Tears for Fears: Songs For A Nervous Planet Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		0.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		1.5
Overall		4.5

Tears for Fears: Songs For A Nervous Planet Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman March 13, 2025

Tears for Fears has (have?) been relatively if admittedly minimally well served in the hi res audio era with Blu-ray audio releases that have included Tears For Fears: The Hurting, Tears for Fears: Songs from the Big Chair, Tears for Fears: The Seeds of Love, and Tears for Fears: The Tipping Point . That last link is especially salient, since it is both a so-called SDE (Super Deluxe Edition) with remixes by Steven Wilson, but also because several of the tracks on that album are repeated in live settings on this kind of mishmash release, which offers both new studio tracks and concert performances culled from the tour the band embarked on to support The Tipping Point. Rather interestingly, at least for fans of this site who quite possibly have live concert Blu-rays in their collection, there was a film of the tour released under the title Tears for Fears Live (A Tipping Point Film) which had an apparently brief theatrical exhibition, but which isn't listed in our database yet and which sadly has not had its own Blu-ray release as of the writing of this review.

The album's track list can be seen in screenshot 9 of the song menu on the disc. Screenshot 8 shows the submenu for the bonus tracks. The album is obviously split between four new studio tracks (indicated by the asterisk after their titles on the menu) and then the longer live tracks, which span everything from earlier well remembered tunes like "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" and "Head Over Heels" to tracks from The Tipping Point. There's an undeniably heterogeneous feel as a result, but that said, the live tracks show a really remarkable level of quasi-studio polish in a concert setting. The four new tunes continue some of the somewhat discursive, wandering feeling of The Tipping Point, and what I'd term the band's (forgive me my punning sins) go for baroque tendencies in terms of arrangements continues apace both in terms of the new songs and even the live material. Those layered, arguably wending, tendencies arguably really got going with The Seeds of Love, something that may have been surprising given the relative simplicity of tunes like "Shout" or even earlier efforts like "Mad World" (both songs are in essence four chords). But the layering in the arrangements gives the surround audio options on this disc outstanding immersion.

Tears for Fears: Songs For A Nervous Planet Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The video component to this disc is itself minimal, with an AVC encoded 1080 1.78:1 presentation that prominently features the whimsical cover art, with track names changing as the album plays (all of the screenshots accompanying this review are from the actual disc menu). There's just a tad of animation when the album starts, with a relative close-up of the cover art pulling back to reveal slightly more of the image.

Tears for Fears: Songs For A Nervous Planet Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Tears for Fears: Songs for a Nervous Planet features Dolby Atmos, DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and two LPCM 2.0 options, one of the original stereo mix and the other offering Steven Wilson's handiwork (the surround mixes are also by Wilson). The Atmos mix gets off to a boisterous start with a wash of a high D on spacy sounding synth that wafts apppealingly overhead while panning, and then "Say Goodbye to Mum and Dad" begins in earnest, with inviting separation of vocals (backups "appropriately" in the rear channels), with the Atmos speakers especially noticeable providing vocals in some wordless moments. "Emily Said" may actually remind some of "Sowing the Seeds of Love" with that famous descending major bassline, at least in the bulk of its running time (it weirdly gets into near Duane Eddy material right before the fade), but here the addition of some choral material including childrens' voices offers some striking surround activity, even if the lead vocals tend to be anchored in the front channels. Of the four new tunes, "Astronaut" is probably my favorite, with an evocative melody and arrangement that reminded me at times of The Beatles' original version of "Fool on the Hill" in terms of some of the keyboard accompaniment. "Astronaut" is another outstanding example of separation of lead (front channels) and backup (rear channels) vocals. Kind of interestingly, vocals are more present in some of the live material, which I actually prefer (too many live concert Blu-rays I've reviewed tend to bury the vocals in the mix). Audience noise tends to spill toward the rear channels and I never found it intrusive. The 5.1 mix is also vibrant and some may prefer it as it arguably offers a less dispersed soundfield in the midrange in particular. I wouldn't say there's a huge difference between the stereo mixes, though Wilson's remix struck me as offering better depth, perhaps due to a bit more reverb, but also with regard to midrange. All of the audio options on this disc are exceptional in their own ways.

Tears for Fears: Songs For A Nervous Planet Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

I'm counting the Steven Wilson instrumental remixes (see screenshot 8) as on disc supplements, and I found them to be a fun listen, though they're only offered in LPCM 2.0. Otherwise, an insert booklet offers lyrics for the four new tunes, a track listing with credits and some whimsical photos. Packaging features a slipcover.

Tears for Fears: Songs For A Nervous Planet Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

As I've mentioned in reviews of other Tears for Fears releases, while it may be heresy, I actually prefer some of Roland Orzabal's quasi-solo albums under the band name, though it's heartening to see Orzabal and Curt Smith continuing their partnership, of course. I'd love for Steven Wilson to revisit albums like Elemental, but in the meantime, this is a hugely appealing release that features four new tunes and a bevy of live performances. Audio is stellar, and Songs for a Nervous Planet comes Highly recommended.