Thanks for introducing me to this song, again love the serendipity as I polished off my cover of Mad World this afternoon. My choice for best mix, by gold record engineer Jeff McCulloch enjoy ruclips.net/video/ZAUX_oB7MbE/видео.html
This record, and Roland's mind blowing work on the Fairlight sampler, was instrumental to me, both as a keyboard player and as an aspiring young engineer growing up in LA. It made me want to write and make records and hearing Bob's recollection of that time is priceless. Roland was so far ahead of his time. He really was the architect of what modern producer/writer's would aspire to be and his and Oleta's work on Woman in Chains continues to this day, to be one of my gold standards in mix references when I go to work each day.
Without question, one of the greatest productions and songs ever created. In fact I left a comment on the official video 3 days ago saying just as much. The mix, especially the drum separation, the vocals, the width, the bass, the synths, guitars .... It's absolute mastery by Roland, Curt, Oleta, the brilliant session players, and Bob Clearmountain.
In 1991 Soda Stereo, Argentina's biggest rock band at that time played a huge free show in the streets of Buenos Aires. I went with my friends pretty early and played football in the streets as they were setting up the sound system. The engineer kept playing Woman In Chains at full sound over and over as we played football. Great memories.
I studied Music Production in Buenos Aires, Argentina but was unable to finish it. One of the teachers used this song as an example of exquisite music production craftmanship. He was most definitely right about it. Thanks for eveything you taught, dear Diego.
Epic song! My personal favorite is “Badman’s Song”. The piano improv and Pino Paladino bass lines are other Worldly. Oleta Adams does a vocal run that starts so low that it gives me chills every time. Great episode Warren!
Well stated man! And agreed! Badman's Song is on my all-time top 5 song list and so so under rated and that's ok! :-) But my take-away is how cool are Roland & Curt to be so selfless to hire Oleta and be outstaged (in a way) on there album and on tour. Music first and totally respectable then for that!
I love that song. And yes the production on it is unreal 🌻 A truly beautiful song. I love that you feel so strongly about it. What a song! Not a very mainstream song but i think 'another green world' by brian eno is a really transcendant amd beautiful piece of music 🎶
Woman in Chains is an absolutely delicious song. Cooked to perfection. Each ingredient treated with care and intention. But when you experience the song it doesn't sound over-produced / engineered at all. It's smooth yet intense in its emotionality. I also love the fact that you can hear each instrument and that it's not muddied with over-dubbing. It just lets each "ingredient" shine yet combined it's not heavy sounding at all but it still makes my heart tremble...
Agreed! Also my take-away is how cool are Roland & Curt to be so selfless to hire Oleta and be outstaged (in a way) on there album and on tour. Music first and totally respectable then for that!
Excellent analysis. This has been one of my favorite songs since hearing it for the first time in !989. I completely relate to all of the points and the descriptions of the elements in this song and it’s recording.
This album and Oleta Adams first album are incredible examples of Roland Orzabal’s genius. He’s underrated in historical terms but is appreciated by people who get it. I’m still learning from him. The new album sounds great as well.
I was thrilled to see this video as this is one of my favorite songs. I must admit that I don’t play Woman in Chains without Bad Man’s Song. It’s like picking your favorite kid! Okay, I admit I can pick a favorite here. I have come to know a lot of musicians since first hearing this album in college over three decades ago. Most agree this is reference material for mixing and musicianship.
I think to name one favourite song is impossible. Although saying that Everybody Wants To Rule The World is epic in its layering of bass and synth bass. The time signature is mad, 12/4 or something silly. This would be a great track to get the stems on and breakdown. Thanks again for making this. Such a strong song on every conceivable level.
Favorite song? "These Chains" by Toto. Jeff P's drumming is so melodic and his time is unmatched. There is also truckloads of space in that song as well. Luke's guitar work does not get in the way. His rhythm work is like an orchestral instrument. Apologies for the long winded comment.
When I first heard this, it sounded plain compared to their other songs, but something about the message stuck with me. As I heard it again, I began to love it and the intricate subtle details in the song. The more you listen to it, the more beautiful it gets. I later began to love it as it helped me realize the personal prison I was in. I can't listen without crying 😢😢😢
Roland was at his absolute creative and vocal peak at this time. Its a staggeringly good piece of work. And the box set that has been released fairly recently containing the demos that were done at the Townhouse was great... listening to the likes of Manu Katche and Palladino kicking around the ideas for Badmans Song is just utterly joyous. Also, a quick bit of pendantry... the basswork on Woman In Chains is exclusively Mr Palladino, if I am not mistaken. What I'd have given to have been a fly on the wall.....
Your enthusiasm is contagious, Warren. I always considered this song a great piece of art to pay total attention to. But that way you explained the details, nuances, techniques, and subtleties of this production and its result gave me a new sense of perception of this amazing work. Thank you so much to all staff for sharing such valuable stories about this song (and others). You guys make the difference. Cheers!
As far as the production goes "Sowing The Seeds Of Love", I always find something new and interesting while listening to this song after all this years...timeless classic.
