Raoul and the Kings of Spain

Raoul and the Kings of Spain
Studio album by Tears for Fears
Released 10 October 1995
Recorded 1993–1994 at Neptune's Kitchen (England) and Record Plant (Los Angeles, CA, USA).
Genre New wave, pop rock
Length 50:16
Label Epic
Cherry Pop (2009 reissue)
Producer Tim Palmer
Roland Orzabal
Alan Griffiths
Tears for Fears chronology
Elemental
(1993)Elemental1993		 Raoul and the Kings of Spain
(1995)		 Saturnine Martial & Lunatic
(1996)Saturnine Martial & Lunatic1996
Singles from Raoul and the Kings of Spain
  1. "Raoul and the Kings of Spain"
    Released: 25 September 1995
  2. "God's Mistake"
    Released: October 1995 (US)/17 June 1996 (UK)
  3. "Secrets"
    Released: January 1996 (US)
  4. "Falling Down"
    Released: February 1996
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic[1]
Entertainment WeeklyC[2]

Raoul and the Kings of Spain is the fifth studio album by the British pop-rock band Tears for Fears, released on 10 October 1995. Like the band's previous album, Elemental (1993), it is essentially a solo effort by Roland Orzabal—neither album being made with the involvement of Curt Smith, who had left the band at that time.

Background

The album, according to Orzabal, has a recurring theme of familial relationships and delves into his own Spanish heritage. The album's title was mooted as far back as the 1980s as a possible contender for the band's third album (which ultimately became The Seeds of Love). Raoul was originally Orzabal's first name given at birth before being anglicized by his parents to Roland (Orzabal later gave the name "Raoul" to his first son, born in 1991).

The album was originally scheduled to be released by Mercury Records but the project was cancelled after Tears For Fears left the label to sign with Sony/Epic Records. The album was eventually released by Sony in October 1995 with a slightly different track listing and new cover art.

The album peaked at #41 in the UK and #79 in the US, but was more successful in continental Europe, reaching #23 in Italy, #13 in Belgium (Wallonia)[3] and #5 in France.

The album features a reunion with Oleta Adams, who had recorded and toured extensively with the band for The Seeds of Love album, and here duets with Orzabal on the track "Me and My Big Ideas".

The front cover photo titled, Running Them In At Pamplona, is by Jose Galle and is a depiction of the annual "Running of the Bulls" festival held in Pamplona in Spain. Several inner sleeve photographs were by David Tack, taken from his book Impressions Of Spain published by Quartet (the Bullfighter On Horseback on page 4 is Rafael Peralta, a renowned Spanish Rejoneador bullfighter). Inner sleeve photos of Roland Orzabal were taken by Pamela Springsteen, shot at the historic Mission Inn in Riverside, California, where the promo video for "Raoul and the Kings of Spain" was filmed.

The album was re-released in August 2009 by Cherry Pop Records,[4] complete with seven bonus tracks (see below).

Track listing

1995 release (Sony/Epic Records)
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Raoul and the Kings of Spain"
  • Roland Orzabal
  • Alan Griffiths
5:16
2."Falling Down"Orzabal4:56
3."Secrets"
  • Orzabal
  • Griffiths
4:42
4."God's Mistake"
  • Orzabal
  • Griffiths
3:47
5."Sketches of Pain"Orzabal4:21
6."Los Reyes Católicos"
  • Orzabal
  • Griffiths
1:44
7."Sorry"
  • Orzabal
  • Griffiths
4:48
8."Humdrum and Humble"
  • Orzabal
  • Griffiths
4:11
9."I Choose You"Orzabal3:26
10."Don't Drink the Water"
  • Orzabal
  • Griffiths
4:51
11."Me and My Big Ideas"
  • Orzabal
  • Griffiths
4:33
12."Los Reyes Católicos (Reprise)"
  • Orzabal
  • Griffiths
3:43

Note

  • Due to the band's label switch to Sony in 1994, none of the B-sides from the album's singles (tracks 13-17 on the 2009 reissue) are included on the Tears for Fears B-sides collection Saturnine Martial & Lunatic, which was released in 1996 by Phonogram/Mercury, the band's old record company.

Personnel

Tears for Fears

Additional personnel

Production

  • Producers – Tim Palmer (Tracks 1-7, 10, 11 & 12); Roland Orzabal and Alan Griffiths (Tracks 8 & 9).
  • Engineer – Mark O'Donoughue
  • Mastered by Bob Ludwig at Gateway Mastering (Portland, ME).
  • Album Coordinators – Jason Geake and Philippa Sprigg
  • Design – Gail Marowitz
  • Front Cover Photo – Jose Galle
  • Inner Sleeve Photos – David Tack and Pamela Springsteen
  • Management – Debra Baum, Whirlwind Entertainment Group Inc.

Charts

Chart Position
UK 41
BELGIUM (Wallona) 13
CANADA 62
FRANCE 5
GERMANY 88
ITALY 23
NETHERLANDS 70
SWITZERLAND 42
US (Billboard Top 200) 79

Singles

Year Single Chart Position
1995 "Raoul and the Kings of Spain" UK Singles Chart 31
1996 "God's Mistake" UK Singles Chart 62


References

  1. ↑ Allmusic review
  2. ↑ Entertainment Weekly review
  3. ↑
  4. ↑ Cherry Pop reissue, August 2009 Archived 2 February 2014 at the Wayback Machine.
  5. ↑ Raoul and the Kings of Spain Canadian Promo CD
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