The Hurting is the first studio album by English band Tears for Fears, released in 1983. It is characterized by a synthpop style influenced by new wave and art pop.
The album was a great commercial success, reaching number 1 in the UK and the top 40 in several countries. It contains the band’s first three hits: Mad World, Change and Pale Shelter. The album was produced by Chris Hughes and Ross Cullum, in close collaboration with band members Roland Orzabal and Curt Smith.

For its 40th anniversary, the album was re-mastered on vinyl by Abbey Road with half-speed master, and also on SDE-exclusive Blu-Rays with Steven Wilson‘s remixes in Dolby Atmos with his own mixing technique, as he explains for this album:
“Those already familiar with my process will know that my first task, approaching any remix project, is to recreate the original stereo mix as closely as possible – trying to match reverbs, EQ, levels, stereo positioning, and any additional processing applied to it.
Even if a new stereo version is not required for the project in question, it’s an important part of my process in going on to create the surround / spatial audio experience. Finding any extra clarity along the way if possible, but essentially trying not to mess with long term listeners memories of the album in question.
I find that if I can do this. then creating the spatial experience becomes easier, since the sonic signature of the original album is taken care of and it leaves just the fun part of moving the various elements of the music out into the 3D listening space (albeit some adjustments are usually required based on the diferent perspective of listening in spatial audio).“

For this review, you will find 10 versions tested: vinyl records (1983, 2019, Abbey Road Studios 2023), CD (1983 and 1999), Amazon Music, Tidal Dolby Atmos and Blu-ray (Stereo, 5.1, Dolby Digital TrueHD Atmos).

You can also find 2 other Tears For Fears reviewed albums:

Below you will find the description of the different editions, as well as the measurements of each edition in the following chapters.
The synthesis of the review and the samples are available here

The album is composed of 10 tracks:

1. The Hurting
2. Mad World
3. Pale Shelter
4. Ideas As Opiates
5. Memories Fade
6. Suffer The Children
7. Watch Me Bleed
8. Change
9. The Prisoner
10. Start Of The Breakdown

First we will analyze each edition in detail (technical and qualitative analysis), then we will compare the successive editions with their dynamics and assign a final score, and you will be able to listen some samples.

The streaming versions may evolve over time, those presented here correspond to the version tested at the date of publication, or update of the review.

Review of the editions:

Part 1: Presentation of the editions

Part 2 : Waveform and dynamique comparaison

Parts 3 : Spectrum comparisons

Part 4 : Spectrogram comparaisons

Part 5 : Spatialization

Part 6 : Summary, scoring and Sample

Part 1: presentation of the editions

Ed 1: Vinyl record 775 070-8 – 2019

Presentation

This is the remastered edition of the album on vinyl record released in 2019 (ref: 775 070-8).

Ed 2: Vinyl record 811 039-1 – 1983

Presentation

This is the first edition of the album on vinyl record released in 1983 (ref: 811 039-1).

Ed 3: Vinyl record ARHSLP011 – 2023

Presentation

This is the remastered edition of the album on vinyl record mastered At Abbey Road Studios in- Half Speed, released in 2023 for the 40th Anniversary (ref: ARHSLP011). Is includes a Half Speed Mastering Certificate with Abbey Road Studios gold foil stamp

Ed 4: Blu-ray original remastered – 2023

Presentation

The Blu-ray features 4 audio tracks, including the PCM stereo version in 96 kHz stereo presented here with a bit rate of up to 4608 kbits/s. It is a limited Edition from SDE Surround Series. Ref : 00602448681645. Is includes alse the instrumental stereo Mix (not reviewed).

Ed 5: Blu-Ray 5.1 – 2023

Presentation

The Blu-ray features 4 audio tracks, including the DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 96 kHz version presented here with a bit rate that can exceed 6600 kbps. It is a limited Edition from SDE Surround Series. Ref : 00602448681645.

Ed 6: Blu-Ray Dolby Atmos – 2023

Presentation

The Blu-ray features 4 audio tracks, including the Dolby Atmos version presented here in Dolby Digital trueHD with a bit rate that can exceed 9000 kbits/s compared with 768 bits/s for Dolby Atmos streaming. It is a limited Edition from SDE Surround Series. Ref : 00602448681645.

Ed 7: Amazon – 2023

Presentation

The stereo version of Amazon Music is presented in 16 bits 44.1 kHz, with bonus tracks : Pale Shelter (Long Version), The Way You Are (Extended Version), Mad World (World Remix) and Change (Extended Version).

