Kilimanjaro

Product Information

A third single from Wilder – the uncharacteristically sombre "Tiny Children" – was released in June 1982 and narrowly missed the top 40 (No.41 UK) despite being championed by high-profile BBC Radio One DJ, Mike Read. By now, Balfe had also developed an interest in writing songs and lobbied to join Cope as band songwriter, with Cope retained predominantly as singer and frontman. [5] [6] The lost third album and final split [ edit ] The plan, according to Julian Cope at the time, was: 'The whole idea of The Teardrops to me is nice, nice melodies and lyrics that, while always sung hopefully, have dark secrets in them. I have this theory that we're the "lurking doubt" whispering in people's ears.' The Teardrop Explodes enjoyed a brief, but mercurial period of mainstream success during 1981, with a re-recorded ‘Treason’ going Top 20 and their next single, ‘Passionate Friend’ also scoring Top 30 success and again bringing Cope and company to Top Of The Pops. Children of Nuggets : Original Artyfacts from the Second Psychedelic Era 1976-1995 CD 3-CD 4 V.A (1)

By March 1982, the Teardrops' internal situation was as fraught as ever following assorted disagreements and individual meltdowns. The increasingly alienated Cope retreated to his hometown of Tamworth. At this point the band decided to strip down to a three-piece, losing Tate, Francois and Emmett. [5] [6] A little while after The Teardrops finished recording, Julian Cope suddenly realised he shared his initials with Jesus Christ. This was not entirely a good thing. The band did manage to make a second album in 1981 before it all went brains and belly up. Appropriately it was called Wilder and that one involved shotguns!

The album divides into several distinct styles. 'Bent Out Of Shape' is a great opening, built around a majestic bass groove and swaggering horns atop the enigmatic Cope lyrics that are a trademark of this album. Much of the album shares this style - the bizarre and brilliant 'Seven Views Of Jerusalem', 'The Culture Bunker' and 'Like Leila Khaled Said'. In the booklet Balfe reveals the influence of Talking Heads / David Byrne and Brian Eno on his arrangements and his choice of a Prophet 5 synthesiser, and this sheds light on some of the interesting rhythms, particularly on 'Seven Views'.

Michael Finkler – guitar on "Brave Boys Keep Their Promises", Ha Ha I'm Drowning", "Went Crazy", "Chance", "The Thief of Baghdad", "When I Dream" and "Poppies in the Field" British album certifications – Teardrop Explodes – Kilimanjaro". British Phonographic Industry . Retrieved 19 November 2020. Graham, Ben (1 February 2017). "Embrace The Contradictions: The Strange World Of... The KLF". The Quietus . Retrieved 10 March 2020. That's 26 'ha's and 31 'aha's. Go ahead, count 'em… 26 'ha's and 31 'aha's. That's precisely the number Julian Cope uses in his splendidly unsettling memoir Head-On to describe the making of Kilimanjaro, The Teardrop Explodes' debut LP.a b c d e Ian Pye talks to Teardrop Explodes’ Julian Cope, Melody Maker, 18 October 1980 (reproduced interview) In November 1980, Alan Gill left The Teardrop Explodes, claiming not to enjoy the touring lifestyle. Cope later praised him for his strong creative impact on both the band and its perspective, but also suggested that with the band's growing success Gill had found himself "afraid to compete." [5] Gill was replaced by former Shake guitarist Troy Tate but by now Cope and Balfe's abrasive relationship had worsened to the point that Balfe was ousted as group keyboard player, although he continued to be involved with management. [6]

Widely acclaimed (a retrospective NME review referred to the disc and its successor Wilder as “two of the defining albums of their age) Kilimanjaro included re-recorded versions of the band’s initial trio of singles, plus the album’s trailer single, ‘When I Dream’. The band’s next single – and signature hit – ‘Reward’, however, was a UK Top 10 smash early in 1981 and after it was added to a reissued Kilimanjaro with a different sleeve, the album peaked at No. 24 in the UK and later went silver. The new 180gm vinyl edition has been cut at Abbey Road and features the Kilimanjaro cover which was used when ‘Reward’ was added to the album. Wilder is the second album by neo-psychedelic Liverpool band the Teardrop Explodes, and the final completed album released by the group. [8] Jason Ankeny. "The Teardrop Explodes – Music Biography, Streaming Radio and Discography – AllMusic". AllMusic. Following the band's dissolution, Julian Cope began a career as a solo artist, writer and cultural commentator which continues to this day. Gary Dwyer played drums on Cope's 1984 debut solo album World Shut Your Mouth, and drummed for The Colourfield in 1986 and Balcony Dogs in the late 1980s, but subsequently left music for a variety of jobs including fork-lift driver. David Balfe moved into artist management and subsequently set up Food Records, acting as a mentor to bands such as Blur: he quit the music business in 1999. Former guitarist Troy Tate released two solo albums and work as a producer (including work with The Smiths).But the more these tales, and the resulting songs of struggle and skin-changing settle in your mind, the more a sense of Cope’s personal battle to be the singer in his group becomes apparent: that of a man who was told he couldn’t sing, or looked too naff to be a frontman, or seen as too tense, an idiot or a dictator, or a teenage pinup, or whey-faced loon; to quote an old Teardrops press release. Someone whose ideas were seemingly used for other bands by his label and management and whose recordings were not seen as good enough for release or getting a deal. Or, even when he did get the breaks he still couldn't play ball. Two paragraphs later, he writes: 'Aha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha aha aha aha aha aha aha aha aha aha aha aha aha aha aha aha aha aha aha.' That's 26 'ha's and just 18 'aha's. We'd let them all lie, but in the universe we're about to enter, this stuff is important. It might, in fact, have meaning (or, of course, it might not). David Balfe – keyboards on "Reward", "Treason" (Zoo single version), "Read It in Books", "Kilimanjaro", "Reward", "Strange House in the Snow", "Use Me", "Traison (C'est Juste Une Histoire" and "Sleeping Gas" (live version) Michael Finkler – guitar on "Second Head", "Brave Boys Keep Their Promises", "Bouncing Babies", "Ha Ha I'm Drowning", "Sleeping Gas", "Treason", "Went Crazy" and "Thief of Baghdad" [11] He just couldn't cope, says Steve Sutherland as he counts out the 'aha's and listens to the recent 180g reissue of the Liverpool band's post-punk debut LP