Band & Artist Dossier

Tears for Fears

Origin: Bath, Somerset, England · Active Years: 1981-present

A detailed catalogue profile for Tears for Fears.

In this archive

1 album / credit record(s) · Synth-pop/New Wave

English pop-rock/synth-pop duo of Roland Orzabal and Curt Smith, formed in Bath, Somerset in 1981 after the pair's earlier mod-revival band Graduate split. Recruiting keyboardist Ian Stanley (who offered free use of his home 8-track studio) and drummer Manny Elias, they took their name from Arthur Janov's primal-therapy concept and signed to Mercury/Phonogram in 1981, releasing The Hurting (1983) and the Billboard #1 Songs from the Big Chair (1985) with that classic line-up before Orzabal and Smith carried the band forward as its core duo.

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Band Lineup & Member Profiles

Roland Orzabal
Guitar, keyboards, lead vocals, principal songwriter
1981-present
Co-founded the band with Curt Smith after their prior band Graduate broke up, and wrote or co-wrote most of the band's biggest hits including 'Everybody Wants to Rule the World'.
Curt Smith
Bass, keyboards, lead and backing vocals
1981-1991, 2000-present
Childhood friend of Orzabal from Bath who co-founded Tears for Fears and sang lead on tracks including 'Shout'; departed in 1991 and rejoined the reunited band in 2000.
Ian Stanley
Keyboards, backing vocals
1981-1987
Local Bath musician who gave Orzabal and Smith free studio time to record early demos and became the classic-era band's keyboardist and co-producer on The Hurting and Songs from the Big Chair.
Manny Elias
Drums, percussion
1981-1986
Met Orzabal and Smith while all three were session musicians in the band Neon, and became Tears for Fears' drummer through the classic-era albums.

Watch & listen

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Photo & Visual Gallery

Songs from the Big Chair artwork
Songs from the Big Chair
1985 · Mercury/Fontana

Complete 1980s Studio Discography

3 studio albums released from 1980–1989 by Tears for Fears. Archived records link directly to full dossiers; remaining releases are queued for harvesting. MusicBrainz source.

♫ 1983
The Hurting
1983 ·
⏳ Queued for Harvesting
Songs From the Big Chair cover
Songs From the Big Chair
1985 · Mercury/Fontana
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♫ 1989
The Seeds of Love
1989 ·
⏳ Queued for Harvesting

80s discography & production credits in the archive

Songs from the Big Chair cover
Songs from the Big Chair
1985 · Mercury/Fontana

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