Ed 8: Tidal Dolby Atmos – 2023

Presentation

This is the Tidal Dolby Atmos presented in Dolby Digital Plus (768 kbits/s) or AC-4.

Ed 9: CD – 1983

Presentation

Here is the first digital edition of the album on CD in 1983 (ref: 811 039-2).

Ed 10: CD – 1999

Presentation

CD version remastered in 1999 (ref: 731455810424) with bonus tracks : Pale Shelter (Long Version), The Way You Are (Extended Version), Mad World (World Remix) and Change (Extended Version).

Part 2 : Waveform and dynamic comparaisons

Waveform

The waveform represents tracks of the track “Ahead Of The Game”.

The waveforms of the vinyl, bluray, CD (1983) and Dolby Atmos downmixed to 2.0 (Blu-ray and Tidal) versions of Tidal MAX and Dolby Atmos downmixed to 2.0 show good dynamics, as confirmed by the graphs below, with dynamic range measurements between DR13 and DR15.

The waveforms of the bluray version with a 5.1 track show good dynamics, as confirmed by the graph below, with dynamic range measurements at DR14.

The waveforms of the Amazon versions and the 1999 CD show a limitation in dynamics, as confirmed by the graphs below, with the measurement of dynamic ranges at DR8.

Dynamic

Dynamic represents the ability to reproduce a wide range of sounds from the softest to the loudest. The target is to compare the dynamics of the music and not of the media (CD, digital files or vinyl).

For our 10 editions reviewed have obtained the following Dynamic Range (DR) :

	Vinyl record 775 070-8 – 2019	Vinyl record 811 039-1 – 1983	Vinyl record ARHSLP011 – 2023	Blu-ray original remastered – 2023	Blu-Ray 5.1 – 2023	Blu-Ray Dolby Atmos – 2023	Amazon – 2023	Tidal Dolby Atmos – 2023	CD – 1983	CD – 1999
Global	DR14	DR13	DR13	DR13	DR14	DR15	DR8	DR15	DR13	DR8
Min	DR12	DR12	DR12	DR11	DR12	DR13	DR7	DR13	DR12	DR7
Max	DR15	DR15	DR15	DR16	DR16	DR16	DR10	DR16	DR15	DR10
The Hurting	DR15	DR14	DR12	DR14	DR16	DR16	DR8	DR16	DR14	DR8
Mad World	DR15	DR14	DR13	DR14	DR15	DR16	DR8	DR16	DR14	DR8
Pale Shelter	DR13	DR13	DR12	DR13	DR13	DR14	DR7	DR14	DR12	DR7
Ideas As Opiates	DR15	DR15	DR15	DR16	DR15	DR16	DR10	DR16	DR15	DR10
Memories Fade	DR13	DR13	DR13	DR14	DR15	DR16	DR9	DR16	DR13	DR9
Suffer The Children	DR13	DR12	DR12	DR12	DR13	DR14	DR7	DR15	DR12	DR7
Watch Me Bleed	DR14	DR14	DR12	DR13	DR14	DR15	DR8	DR15	DR13	DR8
Change	DR14	DR14	DR14	DR13	DR16	DR16	DR9	DR15	DR14	DR9
The Prisoner	DR12	DR12	DR12	DR11	DR12	DR13	DR7	DR13	DR12	DR7
Start Of The Breakdown	DR13	DR13	DR13	DR11	DR15	DR15	DR8	DR15	DR12	DR8

The dynamic range is good, between DR13 and DR15 for all versions, except for the Amazon version and the 1999 CD, where the dynamic range is compressed with a DR8.

As a reminder, the scale goes from 0 to more 20, but the dynamics are considered good from 12, quite good between 10 and 11, and deteriorate below 10.

Part 3 : spectrum comparisons

Spectrum

The Spectrum allows to check the tonal balance of the music (balance between treble, medium and bass sounds) and to detect process that may have been carried out during the recording, the mixing, mastering or manufacturing phases. It is also possible to detect frequency interference issues.

The graph below compares the spectrum of the Vinyl record 775 070-8 – 2019 (white curve) with the spectrum of the Vinyl record ARHSLP011 – 2023 (blue curve). The spectra show a difference in sound balance between the two vinyl records, with the 2023 vinyl record having a lower level in the high frequencies above 4 kHz (up to 8 dB difference) (yellow zone), and also a slightly more present bass (green zone) below 700 Hz (up to 3 dB difference). The red arrow shows a parasitic peak present on both editions, indicating the use of a common original source.

