Kilimanjaro

2.5

2.5

Do you guys like The Cure, yeh? And Joy Division? Okay, make that stuff.... but worse

not my thing

Not my thing

it’s like a talking head album, not so my vibe

It’s okay. Nothing that stands out.

I just don't really understand post punk. So far the albums I've listened to are soulless and bland, like this one.

I was hoping this would be like The Stone Roses or maybe The Jesus And Mary Chain but its not even Franz Ferdinand.

Kinda like the Talking heads. OK, but I wouldn't seek them out. Not unpleasant though.

Rather boring, nothing memorable.

Decent sound and progressive I'm sure for the time but very repetitive and nothing more than background music.

Ok 80s new wave album that wasn't particularly interesting or good. Several songs had one very short riff repeated throughout the entire song which made it tough to listen to.

Better than Coldplay

Standard new wave stuff really

I can’t do another album that sounds like this

80s britpop. Sounds like the rest of it.

Never heard of this band. Okay

No standouts

Not terrible

Found it rather bland

Did I enjoy this? Well enough. Did I HAVE to listen to this before I died? Maybe.

fun instrumentals but the vocals are so monotonous oh my god. even in french! and the lyrics are giving nothing. light 2. saved: ha ha i'm drowning, treason, poppies in the field.

Some boring faffing about that should not be on this list.

З плюсів, що місцями було досить цікаво слухати. З мінусів - мені повністю не сподобалась жодна пісня.

2.5 Черговий альбом з 80х про який хз що сказати.

Boring newwave.

I don't know anything about this band or this album, and I don't think I needed to, but we are presented with records on an indeterminate list and we listen and judge. Nothing for me here; I don't even know how it escaped whatever garage or basement it was conceived in.

Meh

Not for me

Gear: SIMGOT SuperMix 4 Artwork: 🦓🗻🦓 Production: 📈👂🥲 Music: 🧭🗺️🤔 Rating: 💧💧(💧)/5

Meh.

Whole album sort of sounded the same, nothing noteworthy to me.

Dime-a-dozen Britpop/new wave. It's good but nothing memorable

Album esplosivo di post-punk psichedelico, pieno di energia nervosa e melodie irresistibili. Julian Cope guida tutto con una voce magnetica e testi visionari, mentre fiati e tastiere creano un sound unico e caleidoscopico. È un disco che suona ancora fresco, con brani come Reward che restano iconici. Un debutto audace, strano al punto giusto e incredibilmente affascinante.

Really, what a fun and surprising start - and a fall off towards the end. Never mind.

Couple of decent songs, album does feel very similar. Was likely quite good at the time but not sure it’s aged well.

Start wasn't too bad but they started getting strange towards the end, yer man was ravaging the crown at the end and all live.

No idea who these fellas are. This started off ok, but fell off towards the end.

This a pass from me. It just gives off inspiring you-can-do-it crap vibes. The album sounds very BIG which adds to the you-can-do-it feel. And also this album feels like I have heard it before. Probably because they sound a combination of bands that I like or have heard in the past.

Like a shit Duran Duran

5 stars on the pretentious band name scale. Music itself started as a 3 and finished at a nice cool 2. Sounds like a lot of other British new wave bands, but without songs that sound like hits?

Getting real tired of all these 80s British post-punk albums

Forgettable. It was there and I listened to it. 1.5/5

Nothing particularly stood out about this one.

To generic new-wavy for my liking.

This is fine. Reading about the 'volatility' of this group was defninitely more entertaining than this album, though.

Good but I got the point.

I have an actual aversion to Julian Cope's music, so, needless to say, this album was never going to impress me. Indeed, the only track I remotely enjoyed was "Reward". The rest just merged into one continuous and monotonous dirge.

It's really uneventful.

Ziemlich langweilige 80er Jahre Musik, in der nichts passiert.

