The Teardrop Explodes

Led by the eccentric, charismatic and unpredictable front man Julian Cope, The Teardrop Explodes grew out of the late 1970s British post-punk scene, But, unlike their angry, righteous, surly contemporaries, dealt in pop romanticism, arty riffs, psychedelic 1960s melodies and boundless amounts of swaggering confidence. Cope originally started out with Ian McCulloch (Echo and the Bunnymen) and Pete Wylie (Wah!) as the Crucial Three, before teaming up with David Balfe (keyboards), Gary Dwyer (drums) and Michael Finkler (guitar), quickly becoming the talk of Liverpool's vibrant music scene. Taking their name from a caption used in Marvel comic book, their debut album Kilimanjaro (1980) became a cult classic and single Reward shot to Number 6 in the UK charts as their outsider, psych-pop drew comparisons with The Doors, Love and Velvet Underground. Legendary inter-band rivalries and ego clashes saw group members come and go, but amid the turmoil they scored the Top 20 hit Treason and second album Wilder (1981) used synths, loops and drum machines to create a more modern, experimental sound. The band fell apart in 1982 while trying to record a third album, but Cope went on to solo success with the great 1980s hit World Shut Your Mouth and previously unfinished material was later cobbled together for the compilation Everybody Wants To Shag.The Teardrop Explodes (1990).

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