The graph below compares the spectrum of the Vinyl record 811 039-1 – 1983 (white curve) with the spectrum of the Vinyl record ARHSLP011 – 2023 (blue curve). As for the comparison of spectra between the 2019 and 2023 vinyl records. The spectra show a difference in sound balance between the two vinyl records from 2023 and 1983, with the 2023 vinyl record having a lower level in the high frequencies above 4 kHz (up to 4 dB difference) (yellow zone), and also a slightly more present bass (green zone) below 700 Hz (up to 5 dB difference). The red arrow shows a parasitic peak present on both editions, indicating the use of a common original source.

The graph below compares the spectrum of the Vinyl record 811 039-1 – 1983 (white curve) with the spectrum of the CD – 1999 (blue curve). The two spectra are very similar between the CD and vinyl versions, so you’ll get the same sonic balance when listening. The CD has a maximum frequency of 22 kHz, in line with the 44.1 kHz sampling frequency used (yellow arrow).

The graph below compares the spectrum of the Vinyl record ARHSLP011 – 2023 (white curve) with the spectrum of the CD – 1983 (blue curve). The two spectra are very similar between the CD and vinyl versions, but with the highs on the vinyl above 10 kHz (yellow zone) accentuated by up to 6 dB, and the lows (green zone) below 100 Hz by up to 5 dB. You’ll get the same different sound balance with more presence on vinyl. CDs have a maximum frequency of 20 kHz, in line with the 44.1 kHz sampling frequency used (yellow arrow).

The graph below represents the spectrum of the Blu-Ray 5.1 – 2023.
The spectrum of the Blu-ray 5.1 shows that all the channels are well used. The bass channel is not filtered at 120Hz compared to Tidal’s Dolby Atmos version, as indicated by the green arrow. The high frequencies are not limited to 24 kHz due to the 96 kHz sampling frequency, unlike the Dolby Atmos versions which are limited to 48 kHz sampling frequency.

The graph below represents the spectrum of the Blu-Ray Dolby Atmos – 2023.
The spectrum of the Blu-ray Atmos version decoded in 7.1 shows that all the channels are well used. The bass channel is not filtered slightly at 120 Hz compared to the Tidal Dolby Atmos version, as indicated by the green arrow.
The yellow arrow indicates that the high frequencies are limited to 24 kHz due to the sampling frequency (48 kHz), unlike the Dolby Digital Plus encoding which is limited to 20 kHz.

The graph below compares the spectrum of the Amazon – 2023 (white curve) with the spectrum of the CD – 1999 (blue curve).The two spectra are perfectly superimposed, confirming the use of the same master.

The graph below represents the spectrum of the Tidal Dolby Atmos – 2023.
The spectrum of Amazon’s Dolby Atmos version decoded in 7.1 shows that not all channels are used. The bass and rear surround channels are not used. The yellow arrow indicates the high-frequency limit at 20 kHz due to Dolby Digital Plus encoding. The white arrow indicates the high-frequency limit at 24 kHz due to encoding at the 48 kHz sampling frequency used, confirming that it is the Dolby Digital Plus encoding algorithm that cuts frequencies at 20 kHz to reduce data size in order to maintain the bit rate of 768 kbits/s.

The graph below compares the spectrum of the Blu-ray original remastered – 2023 (white curve) with the spectrum of the CD – 1983 (blue curve).The two spectra are very similar between the Blu-ray and CD versions, but the highs on the CD above 10 kHz (yellow zone) are boosted by up to 6 dB, and the lows (green zone) are attenuated below 100 Hz by up to 6 dB. You’ll get the same different sound balance with more presence on blu-ray. Blu-ray has a maximum frequency rising above 26 kHe, which corresponds to the 96 kHz sampling frequency used (yellow arrow).

Part 4 : Spectrogram comparaisons

Spectrogram

Spectrogram is another representation of frequency versus time of a track. For each channel (right and left), horizontal axis represents time, and the vertical axis represents frequency. The amplitude is represented by the intensity (brightness) of the color of each point in the image.

The graph below represent the spectrogram of the vinyl record of 1983, 2019 and 2023. The spectrograms below show that the frequencies of the audio signal rise above 20 kHz (yellow arrow). The signal above 20 kHz (white arrow) is due to the signal present above 20 kHz and to the distortion caused by the vinyl playback principle.

The spectrograms of the blu-ray stereo and 5.1 versions show that the signal rises above 20 kHz (yellow arrow), with a signal that can rise up to 30 kHz (white arrow). This confirms the 96 kHz sampling frequency used.

The spectrogram of the Blu-ray Dolby Atmos TrueHD track downmixed in stereo is limited to 24 kHz (yellow arrow) with no signal above (white arrow). This limitation is due to the 48 kHz sampling frequency used.

