The Teardrop Explodes
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The Teardrop Explodes was a British New Wave/Neo-Psychedelic band formed in Liverpool in 1978. Their name was taken from a panel in the Marvel comic book, Daredevil No 77. [Panel]
The band was formed by Julian Cope who had previously been in the short-lived yet locally-renowned band Crucial Three along with Pete Wylie who went on to form Wah! and Ian McCulloch later of Echo and the Bunnymen.
The band's initial line-up consisted of Julian Cope singer/bassist, Mick Finkler on guitar, Gary Dwyer on drums and Paul Simpson on keyboards. They were managed by Bill Drummond and signed to his Zoo label.
The band released their first single, Sleeping Gas in February of 1979. Soon after, Simpson left the band and was replaced by Zoo label co-owner, David Balfe. As they toured Liverpool, the band steadily gained popularity. In fact, their next single Bouncing Babies inspired a tribute song of its own: I Can't Get Bouncing Babies by the Teardrop Explodes by The Freshies - an ode to the difficulty of obtaining a copy of the song.
Finkler was fired by Cope during the recording of their debut album Kilimanjaro and was replaced by Dalek I Love You guitarist Alan Gill. The LP was a moderate success; it reached number 24 on the British pop charts.
In 1981, the group was at the height of its popularity. In January, they hit # 6 on the British charts with the Reward single and in April they broke the top 20 with Treason. During this period, there were numerous line up changes: Alfie Agius was brought in on bass, Jeff Hammer replaced Balfe on keyboards and Troy Tate replaced Gill on guitar.
Expectations were high for the band's second album, Wilder. The first single Passionate Friend performed reasonably well (#25 UK), but the album itself was unsuccessful, limping to 29 on the charts, disappearing shortly afterwards.
When the band reconvened to record their third album, they were reduced to the trio of Cope, Dwyer and a reinstated Balfe. Tensions were high – Cope wanted to write ballads and quirky pop songs, while Balfe was more interested in recording synth-based dance music. Cope eventually dissolved the band in the middle of the sessions. The material was later released in 1990 under the title Everybody Wants To Shag the Teardrop Explodes.
Cope has gone on to a successful career as a solo artist and writer. When asked if the Teardrop Explodes would ever get back together, he said:
"Would you ever return to having your mother wipe your asshole?" [link]
Albums
- Kilimanjaro (1980) - #156 US, #24 UK
- Wilder (1981) - #176 US, #29 UK
- Everybody Wants To Shag...The Teardrop Explodes (posthumously released, 1990) - contains some versions of songs which were later reworked on Cope's solo debut World Shut Your Mouth
- Piano (1990) - Zoo era compilation
- Zoology (2004) - Demos and rarities compilation released by Cope on his Head Heritage label.
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