MORE 80's britpop. I'm sure there are so many more albums from differing artists in different countries across different genres. They all sound the same. Please help me. 2/5.

meh

Starts strong and then is exactly the same song over and over again for an hour

Das Debütalbum der britischen Band The Teardrop Explodes wurde am 10. Oktober 1980 veröffentlicht. Es wurde in den Rockfield Studios in Wales aufgenommen. Das Album enthält die überarbeiteten Versionen der vorherigen Singles „Sleeping Gas“, „Bouncing Babies“, „Treason (It's Just a Story)“ und „When I Dream“. Später wurde die Single „Reward“ in Nachpressungen ergänzt. Stilistisch bewegt sich das Album zwischen New Wave, Post-Punk und Neo-Psychedelia. Die Musik zeichnet sich durch einen lebhaften Rhythmus, geschickte Einbindung von Orgel- und Synthesizer-Spuren, Basslinien mit Drive sowie gelegentliche Blechbläser-Einsätze aus. Die Texte von Sänger und Bassist Julian Cope sind persönlich gefärbt, oft surreal und lassen Raum für Interpretation. Die Performance wirkt energiegeladen und impulsiv, was typisch für die Liverpooler Szene jener Jahre ist. Herausragend sind insbesondere „Treason“ mit seinem markanten Refrain, „When I Dream“ als ruhigere, fast verträumte Nummer, sowie „Sleeping Gas“, das die psychedelischen Einflüsse der Band besonders deutlich macht. Die Produktion ist solide, allerdings merkt man dem Album in Teilen an, dass es aus verschiedenen Sessions und mit wechselnder Besetzung entstanden ist, was sowohl Stärken (Vielfalt) als auch kleinere Schwächen (Uneinheitlichkeit) erzeugt. Insgesamt präsentiert Kilimanjaro ein Debüt, das sowohl popaffin als auch künstlerisch eigenständig wirkt und die Richtung der Band in den frühen 1980er-Jahren prägt.

bof

Best Track - "Ha Ha I'm Drowning"

Once in university I had a paper due in half an hour and I was a page or so short. So I just grabbed a page's worth of text from a different part of the paper, stuck it in the middle and submitted it. When I got it back, just some sleepy check marks and a scrawled "84". I think something like that is going on with this album. Are we sure they aren't reusing verses or even full songs to fill it out? I wouldn't be surprised if some of their later albums are just re-purposed copies of their early ones. I tried to confirm these ideas on Wikipedia but the entry for this band seems to be longer than the one for World War II and I couldn't be bothered.

I liked the sounds in When I Dream until it went on for another 10 minutes. bababababab

Another never heard of ‘em band & album selection. Don’t expect to hear it again.

This was middling 80s rock until the end, when they fell off into some really uninspired BS

Ok-level synth pop. Unique in that they’re ahead of their time - 1980.

Felt long and repetitive

After the first 4 songs it felt like a 3 star, I liked the crossover of psych, punk, uk New Wave, etc. but it goes on way too long. I'll look into a greatest hits album maybe but I was excited for it to be over by the closing live track.

Bass and drumming is cool which saves it from 1 star but wow this is shite.

2.4/5 Very 80s experimental british music, as if we needed more of It. The music's actually okay, but the lyrics are weird. I can't even pinpoint what to think about this. It's solid for a debut album and also way better than the trash of the last 7-10 days (Stooges, Flaming Lips, Pulp, Elvis Costello, David Crosby, The Adverts, Bob Dylan). But also not as crisp as the music I consider actually good. It also sounds like this group was trying a little too hard to sound psychedelic in some songs, yet in others some quality actually comes through. Not enough though to get 3/5 stars.

nothing special

Okay. A couple of decent tracks - just not my style.

Inoffensive but a bit dull. Something I'd hear on absolute radio and not think of again

They were all filler songs

underrated. influencial

Didn't really connect with this one

Grating to listen to, apart from a couple OK tunes.

Eh, didn’t feel like anything special. Listenable, but nothing I’d go back to. I’m between a 2 and 3

Sounds like every other Brit pop 80’s band

British mediocrity strikes again.

