The Teardrop Explodes - Singles

The last bits in my Teardrop Explodes folder is a further nine UK singles. I know that most (if not all) of the tracks are in the posts over the past two days, but you know us people who still like to have the singles as well.... yeah, thats you I'm talking to. So excluding the two singles posted this afternoon, everything else is contained in this one MP3 folder... so here goes!

The Teardrop Explodes - Zoology

Zoology is a 2004 archival compilation album by the English post-punk and neo-psychedelic band The Teardrop Explodes. Personally curated by frontman Julian Cope and released through his independent Head Heritage label, the album serves as a musical companion piece to his 1994 autobiography, Head-On. It unearths 17 rare demos, unreleased studio outtakes, and live performances recorded between 1978 and 1982. The collection captures the volatile evolution of the Liverpool group, moving chronologically from their raw, keyboard-drenched punk origins to their eventual complex indie-pop sound.

The compilation is highly prized by collectors for filling historical gaps with legendary rarities. Notable tracks include an early 1978 recording of the band's predecessor group, A Shallow Madness, featuring Ian McCulloch (later of Echo & the Bunnymen) on lead vocals, and alternative takes of staple songs like "Books" and "Tiny Children." Because many tracks were sourced from original cassettes and lost master tapes, the sound quality leans toward lo-fi and raw, making it a release best enjoyed by dedicated enthusiasts. While the original CD is long out of print, several of these tracks have since been preserved in the band's comprehensive 2023 box set, The Culture Bunker.

The Teardrop Explodes - Piano

Piano is a 10-track compilation album by the English neo-psychedelic band The Teardrop Explodes, released in 1990 by Document Records. Rather than featuring piano-driven music, the album serves as a historical archive of the band's earliest creative output. It brings together rare singles, B-sides, and compilation appearances originally recorded for the independent Zoo Records label between 1979 and 1980. Because the original master tapes were lost over time, the tracks on this compilation had to be transferred and mastered directly from original vinyl pressings, giving the release a distinct, raw, audio character.

The tracklist captures the embryonic stages of frontman Julian Cope's songwriting, featuring early versions of future live favorites like "Sleeping Gas", "Bouncing Babies", and "Treason". These rough, energetic recordings offer an insightful look at the post-punk band before they found mainstream UK chart success and polished their sound for their iconic debut album, Kilimanjaro. Notably, the collection excludes their biggest commercial pop hit, "Reward", which was recorded later in their career, making Piano a specialized time capsule specifically dedicated to the band's formative, independent roots.

The Teardrop Explodes - Treason (It's Just A Story) 12”

The Story Behind The Song

Liverpool, November 1977. Local outfit The Mystery Girls are onstage at Eric's, the nightclub venue situated close to the famous Cavern. It's their first - and last - live performance. Although the group members include Pete Burns (later of Dead Or Alive) and Pete Wylie (later of Wah!), our focus is on the bassist, Julian Cope. Almost a year later, in a first floor bedsit in Liverpool, Cope and several mates are discussing names for their new group. Wanting something "far out" that bucked the trend for short, dour names, they settle on A Shallow Madness unless something better can be conjured up. As they talk, keyboardist Paul Simpson flicks through an old issue of Daredevil, a Marvel comic which had been left in the flat by a previous tenant. He is taken by one page which depicts a burning sky using psychedelic artwork. In the middle, inside a bubble with serrated edges, it reads: The Teardrop Explodes. Simpson holds up the page: "What do you think of this for a name?" Cope thinks it is psychedelic brilliance, but what does it mean? "It made no sense," he recalled later. "The story made no sense at all. We tried to figure it out and we couldn't." Although it was almost impossible to fathom from convoluted comic strip plot, a teardrop-shaped spacecraft had exploded over Central Park, New York. "But it was a great name for a group. I loved it. It was like The 13th Floor Elevators or The Chocolate Watchband. And no-one had a name like that." And so a shallow madness had spawned The Teardrop Explodes.
A few months later, in early 1979, the music newspaper Sounds ran a double-page spread on "The New Merseybeat" featuring Echo And The Bunnymen and OMD as well as The Teardrop Explodes. "Suddenly out of the depths of obscurity," the newspaper reported, "The Teardrop Explodes have become the most talked about new band in the North West." But in terms of visible success, they languished in obscurity for another two years. The first three singles - including Treason - failed to chart. The breakthrough came when the maniacal Reward cracked the Top Ten in early 1981. Treason was re-released and it peaked just inside the Top Twenty. It was as upbeat as Reward but more anthemic - a pulsar of acoustic guitars. Catchy and invigorating, it would have been a hit in any era from the 1960s onwards, the hallmark of a timeless pop song. But what of the lyrics? These are unfathomable in many Cope songs, and this one appears no different. They pivot around the unusual contrastive "Is it real? Or is it treason?" Although it hints at some kind of equivocal reaction that might be due to betrayal, we are none the wiser. Perhaps we should heed the chorus and realise "It's just a story".
Treason was the second single released from the highly-rated inaugural album Kilimanjaro; Q Magazine placed it on its list of the 100 Greatest British Albums. When originally released, its artwork depicted a moody photograph of the group lit by different colours, reflecting their psychedelic origins, but this was soon changed to – cliché warning – an image of Mount Kilimanjaro. With a herd of staring zebras in the foreground, it looked like a still from David Attenborough documentary. If there was a list of the 100 Most Banal Album Covers, it would be a contender for No. 1. For a group inspired by psychedelic artwork in a comic strip, it was tantamount to – pun warning – artistic treason. Thankfully, for the later CD release, the original design was used. The single sleeve shows an image of a butterfly in African art. Or at least we think so – the design appears as impenetrable as the lyrics.

