Ian Stanley

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Ian Stanley
Ian Stanley from the film Scenes From the Big Chair
Background information
Birth name	Ian Christopher Stanley
Born	February 28, 1957 (age 50)
Origin	Bath, England
Genre(s)	Pop, Rock
Occupation(s)	Record Producer
Instrument(s)	Keyboards
Years active	1981 - 2007
Label(s)	East West Records (Departed)
Associated acts	Tears for Fears
Website	None

Ian Stanley (born Ian Christopher Stanley, Bath, England, on 28 February 1957) is an English musician, songwriter and record producer. He was previously a member of the English band Tears for Fears for most of the 1980's, and played a key role in the making of their multi-platinum selling second album Songs From The Big Chair.

[edit] Career

After offering them free use of his recording facility, Stanley became a background member of Tears For Fears and played keyboards on their first two albums. He also co-wrote (with Roland Orzabal) many of their songs from the period 1983-85, and was a vital part of the production team during this era as the band worked with producer Chris Hughes at their studio base, The Wool Hall, in Bath.

Curt Smith, Roland Orzabal, and Ian Stanley (l to r) from Mothers Talk (version 3)

He has appeared in several Tears for Fears promotional videos, including "Mothers Talk" (version 1 and version 3), "Shout", "Everybody Wants To Rule The World" and "Head Over Heels", and has performed with the band on countless television performances. He also appeared in the 1983 Tears for Fears live concert video recording "In My Mind's Eye", and the 1985 Tears for Fears documentary film "Scenes From The Big Chair", as well as completing two world tours with the band.

[edit] Post-Tears For Fears & Production

Following this, Stanley collaborated with Roland Orzabal on the 1986 side project "Mancrab", releasing a single, "Fish for Life", which was made for the soundtrack of the film The Karate Kid, Part II. Stanley also began working on Tears For Fears' third album, The Seeds of Love, but (along with producer Chris Hughes) left the project due to creative differences. His more prominent contributions, however, can be heard on the single "Sowing The Seeds Of Love" and the B-sides "Always In The Past" and "My Life In The Suicide Ranks".

Since the 1980's, Stanley has produced such artists as Lloyd Cole and the Commotions, A-ha, The Pretenders, Ultra, Republica, Naimee Coleman, Stephanie Kirkham, Natalie Imbruglia, Propaganda, The Human League and Tori Amos. He also contributed to The Sisters of Mercy re-recording of "Temple of Love", a Teutonic smash supporting the collection Some Girls Wander by Mistake. Stanley also did A&R for Warners East West Records but left in 1998.