Seeds of Love was our every-studio audiophile record as The Nighfly was 10 years earlier, wasn’t it..Great album, great tour as well. TFF(Orzabal)subsequent Elemental, an underrated album, has a slightly less organic but an even more lush and larger than life production sound
Sorry, so much great music out there that I can't have a single favorite. I am glad you covered this song, Thank you. I remember buying the album in a mall music store. I was running an errand after work, Tears for Fears had earned enough clout for me that I would buy a next album unquestioned, it was there in the store display as I walked through the mall towards my targeted purpose and I bought it. For some reason I couldn't wait, so returning to my car I unwrapped the CD and put it in, Woman in Chains is the opening song and what an opening, I was sold immediately and have been ever since. I still regularly play the song. In 1989 I had been living in the US for 5 years after growing up in Europe, my musical taste was slightly Americanizing, more conservative, more purity in guitar riffs, less synthesizing, getting a bit annoyed with all the synth in, for example, my "Simple Minds" albums, a band that I so liked while in Europe. Woman in Chains was such an European sound feel, but done so right. While the song charted in The US it did not earn the claim as it did in Europe, not the same impact as other Tears for Fears, MTV driven hits, it still sounds a bit strange to Americans but it's a great one for me and it's why I appreciate you heralding the song on your great channel which is, I'm certain, watched by many Americans.
i distinctly remember the first time i heard this song on the radio, being introduced as the follow-up single to "sowing the seeds of love" then subsequently wearing out my CD album cos it had so much lyrical and musical resonance. can totally identify with the passion and love with which you speak about this song, and thank you for giving us so much more about the story behind the song. favourite song other than THIS one? possibly "kiss of life" from Sade.
Excellent video. Thank you. It's almost like you're fighting from shedding an emotional tear when talking about it. That's a sure sign of the power of great art.
I started listening to the song (for the 1000th time) as you started showing your love for it and it was glorious. Great track to make a video on! Thanks!
I love and agree with everything you said. Woman in chains is and has been my absolute favorite song of all time. I never get tired of hearing it. If you were to ask any of my friends or family, they would tell you how often I have played that song and told them to just listen, and let it consume them. Nobody I know has ever listened to that song and not shed a tear. It is one of the best songs ever written and produced, and I will love that song till my dying day!
I heard your passion, speaking about this masterpiece, and like you, playing it over and over again with high volume, I couldn’t get enough of it. It just touches the soul by the way it sounds, and the piercing vocals from the female lead. It’s like a duet but a lot better that they alternate singing instead of singing “together” and risking canceling each other’s voices. Great job once again on giving the history and production background!
There’s one really high and flashy vocal lick that I was sure was Oleta and later realized it was Roland and made clear how far Roland had come as a vocalist.
I think it’s really important to highlight the role of Dave Bates, the guy who signed the band and stood by all their financial decisions. In this era, he was one of the very few A&R men willing to actively support his signings…… the video for Sowing the Seeds, single, was extraordinarily expensive.
Anyone agree that Rivers of Mercy is a brilliant successor to Woman in Chains on TFF's new album The Tipping Point? Another masterpiece that I can't listen to without crying.
This video made my day. I'd say it's my favourite song of all time... From one of my top favourite albums also. I really hope this encourages more people to listen closely to this absolute masterpiece. I learned so much from this song.
It is indeed one of my most favorite songs of all time - together with „Don’t give up“ by Peter Gabriel and the great Kate Bush and Seal‘s „Kiss from a rose“. And at least a 100+ more songs I‘m to lazy to write down. Cheers Mr. Huart, appreciate your videos!
Absolutely agree. The whole album is incredible, and this song in particular just takes you somewhere. If this song doesn't move you, you might have a problem.
One of the best TFF songs ever. Never really understood all the background, just knew I loved the song and made it a reference in my high end audio gear setup. Thanks so much for the background, I’ll be able to appreciate this gem even more than before
Wow! I have never heard anyone speak so passionately about 'Woman in Chains.' Usually, it is Tears for Fears' more popular tracks that receive most of the attention such as 'Everybody Wants to Rule the World' (still my favourite in every sense) and 'Shout.' Coming to 'Woman in Chains', you have definitely got all the facts right. It is inspired by feminist literature. However, to my ears it sounds far more spiritual than political if you know what I mean. Paradoxically, this song would never have materialised had it not been for Roland Orzabal's difficult upbringing. It is a very personal subject matter to him as it largely in memory of his parents. I think the feminism aspect or even race related references are only really on the surface. It is this quest for finding the answers to his childhood traumas and the conflict between his Mum and Dad that comes out in 'Woman in Chains.' As far as production goes, yes, it is an astounding track. The problem with 'Seeds of Love' album as a whole is bizarrely the production itself sometimes- not the quality- but how overtly dense and laboured they sound. I prefer the follow-up 'Elemental' to 'Seeds of Love' in terms of production.
One of the best Mixes .. maybe the best Mix ive ever experienced .. i am a Fan of TFF since Day One .. and i still use this Song for testing Monitor Speakers .. a proper blueprint for every Mixing Engineering out there 🙏😃
Amen, amen, AMEN. Everything I’ve thought since that day in Nov when I first got it. Superb. Top notch record all across the board- in my top 5 till the day I leave the planet. Roland & Curt have quietly made some of the best music in the industry and I feel blessed to have found them. They never disappoint. The new stuff is fantastic too! Always proud as a man to proclaim my love for the band. Oleta… what can one say. Stunningly beautiful and right from the church with that voice. Her presence on stage for that tour was mesmerizing and so joyful. What a gem they found in KC- W🌼W!!
