Tears for Fears – The Hurting
The music gear and equipment used by the artists, producers, engineers, and more involved in the making of the 1983 album The Hurting.
Music from The Hurting
Artists on The Hurting
Gear Used On The Hurting
Explore the instruments, equipment, software, and production tools used in the making of Tears for Fears – The Hurting (1983). Click more on each item to see exactly how it was used.
Roland Orzabal
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Guitars used by Roland Orzabal on The Hurting
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In the YouTube video "Tears For Fears Memories Fade, 1983 Live," Roland Orzabal can be seen playing a Fender Telecaster during the Hurting tour and in early videos for Songs from the Big Chair.
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Roland Orzabal uses an Ovation Legend model 1617-1 guitar, as well as an Ovation 12-string model 1615, a Folklore model 1614, and a Balladeer model 1612. This is supported by the image found on Equipboard.
Studio Equipment used by Roland Orzabal on The Hurting
Linn Electronics LM-1 Drum Computer
In this interview, Roland Orzabal talks about using a Linn LM-1 (which he had around the time of The Hurting):
“Yeah, there were a couple of things going on. The moment we had the original Linn LM-1, and you think, ‘Well this is pretty hard to work with in terms of the sounds for specifics.’ It was brilliantly used on Human League’s Dare, and you would occasionally hear them on like a Steely Dan record and you’d think, ‘What the fuck!? How have they made them sound so different, or have they built something around it?’ That was tough.”
Curt Smith
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Bass Guitars used by Curt Smith on The Hurting
Smith purchased the bass in September of 1982 with the intent of exclusively using it for live performances, but it ended up being used in the studio for their first album The Hurting and second album Songs From The Big Chair.
In an over the phone interview with Tony Bacon in 1984 Smith said, "We had trouble getting a bass sound on the album and I went through a few basses, a Yamaha BB1200, an Aria Pro, and an Alembic, but we still had trouble getting a roundness and a depth. The Alembic was the best of those, but still wasn't smooth enough. I use the Steinberger all the time now. I'm going to get another bass for studio work but I wouldn't want to use anything other than the Steinberger for live."
After the conclusion of the Big Chair Tour in 1985 it is alleged he gave the bass to their monitor engineer.
He has not used a Steinberger since and the whereabouts of the bass are unknown.
In a 1983 interview, Curt Smith mentioned using various basses on Tears For Fears' debut album, "The Hurting," including an Alembic. Although he didn't specify the model, it is likely the Alembic Series I, as seen in the 1985 performance of "Shout" on Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve.