Roland Orzabal (4,388 views)

[SailorBlue]

Roland Orzabal (22 August 1961 - Present)
Vocal Range: E♭2 - B5
Associated Acts: Tears For Fears (1981 - Present)

SPOILER: Click to show

{Album Ranges}Solo:

Tomcats Screaming Outside (2001): G2 - C5 - F5

Tears For Fears:

The Hurting (1983): A2 - B4
Songs From the Big Chair (1985): E♭3 - A4 - B4
Seeds of Love (1989): G2 - G5
Elemental (1993): G2 - F♯5 - B♭5
Raoul and the Kings of Spain (1995): E2 - C5 - E5
Everybody Loves a Happy Ending (2004): E2 - G5 - A5
The Tipping Point (2022): E♭2 - G♯4 - B♭4

Significant High Notes:

B5 ("Sowing the Seeds of Love" Live Going to California 1990)
B♭5 ("Bad Man's Song" Live Knebworth 1990, "Dog's a Best Friend's Dog", "Elemental")
A5 ("My Life in the Suicide Ranks", "Sowing the Seeds of Love" Live Going to California 1990, "Who Killed Tangerine")
G5 ("All You Need is Love" Live Going to California 1990, "Bad Man's Song", "Break it Down Again", "Closest Thing to Heaven", "Everybody Loves a Happy Ending", "Sowing the Seeds of Love", "Standing On the Corner of the Third World", "Year of the Knife")
F♯5 ("All of the Angels", "Dog's a Best Friend's Dog", "My Life in the Suicide Ranks")
F5 ("Hey Andy!", "Woman in Chains")
E5 ("Advice For the Young at Heart" Demo, "Call Me Mellow", "Raoul and the Kings of Spain", "Sowing the Seeds of Love")
E♭5 ("Bullets For Brains", "Quiet Ones")
D5 ("Always in the Past", "Brian Wilson Said", "Day By Day By Day By Day By Day", "Famous Last Words", "Secret World", "Standing On the Corner of the Third World", "Swords and Knives", "War of Attrition", "Year of the Knife")
C♯5 ("God's Mistake")
C5 ("Advice For the Young at Heart" Demo, "Always in the Past", "Cold Planet", "Elemental", "Everybody Loves a Happy Ending", "Lord of Karma", "Mr. Pessimist", "Power", "Secrets", "Sorry", "Standing On the Corner of the Third World", "Ticket to the World", "Who Killed Tangerine")
B4 ("Closest Thing to Heaven", "Cold", "Creep" Live Nashville 2017, "Head Over Heels", "Killing With Kindness", "Ladybird", "Last Days On Earth", "Memories Fade", "Out of Control", "Raoul and the Kings of Spain", "Secret World", "Year of the Knife")
B♭4 ("Bullets For Brains", "Day By Day By Day By Day By Day", "Elemental", "End of Night", "Falling Down", "New Star", "Secret Location", "Sowing the Seeds of Love")
A4 ("Bad Man's Song", "Bloodletting Go", "Brian Wilson Said", "Call Me Mellow", "Closest Thing to Heaven", "Creep" Live Nashville 2017, "Dandelion", "Deep Seeded", "Don't Drink the Water", "Famous Last Words", "Hypnoculture", "I Believe", "Kill Love", "Queen of Compromise", "Raoul and the Kings of Spain", "Secrets", "Snowdrop", "War of Attrition", "Who Killed Tangerine", "Woman in Chains", "The Working Hour")
G♯4 ("Ashes to Ashes", "Call Me Mellow", "Cold", "Deja-Vu and the Sins of Science", "Dog's a Best Friend's Dog", "Elemental", "End of Night", "Humdrum and Humble", "Ideas as Opiates", "Maybe Our Days Are Numbered", "My Demons", "Rivers of Mercy", "Until I Drown", "The Working Hour")
G4 ("Advice For the Young at Heart" Demo, "All of the Angels", "Bad Man's Song", "Bloodletting Go", "Break it Down Again", "Brian Wilson Said", "Creep" Live Nashville 2017, "Day By Day By Day By Day By Day", "For the Love of Cain", "God's Mistake", "Goodnight Song", "I Believe", "I Love You But I'm Lost", "Killing With Kindness", "Kill Love", "Ladybird", "Last Days On Earth", "Los Reyes Catolicos (Reprise)", "The Madness of Roland", "Master Plan", "Memories Fade", "Mr. Pessimist", "My Life in the Suicide Ranks", "New Star", "No Small Thing", "Power", "Raoul and the Kings of Spain", "Schrodinger's Cat", "Secret Location", "Shout", "Snowdrop", "Sorry", "Sowing the Seeds of Love", "Standing On the Corner of the Third World", "Start of the Breakdown", "Swords and Knives", "Ticket to the World", "Watch Me Bleed", "Who Killed Tangerine", "Woman in Chains", "The Working Hour")

Significant Low Notes:

