Poll

Which album do you prefer?

Peter Gabriel - So
Tears for Fears - Songs from the Big Chair

Voting closes: December 08, 2026, 07:06:18 PM

Author Topic: Battle of the 80s Rock LP's Volume 4: So vs Songs from the Big Chair  (Read 698 times)

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Offline KevShmev

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As much as I love PG's solo material, including some of the songs from this record, especially Red Rain and Mercy Street, I have to give the edge here to Tears for Fears, as Songs... is just flawless from start to finish.

Online TAC

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Re: Battle of the 80s Rock LP's Volume 4: So vs Songs from the Big Chair
« Reply #1 on: July 14, 2021, 08:08:38 PM »
 :corn
would have thought the same thing but seeing the OP was TAC i immediately thought Maiden or DT related
Winger Theater Forums........or WTF.  ;D
TAC got a higher score than me in the electronic round? Honestly, can I just drop out now? :lol

Offline King Postwhore

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Re: Battle of the 80s Rock LP's Volume 4: So vs Songs from the Big Chair
« Reply #2 on: July 14, 2021, 08:12:30 PM »
You know how much I love TFF but I have to vote for So.  It's so damn close though.
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Offline KevShmev

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Re: Battle of the 80s Rock LP's Volume 4: So vs Songs from the Big Chair
« Reply #3 on: July 14, 2021, 08:13:48 PM »
You know how much I love TFF but I have to vote for So.  It's so damn close though.

Wow, this actually surprises me. 

Online TAC

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Re: Battle of the 80s Rock LP's Volume 4: So vs Songs from the Big Chair
« Reply #4 on: July 14, 2021, 08:15:00 PM »
Yeah, I mean, how do you choose?
would have thought the same thing but seeing the OP was TAC i immediately thought Maiden or DT related
Winger Theater Forums........or WTF.  ;D
TAC got a higher score than me in the electronic round? Honestly, can I just drop out now? :lol

Offline King Postwhore

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Re: Battle of the 80s Rock LP's Volume 4: So vs Songs from the Big Chair
« Reply #5 on: July 14, 2021, 08:16:39 PM »
You know how much I love TFF but I have to vote for So.  It's so damn close though.

Wow, this actually surprises me.

So is a special album for me. It's still close.

Yeah, I mean, how do you choose?

It's hard for you without distortion.   I know.
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Offline HOF

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Re: Battle of the 80s Rock LP's Volume 4: So vs Songs from the Big Chair
« Reply #6 on: July 14, 2021, 08:16:43 PM »
Ooh, this is a really good matchup. I think I have to go with So, but it’s close and these are similar albums for sure. Both albums have a couple spots I don’t completely love (We Do What We’re Told and This is the Picture v. I Believe and Listen). Gonna think on this a minute before voting.

So has some all time favorite tracks for me, but Songs does as well. The best songs stack up pretty well against each other too.

Red Rain, In Your Eyes, Mercy Street, Sledgehammer, Big Time

V.

The Working Hour, Head Over Heels, Everybody Wants to Rule the World, Shout, Mother’s Talk

I’m gonna say Don’t Give Up and That Voice Again put So over the top, and I do think it has a little more overall depth to the songs than TFF. So it is.
« Last Edit: July 14, 2021, 09:15:26 PM by HOF »

Offline Bolsters

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Re: Battle of the 80s Rock LP's Volume 4: So vs Songs from the Big Chair
« Reply #7 on: July 14, 2021, 08:58:33 PM »
Songs from the Big Chair

Online ProfessorPeart

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Re: Battle of the 80s Rock LP's Volume 4: So vs Songs from the Big Chair
« Reply #8 on: July 14, 2021, 10:07:03 PM »
beul ni teh efac = Lube In The Face / That has to be wrong.  :lol / EDIT: Oh, it's Blue! I'm an idiot.
Pardon the interruption, but I just had to run in and celebrate the majesty of Lube in the Face as highest moment in roulette history