I got a little teary-eyed listening to you speak about this song. Tears for Fears are the quintessential cathartic and genuine artists of our generation.
What a great interview with Bob Clearmountian. I have always read interviews back then about him but never saw him interviewed until now. this and one of my favorite songs/mixes. Thanks So Much for this! I wont ever forget this interview with one of my old audio heroes! Congrats to you!
Warren, this is a masterpiece for centuries to come. This record was one of my first CDs back in the time and still one of my favourites. The production, arrangements, vocals and instruments are fantastic. Simon Phillips, Manu Katché, Phil on the drums. Bob Clearmountain did marvelous on this record and Bob Ludwig... what a mastering. Woman in Chains is in my top songs, but my definite favourite is “The year of the knife”. I have never heard anyone talking about it. It has it all! Great video, Warren. Cheers. 🍻
This was a great breakdown of a remarkable song Tears For Fears have so many songs that are mind blowing I like alot of different music different bands just discovered them 3 years ago for some reason and in my opinion there the best band/duo EVER! Thanks again for this video shared it with multiple friends
I had heard this on the radio as a young teen then really listened to it years later and i just knew it was a masterpiece. It touched me , it made me feel good and loved every aspect of it.
In my music days, "Seeds of Love" was what we used as a baseline when we were producing and mixing pop and soul. And we often just let the CD thru the mixer channel to contemplate how it used the whole EQ Spectrum to achieve the many levels of feeling . It was for sure our reference for mixing and the goal we wanted to achieve (even if we only had 24 tracks...)
Every now and then there comes a song that shouts, "stop, listen, pay attention". Woman in chains is that type of song. The intro and subsequent vocals draw you in and sets the tone forcing your brain to ask, "just what are they singing about". By that time you are hooked and the song has hit its crescendo with the "so free her" chorus. Wonderful!
I’m glad to hear that they actually chopped up and mixed together Phil’s playing to get the big drum fill later on, because, to me, it never felt like one of his “in the pocket” drum breaks. Great work, as ever, Warren. Many thanks.
Would love to hear your opinion of their new offering: The Tipping Point. "Break The Man" is "Woman in Chains" pt 2, IMO. But for the gut punch you get from WiC, listen to "Rivers of Mercy." Same amazing TFF voices (kudos to Roland & Curt!), same feel, but a modern touch. The Tipping Point is a great album, to me. But would be interested in your opinion, especially in relation to their '80s work.
must say, on first hearing the album, Advice For The Young At Heart was my favourite.... still the one i "enjoy" the most, but accept that Woman In Chains was the masterpiece
Change was the 1st song introduced me to TTF. TTF Shout, Everybody Wants to Rule the World are always radio staples in my country. When i was in my 20s, bought their Best of album. That was the first time i heard Woman in Chains. It is the best song i ever heard. The song always strike a chord in my heart & mind
Loved seeing you get emotional about this production. I found Bob's work through Tears for Fears and has been such a reflection of my own work. What a moment in time, what a piece of time for inspiration.
Thanks so much for explaining of what I couldn’t understand when I was a teenager and why I have never got bored of listening to this song everytime I have heard it over the years.
Thanks for doing this Warren! I've been using Woman in Chains as a reference since the first time I heard you mention it. I absolutely love the intro, and then the song just grabs my attention all the way to the end. Truly a masterpiece that I was not familiar with until I first heard you talk about it.
great video, thanks Warren! what an incredibly moving song, the voices are pure emotion and the scope of the production and mixing is as widescreen as it gets. I also had this album on vinyl and played it to death . . .
I’m SO happy you put this song (a personal top favourite) in the spotlight as I consider it to be one of the all-time best balanced songs that has ever been recorded. It is practically unmatched. Music at its best!
Every once in a while your analyses are truly revealing about who you are as a person, Warren, and not just as a musician/producer and this is one of them -- I, too, have *deeply* *loved* this song since its release (magnified perhaps because I was hard learning those things for myself at the time). I very much appreciate learning about the respect held for the track and the mix but for me it's in a class by itself for other reasons -- hard to imagine with so much of the music made these days but, as you said, it can actually be a cultural force and this certainly is -- deep gratitude to you sir ❤
I remember putting the vinyl on at my friends house when this first came out… the album just blew us both away. We didn’t understand the meaning if the lyrics back then but we knew the music was something very special… ❤️
Great video Warren - this has been one of my favourite albums of all time for all the reasons you mention - this should definitely be on the list of stuff any producer/mixer needs to have in the collection. This album and Peter Gabriel's SO are on a constant rotation for me for inspiration. Great stuff! - Favourite song? impossible to say as it changes with the mood/season/alcohol intake etc! but it has to have great performance and production to stay with me. I admire Trevor Horns productions as well.
Bob Clearmountain is one of the best mixing engineers around. When he’s listed in the cd liner notes, I freely turn up the volume on my Amp. The way it should be. :)
I love love love this song! Possibly my favourite track of all time. Got the album in 89 and I agree with everything you say about it. A masterpiece on so many levels.
WONDERFUL analysis....the whole album is so beautifully produced and mixed.."Bad Mans' song" is freaking fabulous too....the vocals are absolutely extraordinarily performed and recorded...
wow! this song is one of my all-time favourites. It blew my mind, right when it came out. thank you for bringing up great memories! I think my favourite song ever is "Orpheus" by David Sylvian.