I honestly don't care about the intricacies of the different post punk new wave bands and albums, it all sounds the same to me. How about we swap out one of the many examples of this genre with I don't know. Gregorian chant over the top of electronic music, or maybe some Mongolian death metal.

I've never heard these guys but have heard a heap of bands that sound exactly the same. Entirely unmemorable

It's fine, it didn't speak to me though and I won't go back. Another okay British rock album on this list. 5/10

You know that song we did earlier… do it again but this time set the synth to the ‘trumpet’ setting,

Yay, another Britpop album. They just all sound extremely similar to me. How could this be very influential if it sounds like everyone else?

Felt mostly meh about this one. I thought their sound was interesting, kind of like a mash up of something I liked (the Doors) and something I didn't (Dexy's Midnight Runners) and added horns. What came of it was fine, but didn't stand out as anything all that great. I don't really remember most of the songs on it already. So, while it wasn't actively bad, I can't say it was particularly good either. I'll give it an OK. Overall: 2.4/5

Wasn’t all terrible, there were some good choruses and vibes in here. There just was too much that wasn’t particularly interesting, and that made it drag on too long.

good musicians - so so music - not my cup of tea

Not necessarily bad, but very generic and forgettable.

Next to this list's propensity for late 60s psychedelic rock is its love for any and all New Wave Brit Pop Rock. Which is lame because, depending on what order one might get some of these albums generated, they might be completely over one of these micro genres by the time they receive an actual good album in said genre. This is a quintessential example of one of those albums that pollute the waters. There is nothing about this that I haven't heard done much better in many other albums. By this time next week I imagine I will have forgotten all about it.

Blends into other 80s bands sound. If you liked 80s movie soundtracks, you might like this.

Some of the beats were okay. Honestly who picked these albums. They suck.

Forgetable rock.

This record has that quintessential 80s sound and vibe that I love, but the songs are extremely repetitive and not that fun to listen to.

This was not awesome. She in the worked would this be here. Why is there an extended version of the record. Boring. Thin. Uninspired. Poorly produced. Lame. So much dislike I’m giving 2 stars and I hardly do that. Dumb record.

Довольно странный *-вэйв, пост-панк? Чуть более радостный, чем я люблю? По крайней мере так я это принял. Лучшая песня - Reward.

Un poco monótono 😕

Oh great, <italics> ANOTHER <italics> esoteric British new wave album!! This is the kind of band that annoying guys with spiky hair would brag about listening to because most kids had never heard them; but most kids had never heard them because their songs are mediocre and even the annoying guys with spiky hair didn't really enjoy listening to it. I wanna like it because the overall sound is pretty sweet. But it's a donut - all sugary sweet on the surface with a giant whole in the middle and no substance whatever.

Groupe inconnu. Le premier contact n'est pas terrible. Je trouve que le son de synthé a terriblement mal vieilli. Et les morceaux sont répétitifs et plutôt ennuyeux (constaté dès le second titre 'Sleeping gas'), même s'ils ne sont pas désagréables. Cet album m'a fait regretter de ne pas avoir mis une meilleure note à la sélection d'hier ! =>2/5

Julian Cope was previously in this with a solo album that sounded like a big mix of other artists. This is palatable, but again just sounds of nothing original.

Another ho hum early 80’s Brit band on this list. You have a 7 minute song where you repeat same thing over and over, why?

Why the consistent brit pop. They started off decently but then it just faded hard

Started out OK, but overstayed its welcome. Perhaps it just needed to be half an hour?

Is it over yet?

Not a huge fan of this album. I do like Julian Cope's projects and not hating this one, but it would not be on my turntable often.

Bland, pedestrian affair that didn't move the needle at all. Not outright terrible but it doesn't need to be heard before I leave this mortal coil.

It was overall kinda weird and sounded exactly like I would expect a band with their description to sound in the 1980s.

Average.

