Shout: The Very Best Of Tears For Fears

British duo Tears for Fears debuted in the age of New Romantic synth-pop, and while their early output did share some superficial elements with  bands like Simple Minds, OMD, and more, they were for all time master craftsmen first and foremost, in terms of both production and songwriting. SHOUT: THE VERY BEST OF TEARS FOR FEARS starts off with early hits like “Pale Shelter,” “Change,” and “Mad World,” which range the requisite early-1980s layers of synthesizers in such an artful way that one would be forgiven for regarding TFF as the Beach Boys of electro-pop.

It didn’t take long for Roland Orzabal and Curt Smith to rise above the genre, though, and elegant melodic pop gems “Head Over Heels” and “Everybody Wants to Rule the World” are flourishing, undying classics more similar to the contemporary works of, say, Prefab Sprout. Of course, Tears for Fears survived well beyond the Reagan/Thatcher years, turning their attentions to elaborate, particularly Beatlesque efforts, their “comeback” hit, “Sowing the Seeds of Love,” exemplifying the move. Those who assumed the pair had all the stylistic and longevity range of Blancmange will be amiably surprised at the bounty on offer here.