@@electricwhiterabbit I got the box set - two copies before they did a second pressing - but have yet to crack it open. Ditto the 'Songs From the Big Chair' box set. I'm a player, not a producer, and and look forward to hearing the song development jamming tracks done at Townhouse Studios.
Great track and yes - long before I was learning anything about mixing, you could just notice the clarity and punchiness of Seeds of Love as an album. Big Chair was similarly head and shoulders above its contemporaries sonically as well. These guys had high standards for their marvelous material. Saw them live earlier this year (2022) and I was blown away how good they were, everyone playing real instruments, everyone singing, and everything album-quality-precise. Amazing band! I also reference Jellyfish and Mr. Bungle's debut albums as huge influences on me for great sounding mixes.
Thank you Warren! Such a powerful, emotional, dynamic, soaring song! To think… Roland and Curt can still write powerful songs like this, as is evident in “Rivers of Mercy” off The Tipping Point. They also still have the magic when they play Live. Thank You again for creating the video. 👏
Amazing piece of music. When the quasi-jangly guitar comes in with the power chord underneath about 3/4 the way through and then modulates, I'm launched into the musical stratosphere every single time. The whole album is just as amazing today as it was when it was released, but "Woman In Chains" is brilliant. It set the bar particularly high for musicians, producers and sound engineers that followed much the same way that the Beach Boys "Pet Sounds" and the Beatles "Sgt. Pepper" did many years earlier. So much to glean from this level of musicianship and producing. I'd love to be walked through the producing/mix and to hear the seperate tracks as it was mixed.
Like many of us who were old enough I (too) got the album on vinyl when it first came out. I was almost giving up on pop and the rest of it by then (I never really loved most of the 80s music) and instead discovering jazz and the old Blue Note catalog. A very rich seam. But in the August of ‘89 the single ‘Seeds of Love’ popped out of my car radio speakers and I knew I had to get this record, even before I had heard ‘Woman in Chains’. It was the freshest sounding new record I had heard in an age. It got played a lot. Sonically it kind of quenched a thirst. And looking back one of the reasons I think I played it so much was that it was not only so well written, performed and produced, it was also a really well pressed record (a lot of the vinyl on offer at that time was being pretty badly pressed by an industry more obsessed with the compact disc) and so it sounded especially good on the old 2.1 component systems we were mostly listening to our music on back then. I remember thinking at the time how it made my old Castle Dunham’s (RIP) sound like they must have cost three times what I paid for them! My other thought was that Tears for Fears had really grown up as musicians, to the point where I was going to have to do some rapid growing up myself to keep up with them! That whole album is a masterpiece.
What are some of your favourite productions and mixes of all time? Share below or in the comments!
Another great video Warren. Paul Hardcastle's 19. Totally changed the way samplers were used.
Thanks for introducing me to this song, again love the serendipity as I polished off my cover of Mad World this afternoon. My choice for best mix, by gold record engineer Jeff McCulloch enjoy ruclips.net/video/ZAUX_oB7MbE/видео.html
"I woke up in a strange place" by Jeff Buckley is one of my Favourite songs
Toy Matinee.
Never Gonna Give You Up - Rick Astley
I just mixed an Oleta Adams show the other day, I was happy to find out, at the age of 69 she is still going strong.
Congratulations.
It would be an honour doing FOH and ducking the vocal range to fit her amazing voice.
You have reminded me, I must listen to her music again.
This record, and Roland's mind blowing work on the Fairlight sampler, was instrumental to me, both as a keyboard player and as an aspiring young engineer growing up in LA. It made me want to write and make records and hearing Bob's recollection of that time is priceless. Roland was so far ahead of his time. He really was the architect of what modern producer/writer's would aspire to be and his and Oleta's work on Woman in Chains continues to this day, to be one of my gold standards in mix references when I go to work each day.
Without question, one of the greatest productions and songs ever created. In fact I left a comment on the official video 3 days ago saying just as much. The mix, especially the drum separation, the vocals, the width, the bass, the synths, guitars .... It's absolute mastery by Roland, Curt, Oleta, the brilliant session players, and Bob Clearmountain.
Phil Collins AND Manu Katche on drums 🤯
I believe Dave Bascombe and TFF produced.
Thanks ever so much for the great comment! Yes, truly incredible song!
Well stated bro!
Wonderful insight and comment
I love the Flute and when Roland sings "The Sun and The Moon, The Wind and The Rain"
I can't listen to this song too often... the emotional connection I feel with it is almost too much to enjoy. A truly sublime level of human endeavour
Thanks ever so much for sharing Carlos!
exact same thing for me with Working Hour
The first time I heard it (when it came out) I teared up at it's beauty. The sculpture of it's sound is staggering.
In 1991 Soda Stereo, Argentina's biggest rock band at that time played a huge free show in the streets of Buenos Aires. I went with my friends pretty early and played football in the streets as they were setting up the sound system. The engineer kept playing Woman In Chains at full sound over and over as we played football. Great memories.
I studied Music Production in Buenos Aires, Argentina but was unable to finish it. One of the teachers used this song as an example of exquisite music production craftmanship. He was most definitely right about it. Thanks for eveything you taught, dear Diego.