E3 ("Advice For the Young at Heart" Demo, "Bad Man's Song", "Call Me Mellow", "Cold", "Dandelion", "Deep Seeded", "Don't Drink the Water", "Falling Down", "For the Love of Cain", "Head Over Heels", "Ladybird", "Last Days On Earth", "Master Plan", "Memories Fade", "Mothers Talk", "Quiet Ones", "Raoul and the Kings of Spain", "Secret World", "Sketches of Pain", "Under Ether", "Watch Me Bleed", "Woman in Chains" Townhouse Live Jam Sessions, "Year of the Knife")
E♭3 ("Bullets For Brains", "Dog's a Best Friend's Dog", "Humdrum and Humble", "I Believe", "I Choose You", "Los Reyes Catolicos (Reprise)", "Secret Location")
D3 ("Advice For the Young at Heart" Demo, "All of the Angels", "Always in the Past", "Brian Wilson Said", "Cold", "Day By Day By Day By Day By Day", "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" Live London 1995, "Famous Last Words", "For the Love of Cain", "Hypnoculture", "Johnny Panic and the Bible of Dreams", "Kill Love", "Me and My Big Ideas", "Schrodinger's Cat", "Sea Song", "Sorry", "Start of the Breakdown", "Secret World", "Suffer the Children", "Swords and Knives", "War of Attrition")
C♯3 ("Bullets For Brains", "End of Night", "Ideas as Opiates", "My Demons")
C3 ("All You Need is Love" Live Going to California 1990, "Ashes to Ashes", "Break it Down Again", "Goodnight Song", "The Hurting", "Killing With Kindness", "Lord of Karma", "Low Life", "New Star", "Queen of Compromise", "Secrets", "Watch Me Bleed", "Who Killed Tangerine", "Wino")
B2 ("Creep" Live Nashville 2017, "Last Days On Earth", "Out of Control", "Power", "Standing On the Corner of the Third World", "Tears Roll Down", "The Tipping Point")
B♭2 ("Ashes to Ashes", "Cold Planet")
A2 ("The Devil", "Don't Drink the Water", "Famous Last Words", "The Hurting", "Let it All Evolve", "Master Plan", "No Small Thing", "Snowdrop")
G♯2 ("Call Me Mellow", "Humdrum and Humble", "Maybe Our Days Are Numbered", "Rivers of Mercy")
G2 ("Bad Man's Song" Various Live Performances, "Low Life", "Power", "Pullin' a Cloud", "Snowdrop", "Standing On the Corner of the Third World", "Swords and Knives", "Ticket to the World")
F♯2 ("Last Days On Earth")
F2 ("Secret Location")
E2 ("Deep Seeded", "Don't Drink the Water", "Everybody Loves a Happy Ending", "Let it All Evolve")
E♭2 ("Rivers of Mercy")

SPOILER: Click to show

{Questionable Notes}C♯6 ("Elemental" [4])
B5 ("My Life in the Suicide Ranks" [1])
A5 ("Ticket to the World" [1])
E5 ("The Hurting" [2])

G♯2 ("All You Need is Love" Live Going to California 1990 [1])
G2 ("Hey Andy!" [1], "Ladybird" [1])
F♯2 ("Dog's a Best Friend's Dog" [3])
F2 ("The Devil" [1])
E2 ("Last Days On Earth" [1])
C2 ("Break it Down Again" [3])
.......................................................
[1] marks yelps and short trills in high range or anacrusis and short dips in low range.
[2] marks notes of questionable identity that cannot be confirmed to be the singer in question.
[3] marks non-melodic notes that don't have a significant enough pitch to warrant inclusion.
[4] marks notes that possess uncertain pitch or have been pitch-shifted.
[5] marks notes that do not fit the previous criteria but are not of a substantial enough quality to warrant counting towards the singer's range.

.......................................................
Blue marks falsetto or whistle notes.
Underlines mark notes that are obscured in the song mix.
Italics mark non-melodic notes.
Boldface marks notes that are considered to be particularly notable examples of this person's vocal capabilities.

[IhateMana]

Thank you for noticing that Curt is actually the one singing a lot of their hits

[Karen’s Kickassarole]

Oct 29, 2021 4:35:36 GMT IhateMana said:

Thank you for noticing that Curt is actually the one singing a lot of their hits

Doing a thread on him as well rn

[SailorBlue]

Oct 29, 2021 11:22:59 GMT fallenalien said:

Oct 29, 2021 4:35:36 GMT IhateMana said:

Thank you for noticing that Curt is actually the one singing a lot of their hits

Wow. I didn't know that, honestly. Always assumed they just had one lead vocalist with a huge range. 

Would you say that Roland is a considerably lower placed singer than Curt? When I was a kid, I always thought that "Shout" was from Depeche Mode.

For sure, for sure. Curt's A4 to C5 area is very light and effortless and his lows start very high. Roland learned how to mix during the Seeds of Love area, so that's where most of the good highs come from for him. But yeah, Curt's much higher placed.