7th March 2023 marked the 40th anniversary of the release of one of the all-time great debut albums, The Hurting by Tears for Fears featuring the hit singles ‘Mad World’, ‘Change’ and ‘Pale Shelter’. I have remixed the album for the occasion in Dolby Atmos, 5.1 surround and instrumental stereo, all fully approved by Roland Orzabal and Curt Smith. The Dolby Atmos mix is available for streaming on supported platforms, but the 5.1 and instrumental stereo mixes are included (along with the Atmos mix) on a standalone blu-ray audio disc issued by Virgin/UMR and exclusively for sale via Super Deluxe Edition. The blu-ray additionally features the original stereo master. As if that wasn’t enough my stereo mixes of two recently rediscovered earlier recordings of ‘Mad World’ & ‘Watch Me Bleed’ made at sessions with producer Mike Howlett prior to the album versions will also be exclusive to the blu-ray. These tracks were found on the multitrack reels, possibly having never been mixed before. Even Roland and Curt had not heard them for 40 years!

Songs from the Big Chair is the second studio album by the British rock/pop band Tears for Fears, released on 25 February 1985 by Phonogram Records. The album peaked at number two in the UK and number one in the US and Canada. It spawned the international hit singles "Mothers Talk", "Shout", "Everybody Wants to Rule the World", "Head over Heels", and "I Believe". It remains their best-selling album to date.

On the 30th June 1990 in the grounds of Knebworth House a concert was staged to raise funds for Nordoff-Robbins Music Therapy and the Brit School For Performing Arts. It has since been heralded as the "best British rock concert of all time". The breathtaking performing line-up was drawn entirely from acts who had been recipients of the prestigious Sliver Clef Award presented annually by Nordoff-Robbins Music Therapy for outstanding services to the British Music Industry.

"The Hurting" is the debut studio album by the British band Tears for Fears. It peaked at No. 1 on the UK Albums Chart in its second week of release. The album was certified Gold by the BPI within three weeks of release, and reached Platinum status in January 1985. The album contains Tears for Fears' first three hit singles – "Mad World", "Change", and "Pale Shelter" – all of which reached the top five in the UK.

"Songs from the Big Chair" is the second studio album by the British rock/pop band Tears for Fears. It peaked at number two in the UK and number one in the US and Canada. It spawned the international hit singles "Mothers Talk", "Shout", "Everybody Wants to Rule the World", "Head over Heels", and "I Believe". It remains their best-selling album to date.

Seventeen years is a long time between albums. It's even longer when you consider the magnitude of how much life happens during that interval. Tears for Fears had experienced mega pop successes (and loads of industry pressure) with Songs from the Big Chair and The Seeds of Love. Curt Smith, sick of paying fame's price, quit in 1991. Roland Orzabal carried on the name for two more lackluster albums. The lads reunited for 2004's Everybody Loves a Happy Ending, but it was short-lived. They planned to record again shortly thereafter, but Orzabal's wife Caroline became gravely ill. Further, their record company tried pairing them with contemporary hitmaking songwriters. They scuttled the sessions. Caroline died in 2017, and a bereft Orzabal turned to his old friend Smith for community and solace; the duo began touring and writing together again in a room with two acoustic guitars. The Tipping Point was eventually completed during the pandemic…