Epic song! My personal favorite is “Badman’s Song”.
The piano improv and Pino Paladino bass lines are other Worldly. Oleta Adams does a vocal run that starts so low that it gives me chills every time.
Great episode Warren!
Well stated man! And agreed! Badman's Song is on my all-time top 5 song list and so so under rated and that's ok! :-) But my take-away is how cool are Roland & Curt to be so selfless to hire Oleta and be outstaged (in a way) on there album and on tour. Music first and totally respectable then for that!
@@javierruiz3051 I couldn’t agree with you more!
I love that song. And yes the production on it is unreal 🌻
A truly beautiful song. I love that you feel so strongly about it. What a song!
Not a very mainstream song but i think 'another green world' by brian eno is a really transcendant amd beautiful piece of music 🎶
Woman in Chains is an absolutely delicious song. Cooked to perfection. Each ingredient treated with care and intention. But when you experience the song it doesn't sound over-produced / engineered at all. It's smooth yet intense in its emotionality. I also love the fact that you can hear each instrument and that it's not muddied with over-dubbing. It just lets each "ingredient" shine yet combined it's not heavy sounding at all but it still makes my heart tremble...
Saw TFF live recently, great version of Woman in Chains and definitely the best outdoor sound I have heard. New material is great, a wonderful gig.
Agreed! Also my take-away is how cool are Roland & Curt to be so selfless to hire Oleta and be outstaged (in a way) on there album and on tour. Music first and totally respectable then for that!
Love this video to talk about all time beloved Album! TTF should release a live album!
That song is always an emotional roller coaster for me. I always cry when I listen to it. It's pretty much the perfect song. Thankyou
Bob Clearmountain is so good at making mixing sound easy when he explains it, while creating mixes the rest of us can only dream of.
Excellent analysis. This has been one of my favorite songs since hearing it for the first time in !989. I completely relate to all of the points and the descriptions of the elements in this song and it’s recording.
Totally agree, a true masterpiece !
Agreed 100%!
This album and Oleta Adams first album are incredible examples of Roland Orzabal’s genius. He’s underrated in historical terms but is appreciated by people who get it. I’m still learning from him. The new album sounds great as well.
I was thrilled to see this video as this is one of my favorite songs. I must admit that I don’t play Woman in Chains without Bad Man’s Song. It’s like picking your favorite kid! Okay, I admit I can pick a favorite here. I have come to know a lot of musicians since first hearing this album in college over three decades ago. Most agree this is reference material for mixing and musicianship.
Thanks ever so much for sharing!
I think to name one favourite song is impossible. Although saying that Everybody Wants To Rule The World is epic in its layering of bass and synth bass. The time signature is mad, 12/4 or something silly. This would be a great track to get the stems on and breakdown. Thanks again for making this. Such a strong song on every conceivable level.
One of my favorite TFF songs along with “Advice For The Young at Heart.”
Another one of my favorites as well. Tears For Fears are an important part of the fabric of the best music ever created.
Couldn't agree more!
Favorite song? "These Chains" by Toto. Jeff P's drumming is so melodic and his time is unmatched. There is also truckloads of space in that song as well. Luke's guitar work does not get in the way. His rhythm work is like an orchestral instrument. Apologies for the long winded comment.
When I first heard this, it sounded plain compared to their other songs, but something about the message stuck with me. As I heard it again, I began to love it and the intricate subtle details in the song. The more you listen to it, the more beautiful it gets. I later began to love it as it helped me realize the personal prison I was in. I can't listen without crying 😢😢😢
Roland was at his absolute creative and vocal peak at this time. Its a staggeringly good piece of work. And the box set that has been released fairly recently containing the demos that were done at the Townhouse was great... listening to the likes of Manu Katche and Palladino kicking around the ideas for Badmans Song is just utterly joyous.
Also, a quick bit of pendantry... the basswork on Woman In Chains is exclusively Mr Palladino, if I am not mistaken.
What I'd have given to have been a fly on the wall.....
Your enthusiasm is contagious, Warren. I always considered this song a great piece of art to pay total attention to. But that way you explained the details, nuances, techniques, and subtleties of this production and its result gave me a new sense of perception of this amazing work.
Thank you so much to all staff for sharing such valuable stories about this song (and others). You guys make the difference.
Cheers!
Perfect definition about what is Woman in Chains. I wasn’t wrong all of these years since the music was launched. One of the most amazing songs, ever.
As far as the production goes "Sowing The Seeds Of Love", I always find something new and interesting while listening to this song after all this years...timeless classic.
yep..the word "Timeless" sums it all up perfectly.
Yes! Absolute masterpiece
@@davehall8584 very well said
I couldn`t agree more, this is perfect pop music. Fantastic.
Marvellous
Seeds of Love was our every-studio audiophile record as The Nighfly was 10 years earlier, wasn’t it..Great album, great tour as well. TFF(Orzabal)subsequent Elemental, an underrated album, has a slightly less organic but an even more lush and larger than life production sound
Sorry, so much great music out there that I can't have a single favorite.
I am glad you covered this song, Thank you.