The spectrograms of the CD versions and Amazon show that the signal rises to a maximum of 22 kHz (yellow arrow) and that there is no signal above this frequency (white arrow), due to the 44.1 kHz sampling frequency used for audio CDs.

The spectrogram of the Dolby Atmos track downmixed in stereo is limited to 20kHz (yellow arrow) with no signal above (white arrow). This limitation is due to Dolby Digital Plus encoding, which is a lossy encoder that limits bandwidth to optimize data size for a bit rate of 768 kbits/s.

Part 5 : Spatialization

Spatialization allows you to define the sound distribution of the music on all the channels. The spatialization indicator and the description of the graph are described here.

Spatialization is available for the bluray in 5.1 and Dolby Atmos TrueHD, and for Tidal Dolby Atmos .

Below the spatialization for all tracks. Click on the images to zoom in.

Below the spatialization for all tracks. Click on the images to zoom in.

Below the spatialization for all tracks. Click on the images to zoom in.

Part 6 : Summary, scoring and Samples

Ed 1: Vinyl record 775 070-8 – 2019

A fine pressing for this vinyl record, but with very marked equalization, particularly in the treble, giving a more ’80s sound with a rising balance.

Rating:

• Dynamic: ●●●●o (4.5)
• Bandwidth: ●●●●● (5)
• Surface noise: ●●●●o (4)
• Restitution: ●●●oo (3.5)

Sample : ”Running” 16 bits 88.2 kHz:

Ed 2: Vinyl record 811 039-1 – 1983

The 1983 vinyl is more balanced than the 2019 version, it correponds to the original version. In terms of sound balance, it’s the middle ground between the 2019 and 2023 vinyls. If you’re looking for the original sound, this is the version to get.

Rating:

• Dynamic: ●●●●o (4)
• Bandwidth: ●●●●● (5)
• Surface noise: ●●●●o (4)
• Restitution: ●●●●o (4)

Sample : ”Running” 16 bits 88.2 kHz:

Ed 3: Vinyl record ARHSLP011 – 2023

Abbey Road have done an excellent job on this reissue, mastering the record to adapt the sound from the 80s to 2023. The sound is more balanced, with less pronounced highs. The pressing is of very high quality, with excellent spatialization and precision in the reproduction, which is more detailed than the 1984 vinyl record. If you want a remastered vinyl version with today’s sound balance, this is the version for you.

Rating:

• Dynamic: ●●●●o (4)
• Bandwidth: ●●●●● (5)
• Surface noise: ●●●●o (4.5)
• Restitution: ●●●●o (4)

Sample : ”Running” 16 bits 88.2 kHz:

Ed 4: Blu-ray original remastered – 2023

As with the 2023 vinyl, a great deal of work has been done on this stereo version to provide one of the best renditions of this album, with a sound balance more suited to today’s listening. All the album’s details can be heard, with beautiful spatialization and sound balance, all in high resolution.

Rating:

• Dynamic: ●●●●o (4)
• Bandwidth: ●●●●● (5)
• Restitution: ●●●●o (4.5)

Sample : ”Running” 16 bits 96 kHz:

Ed 5: Blu-Ray 5.1 – 2023

From the very first seconds of the album, you’re immersed in the 5.1 mix. All the channels are perfectly exploited, although we don’t find the immersion of the Atmos version, but it’s a very successful mix that retains all the finesse of the album’s rendering with the use of a high-resolution format. It’s a first step towards immersive sound.

Rating:

• Dynamic: ●●●●o (4.5)
• Bandwidth: ●●●●● (5)
• Spatialization: ●●●●o (3.7)
• Restitution: ●●●●o (4)

Sample : ”Running” 5.1 16 bits 96 kHz:

The sample is in 5.1 wav format, if you can not play the sample in your navigator, you can save it, right button menu and “Save Audio As…” and play it with an external player.

Ed 6: Blu-Ray Dolby Atmos – 2023

Steven Wilson’s mastery of Dolby Atmos mixing is once again evident on this Tears For Fears album.
We’re really immersed in the music, with all channels perfectly exploited.
On “The Hurting”, the song’s intro exploits all the channels, with vocals and instruments spread over all the channels.
On “Mad World”, it’s a 3D immersion in the music, with all channels exploited to put us in the middle of the music, and a fine exploitation of the high channels.
On “Ideas As Opiates”, the voice is central to the music, with the instruments echoing each other in 3D space.
On “Memories Fade”, the music is on all channels and swirls above us in the intro.
On “Change”, the chorus literally surrounds us.
On “The Prisoner”, the 3D rendering combined with the music amplifies the mood of the song.