Happened to get this as I was watching the mass ascent of about 60 hot air balloons. Needless to say, 👌

Day 30 First listen- A decent album, the highs were high and there were some boring 80s elements but okay overall. (2.5/5)

Pretty standard sounding stuff for the Brit Pop, I actually don't mind this genre but a lot of these didn't stand out too much to me.

This was okay. I liked the energy and the sound, there were instrumental surprises that were interesting. But largely nothing really stood out to me.

Never heard of this group. It was just ok. Sounds like early Erasure.

I found this a bit tedious. Doesn't stand out from other British music of the era

One of many redundant psychadelic rock albums on this list.

I groaned at the subcategory ‘neopsychedelic’, but it ended up being okay. Not a single interesting moment to speak of though. I really question the inclusion of this one on the list. Not bad, but completely average and unremarkable in every way. ⭐️⭐️

The first song on this thing got us off to a very good start. The rest of this was pretty average new wave British slop. It sounded very familiar to The Associates. The first half of this thing was definitely listenable, but I just couldn't stop thinking as the time ravaged on; and I ask once again, why is this here? Who is possibly considering this a GOAT album? Why do we have to endure so much Britpop? Plus, old mates voice got more and more jading as time went on. I was happy to give this a 3 but once I got to Bouncing Babies I was so done. This thing is good for a bit but holy fuck it gets painful to finish.

If I had a nickel for every British album I got with only 1 hit in it this week, I'd have two nickels. At least this one was a bit more up my alley with the new wave edge to it rather than the irritating perverted Indian exoticism of Cornerslop

Listened to this while clearing massive chunks of polyurethane primer out of an airbrush nozzle that kept fucking clogging while my dogshit cheap cunt instantaneous air compressor made a sound I can only describe as coins being thrown into a garbage disposal. Didn’t like the album.

It's ahead of it's time in that they are playing shitty 90s music in 1980. I can't believe this was 70 minutes long

They try hard but mostly fail, mainly because it's full of dull, poorly sung, repetitive melodies. The music is ok but they need to sort the vocals out.

Tedious Cure-esque waffling Each line of song seemed to be split up between the singer's bit and the band's. Singing, twiddly guitar, singing, twiddly guitar, etc The lyrics were typically vague and Julian Cope's posturing a bit half arsed.

UK pop? Neo-psychedelic? Hard to pick those apart on this album. Some good tunes but also some clunkers. Might appeal to some but no to me. Two stars just as I’m highly unlikely to listen again.

Musik zum Aderlass für diejenigen, denen The Cure oder The Smiths zu hart sind. Ähnlich jammernder Gesang aber gleichbleibender Melodiebrei.

Everything about this album is ridiculous, from the affected vocals, silly lyrics and beepboop arrangements to the lame album art. I don't hate it, but definitely a product of its time.

There is one person in the world who believes the 80s was the best decade for music, and he is the author of this list.

Heard Treason before. I was mildly annoyed by the fact that some songs from the album weren't available on Spotify and maybe that's why I found the album underwhelming or it's just not that great in general. It's ok but eh? 2/5

Do people actually like this? Too many bad Brit pop albums on this list

Oh great, more Brit Pop that isn't much different than anything else. 4/10.

Maybe the first miss of the late 70s/ 80s alt rock on this list for me so far. It's aggressively fine, but nothing grlundbreaking. It does feel like a precursor to something like Bloc Party, especially with the song Second Head. Couldn't wait for it to be over so I could move on though, and that hasn't happened a ton.

Boring

it was OK. Sounded fine but nothing that stood out.

okay so i totally understand why people like this and i didn’t have a terrible time HOWEVER it was all very samey samey for me just felt like once i’d heard one i’d heard em all

Blah bowie wannabes

This was very 80s British New Wave. I know Julian Cope's solo work, so this was a disappointment, certainly not 1001 list worthy.