I remember buying the album in a mall music store. I was running an errand after work, Tears for Fears had earned enough clout for me that I would buy a next album unquestioned, it was there in the store display as I walked through the mall towards my targeted purpose and I bought it. For some reason I couldn't wait, so returning to my car I unwrapped the CD and put it in, Woman in Chains is the opening song and what an opening, I was sold immediately and have been ever since. I still regularly play the song. In 1989 I had been living in the US for 5 years after growing up in Europe, my musical taste was slightly Americanizing, more conservative, more purity in guitar riffs, less synthesizing, getting a bit annoyed with all the synth in, for example, my "Simple Minds" albums, a band that I so liked while in Europe. Woman in Chains was such an European sound feel, but done so right. While the song charted in The US it did not earn the claim as it did in Europe, not the same impact as other Tears for Fears, MTV driven hits, it still sounds a bit strange to Americans but it's a great one for me and it's why I appreciate you heralding the song on your great channel which is, I'm certain, watched by many Americans.
Thanks ever so much for sharing! I completely agree, hard indeed to have just one favourite!
Good reference track....low end. top end, middle, vocal clarity.....complete package.
One of the greatest songs of all time, from songwriting, production, musicians perspective. This is my favorite song😉
Thanks ever so much for sharing
i distinctly remember the first time i heard this song on the radio, being introduced as the follow-up single to "sowing the seeds of love" then subsequently wearing out my CD album cos it had so much lyrical and musical resonance.
can totally identify with the passion and love with which you speak about this song, and thank you for giving us so much more about the story behind the song.
favourite song other than THIS one? possibly "kiss of life" from Sade.
Excellent video. Thank you. It's almost like you're fighting from shedding an emotional tear when talking about it. That's a sure sign of the power of great art.
I started listening to the song (for the 1000th time) as you started showing your love for it and it was glorious. Great track to make a video on! Thanks!
Thanks ever so much for sharing!
I love and agree with everything you said. Woman in chains is and has been my absolute favorite song of all time. I never get tired of hearing it. If you were to ask any of my friends or family, they would tell you how often I have played that song and told them to just listen, and let it consume them. Nobody I know has ever listened to that song and not shed a tear. It is one of the best songs ever written and produced, and I will love that song till my dying day!
Working Hour is an amazing song as well.
Thanks ever so much!
My. Number. One. TFF. Song. Ever!
Marvellous
What a tune! Always love playing this to people who haven't heard it for years, the smile and the closed eyes says it all!
Can't forget the incredible Pino Palladino on bass. This is where I first became aware of his amazing playing.
I heard your passion, speaking about this masterpiece, and like you, playing it over and over again with high volume, I couldn’t get enough of it. It just touches the soul by the way it sounds, and the piercing vocals from the female lead. It’s like a duet but a lot better that they alternate singing instead of singing “together” and risking canceling each other’s voices. Great job once again on giving the history and production background!
There’s one really high and flashy vocal lick that I was sure was Oleta and later realized it was Roland and made clear how far Roland had come as a vocalist.
I think it’s really important to highlight the role of Dave Bates, the guy who signed the band and stood by all their financial decisions. In this era, he was one of the very few A&R men willing to actively support his signings…… the video for Sowing the Seeds, single, was extraordinarily expensive.
Anyone agree that Rivers of Mercy is a brilliant successor to Woman in Chains on TFF's new album The Tipping Point? Another masterpiece that I can't listen to without crying.
This video made my day.
I'd say it's my favourite song of all time... From one of my top favourite albums also.
I really hope this encourages more people to listen closely to this absolute masterpiece. I learned so much from this song.
It is indeed one of my most favorite songs of all time - together with „Don’t give up“ by Peter Gabriel and the great Kate Bush and Seal‘s „Kiss from a rose“. And at least a 100+ more songs I‘m to lazy to write down. Cheers Mr. Huart, appreciate your videos!
Absolutely agree. The whole album is incredible, and this song in particular just takes you somewhere. If this song doesn't move you, you might have a problem.
Very well said Doug!
Woman In Chains is an Absolute Masterpiece. I can't listen to this song without crying.
I revisit this masterpiece often.
One of the best TFF songs ever. Never really understood all the background, just knew I loved the song and made it a reference in my high end audio gear setup. Thanks so much for the background, I’ll be able to appreciate this gem even more than before
Thanks ever so much! Really appreciate it
I've always found Songs from the Big Chair to be their best album. To this day, it in regular rotation in my daily musical Playlist
Wow! I have never heard anyone speak so passionately about 'Woman in Chains.' Usually, it is Tears for Fears' more popular tracks that receive most of the attention such as 'Everybody Wants to Rule the World' (still my favourite in every sense) and 'Shout.' Coming to 'Woman in Chains', you have definitely got all the facts right. It is inspired by feminist literature. However, to my ears it sounds far more spiritual than political if you know what I mean. Paradoxically, this song would never have materialised had it not been for Roland Orzabal's difficult upbringing. It is a very personal subject matter to him as it largely in memory of his parents. I think the feminism aspect or even race related references are only really on the surface. It is this quest for finding the answers to his childhood traumas and the conflict between his Mum and Dad that comes out in 'Woman in Chains.'
As far as production goes, yes, it is an astounding track. The problem with 'Seeds of Love' album as a whole is bizarrely the production itself sometimes- not the quality- but how overtly dense and laboured they sound. I prefer the follow-up 'Elemental' to 'Seeds of Love' in terms of production.
I do remember the first time I heard it on the radio and I was totally blown away. One of my favorite songs to this day.
