What Kind Of Band is Tears For Fears?

Answer 1

Both Roland Orzabal and Curt Smith have done many different types of music. Before Tears for Fears, they were in the short-lived band, "Graduate" which is considered to be a Ska band. After this, they formed Tears for Fears and released their debut album "The Hurting" in 1983. This was considered to be New Wave or New Romanticism.

Their next album, "Songs from the Big Chair", was released in late 1985 and would become their most popular and best selling album. The songs on this album were much more "radio friendly" then the songs on "The Hurting". Indeed, Tears for Fears had now developed a more "rock" and "pop" sound.

Four years later in 1989, the band released "The Seeds of Love". This album too was very different from the previous ones. It featured a "Beatelsque" sound, and Orzabal admits that The Beatles were a huge inspiration this time around. Although Tears for Fears has always kept their unique sound even in "Songs from the Big Chair", "The Seeds of Love" also had a very blues and jazz feel to it.

Smith and Orzabal split in 1991 due to creative differences and financial difficulties. Roland kept the Tears for Fears label, and Curt did not.

Roland released the single "Laid so Low(Tears Roll Down)" in 1992 to keep the band alive. The genre of it is considered "New Wave/Synthpop". Curt went on to release the album "Soul on Board" which ended up as a complete commercial failure. It is considered a pop album.

In 1993, Orzabal released his first solo album "Elemental". It did fairly well on the UK chart (peaking at #4), and is considered to be poprock, although Roland went back to Tears for Fears roots with "Elemental"; it's considered a New Wave album as well.

Two years after Elemental in September of 1995, Tears for Fears released "Raoul and the Kings of Spain". The album continues to carry the sound of rock and "poprock", but not New Wave.

6 years later, "Tomcats Screaming Outside", another "poprock" album was released. It would be the last album Roland released without Curt.

The most recent album, "Everybody Loves a Happy Ending", was released in 2004 as a reunion album. Curt and Roland began working on this album after setting aside their differences in 2000. The album was considered "poprock" and "New Wave".

That is the history of Tears for Fears' music. They are not just one genre, they are many. Mostly, however, they stick to a poprock and New Wave sound with just a twist of Beatles' essence.