The Teardrop Explodes was an English post-punk/neo-psych band formed 1978 in Liverpool, UK, by Julian Cope (vocals, bass), Gary Dwyer (drums), Michael Finkler (guitar) and Paul Simpson (keyboards). Best known for their Top Ten UK single "Reward" and their excellent debut album Kilimanjaro, the group originated as a key band in the emerging Liverpool post-punk scene of the late 1970s. Cope's first band Crucial Three also included Ian McCulloch who went on to form Echo & the Bunnymen, and Pete Wylie who formed the band Wah! Crucial Three was short-lived and Cope teamed up with Dwyer, Finkler and Simpson to form The Teardrop Explodes to play a style of music steeped in early UK pop-psych influences. Their first single, "Sleeping Gas", was released in Feb 1979 and soon after Paul Simpson left the band to be replaced by David Balfe on keyboards. Two more excellent singles "Bouncing Babies" and "treason" soon followed. During the recording of their debut album, Kilimanjaro, at Dave Edmunds' Rockfield Studios, Cope sacked guitarist Mick Finkler in mid sessions, illustrating Cope's tyrannical reputation. Finkler was replaced by Alan Gill who finished the Kilimanjaro sessions, re-recording many of Finkler's guitar parts. When released later that year, Kilimanjaro reached number 24 on the UK Albums Chart and the single "Ha-Ha I'm Drowning" b/w "Poppies in the Field" was released. The band, in particular Cope, increasingly struggled with drug problems and only managed to release two more studio albums before disbanding in 1992. Standout albums are Kilimanjaro, Wilder and The Peel Sessions Plus from 2007. Also recommended are the excellent double EP Ha-Ha I'm Drowning, and the the 2001 compilation The Greatest Hit. Julian Cope had already launched a successful solo career in 1984 and has since gone on to become the UK's elder statesman of all things psychedelic with his Head Heritage projects. Artist Website: www.headheritage.co.uk Featured Albums: The Teardrop Explodes Related Artists: Julian Cope, Echo & the Bunnymen, The Wild Swans
