The Teardrop Explodes - Early Recordings (1978-1980)

After the early musical experience with The Crucial Three (with Wylie and McCulloch) and some musical experimentation with the Hungry Types (in 1977 with Chris Goodson, the only available document is a semi-improvised song titled (1) Ritchie Blofeld, sung with Goodson about the other ‘occasional’ singer with the band, a song then to be rearranged to appear in Cope’s Fried with the title of Search Party) and with Nova Mob (with Pete Wylie, Griffs from the Spitfire Boys and Budgie pre-Big in Japan), Cope and McCulloch re-united in Uh?, with the occasional addition of Dave Pickett and Paul Simpson (future Wild Swans, at that time member of a two guitar noise duo Industrial Domestic with Will Sergeant, later Bunnyman: during a raw rehearsal with them Cope taped a cover of Satisfaction (2)). It was in this period that Cope (and McCulloch) found the perfect formula to write songs in no time: combine guitar riffs or bass lines ‘stolen’ from rock classics with original melodies and lyrics. In this period songs like Robert Mitchum, Jefferson Davies, You Think It’s Love, Iggy Pop, Stammhein and Books saw the light (of which only few traces are left, a much later version of the former (3) and a recording of the latter, by A Shallow Madness). A Shallow Madness was born when Simpson joined the band for good, with Dave Pickett and Mick Finkler. Simpson (Mr. Big No), a quite charismatic Bowie-like character, decided the musical and stylistic direction for the band (for instance ruling Robin Mitchum out of the band repertoire) and also collaborated with McCulloch on some songs (like the yet unheard There Go the 70’s). The turning point for A Shallow Madness was a live performance by Dalek I Love You: the combination of old (psychedelic guitars, Doors-like bass lines, Seeds-like organs) and new (drum-machines) charmed the Simpson, Pickett, Finkler and Cope (little did he know that less than a year later both members of the DILY – Gill and Balfe – would become full-time members of Teardrop Explodes), whereas McCulloch did not share their enthusiasm. Such difference brought about the split between the group and McCulloch who instead joined forces with Will Sergeant (alone, after the split of Industrial Domestic). Without McCulloch A Shallow Madness became the Soul Giants, and after sacking Pickett and recruiting Gary Dwyer on drums they finally became the Teardrop Explodes. Their first release was the EP Sleeping Gas (1979), featuring:


(4) Sleeping Gas
(5) Camera Camera
(6) Kirby Workers Dream Fades


Soon after they contributed the song The Tunnel (7) for the compilation Street to Street vol. 1 (see below), which got cancelled by mistake during the recording session for the Naughty Lumps’ track.
At this point Simpson quit the band, who released other two singles before the Kilimanjaro album (1980), namely Bouncing Babies (1979) and Treason (1980):


(8) Bouncing Babes
(9) All I Am Is Loving You


(10) Treason
(11) Books


They band also contributed 2 songs to the Zoo compilation To The Shores Of Lake Placid, under the Teardrop’s name (Take a Chance (12) and When I Dream (13)), plus an odd track authored by Kevin Stapleton (Cope) and Milk (Balfe), under the name of Whopper, titled Kwalo Klobinsky’s Lullaby (14), which was a weird version of Sleeping Gas.
Bouncing Babies, Sleeping Gas, Treason & When I Dream would be re-recorded for the Teardrops' debut Kilimanjaro (1980), whereas other songs written in this period would never be recorded or would be released as part of BBC 1 Peel Sessions (like Went Crazy). Before the release of the album, Mick Finkler (with Cope in the picture) was asked to leave the group.


Early Recordings (1978-1980)