THE TEARDROP EXPLODES, JOHN PEEL SESSION 1979

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
Also known as
The Teardrops
Origin
Liverpool, England
Genres
Neo-psychedeliapost-punknew wave[1]
Years active
1978–1982
Labels
Zoo Records
Fontana
Past members
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.