The Teardrop Explodes
The Teardrop Explodes were an English post-punk/neo-psychedelic band formed in Liverpool in 1978. Best known for their Top Ten UK single "Reward", the group originated as a key band in the emerging Liverpool post-punk scene of the late 1970s. The group also launched the career of group frontman Julian Cope as well as that of keyboard player and co-manager David Balfe (later a record producer, A&R man and founder of Food Records). Other members included early Smiths producer Troy Tate.
The Teardrop Explodes
The Teardrops
Liverpool, England
1978–1982
Julian Cope
Mick Finkler
Gary Dwyer
Paul Simpson
Ged Quinn
David Balfe
Alan Gill
Alfie Agius
Jeff Hammer
Troy Tate
Ronnie François
Ted Emmett
Andy Radek
Along with other contemporary Liverpudlian groups, The Teardrop Explodes played a role in returning psychedelic elements to mainstream British rock and pop, initially favouring a modernised version of lightly psychedelic late 1960s-influenced beat-group sound (sometimes described as "bubblegum trance"[2]) and later exploring more experimental areas. In addition to their musical reputation, the band (and Cope in particular) had a reputation for eccentric pronouncements and behaviour, sometimes verging on the self-destructive, resulting in the band's breakup in 1982.
Career[edit]
Origins[edit]
Having arrived in Merseyside in 1976 (as a student attending City of Liverpool College of Higher Education), Julian Cope became involved in Liverpool's emerging post-punk scene. His first band was Crucial Three, with two native Liverpudlians – Ian McCulloch (later of Echo & the Bunnymen) and Pete Wylie (who went on to form Wah!) – in which Cope served as bass player.[3]
Influence[edit]
Interest in The Teardrop Explodes continued long after the band's demise. Cope, however, has always resisted pressure to reform the band. When asked in 2000 if the Teardrop Explodes would ever get back together, he said: "Would you ever return to having your mother wipe your asshole?"[12] In the course of a 2008 interview he commented: "Supposedly intelligent people say to me: 'Don't you think you'd be more successful if you re-formed The Teardrop Explodes?' I'm doing all this stuff to keep myself invigorated every day, hanging out with people I believe are culture heroes, and you think I'm doing all this because it hasn't yet occurred to me to reform The Teardrop Explodes?"[4]
In June 2010, the magazine Mojo presented The Teardrop Explodes with their Inspiration Award. The magazine called the band "the great ambassadors of psychedelia in the '80s when the genre was all but dead", and noted their influence on artists such as Blur and Morrissey. The award was presented by Blur bassist Alex James. David Balfe, Gary Dwyer and Alan Gill all showed up to accept the award; Julian Cope ultimately refused to attend the ceremony.[10][13]