Review: Tears For Fears –  Songs For A Nervous Planet

Review: Tears For Fears –  Songs For A Nervous Planet (Concord)
★★★★☆

As if Curt and Roland’s first ever official full live album isn’t enough, there’s an additional bonus EP of four brand new songs to investigate on Songs For A Nervous Planet

There were two Tears For Fears live albums before. But Secret World from Paris on 2005’s Everybody Loves A Happy Ending tour was only ever available in South America and France, while the Songs From The Big Chair-era Live At Massey Hall Toronto, Canada/1985 was a limited-edition Record Store Day exclusive in 2021.

That RSD release seems to have piqued’s interest: they have come a long way live since 1985, but where’s the proof? As Smith said in Songs For A Nervous Planet’s announcement: “A lot of people don’t know that we’re a good live band, actually!”

So, here’s an 18-song gig recorded in July 2023 at the 7,500 -capacity Franklin FirstBank Amphitheater in Tennessee, released alongside a movie of the show, Tears For Fears Live (A Tipping Point Film). Smith’s statement emphasised that Tears For Fears concerts aren’t simply “Two people with a couple of keyboards.” They’ve become road warriors since reforming, amply demonstrated here.

The Tipping Point

Indeed, the only problem with Songs For A Nervous Planet is that it occasionally strays into muso territory. Badman’s Song has long been a concert highlight but, when you can’t see the band’s virtuosity or Smith and Orzabal’s joy in keeping the jamming together, 10 minutes of it derails the flow somewhat. Backing singer Lauren Evans leading Suffer The Children feels a little overblown outside of a show’s context, too.

That’s to pick holes in a worthwhile document of how adventurous a Tears For Fears gig is. The frantic Change is particularly stunning, its breathless arrangement perfectly updated, while Sowing The Seeds Of Love was always designed for the biggest stages and flourishes here.

The Tipping Point songs naturally dominate, but no matter: having toured so much before going back to the studio, Long, Long, Long Time and Rivers Of Mercy are perfect elder statesmen musings, mature without being earnest. Only Orzabal’s uncomfortable near-rapping in My Demons doesn’t work in concert.

In addition to hearing how good Tears For Fears are live, there’s more evidence of how they’re flying in the studio, too. At the start of the album, here are four more new songs almost casually tossed into the mix.

The gorgeous single The Girl That I Call Home was Orzabal’s attempt to write a love song for his new wife, Emily. There’s an even better one with the infectious XTC psychedelia of Emily Said, that comes complete with a Mott The Hoople-style glam coda. More of that, please. Also, Smith gets to dazzle on the haunting Astronaut.

The planet might be nervous but, live and in the studio, Tears For Fears have every right to be confident.

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