Tears For Fears

The Hurting

Raw and Powerful

Review Score:

(10/10)
'The Hurting' is Tears For Fears's first album, which first came out in the UK and went straight to the No.1 spot on the chart. When it was released in 1983, most pop music was trash and meaningless. Using their teenager experience and frustrations, Roland Orzabal and Curt Smith came up with this amazingly depressing but essential album- by dealing with our angts and pains, we are ready to face the world. The strength of this album is its raw honesty and the amazingly emotional and convincing voice of both singers. Roland and Curt share the vocals on the songs, but it's virtually impossible to tell who sings what song. The added acoustic guitars give the album a different feel from the synth/electric guitar follow up album, 'Songs From The Big Chair'. Basically, if you're tired of listening to meaningless lyrics, and don't mind outdated drum loops, then get this album. The additional extended remixes are good for fans, and the only one which stands out, 'The Way You Are', is addictive, even though Roland originally dismissed it as a 'bunch of noises' rather than a song. 'The Way You Are' was written between 'The Hurting' and 'Songs From The Big Chair', when the duo had discovered synthesisers, reverb and Fairlight programming. A must for fans or anyone who hasn't recovered from their childhood traumas.

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