--- product_id: 127470515 title: "The Hurting" brand: "tears for fears" price: "RM241" currency: MYR in_stock: true reviews_count: 9 url: https://www.desertcart.com.my/products/127470515-the-hurting store_origin: MY region: Malaysia --- # The Hurting **Brand:** tears for fears **Price:** RM241 **Availability:** ✅ In Stock ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** The Hurting by tears for fears - **How much does it cost?** RM241 with free shipping - **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.com.my](https://www.desertcart.com.my/products/127470515-the-hurting) ## Best For - tears for fears enthusiasts ## Why This Product - Trusted tears for fears brand quality - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Description Tears for Fears’ debut album ‘The Hurting’ was released on March 7, 1983 and contains Tears for Fears’ first three hit singles – “Mad World”, “Change”, and “Pale Shelter”. This re-pressed 180gm vinyl comes on the back of a massively critically acclaimed successful tour which saw the band play to thousands of fans. ## Images ![The Hurting - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51ep6iT2cRL.jpg) ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ One of the best debut albums of the 80s. *by J***F on Reviewed in the United States on December 23, 2018* Tears For Fears first album, The Hurting, has only grown in its reputation over the years. At first misunderstood and dismissed, mostly by the critics, as whiny teenage angst, it’s now considered a daring and influential album, especially for a first release. At least some of the critics caught on to the fact that there were some good songwriters here. The morose lyrics were accompanied by strong melodies and intricately detailed synthesizer and instrumental mixes. This would be the strength of Tears For Fears, an uncanny ability to make serious and complex albums within which were some of the catchiest pop tunes of the 80’s.Roland Orzabal and Curt Smith had formed Tears For Fears after leaving their first group, Graduate. Graduate wore dark suits and played pop with a beat a little like Elvis Costello or XTC. Roland was the lead vocal, front and center, wearing eyeliner and occasionally pogoing as he sang, seemingly having a great time. It was clear he was the star. Curt was very much to the side on bass and was generally ignored by the TV cameras, which focused on Roland and drummer Andrew Marsden. After signing with Mercury as Tears For Fears, the label apparently changed that dynamic with Curt being the frontman in their videos and Roland relegated to a background presence until Shout. The back and forths of this dynamic would eventually lead to the breakup of the duo.Their rapid ascent had been aided by Ian Stanley, a local Somerset musician who had an eight-track studio in his home, and later added drummer Manny Elias and producer Chris Hughes. During their big years of 1985-86, all four musicians were considered bandmates in Tears For Fears though it was understood that Roland and Curt were the major members. They were a real band from the beginning, able to reproduce any song live and have it sound just like the studio version. I mention this only because the intricacy of the tracks could suggest that the music was strictly a studio creation. Depressed after unhappy childhoods in council estates (public housing), Orzabal and Smith had latched onto the ideas of Arthur Janov,after Roland was introduced to his writings by a guitar teacher. Janov’s primal scream therapy had at one time greatly influenced John Lennon and resulted in his John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band LP. To oversimplify, negative past experiences will continue to shape you until you relive them and release yourself by letting the pain out. Though the pair had hoped to make enough to afford therapy in the U.S., making the album itself was the therapy and they poured all their sorrow and pain into it.This was very daring for a group just starting out. Was there really an audience for an album named The Hurting with songs titled Watch Me Bleed and Start of the Breakdown? With not a single track that could be called a love song, it was far from the standard pop album. After two singles that failed to chart, the album’s second song, Mad World, went to number three and the album made number one. Against all odds they had succeeded and found a receptive audience (except in the U.S. where nothing caught on until Music From the Big Chair, which many people to this day think was their first album. It was America’s loss). They were helped by their obvious sincerity. This album, however dark, came from the heart and in an era when many pop acts were arch or ironic, these two were trying to really communicate something. One other thing was different as well. They weren’t suicidal or defeated. In fact it was clear they wanted to somehow make it all work out.The Hurting’s percussive minor key opening indicates right away that something is wrong here and on top of a tense, throbbing