One of the best Mixes .. maybe the best Mix ive ever experienced .. i am a Fan of TFF since Day One .. and i still use this Song for testing Monitor Speakers .. a proper blueprint for every Mixing Engineering out there 🙏😃
Very well said indeed!
Amen, amen, AMEN. Everything I’ve thought since that day in Nov when I first got it. Superb. Top notch record all across the board- in my top 5 till the day I leave the planet. Roland & Curt have quietly made some of the best music in the industry and I feel blessed to have found them. They never disappoint. The new stuff is fantastic too! Always proud as a man to proclaim my love for the band. Oleta… what can one say. Stunningly beautiful and right from the church with that voice. Her presence on stage for that tour was mesmerizing and so joyful. What a gem they found in KC- W🌼W!!
I got a little teary-eyed listening to you speak about this song. Tears for Fears are the quintessential cathartic and genuine artists of our generation.
What a great interview with Bob Clearmountian. I have always read interviews back then about him but never saw him interviewed until now. this and one of my favorite songs/mixes. Thanks So Much for this! I wont ever forget this interview with one of my old audio heroes! Congrats to you!
I believe it to be the best duet of all time. As you said, it checks all the boxes and is perfect. A master mix!!
Agreed! Thanks ever so much!
Forced to choose, it's my favorite TFF track.
And absolutely among my favorite tracks from any artist.
Warren, this is a masterpiece for centuries to come. This record was one of my first CDs back in the time and still one of my favourites. The production, arrangements, vocals and instruments are fantastic. Simon Phillips, Manu Katché, Phil on the drums. Bob Clearmountain did marvelous on this record and Bob Ludwig... what a mastering. Woman in Chains is in my top songs, but my definite favourite is “The year of the knife”. I have never heard anyone talking about it. It has it all! Great video, Warren. Cheers. 🍻
This was a great breakdown of a remarkable song Tears For Fears have so many songs that are mind blowing I like alot of different music different bands just discovered them 3 years ago for some reason and in my opinion there the best band/duo EVER! Thanks again for this video shared it with multiple friends
I had heard this on the radio as a young teen then really listened to it years later and i just knew it was a masterpiece. It touched me , it made me feel good and loved every aspect of it.
In my music days, "Seeds of Love" was what we used as a baseline when we were producing and mixing pop and soul.
And we often just let the CD thru the mixer channel to contemplate how it used the whole EQ Spectrum to achieve the many levels of feeling . It was for sure our reference for mixing and the goal we wanted to achieve (even if we only had 24 tracks...)
The key change at "so free her" makes my hair stand on end. Every. Single. Time.
Agreed 100%!
Every now and then there comes a song that shouts, "stop, listen, pay attention". Woman in chains is that type of song. The intro and subsequent vocals draw you in and sets the tone forcing your brain to ask, "just what are they singing about". By that time you are hooked and the song has hit its crescendo with the "so free her" chorus. Wonderful!
Yes! My calls were answered. Thank you Warren. I am doing marvelously well!
Thanks ever so much Michael!
I’m glad to hear that they actually chopped up and mixed together Phil’s playing to get the big drum fill later on, because, to me, it never felt like one of his “in the pocket” drum breaks.
Great work, as ever, Warren. Many thanks.
Best key change ever.
Would love to hear your opinion of their new offering: The Tipping Point. "Break The Man" is "Woman in Chains" pt 2, IMO. But for the gut punch you get from WiC, listen to "Rivers of Mercy." Same amazing TFF voices (kudos to Roland & Curt!), same feel, but a modern touch. The Tipping Point is a great album, to me. But would be interested in your opinion, especially in relation to their '80s work.
Absolutely love this song, in fact the whole album is great. Thanks for your vlog!
Thanks ever so much
must say, on first hearing the album, Advice For The Young At Heart was my favourite.... still the one i "enjoy" the most, but accept that Woman In Chains was the masterpiece
What a band, and what a great break down. You really are gold standard in this field thank you again
Change was the 1st song introduced me to TTF. TTF Shout, Everybody Wants to Rule the World are always radio staples in my country. When i was in my 20s, bought their Best of album. That was the first time i heard Woman in Chains. It is the best song i ever heard. The song always strike a chord in my heart & mind
Wonderful in every way. Thank you for covering this....
Thanks ever so much Andy!
Loved seeing you get emotional about this production. I found Bob's work through Tears for Fears and has been such a reflection of my own work. What a moment in time, what a piece of time for inspiration.
Thanks so much for explaining of what I couldn’t understand when I was a teenager and why I have never got bored of listening to this song everytime I have heard it over the years.
Thanks for doing this Warren! I've been using Woman in Chains as a reference since the first time I heard you mention it. I absolutely love the intro, and then the song just grabs my attention all the way to the end. Truly a masterpiece that I was not familiar with until I first heard you talk about it.
I couldn’t wait for this video to finish so I could go rush over to listen Woman in Chains for the 10 thousandth time .
Haha very well said indeed
great video, thanks Warren! what an incredibly moving song, the voices are pure emotion and the scope of the production and mixing is as widescreen as it gets. I also had this album on vinyl and played it to death . . .
I’m SO happy you put this song (a personal top favourite) in the spotlight as I consider it to be one of the all-time best balanced songs that has ever been recorded. It is practically unmatched. Music at its best!