Kind of interesting New Wave. But still too New Wave for my liking. 2.5

I halfway expected this album to be various jazz covers of Toto's Africa given the title and cover art, honestly I probably would have liked that better than what I got. It's very uninspired. I really don't have much to say about this album. Quicky faded to the background. I didn't find any qualities that would lift this album above more well-known 1980s britpop New Wave post-punk. 2⭐️

Another long boring struggle.

Why is this in this list?

Sounds very recognizeable as generic 80s band despite never hearing of them with dips into punk

Assez mid, pas un son qui m'a particulièrement parlé.

Shitty brit pop where every vocal sounds the same

The poppy parts were jolly, the rest jolly awful.

Synth pop

Didn’t really grab me.

Holy fuck, the vocal scatting in "When I Dream" is one of the worst things I have ever heard and was so gratingly annoying I turned off the record. Has some of the ingredients I enjoy, but the record itself feels uninspired and derivative. Like if you took all of the bite out of Depeche Mode and replaced it with a collection of songs that between them lack a single musical hook. I'm finding that the longer records (over roughly 40 minutes) seem to lose focus and include a lot of filler--this is no exception.

Going into this album, I had pretty low expectations. Some of the reviews I read on the generator and app painted it as underwhelming or overly quirky, but there were a few surprises that made this a more enjoyable listen than I anticipated. When researching the album I learned the reason it’s on the list is because it was one of the few bands that reinvented British post-punk and did so by adding brass elements and reviving neo-psychedelic sounds. At first, Julian Cope’s vocals came across as loud and abrasive. The brass elements also felt out of place to me, they didn’t add much initially. But over time, they started to click, especially in “Sleeping Gas.” Oddly enough, I didn’t like the recorded version of that track much, but the live version was incredible, raw, chaotic, and full of energy. One of my initial issues with the album was how repetitive the first few tracks felt. The sonic palette didn’t change much, but after a few listens, certain tracks started to pop. “Poppies” reminded me a lot of Franz Ferdinand’s style even though they come from a more post-punk/dance-punk era. Makes me wonder if they ever cited this band as an influence. Similarly, “Use Me” felt more acoustic and emotionally raw, it gave me The Smiths vibes, which made me curious if there’s any documented influence or overlap there too. As a fan of Khruangbin and psychedelic rock in general, I usually enjoy the more transcendental, groove-heavy textures of the genre. That’s not exactly what The Teardrop Explodes is doing here. Instead, they punch through any dreamy atmosphere with a brash, synth-laden 80s sound that’s impossible to ignore. It’s hypnotic in moments—especially in how Cope delivers his vocals—but it never fully lets you drift off. That might be part of what makes it distinct. Ultimately, I found this album to be a decent listen. It won’t make it into my regular rotation, but I appreciated the journey it took me on—even if I wasn’t always sure where it was going. 2.5/5. Standout Tracks: “Ha Ha I’m Drowning”, “Second Head”, “Poppies”, “Went Crazy”, “Thief of Baghdad”, “When I Dream”, “Reward”, “Use Me”, “Traison”, and “Sleeping Gas (Live)”

This was such a difficult era of transition and music, pretty much like we’re in now in 2025. Is it technology that’s going to influence it or style or Message? This music is very unresolved.

That's such a lame and unimaginative 80ies Brit Pop blur. Annoyingly uninteresting. There are moments in there if done properly would have been nice on the dancefloor, but the the production chose to involve the most cheesy synth-horns ever. Thanks, no, why is this on any list? I cannot even understand any historical relevance.

Cool band name, shame about the music. It was actually relatively catchy generic British 80s stuff, but when I started listening to the lyrics it got worse, and then we got to the wah-wah-wahs at the end of the track Use Me and I was pretty much over it. Rating: 2

getting kinda sick of 80's brit pop garbo...

This is a random album from 1980. I believe it made some top 200 list in the UK at that time. If you do the math from 1960 to 2010, that should put it on something like a list of 10,001 albums to listen to before you die. If you ever attempt that task, take my word and skip this album.