Rating:

• Dynamic: ●●●●● (5)
• Bandwidth: ●●●●o (4)
• Spatialization: ●●●●●●●●oo (8.2)
• Restitution: ●●●●o (4.5)

Sample : ”Running” Dolby Atmos (Downmixed in 7.1) :

The sample is in 7.1 wav format, if you can not play the sample in your navigator, you can save it, right button menu and “Save Audio As…” and play it with an external player.

Ed 7: Amazon – 2023

The Amazon version is similar to the 1999 CD version.

Rating:

• Dynamic: ●●ooo (2)
• Bandwidth: ●●●●o (4)
• Restitution: ●●●oo (3)

Sample : ”Running” 16 bits 44.1 kHz:

Ed 8: Tidal Dolby Atmos – 2023

The Dolby Atmos version presented in Dolby Digital Plus format does not improve on the Dolby Atmos version of the Blu-ray, which brings greater precision and clarity to the sound, and better rendered spatialization. The difference in bitrates between the two formats explains the difference in quality. I’ll come back to the difference between these two encoding versions in a specific review.

Rating:

• Dynamic: ●●●●● (5)
• Bandwidth: ●●●●o (4)
• Spatialization: ●●●●●●●●oo (8.2)
• Restitution: ●●●oo (3.5)

Sample : ”Running” Dolby Atmos (Downmixed in 5.1) :

The sample is in 5.1 wav format, if you can not play the sample in your navigator, you can save it, right button menu and “Save Audio As…” and play it with an external player.

Ed 9: CD – 1983

This CD features the original version, with the 80s sound offering a more upbeat balance. This support allows you to rediscover the album’s original sound.

Rating:

• Dynamic: ●●●●o (4)
• Bandwidth: ●●●●o (4)
• Restitution: ●●●●o (4)

Sample : ”Running” 16 bits 44.1 kHz:

Ed 10: CD – 1999

This 1999 remastered version falls between two extremes: it’s not as good as the original mix due to the presence of dynamic compression, and it lacks the quality of the Blu-ray stereo version.

Rating:

• Dynamic: ●●ooo (2)
• Bandwidth: ●●●●o (4)
• Restitution: ●●●oo (3)

Sample : ”Running” 16 bits 44.1 kHz:

Which version should you choose? It also depends on your tastes. If you want to enjoy this album to the full, with a sound in tune with the times, there’s no need to hesitate: the Blu-ray version offers the best stereo and 5.1 rendering, as well as a superb Dolby Atmos mix, or the Abbey Road vinyl record if you want this medium. Otherwise, if you want the original sound, it’s best to get the original CD or vinyl, and avoid reissues like the 1999 one.

Subscribe to MagicVinylDigital

Get new content delivered directly to your inbox.

Detail of the ratings :

• Dynamic :
  1. Significant dynamic compression, DR less than 7
  2. Compression of the present dynamics, DR between 7 and 9.
  3. Correct piece DR >=10
  4. No dynamic compression (DR >12), dynamic rendering
  5. No dynamic compression, high DR and very dynamic sound rendering
• Spectrum :
  1. Spectrum cut and less than 15 khz
  2. Spectrum cut at 15 khz
  3. Spectrum not conforming to the original and cut (not HD) or original but limited bandwidth (but less than 20 kHz)
  4. Spectrum conforming to the original (but not HD)
  5. Spectrum conforming to the original with HD resolution (higher than 24kHz)
• Surface noise (only for vinyl):
  1. Continuous audible noise
  2. Audible surface noise except on passages with a high level of noise
  3. Reduced surface noise, barely audible on low level crossings
  4. Low surface noise, very good quality
  5. Very low surface noise, no defects, almost inaudible on the quiet passages (exceptional disc)
• Spatialization :
  • Between 0 and 5 for 5.1 or 7.1 channels configuration
  • Between 0 and 10 for Atmos configuration (7.1.4)
  • For more information on spatialization, you can read the article describing this parameter here.
• Restitution :
  1. Low quality of the restitution mixing dynamics, clarity, separation of voices and instruments.
  2. Average quality of the restitution mixing dynamics, clarity, separation of voices and instruments.
  3. Quality of the restitution mixing dynamics, clarity, separation of voices and instruments. Good record.
  4. High quality of the restitution mixing dynamics, clarity, separation of voices and instruments. Very high level disc.
  5. Maximum quality of the restitution mixing dynamics, clarity, separation of voices and instruments. Exceptional disc.

---