The Teardrop Explodes
The Teardrop Explodes formed in 1978 with original members Julian
Cope (real name Kevin Stapleton), Mick Finkler, Paul Simpson and
Gary Dwyer. Although their moment was brief the band now
sounds like the missing link between The
Beatles, The Stone Roses
and The Chemical Brothers.
Their genius was taking hated 70's musical genres such as Prog
Rock and Krautrock and converting them into pop nuggets without
diluting their sense of experimentation and bug-eyed, manic
waywardness.
Paul Simpson was replaced by Big In Japan's Dave Balfe, whose
keyboard work was an important part of the band's sound.
Heralded by the bittersweet brilliance of early singles Reward
and Treason (which both appeared on their 1980
debut, Kilimanjaro) the band had a sense of joyful
madness, insatiable curiosity and Julian Cope's Christ-in-a-jar
take on pop culture (chaotically but melodically expressed on Passionate
Friend and You Disappear From View).
The group disbanded in 1982.
Released eight years after their dissolution, Everybody
Wants To Shag The Teardrop Explodes reconstructed the band's
aborted third album, gathering seven outtakes with the four-track You
Disappear From View EP.
Although it isn't as polished as
their two official studio albums, it is filled with adventurous
music and is frequently more exciting than their second studio
album, Wilder.
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