One might say there's too much alt british punk rock on here

Add another New Wave Brit band to the list of mediocre sounds of the 80’s. I know… I lived it.

h: ha ha i’m drowning c: traison

The end of Sleeping Gas might be one of the most annoying ends to a song I’ve heard in a while. The rest of the album isn't quite as annoying but it's not particularly good either.

I don't think this is really for me. Not my style and didn't grip me. I've relegated my thoughts from a potential 4 to a probable 2 over the course of the album. Probably didn't help that I listened to it in fragments...

this was good, i was a little distracted i think though.

Odd lyrics, felt flat and repetitive, 2/5

Mid.

totally generic and forgettable. it's certainly not bad and if i had gotten it anywhere in the first 100 albums it might have gotten a 3, but now, almost 800 in, I'm just absolutely sick of listening to all these totally milquetoast 80s and 90s english bands; on no planet is this an album everyone should hear before they die, there are plenty of better, more interesting and more influential albums of very similar stripes on this very list. we get it, Robert dimery, these were your formative years, maybe next time let some other people pick out a few albums

The first 40 minutes are a slog. At best the songs sound like soundtrack filler from a forgettable 80s movie. The back 1/3 is much better as it shifts into slower less synth based songs. I'm glad I listened to it but never again.

Not my cup of tea.

After the first three songs this got very ‘samey’.

Sometimes I get an artist I've never really heard of and I'm like oh, cool, and sometimes I get one that I'm like, yeah I see why this didn't pass the test of time.

I struggle to tune into a lot of 80s pop, and this album is no exception. I can hear that there are qualities, especially in the bass department, but neither the sound or the song writing do it for me.

I had high hopes for the first few minutes but things went downhill quickly

Nuda, sztampowy rock z konca '70, 2, bo Reward delikatnie hype.