The Teardrop Explodes - Reward 7''

Released in January 1981 on Mercury Records (catalogue number TEAR 2), "Reward" is the definitive, breakthrough hit for British post-punk band The Teardrop Explodes, peaking at number 6 on the UK Singles Chart. The original 7" vinyl single features the driving, brass-infused A-side "Reward" alongside the atmospheric B-side "Strange House in the Snow." Highly collectible today, original 1981 UK pressings circulate in both textured picture sleeves and standard Phonogram company sleeves, with physical label variations ranging from molded silver injection plastic to traditional paper labels.

The Teardrop Explodes - Peel Sessions Plus

"Peel Sessions Plus" is a 16-track compilation album by the British post-punk and neo-psychedelic band The Teardrop Explodes, released on 15 October 2007 by Universal Music. Fronted by singer Julian Cope, the album brings together the band’s live-in-the-studio recordings for BBC Radio 1 broadcast between October 1979 and July 1982. These sessions include their legendary performances for DJ John Peel, alongside recordings for radio hosts David Jensen, Mike Read, and Richard Skinner, capturing the group at the height of their creative power.

The compilation offers a raw, energetic alternative history to the band's polished studio albums, Kilimanjaro and Wilder. It tracks their musical evolution from a frantic, art-rock outfit heavily influenced by Talking Heads into a driving, horn-infused pop force. The tracklist features alternative versions of signature hits like "Reward" and "When I Dream," alongside deep cuts and a praised cover of Wah! Heat’s "Better Scream," making it an essential document of the early 1980s Liverpool music scene.

The Teardrop Explodes - Everybody Wants To Shag...The Teardrop Explodes

Everybody Wants to Shag... The Teardrop Explodes is the third and final album by the English neo-psychedelic band The Teardrop Explodes, released posthumously in April 1990 by Fontana Records. The album compiles the band's final, chaotic recording sessions from the spring and summer of 1982 at Club Zoo in Liverpool. By this point, the group had dwindled to a tense trio consisting of frontman Julian Cope, drummer Gary Dwyer, and keyboardist David Balfe. Irreconcilable creative differences ultimately tore the band apart before the tracks could be fully completed, as Cope favoured quirky pop and acoustic ballads while Balfe pushed for a heavily sequenced synth-dance direction. Cope dissolved the band mid-session, leaving the material shelved for nearly eight years.

When the album was finally released in 1990 to critical curiosity, it offered a fascinating, albeit fractured, look at a band in terminal decay. Despite its troubled origins, the record features standout tracks like "Serious Danger" and "You Disappear from View," the latter of which had been released as a farewell single in 1983. Because the album remained unfinished, Julian Cope ended up re-recording several of its strongest compositions—including "Metranil Vavin" and "Pussyface" (retitled "Sex")—for his 1984 solo debut, World Shut Your Mouth. Ultimately, the album stands as a compelling, experimental post-script to the UK post-punk era, documenting the literal disintegration of one of Liverpool's most eccentric musical acts.

The Teardrop Explodes - Wilder

Wilder is the second studio album by the Liverpool post-punk and neo-psychedelic band The Teardrop Explodes, released on 23 November 1981 through Mercury Records. Following the commercial success of their 1980 debut Kilimanjaro, frontman Julian Cope steered the band away from upbeat brassy pop towards a much darker, introspective, and synthesizer-heavy soundscape. Recorded during a period of severe internal band friction and the collapse of Cope's first marriage, the album is characterized by its experimental nature, utilizing primitive drum machines, loops, and bleak lyrical themes that explore isolation and fractured friendships. While it spawned memorable singles like the shimmering "Passionate Friend" and the driving "Colours Fly Away," the record was a commercial disappointment at the time of its release, contributing to the band's eventual breakup.

Despite its initial lack of mainstream chart success, Wilder has undergone a massive critical re-evaluation and is now widely regarded as the band's artistic masterpiece. Music historians praise the record's fearless transition from commercial pop to uncompromising art rock, with sparse, haunting tracks like "Tiny Children" and "The Great Dominions" cited as high points of the era's neo-psychedelic movement. Its sonic experimentation and cryptic songwriting heavily influenced subsequent generations of indie rock and alternative musicians. Today, the album stands as a defining monument of the early 1980s Liverpool music scene, celebrated for its unique blend of haunting melancholy and avant-garde pop sensibilities.

The Teardrop Explodes - Kilimanjaro [Deluxe Edition]

Kilimanjaro [Deluxe Edition] is the expanded, three-disc celebration of the 1980 debut album by Liverpool neo-psychedelic pioneers The Teardrop Explodes. Fronted by the eccentric Julian Cope, the original record famously blended the nervous, jagged energy of late-'70s post-punk with soaring brass arrangements, driving basslines, and bright pop sensibilities. This definitive reissue pairs the core masterpiece—which includes iconic tracks like "Reward," "Sleeping Gas," and "Treason"—with its distinctive visual history, capturing the era when the band famously swapped their moody, monochrome group cover art for a vibrant photograph of zebras grazing beneath Mount Kilimanjaro.

Spanning three comprehensive discs, the deluxe package offers a deep dive into the band's most creative and volatile period. Beyond the remastered original album, the set compiles rare early singles from the legendary Zoo Records era, obscure B-sides, and unique curiosities like a French-vocal version of their hit single. The final disc rounds out the collection with raw, high-energy live-in-the-studio cuts captured during their 1979–1980 BBC radio broadcasts, including their influential John Peel sessions. Accompanied by extensive liner notes and archival essays, it serves as the ultimate document of a landmark moment in British alternative pop history.