The late 1980s, said Roland Orzabal, were “the Stock-Aitken-Waterman years” in England, those of souped-up hits. He was afraid of being co-opted, “so we weren’t allowed to continue with duo-pop”.
Tears For Fears left the easy muse behind and sought inspiration from the Beatles and flower power. Orzabal described his vision as “very sixties, sort of blonde-girl-jumping-off-a-red-bus-in-Tra-falgar-Square type”.
Strong guest list in the studio
For “Sowing The Seeds Of Love” they copied the distorted slow tempo of “I Am The Walrus”. Manu Katché, Pino Palladino, Jon Hassell and Phil Collins marched into the studio; soul singer Oleta Adams was so good that Orzabal gave her way on the mic on the opening track, “Woman In Chains,” and the following, “Badman’s Song.”
Fans love the record, of course, but when it comes to the best albums of the decade “The Seeds Of Love” is unfairly under-represented, and few have done a better job of rescuing the sixties hippie dream into the yuppie decade.