TEARS FOR FEARS Vinilo y CD

Review: An absolute delight for Tears For Fears fans, this archival radio broadcast showcases the Bath band at the peak of their powers during a U.S tour in 1990. As was the fashion for decades, the concert - in Santa Barbara Bowl in California - was recorded for, and broadcast by, local radio station KROQ. It offers a snapshot of the outfit's career up to that point, flitting between evocative versions of genuine classics ('Head Over Heels/Broken', 'Mad World'), fan favourites ('Advice For The Young at Heart', 'Famous Last Words'), insopired covers (a storming run through of 'When The Saints Go Marching In', a loved-up interpretation of Beatles classic 'All You Need Is Love'), and extended versions of the band's most inspiring moments ('Everybody Wants To The Rule', 'Shout').

Review: Tears For Fears return with Songs For A Nervous Planet, their first-ever live album. This 22-track collection captures the band's iconic live performances from their 2023 tour, with recordings from a show at FirstBank Amphitheater in Franklin, Tennessee. Spanning their career, it includes classics like 'Shout', 'Everybody Wants to Rule the World', 'Mad World', and 'Head Over Heels', as well as several tracks from their 2022 album, The Tipping Point. The album also features four new studio songs, including the lead single, 'The Girl That I Call Home'. Written by Roland Orzabal as a love song for his wife Emily, the track blends dreamy synths, soft drums, and tender vocals, showcasing the band's warmth and emotional depth. Curt Smith remarked, "Many don't realize we're a strong live band," while Orzabal noted, "This album is 40 years in the making."

Review: In June 1985, British synth-pop duo Tears For Fears aka Roland Orzabal and Curt Smith, recorded a live set for the King Biscuit Flower Hour while at the peak of their success. Their acclaimed sophomore album, Songs from the Big Chair, had just launched, and the promotional tour included a great performance at London's Hammersmith Odeon. This concert recording features highlights from their debut album, The Hurting, alongside new tracks from their then-current hit release and it very much captures the essence of their mid-'80s new wave style. It is all enhanced by a bonus set from a 1983 Palais show nearby.

Review: Tears For Fears' debut album was titled The Hurting and we now gather it has turned 40, spurring the release of this reissue. Despite its dark themes of childhood trauma, emotional repression and primal screaming theapy, the album peaked at number one, ascending to the status of a template-cutter for all the synth-pop and new wave to come thereafter - and proving that the dance music loving masses perhaps weren't so emotionally repressed ater all. The Hurting still features some of the band's most memorable tracks, such as 'Mad World', 'Pale Shelter' and 'Change'. This special edition has been remastered at half speed for optimal clarity; a treat for the audiophiles who've moved past the arena and into the living room.

Review: Preceded by a single of the same name last year, The Tipping Point marks the return of one of the most inventive pop groups to ever do it. In the 1980s, Tears For Fears expanded the possibilities of what a commercial song could be with sophisticated songwriting, unabashed bombast, unexpected curveballs and jaw-dropping hooks. Given the influence they've had, they might not sound so revolutionary amongst the generations of pop acts who have followed their lead, but they return vital and full of purpose. Embracing new sonics but staying true to the songwriting as the central focus of the Curt Smith and Roland Orzabal's project, it's a triumphant return from a truly seminal group.