Tears For Fears' haunting debut album gets a second look

[Jazzy]

Thirty years after its initial release, "The Hurting" has been reissued as a deluxe 3-CD/1-DVD box set that contains the original album and a slew of bonus material. (It's also available as a 2-CD deluxe edition). "I think it coincided with a period where we were a little bit more enthusiastic," says Orzabal. "So it's all come together at a good time, I think."

Tears for Fears was formed in the early '80s by childhood friends Orzabal and bassist/singer Curt Smith in Bath, England. Both the band's name and the concept behind "The Hurting" drew from the work of American psychologist Dr. Arthur Janov, the founder of primal therapy, a type of psychotherapy in which patients relive their childhood pain in order to overcome it (John Lennon was a follower). Orzabal's introduction to Janov's concepts was through his guitar teacher.

Although "The Hurting's" songs are predominantly synthpop, the lyrics reveal a dark and haunting perspective of adolescent angst and pain -- quite a contrast to the more upbeat pop music from the MTV-era acts. "Influence-wise, we probably were harking back to [post-punk band] Joy Division," Orzabal reflects, "doing a sort a pop version to begin with."

For a collection of songs that draws on electronics, the tracks for "The Hurting" were first written on acoustic guitar -- Orzabal explains the acoustic guitar was the only instrument that he had then. "It's just that they translated well to electronic style," he says of the tracks. "It was very difficult for me at the time to play "Mad World" on acoustic guitar. It just didn't sound right. Luckily we had access to a very small 4-track or 8-track recording studio, which belonged to Ian Stanley, who later went on to co-write with us. And with "Mad World," the first thing I did was try to arrange it with synths and drum machine. All of a sudden, it just sounded like a thing -- on the acoustic, it just didn't."

"The Hurting" yielded three of the band's most popular songs in its catalog. One of them is the angst-ridden "Pale Shelter," whose title was inspired by the work of British sculptor Henry Moore. The other track, the aforementioned "Mad World," would be later covered by numerous artists over the years, including a version by Michael Andrews and Gary Jules that was a hit in the U.K. in 2003.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=l_kN_DJQJ3U

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=SFsHSHE-iJQ

Another track, "Change," became the band's first U.S. chart single, reaching No. 73. Featured on the box set is an alternate version of the song. "When we did our first version," says Orzabal, "I felt it was too fast and not electronic enough in a sense. So I managed to coax and moan and we rerecorded a version. But the record company was clear that they appreciated it and like the first version a lot better; the second version got buried -- until now."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=qzErJIbS6sA

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Do you like Tears For Fears?

 

[Nebulous]

Yeah they are pretty good for an 80s band.