Raoul and the Kings of Spain
| Untitled | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
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| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |    [1] |
| Entertainment Weekly | C[2] |
Raoul and the Kings of Spain is the fifth album by the British pop-rock band Tears for Fears. Like the previous album, Elemental, 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 christian 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 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 return by Oleta Adams, who had worked 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 album was re-released in August 2009 by Cherry Pop Records,[4] complete with seven bonus tracks (see below).
Track listing
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Notes | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Raoul and the Kings of Spain" | Orzabal, Griffiths | 5:17 | |
| 2. | "Falling Down" | Roland Orzabal | 4:55 | |
| 3. | "Secrets" | Orzabal, Griffiths | 4:42 | |
| 4. | "God's Mistake" | Orzabal, Griffiths | 3:47 | |
| 5. | "Sketches of Pain" | Orzabal, Griffiths | Mislabeled on CD back insert as "Sketches of Spain"; the actual title of the track is a play on the Miles Davis album by that name | 4:21 |
| 6. | "Los Reyes Catolicos" | Orzabal, Griffiths | 1:48 | |
| 7. | "Sorry" | Orzabal, Griffiths | 4:48 | |
| 8. | "Queen of Compromise" | Orzabal, Griffiths, Brian MacLeod, Jebin Bruni, Gail Ann Dorsey | 3:52 | |
| 9. | "Don't Drink the Water" | Orzabal, Griffiths | 4:56 | |
| 10. | "Me and My Big Ideas" | Orzabal, Griffiths | 4:33 | |
| 11. | "Los Reyes Catolicos" | Orzabal, Griffiths | Mislabeled on CD back insert as "Los Retes Catolicos" | 3:43 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Raoul and the Kings of Spain" | Roland Orzabal, Alan Griffiths | 5:16 |
| 2. | "Falling Down" | Orzabal | 4:56 |
| 3. | "Secrets" | Orzabal, Griffiths | 4:42 |
| 4. | "God's Mistake" | Orzabal, Griffiths | 3:47 |
| 5. | "Sketches of Pain" | Orzabal | 4:21 |
| 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" | Orzabal | 3:26 |
| 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 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 13. | "All of the Angels" | Orzabal, Griffiths | 4:31 |
| 14. | "The Madness of Roland" | Orzabal, Griffiths | 5:10 |
| 15. | "Queen of Compromise" | Orzabal, Griffiths, MacLeod, Bruni, Dorsey | 3:57 |
| 16. | "Until I Drown" | Orzabal, Griffiths | 3:23 |
| 17. | "War of Attrition" | Orzabal, Griffiths | 3:45 |
| 18. | "Raoul and the Kings of Spain" (acoustic) | Orzabal, Griffiths | 4:29 |
| 19. | "Break It Down Again" (acoustic) | Orzabal, Griffiths | 3:14 |
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 PolyGram, the band's old record company.
Personnel
- Tears for Fears
- Roland Orzabal – lead vocals, guitar, keyboards
- Additional personnel
- Alan Griffiths – guitar, keyboards
- Jebin Bruni – Hammond organ
- Gail Ann Dorsey – bass guitar
- Brian MacLeod – drums, percussion
- Jeffrey Trott – guitar
- Oleta Adams – guest vocalist on "Me and My Big Ideas"
- Mark O'Donoughue – backing vocals