Kilimanjaro (The Teardrop Explodes album)

Kilimanjaro
Studio album by
The Teardrop Explodes
Released10 October 1980 (1980-10-10)
RecordedSummer 1979–summer 1980
StudioRockfield Studios, Rockfield, Monmouthshire, Wales
Genre
Length37:05
LabelMercury
Producer
The Teardrop Explodes chronology
Kilimanjaro
(1980) 		Wilder
(1981)
Singles from Kilimanjaro
  1. "Sleeping Gas"
    Released: February 1979
  2. "Bouncing Babies"
    Released: June 1979
  3. "Treason (It's Just a Story)"
    Released: February 1980
  4. "When I Dream"
    Released: September 1980
  5. "Reward"
    Released: January 1981
  6. "Treason (It's Just a Story) (Remixed Version)"
    Released: April 1981
  7. "Ha-Ha I'm Drowning"
    Released: August 1981
Alternative cover
The "Mount Kilimanjaro" cover
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
The Guardian[2]
NME8/10[3]
Q[4]
Record Collector[5]
Record Mirror[6]
Smash Hits8½/10[7]
Uncut[8]
The Village VoiceB[9]

Kilimanjaro is the debut album by the neo-psychedelic Liverpool band The Teardrop Explodes, released on 10 October 1980.[10] It contains versions of the band's early singles "Sleeping Gas", "Bouncing Babies", "Treason" and "When I Dream"; reissues of the album also include their biggest hit, "Reward". The album also includes the song "Books", originally a song by Julian Cope's previous band, The Crucial Three; it was also recorded by Echo & the Bunnymen (as "Read It in Books", released on the B-side of their debut single, and featured on some versions of Crocodiles). In 2000, Q magazine placed Kilimanjaro at number 95 in its list of the "100 Greatest British Albums Ever".

The original working title for Kilimanjaro was Everyone Wants to Shag the Teardrop Explodes; this title was later used for the CD release of demos for the band's never-finished third album. When originally released, the album featured a shadowy photograph of the band on the sleeve; when the album was reissued in 1981, the album artwork was changed to a photo of zebras in front of Tanzania's Mount Kilimanjaro, the mountain after which the record was named. Subsequent CD reissues feature either album covers.

In 2000, Cope gave his blessings to re-release Kilimanjaro with a selection of bonus tracks (mainly single B-sides), original artwork, a remastered sound, and full lyrics and essays. A deluxe 3-disc edition followed in 2010, including original singles, B-sides and radio session recordings.

  1. ^ Raggett, Ned. "Kilimanjaro – The Teardrop Explodes". AllMusic. Retrieved 3 January 2017.
  2. ^ Petridis, Alexis (15 July 2010). "The Teardrop Explodes: Kilimanjaro: Deluxe Edition". The Guardian. Retrieved 12 May 2017.
  3. ^ Wirth, Jim. "Teardrop Explodes: Kilimanjaro/Wilder". NME. Retrieved 19 November 2020.
  4. ^ "The Teardrop Explodes: Kilimanjaro". Q. No. 172. January 2001. p. 134.
  5. ^ Staunton, Terry (August 2010). "The Teardrop Explodes – Kilimanjaro". Record Collector. No. 378. Retrieved 3 January 2017.
  6. ^ Westwood, Chris (4 October 1980). "Pauline Murray & the Invisible Girls / The Teardrop Explodes: Kilimanjaro". Record Mirror. p. 17.
  7. ^ Starr, Red (16–29 October 1980). "The Teardrop Explodes: Kilimanjaro". Smash Hits. Vol. 2, no. 21. p. 29.
  8. ^ Lewis, John (August 2010). "The Teardrop Explodes: Kilimanjaro". Uncut. No. 159. p. 101.
  9. ^ Christgau, Robert (30 March 1981). "Consumer Guide". The Village Voice. Retrieved 3 January 2017.
  10. ^ "Teardrop tour explosion". NME. London, England: 5. 4 October 1980.