In an odd kind of way, The Hurting (especially its title track) serves as a precursor to the current Daft Punk opus. There are no outlandish Giorgio Moroder samples, but Curt Smith’s voice sits on top of the track (Kraftwerk go to Motown) in much the same way. Synths chug and motor along, a relentless bassline pile drives its way through the speakers and Smith narrates a tale of love and trauma lost.
The emotional heart of the album is ‘Ideas As Opiates’. A minimalist, two or three-chord backdrop provides the perfect screen against which Smith reacts, relating another tale of heartbreak and not fitting into the world. It’s a textbook lesson in how less really can be more. The bonus discs give good value for money.
Various b-sides, remixes and early sketches show how the album came to be and what other roads they could have gone down. The live tracks give a good account of Tears For Fears in concert, and overall, this is an exhaustive and excellent package.
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RT @isthismusic: Album review – Tears For Fears – The Hurting 30th anniversary edition: http://t.co/I6y32ETXib @tearsforfears