Offline Cool Chris

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Re: Battle of the 80s Rock LP's Volume 4: So vs Songs from the Big Chair
« Reply #9 on: July 14, 2021, 11:10:58 PM »
One has a song featured in Real Genius. I'll go with that one.
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Offline Nekov

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Re: Battle of the 80s Rock LP's Volume 4: So vs Songs from the Big Chair
« Reply #11 on: July 15, 2021, 06:35:47 AM »
Until a few years ago, this would have been a very easy choice for So. Now it's still So, just not as easy of a choice  ;D

For the longest time, I kept associating Tears for Fears, and Songs from the Big Chair in particular, exclusively with that typical 80s sound - Everybody Wants to Rule the World and Shout were TRULY ubiquitous and you couldn't escape them. But when I actually paid attention to the whole thing, the album clicked, and it sure is beautiful. think the Working Hour is what did it first...that part around 4:00, then reprised around 5:40...I mean, that's goosebumps every time (in fact, it's happening now, as I'm checking the timestamp).

Having said all of that - I am a huge fan of Peter Gabriel solo, and I love So...uhm, so, I'm gonna go with So  :biggrin:

Offline jingle.boy

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Re: Battle of the 80s Rock LP's Volume 4: So vs Songs from the Big Chair
« Reply #12 on: July 15, 2021, 08:18:03 AM »
So gets my vote handily.  I've never listened to the TFF album start-to-finish.  I'd thought they were nothing more than a radio-hit band - didn't realize it went 7x platinum in Canada.
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Offline bosk1

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Re: Battle of the 80s Rock LP's Volume 4: So vs Songs from the Big Chair
« Reply #13 on: July 15, 2021, 08:21:42 AM »
Tears for Fears probably wins ANY '80s poll of new wave albums for me.
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Offline HOF

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Re: Battle of the 80s Rock LP's Volume 4: So vs Songs from the Big Chair
« Reply #14 on: July 15, 2021, 08:52:48 AM »
So gets my vote handily.  I've never listened to the TFF album start-to-finish.  I'd thought they were nothing more than a radio-hit band - didn't realize it went 7x platinum in Canada.

They are definitely more than a radio hit band. Songs from the Big Chair has some definite prog elements alongside the huge radio hits, and Sowing the Seeds of Love is an art-pop masterpiece with its share of prog elements as well. All of their albums (at least after the debut) are really strong. Elemental is underrated and a bit like PG’s Us album in sound and style, and Raul and the Kings of Spain is sort of a concept album even. Their last album Everyvody Loves a Happy Ending was very Beatles-ish. Roland Orzebal is a really underrated songwriter and singer in my view.

Offline pg1067

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Re: Battle of the 80s Rock LP's Volume 4: So vs Songs from the Big Chair
« Reply #15 on: July 15, 2021, 09:50:24 AM »
The TFF album was all over MTV, but looking at the track list, I think I'm familiar only with Shout (ok song), Rule the World (really good song), and Head over Heels (good song).

The Sledgehammer video was in heavy rotation on MTV, but I didn't and don't really like the song, and I don't recognize any of the other songs on the album.

If I were to vote, I'd go with TFF, but I'm not sure the above makes me competent to vote.
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Re: Battle of the 80s Rock LP's Volume 4: So vs Songs from the Big Chair
« Reply #16 on: July 15, 2021, 09:51:10 AM »
So, and this isn't close (even though I like Tears For Fears).

Offline T-ski

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Re: Battle of the 80s Rock LP's Volume 4: So vs Songs from the Big Chair
« Reply #17 on: July 15, 2021, 03:23:13 PM »
Tears for Fears….Gabriel bores me to death.
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Offline hefdaddy42

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Re: Battle of the 80s Rock LP's Volume 4: So vs Songs from the Big Chair
« Reply #18 on: July 20, 2021, 09:45:00 AM »
So, and this isn't close (even though I like Tears For Fears).
Same.
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Re: Battle of the 80s Rock LP's Volume 4: So vs Songs from the Big Chair
« Reply #19 on: July 20, 2021, 03:28:26 PM »
Don't know much Gabriel, but that TFF album is incredible.
Everyone else, except Wolfking is wrong.