Every era has their dollar bin bands. Before the Summer of Love, there were a dime-a-dozen garage rock bands, who were then replaced by psych rock bands, who then were replaced by folksy singer-songwriters in the early ‘70s, then disco groups, then post-punk bands, then new wave acts, then hair metal, then grunge bands, then boy bands, then ringtone rap, then emo/scene bands, then hipster Pitchfork bands, then mumble rappers, and now, hyperpop acts. In every era, in every iteration, regardless of genre, these are trend-chasers, people who may sincerely enjoy the aesthetic of a trend, and may even be rooted in the scene in an authentic way, but no matter how authentically homegrown they may be, the output they produce is inherently derivative, because they only started to plant themselves in the scene the second it became mainstream. These bands aren’t originators, and they don’t create anything that pushes the genre forward, although their output is often held up as a representation of the genre, especially a hit single in retrospect. As a former scene girl, I can look at bands like Cute Is What We Aim For, Mayday Parade, Alesana, and even A Skylight Drive and From First to Last as examples for my era of Commercial Niche music; again, the sincerity driving these bands or even their quality has nothing to do with the fact that they chased the trend, gained quick popularity off of the trend, lost it all when the trend died, and evaporated completely from music altogether, or disavowed their starting point if they did make it “beyond” the scene (see: Skrillex with From First to Last). This book loves to include at least a couple dollar bin records from each of these eras, especially if they appealed to Cool Straight People (derogatory)™️. (a.k.a. there’s very little disco, boy band, or emo representation, although there’s also very little hair metal, but that’s a story for a different day). It especially seems to love the ‘60s and ‘80s examples of this, as I think those eras are often held up as more ~respectable~ or even ~influential~, even though they produced just as many frisbee discs as the 2000s. The Teardrop Explodes are a perfect example of this phenomenon. They are for the post-punk era what The Electric Prunes are for the ‘60s garage rock era in this book. You can listen to this and immediately tell that this is one of those records that people bought for Side A, Track 3, and only listened to Side A, Track 1, and Side B, Track 1. And just to keep them interested, maybe the closer, if you’re really ✨into✨ this scene. The US release is maybe even more egregious, because it does the opener/closer trick on both sides by adding the ~other hit single~ that wasn’t originally included. The rest of the album is filler, empty yet passable enough so if you’re a fan of the genre and scene overall, you’ll typically be forgiving enough to let it pass, and you may even grow affectionate toward it. I know I used to do this with a lot of emo bands who 1000% did not deserve my sympathies, but it’s forgivable when you’re an obsessive teen. Once you see this playbook trick a few times, it’s easy to spot regardless of genre or time period. Not even talking about the music itself, that’s enough to make you realize that Kilimanjaro either needs to be a flawless hidden gem that time has forgotten, or it’s probably a scenester album that you don’t need to hear unless you’re obsessed with post-punk. But that’s the thing. Once we start talking about the music, I get even less sympathetic. I’m not really one for post-punk. It frankly isn’t my genre, it appeals to introverts who smoke cloves and overintellectualize everything while talking down to everyone they meet, especially people who they think are potentially smarter than them, and, despite what my review length may suggest, I’m much too brash, loud, and chaotic for that shit. That said, I can respect it as an aesthetic, and I know when a band is a “good” post-punk band. I don’t love Joy Division, but I understand their impact and what they bring for some people. Even being kind, The Teardrop Explodes doesn’t really bring anything here. To me, the filler tracks all feel derived from other bands: the bass riff on “Second Hand,” the synths on “Bouncing Babies,” the reverb guitar on “Sleeping Gas” and its jittery counterpart “Brave Boys…,” the drone of the closer “When I Dream” even in its edited form, and even the vocals on “Went Crazy.” I can never pin down *who* they’re copying, but I feel like I’ve heard this a million and one times, and knowing that this is a “late” post-punk release tells me that it’s jacking someone’s swag instead of influencing everyone so much that it creates a Seinfeld Effect. Ignoring even my own distaste for this genre, I don’t see much that makes the filler tracks on Kilimanjaro special. So what we’re left with are mostly the singles, and I think even those don’t do much. I am not giving any sort of praise to “Reward,” which has that UK brass section of the early ‘80s that I loathe, that seems Dexys Midnight Runners-esque, and I’ve already touched on “When I Dream.” I think “Ha-Ha I’m Drowning” is one of those quintessential TOP 100 POST PUNK SONGS YOU FORGOT ABOUT songs, that’s like, sure, it’s fine if you were 15 at the time, but no one cares about this if they weren’t the target audience for it when it was released. I do think “Poppies...” is interesting, if only because it’s lyrically compelling and strange, but it also feels a little edgelord, too. That leaves us with the best song here, “Treason,” a classic hit-single-pushed-to-track-3-so-you-feel-compelled-to-listen-to-the-rest-of-the-record. It’s good, but like, only really good enough for a TOP 100 POST PUNK SONGS YOU LOVE list, not good for everyone. And I know it was a cut above the rest because it was released as a single twice. I can see how Kilimanjaro ends up here. It has just enough singles that some post-punk nerd is too nostalgic about to dismiss, but that then makes them overcompensate and think the entire record is important. Truthfully, even the singles are pretty meh. Now, The Teardrop Explodes are good enough as a band to not make utter shit– it’s not like we’re in an Electric Prunes situation where the rest of the album beyond the single sucks and sounds like actual ass. This album doesn’t make me mad the way a lot of albums on this list can, and it’s not as empty and boring as some, either. But just because it’s not the worst in a competition doesn’t mean it’s actually good. It is definitionally filler. It is scene music. Kilimanjaro is an album for post-punk scenesters ONLY. And listen, I’ve been there over-defending a scenester band, but sometimes, you have to be honest and let them go. If you like post-punk and have this in your collection, I’m happy for you, but if you aren’t obsessed, this is not going to be your New Favorite Album™️. Hell, I doubt it will be even if you *are* obsessed with post-punk.

