (Long Version) 6:17

3 Shout (UK Version / Extended Version) 7:42

4 Everybody Wants To Rule The World (Extended Version) 5:40

5 Broken / Head Over Heels / Broken (Preacher Mix) 8:01

6 Mothers Talk (Beat Of The Drum Mix) 8:56

7 Shout (Extended) 8:00

8 Everybody Wants To Rule The World (Urban Mix) 6:01

9 Mothers Talk (Alternate U.S. Remix) 4:12

10 Shout (US Dub Version) 6:48

11 Everybody Wants To Rule The World (Instrumental) 4:23

12 Shout (Acapella)

TEARS FOR FEARS

SONGS FROM THE BIG CHAIR

LIMITED EDITION COKE BOTTLE VINYL

SIDE ONE

1 Shout 6:32

2 The Working Hour 6:31

3 Everybody Wants To Rule The World 4:11

4 Mothers Talk 5:06

SIDE TWO

5 I Believe 4:55

6 Broken 2:38

7 Head Over Heels 5:02

8 Listen 6:53

Comments

2025-09-26 11:18:13 PM

Jeffrey C. Robbins wrote:

Well, at least we know that the Dolby Atmos mix coming out on SDE Blu-ray was done by Steven Wilson, who is also updating his former (very fine) 5.1 mix. JCR
2025-09-27 03:19:00 AM

Malachi Lui wrote:

the press release doesn't even suggest it's a new remaster. lame.

i recently picked up the original UK pressing, which sounds alright, but the original mix is a bright, compressed brick no matter what (you can hear that on the japanese flat transfer SHM-SACD). analog recording with digital processing on mix bus from what i understand. steven wilson's earlier remix 'fixes' things but i'm not a fan of it.
- 2025-09-27 06:36:06 AM
  
  JT wrote:
  
  SHF suggests Miles Showell is involved in the new vinyl.
2025-09-27 06:32:50 AM

JT wrote:

I have a UK OG vinyl, Mofi 2012 vinyl, and a 1985 12 inch 45 RPM promo sampler of four songs (EWTRTH, The Working Hour, Shout, I Believe). I had a vinyl copy of Steven Wilson's 2014 stereo mix but sold it as I found it oddly sterile. Was it AAA?

The 45RPM promo is a nice way to hear those four songs. When I play the album I go with the Mofi which is bright like the OG. I don't find any of these to sound compressed.

I checked Discogs and there is bewildering array of vinyl represses over the last decade or so with different run out info, which seem to mostly be anonymous or in-house cuts at from various plants.

It would be nice to get a quality audiophile reissue that tamed the stridency a bit. "Seeds of Love" on UK OG vinyl sounds great (digital recording, I think?)
- 2025-09-27 03:05:20 PM
  
  Malachi Lui wrote:
  
  from what i gather, there was some sort of digital processing on the master mix bus during the original mix, maybe a digital compressor or something like that. so it was tracked to analog multitrack, and maybe mixed down to analog two-track, but there’s very blatantly a digital step in the signal chain, hence all versions of the original mix have a sharp 20kHz cutoff.
  
  steven wilson’s remixes come from hi-res transfers of the multitrack, and it’s certainly more dynamic than the original mix, but i think his 2014 stereo remix sounds dull and boring.
- 2025-09-29 11:54:28 AM
  
  Michael Fremer wrote:
  
  I played the Wilson “Aqualung” remix on the plane ride back from Making Vinyl Netherlands and I HATED it. The original is a mess but at least it’s coherent. The remix is sterile, and though revealing of detail is totally disjointed. Nothing meshes & leaving Anderson’s vocals exposed & left out to dry makes them annoying…
2025-09-28 10:52:19 AM

Robert DuPont wrote:

Sometimes the Steven Wilson remixes are overated in my mind . He has done fine work with XTC , although on Oranges & Lemons he took out the segues for the Blu Ray which is really annoying ( the 2LP vinyl restores them , I have both ! ) Wilsons remix of ABC's The Lexicon of Love is terrible. And with the YES blu Ray boxes , I keep going back to the flat transfer UK vinyl or the original mixes than Wilson's As for Tears for Fears , I have never found a decent USA pressing , they were all off-center. Polygram USA vinyl was really bad . If I find a UK in the wild, I might try that ( same with the ABC, which is also Polygram) Until then I have a Hi Rez File from the Japan SACD , which will have to fo
- 2025-09-28 05:14:51 PM
  
  Malachi Lui wrote:
  
  the japanese flat transfer SACDs are fun, i can convert them to PCM then dump the files into pro tools and master it exactly how i want.
- 2025-09-29 11:55:52 AM
  
  Michael Fremer wrote:
  
  I agree about Wilson’s remixes. Mostly annoying.