What does it sound like?:
This is a fabulous live album, smooth and slick, everything you could hope for from Tears For Fears. It was recorded during the Tipping Point tour, promoting their excellent studio album released in 2022, eloquently reviewed on the Afterword by Dave Ross. They sound as young as they did over forty years ago, the baritone textures and tones of their vocals completely unchanged. They have upgraded their synthesisers, they can afford a real Fender Rhodes these days, but, nevertheless, the musicianship is flawless. Props to the band: Doug Petty keyboards, Charlton Pettus guitar, Jamie Wollam drums, Lauren Evans, Janae Sims and Jasmine Mullen vocals, plus of course Roland Orzabal guitar and Curt Smith bass. The sound is magnificent. They were never particularly prolific. In the eighties they released just three albums, split up for the nineties and managed only two this century, but, gradually, they have acquired a substantial catalogue of song choices. Tipping Point is a late career album of high quality, the equal of their early fresh-faced peak, and it provides almost a third of the set. They are so confident in it, one of their biggest songs, Everybody Wants To Rule The World, is disposed of very early on. Almost every album gets a nod, even Elemental recorded during the separation when Curt Smith wasn’t involved in the group. A lesser known song, Secret World from 2004’s Everybody Loves A Happy Ending, is transformed into a live anthem. The upcoming concert movie will be quite something in an IMAX cinema.
It’s their first official live album and certainly one they couldn’t have achieved forty years ago. Back in 1981, when Tears For Fears first formed, affordable synthesisers were notoriously unreliable. Joy Division, The Human League and Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark all had wonky moments and problems staying in tune. Joy Division’s struggles during their final concert can be heard on Still. Guitars weren’t much better. Bands would pause for several minutes to retune or replace a string. It didn’t help that the roadies were often well refreshed by the time bands took to the stage. Nowadays, everyone is much more professional. They have to be because the cost of entry is so much higher. You can buy Songs For A Nervous Planet on all three formats, vinyl, CD and blu-ray, for less than price of a concert ticket. You can enjoy the physical product for ever for less than one visit to an IMAX. Back then, cheap concerts were designed to stimulate sales of vinyl. Today, physical product promotes cinema releases and tours where the real money is made.
The dynamic of the band has changed over time. The two frontmen, Roland Orzabal and Curt Smith were friends at school. Initially, Orzabal wrote all the songs, sweet, lilting melodies supporting lyrics darkened by childhood trauma, nightmares and Arthur Janov’s primal scream therapy. Then, he co-wrote with other, lesser known band members: Ian Stanley, Nicky Holland and latterly Charlton Pettus. Nevertheless, Stanley, who co-wrote most of the smash hit, Songs From The Big Chair, saw the group as a synth duo. Smith made the occasional contributions that have increased since he rejoined the band, though Orzabal remains the main source of ideas. Much of Tipping Point’s lyrics reflect on his first wife’s death. In all those years, since the debut, The Hurting in 1983, Smith and Orzabal have only released five studio albums together but the bond between them remains irresistible.
There are four new studio songs for this album that are the equal of the songs on Tipping Point. The comeback is no fluke. Two are leftovers that have been kicking around for a while. Two are uncharacteristically romantic. Orzabal has found love again and has remarried. Despite its tentative title, Songs For A Nervous Planet is the happy ending they sought at the turn of the century. The friendship between Orzabal and Smith has endured its ups and downs and strengthened. The band has overcome its issues with management and record companies and is thriving. Long may it continue.
What does it all *mean*?
The man whose dreams in which he was dying were the best he ever had is in a happy place, testament to the therapeutic benefit of a good friend and a creative outlet.
Goes well with…
Popcorn. A visit to the cinema is likely to be the best way to enjoy this.
Release Date:
25th October 2024
Might suit people who like…
Synth Pop
Tiggerlion says
The Girl I Call Home
https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=09ZKCG4EFl0&feature=shared
napaj says
Was that a press release (?) (*Half joking)
The 4 new songs range from meh to dreadful.
They definitely won’t ‘suit people who like synth pop’.
