Tears for Fears

Tears for Fears' 1983 release was a major hit in Britain and the superb singles -- "Mad World," "Change" and "Pale Shelter" -- were put on heavy rotation on the then-new "modern rock" radio formats in the U.S. Overall, this is a solid debut and the duo's tunefulness is very evident, although a few of the tracks suffer from a studied joylessness.

Britain's Tears for Fears stand out among the current crop of identikit synth-pop groups by
virtue of their resourceful, stylish songwriting and fetching rhythmic sway. Granted, the
adolescent angst and bleak, pained romanticism of singer-instrumentalists Curt Smith and
Roland Orzabel sometimes come off as an adequate imitation of Joy Division, at best. But for
every lapse into sackcloth-and-ashes anguish on The Hurting, the duo's debut al... More >