It was the late 1980s and my sister had the cassette of this album by Tears for Fears. I listened to it from start to finish numerous times. While it is notable for the big radio hit singles Shout and Everybody Wants to Rule the World, it’s impossible to find a bad track among the 8 songs.

What I really liked about it was how it had the pop/mainstream sensibilities of that time period, but still felt new and refreshing. If I had to classify the album, I’d say it falls in the new wave pop category. However, I think there is definitely something progressive there, whether it is the odd time signatures or polyrhythmic phrasing or big guitars. Most of the singles had to be edited, because 5-6 minutes was too long for radio.

I just love how anomalous this album appears to be. It feels simple and dated and mullet-friendly. But when you dig deeper and go beyond the 80s façade, you get a moving collection that almost seems like a concept album in some ways.

It was like Tears for Fears didn’t know exactly what they were doing and they just got really lucky. Maybe they did know, but to me it feels like they just happened upon accidental perfection. Either way, it’s definitely their best album and will continue to be a favorite re-listen.