Tiggerlion says
They are certainly Pop.
Are you saying that now Orzabal is happy, he has lost his songwriting edge? Both Say Goodbye To Mum And Dad and Astronaut have a shadow of death. The other two are love songs. Perhaps not the most moving of love songs. After all, it’s not an art Orzabal has perfected over many years. I like the far Eastern tones in the one in the link, though.
Don’t let the new songs distract you from the live set, which is very well recorded and immaculately performed. The crowd sound as though they are having a ball.
napaj says
Roland being happy or otherwise is irrelevant. I’m simply saying that the songs are not very good, and the style of the sound/production is not my cup of tea. Oh, and that you can hardly call it ‘synth pop’.
Tiggerlion says
Ok. That’s a fair opinion.
MC Escher says
I love Tipping Point so will definitely investigate the new songs. Not sure I love TFF enough to sit through a cinema concert though.
Max the Dog says
Yes, Tipping Point is a very good album. I’ll be getting this next week.
dai says
I think Sowing the Seeds of Love (the single) is magnificent, otherwise I have never really warmed to them. If they played in my town I would probably go and see them though.
fentonsteve says
I never saw them live in their heyday, but they played on a BBC iPlayer thing a few years ago and I was very impressed. I’ve bought the BD but not played it yet.
Black Celebration says
Did you see that advertised in the bolour supplement?
fentonsteve says
Blu-ray Disc, innit. Don’t ask me why, I don’t make the rules.
Black Celebration says
Pardon me. I saw an opportunity for a weak Monty Python reference and got it wrong. What a silly bunt.
Tiggerlion says
I did that at work with people decades younger.
“She turned me into a frog.”
* funny looks*
“I got better.”
*even more funny looks as if I was insane*
Freddy Steady says
At my work, when we’re talking about contemporary beat groups, no-one reacts to my “Anyone here like the Human League?” humorous quip.
Rigid Digit says
OK, Pop music. Let’s go.
Freddy Steady says
Thank you @rigid-digit!
Arch Stanton says
Disappointed a major band is using a shitty AI generated image for the cover. You’d think they’d be supporting artists not taking work away from them.
Tiggerlion says
In and of itself, the cover is okay. It’s only when I realised it’s AI that I disliked it. Tipping Point’s cover is hardly breathtaking.
fentonsteve says
It was done by an artist who used AI in mixed-media, apparently. Not 100% AI generated, anyhow.
https://www.nme.com/news/music/tears-for-fears-defend-use-of-ai-in-new-album-cover-art-3796039
pencilsqueezer says
“Mixed Media digital collage.” Sigh.
hubert rawlinson says
Here’s my “art created by AI using human imagination”.
Not sure how the mixed media fits in though.
pencilsqueezer says
It’s word soup utilised to obfuscate. I have no objection to AI but I have serious reservations about the outright theft involved it “training” it. What was it these third division musicians had to say many years ago…
Shout
Shout
Let it all out
These are the things I can do without.
AI images are lazy, easily created glossy bits of fluff with zero soul and absolutely no poetry. They look exactly as expected, machine made. Dead.
hubert rawlinson says
I follow a page on Facebook “People who think AI photos are real” the amount of people taken in is astonishing.
Last year I seemed to be bombarded with images of old ladies ‘crocheting’ cats, ‘chainsaw wood art work’ etc thankfully they have appeared to have ceased.
Black Celebration says
After a flush of excitement where you realise you can create absolutely anything, the thrill started to wear off after only a few days. There’s something about the lighting in AI images that make them quite easy to spot.
fentonsteve says
Yes, I think the “mixed-media” aspect is the AI drew the picture and the artist photoshopped on a black border and the text.
He didn’t even get the spacing between words right. Songs For….. A….. Nervous Planet.
hubert rawlinson says
If he’d cut the border and the letters out in paper then at least he would have had some input into the process instead of just typing words into his computer.
Feedback_File says
Great review Tig as ever. Loved Tipping Point but not a great fan of live albums tbh although will check out the new songs.
Tiggerlion says
In all honesty, the live album is *better* than the new songs. 😉