Search - Teardrop Explod :: Wilder

The British Psychedelia Revival's Best Band!

Scott T Mc Nally | ORLANDO, Fl USA | 11/24/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The Teardrop Explodes appeared at the end of the 70's, led by Julian Cope. They combined a post punk British sensibility with the psychedelic revival that was going on there at the time, and were very sucessful in Britain. This is their second album and arguably their best. Sadly, Cope couldn't hold the band together just as they were begining to get some exposure and touring in the US. He began to drift into an LSD induced fog for a few years. His solo work since then has been very erratic and not very successful. The breakup of TTE left only one other band of any stature in this movement to carry the torch: Echo And The Bunnymen, who went on to make a fairly big name for themselves in the US as well as Britain. Prior to TTE and Echo, Cope and future Bunnyman, Ian McCullogh were in a band together. One can only speculate what might have come from that had they stayed together.
In my opinion, TTE was a better all around band than Echo.
Cope's vocals were far more expresive and his arrangements far more complex. He wrote songs that were often easy to sing along with, but laced with quirky lyrics. He still retains that talent to this day, though his recording quality is often shabby.
"Wilder" makes a great introduction to Julian Cope. It was mine way back in 81. It's certainly some of his most focused work.
Other works by Cope I recomend are: "Saint Julian" (1986) and "Peggy Suicide" (1991)"

Superb though Strange

Tezcatlipoca | Espinho,Portugal | 11/17/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Classified by many as the Love album that never was, the Teardrops second coming was indeed as ferociously unbalanced and deviant from the canon as anything Arthur Lee has yet produced.Still,it was rock solidly anchored in brilliance.Julian Cope's shape shifting song structures left no stone unturned in his quest for diversity.The album's mind boggling scope(which goes from punk to psychedelia and back) makes it a difficult listen,with Cope's cryptic writings only making it harder to really comprehend the music.Still,when you do "get" the songs you'll probably love them forever."Colours Fly Away","Passionate Friend","The Great Dominions" or "Like Leila Khaled Said" are all unbelievably beautiful ,colourful songs and of what true genius is really made of."Wilder" may not have "Kilimanjaro's" imediacy and punkish edge but it does have a larger growth capacity on the listener.And above all it presents us a more refined,exquisite Julian Cope's tunesmithery."