Absolute genius track
Absolutely!
Great choice yet again!
We caught Tears for Fears in Bend Oregon this summer and it was spectacular. Roland Orzabal is one of the very best.
I love A-ha too , the sun always shines on TV album , I love ' living a boys adventure tales ' tune a lot
Every once in a while your analyses are truly revealing about who you are as a person, Warren, and not just as a musician/producer and this is one of them -- I, too, have *deeply* *loved* this song since its release (magnified perhaps because I was hard learning those things for myself at the time). I very much appreciate learning about the respect held for the track and the mix but for me it's in a class by itself for other reasons -- hard to imagine with so much of the music made these days but, as you said, it can actually be a cultural force and this certainly is -- deep gratitude to you sir ❤
Wonderfully described :)
I remember putting the vinyl on at my friends house when this first came out… the album just blew us both away. We didn’t understand the meaning if the lyrics back then but we knew the music was something very special… ❤️
Absolute masterpiece
Have you done Sade's No Ordinary Love yet? Superb production
Great video Warren - this has been one of my favourite albums of all time for all the reasons you mention - this should definitely be on the list of stuff any producer/mixer needs to have in the collection. This album and Peter Gabriel's SO are on a constant rotation for me for inspiration. Great stuff! - Favourite song? impossible to say as it changes with the mood/season/alcohol intake etc! but it has to have great performance and production to stay with me. I admire Trevor Horns productions as well.
Bob Clearmountain is one of the best mixing engineers around. When he’s listed in the cd liner notes, I freely turn up the volume on my Amp. The way it should be. :)
So well said!! Agreed 100%!
@@Producelikeapro you are terrific and I’m so glad to see the success of your channel. You deserve it immensely. :)
I love love love this song! Possibly my favourite track of all time. Got the album in 89 and I agree with everything you say about it. A masterpiece on so many levels.
WONDERFUL analysis....the whole album is so beautifully produced and mixed.."Bad Mans' song" is freaking fabulous too....the vocals are absolutely extraordinarily performed and recorded...
You infect me with your enthusiasm, I really capture in the video the love you have for your profession. Great song!!...yess
wow! this song is one of my all-time favourites. It blew my mind, right when it came out. thank you for bringing up great memories!
I think my favourite song ever is "Orpheus" by David Sylvian.
Best TFF album by far. Classic in every way. Steven Wilson's 5.1 mix is a must hear as well.
Wilson said that the original mix was so good that there really wasn't much he could do to better it.
@@MrCherryJuice Correct which is why he didn’t do a stereo mix of it. The 5.1 mix he did is sublime and is a must hear.
@@electricwhiterabbit I got the box set - two copies before they did a second pressing - but have yet to crack it open. Ditto the 'Songs From the Big Chair' box set. I'm a player, not a producer, and and look forward to hearing the song development jamming tracks done at Townhouse Studios.
@@MrCherryJuice Yes. I have the box as well. Highly recommend.
Great track and yes - long before I was learning anything about mixing, you could just notice the clarity and punchiness of Seeds of Love as an album. Big Chair was similarly head and shoulders above its contemporaries sonically as well. These guys had high standards for their marvelous material. Saw them live earlier this year (2022) and I was blown away how good they were, everyone playing real instruments, everyone singing, and everything album-quality-precise. Amazing band! I also reference Jellyfish and Mr. Bungle's debut albums as huge influences on me for great sounding mixes.
Great episode! Still one of my favorite albums
Thank you Warren! Such a powerful, emotional, dynamic, soaring song! To think… Roland and Curt can still write powerful songs like this, as is evident in “Rivers of Mercy” off The Tipping Point. They also still have the magic when they play Live. Thank You again for creating the video. 👏
Amazing piece of music. When the quasi-jangly guitar comes in with the power chord underneath about 3/4 the way through and then modulates, I'm launched into the musical stratosphere every single time. The whole album is just as amazing today as it was when it was released, but "Woman In Chains" is brilliant. It set the bar particularly high for musicians, producers and sound engineers that followed much the same way that the Beach Boys "Pet Sounds" and the Beatles "Sgt. Pepper" did many years earlier. So much to glean from this level of musicianship and producing. I'd love to be walked through the producing/mix and to hear the seperate tracks as it was mixed.
Like many of us who were old enough I (too) got the album on vinyl when it first came out. I was almost giving up on pop and the rest of it by then (I never really loved most of the 80s music) and instead discovering jazz and the old Blue Note catalog. A very rich seam. But in the August of ‘89 the single ‘Seeds of Love’ popped out of my car radio speakers and I knew I had to get this record, even before I had heard ‘Woman in Chains’. It was the freshest sounding new record I had heard in an age. It got played a lot. Sonically it kind of quenched a thirst. And looking back one of the reasons I think I played it so much was that it was not only so well written, performed and produced, it was also a really well pressed record (a lot of the vinyl on offer at that time was being pretty badly pressed by an industry more obsessed with the compact disc) and so it sounded especially good on the old 2.1 component systems we were mostly listening to our music on back then. I remember thinking at the time how it made my old Castle Dunham’s (RIP) sound like they must have cost three times what I paid for them! My other thought was that Tears for Fears had really grown up as musicians, to the point where I was going to have to do some rapid growing up myself to keep up with them! That whole album is a masterpiece.