rhythm the duo announces that they’re confronting the hurting so it won’t come back. Mad World follows. It’s now better known in its eerie reimagining by Gary Jules and Michael Andrews used at the end of Donnie Darko, one of the best reworkings of a song ever. But in the original version here its emphasis is more on the fast movement of people rushing around, busily going nowhere and the traumas of childhood like the first day at school. At the second mention of Happy Birthday there is a chilling electronic effect like the cold, icy laughter of some malevolent spirit which repeats itself three more times, making the song really creepy. Pale Shelter is smooth and dynamic with Curt’s soft tenor floating above it all. It’s also a jazz-influenced song, an influence that would continue and grow in their work. Ideas as Opiates is the opposite of what went before, slow, minimal and bleak. Even now it’s difficult to listen to.Memories Fade picks up the beat and provides strong melodic material but lyrically is one of the darkes songs here. Suffer the Children sounds upbeat on its surface with a strong chorus but ends with the thought that questions being born at all “When it don’t turn out the way it should”Watch Me Bleed is a fast ride through a minor key world of torture and pain. The lyric is a bit over the top in self pity but at least we know Roland meant it. Change opens with a wonderful marimba riff and is the best dance song on the album. Still, it’s mostly in a minor key and the marimba sounds more like an ominous force when it reenters.The prisoner is a dissonant nightmare and it’s well-crafted enough to be real and involving and not some kind of stage music cliche. Where else to end but The Start of the Breakdown, another audacious move for a group trying to have their first hit album. Roland’s father had a severe breakdown that took him out of Roland’s life for years and obviously that event inspired this song. But it’s not specifically about that memory but rather the conclusion of the songs which went before it: your life will simply not work out with so much pain. Still with all these layers of percussion and synthesizer, the melancholy piano chords, it’s a compelling piece of music.The Hurting was so much more than the typically dancy new wave synth-pop music coming out of the U.K. at that time. It’s obvious that a great deal of work went into its making. It’s also, perhaps surprisingly, a really enjoyable album to listen to. The music itself is so interesting and is more forward than the lyrics. Fortunately at least the British audience got it and ignited the career of one of the 80’s best bands.This is the 1999 edition of The Hurting with four bonus tracks by Mercury (Universal). The remastering couldn’t be better. There’s a nice booklet with notes by Ian Cranna that include an interview with Roland and Curt. The bonus tracks are mostly useful for including The Way You Are, the late ‘83 stopgap single that no one liked, rushed out to have something on the charts. It’s okay but clearly un-memorable. Still, it wasn’t included on any album so fans will appreciate having it. The rest are extended versions that are not very different than the regular tracks. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ "When you don't give me love You gave me Pale shelter" *by A***X on Reviewed in the United States on July 12, 2016* For the longest time, Songs From the Big Chair was my favorite. Now it is this one. I mean for a debut album, there is just so much layering here. I don't know how much of that is the mastering, but it seems like this one was really played from the heart, and very well thought out. It might even be one of my favorite albums of all time now. It's one of those albums, you can put on loud, crawl into your favorite corner of the house with blanket on a rainy day and just bask in it's glow. Favorite songs: "Pale Shelter", "The Hurting", and the original version of "Mad World" will always be my favorite. I have had some crappy luck with some of these "remastered 180gm records". This is not one of them. Very solid product, and comes with the autorip feature too. Very recommended! ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ A great album! *by A***S on Reviewed in the United States on January 22, 2021* I love this album! The songs are all great and most are pretty underrated, minus Mad World, of course, and the tape came in good condition and doesn't have any issues with skipping or warping. I do find, however, that this tape in particular is pretty sensitive to cold and if I leave it in in the tape player in my car overnight rather than putting it in its case during the winter, it'll be warped when I play it the next morning, but it eventually goes back to normal as the day gets warmer. --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.com.my/products/127470515-the-hurting](https://www.desertcart.com.my/products/127470515-the-hurting) --- *Product available on Desertcart Malaysia* *Store origin: MY* *Last updated: 2026-05-16*