AMG Review of Chronicles: The Hurting/Songs from the Big Chair/The Seeds of Love

James Christopher Monger
All Music Guide

Mercury's three-disc Tears for Fears "box set" consists of the U.K. reissues of The Hurting, Songs from the Big Chair, and The Seeds of Love. Though Chronicles is a significantly cheaper way to pick up each album, and it does indeed come in a "box," it features none of the bells and whistles that the term often implies (liner notes, photos, etc.) That said, these are the three records that defined the group in the '80s -- Curt Smith left the group after 1989's Seeds of Love -- and there are enough bonus studio and live tracks on the reissues to warrant a repurchase by longtime fans.