Pool Of Sound - The Teardrop Explodes

Julian Cope

In 1978, Julian Cope, another member of 'Crucial Three', having attempted to form other groups with Wylie and McCulloch to no avail, befriended Gary 'Rocky' Dwyer and suggestedto him the band name, 'The Teardrop Explodes', taken from a panel caption in the Marvel comic strip 'Daredevil'(No.77), which would result in Julian's career really taking off.
He took on the roles of singer and bass guitarist, with the line-up being completed by recruiting Paul Simpson and Mick Finkler from the wreck of 'A Shallow Madness' and together they proved a more hardy band than its predecessors, soon establishing themselves as a live act.
The band were soon signed as label acts to the up-and-coming Liverpool indie label Zoo Records run by former 'Dalek I Love You' and 'Big In Japan' bass player David Balfe and future 'KLF' man Bill Drummond. Another act on the label was 'Echo and the Bunnymen', who maintained a love/hate relationship and continuing rivalry with the 'Teardrops' throughout their existence. Rushed into a studio the band recorded the only three songs they had and released them as an EP, called 'Sleeping Gas' which within days was 'Single of the Week' in the UK’s weekly music press.

Balfe, Cope, Dwyer and Gill

Still very much an underground prospect, 'The Teardrop Explodes', together with 'Echo & The Bunnymen', went on a joint headlining tour, reasoning that they had more chance of attracting people to their gigs together than they did apart. With their 'Reward' single now in the top ten, Simpson's stage presence was now such that he rivalled Cope as the band's onstage focus, so by mutual agreement the two decided that the group wasn't big enough for both of them. Simpson left the band in the spring with David Balfe eventually taking his place. Their previous single 'Treason' was then re-released and became another top ten hit. Julian appeared in 'Smash Hits' magazine and screaming fans started to appear at their gigs. While their early releases saw them branded with a 'New Psychedelia' tag, Julian was faced with the unexpected prospect of becoming a pop star.

In the summer of 1980, 'The Teardrop Explodes' began recording their debut album 'Kilimanjaro' but the sessions were interrupted by touring requirements, and also by internal dissension. This peaked when Cope and Balfe opted to fire Mick Finkler as guitarist to be replaced by Balfe's 'Dalek I Love You' colleague Alan Gill who was instrumental to introducing the previously drug-free Cope to both cannabis and LSD. Julian says, " One day our guitarist Alan Gill said, 'Just have one toke, mate.' Then, soon after, our keyboard-player, David Balfe, gave me acid." The album reached number 24 on the UK Albums Chart and the band toured to support it.
In November 1980, Alan Gill left the band, claiming not to enjoy the touring lifestyle. He was replaced by former 'Shake' guitarist Troy Tate but by now Cope and Balfe's abrasive relationship had worsened to the point that Balfe was ousted as group keyboard player, although he continued to be involved with management. With the band relocating to London to take advantage of their growing success, Cope seemed to want to retreat from pop, recording the album 'Wilder', designed to turn off his pop fans and to taking enormous, heroic amounts of LSD.
Despite the internal turmoil, by 1981 'The Teardrop Explodes' were at the height of their popularity. In March the band played their first American dates (a time also notable for Cope's meeting with Dorian Beslity, who would later become his second wife). However excessive drug use plus continued infighting undermined the band, and a final lineup of Cope, Dwyer and Balfe split apart in 1982 after failed attempts to record a third album and a final disastrous tour. 

They remain one of the bands who have never reformed and probably for good reasons. Theirs is a tale that has too much depth, too many messy relationships and involved too many bad trips. However,
despite the relatively short life of the band, 'The Teardrop Explodes' has continued to sustain interest and praise since its demise and the band's back catalogue of recordings has been re-issued several times over the last thirty years. Cope, however, has strenuously resisted taking advantage of any nostalgic and commercial opportunities to reunite the band.

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