I'm not sure what "neo-psychedelic" is, but this sounds like new wave/alternative to me. Overall the album is OK. It's like listening to an entire album of b-sides, nothing really bad, but nothing great.

bastante "unremarkable"

Hasn't aged well.

Ugh. New wave drivel.

forgettable

Thought it was alright but got worse and was too long - not into it

This album is extremely forgettable and uninspired until you reach the title tracks, and the rest is just wank. Who thought that including a live performance with tons of crowd work was a good idea? Get over yourself, you fucking idiot.

Please no more New Wave Best Song: Treason Rating: 4.0/10 2 Stars

Nothing interesting

Feels like one I did not need to listen to before I died. But I don't hate it. 2.5 probably

A bit underwhelming. Does not deserve to be on this list. It sounded a lot like white lies, don't know if they are inspired by this band, but white lies took this sound and made it a lot better. Don't listen to this, listen to white lies

Ironically a pretty formulaic psychedelic scouse album. each song has a statement, then the singer doesn't understand the statement just made and then some music witters on in the background. You've heard one song, you've heard them all. They should've stayed away from the sketchy acid. Best Songs: Ha Ha I'm Drowning; Sleeping Gas; Treason

2.25

Interesting sound but not enough to fully engage me

Inoffensive at best. Background noise and nothing more.

This is just mind numbing 80s sort of psychedelic something. Idk man. I kind of hated it and was hard to listen to. 2.5 stars. Of course the last song had to be 9 fucking minutes

Meh. Nothing worth listening to a second time. I don't know how some of these albums make the list. 2/5

I found myself shipping songs, and being meh on others. I don't think that's a positive review.

Nothing really stands out here.

I couldn't find a way to care about anything these dudes were doing.

This one probably shouldn't be on the list.

This list is in the grips of 80s britpop

Clever clever name but not. Tick Cutting edge music that wasn’t and dated about a week after it was released. Tick Critically acclaimed by the sort of critic who is scared of liking anything that smacks of ‘good’. Tick Boring. Tick This doesn’t feel essential. It’s ok. 1.5

The Teardrop Explodes were never as interesting as I feel they were mad out to be. I think this is "you had to be there album". If you 14 in the UK in 1980, and the singles came on the John peel show, I'm sure they would brighten your day, but this has not aged well. it's dull pap. Julian Cope's voice is OK, but he really only sings the same basic tune over and over again (and it wasn't that great the first time). As Simon Reynolds says in reference to this album in his excellent book Rip it Up and Start Again: "The Teardrop Explodes wen from the next big thing to has-been with incredible speed, even by the accelerated standards of the post-punk era". Just not that great and largely consigned to the dustbin of history. Rightly so. 2.5 stars, rounding down.

Giving this a two not for it being extremely bad but rather that I don’t think I will have any memory of the album by tomorrow except for maybe the annoying high pitched noises on the title track

The Teardrop Explodes' "Kilimanjaro" is a fast-paced, upbeat album with a sound that blends 60s rock and 90s grunge. While it has its moments, the inconsistency and sometimes "jokey" feel of the tracks prevent it from being truly enjoyable. Not an album I'd revisit. 2/5

2/5

I was worried this would be more post-punk slop. Not quite that bad, but another that does basically nothing for me.

1.91

I listened to this twice and I can't recall a sound - pretty bland and non-descript.

Kul bass, tidvis gode vibes. Men klagete vokal, og repeterende sanger

Forgettable.

This was not good. 2/5

Oh boy, more middling quality UK garage pop! One thing this list absolutely did not need. The album was fine, not something I needed to hear before I die. Favourite track was Reward and that's not even on the original track list. I liked it because it added horns.

"Reward" was Ok. Err, that's about it.

Just some generic 80s brit rock/pop without any unique selling point. Not a bad, but deserves minus points for being utterly forgettable

there was like 1.5 songs on this i enjoyed

Uhhhhh yeah sure this was some music by some dudes I guess

I remember when Julian Cope cancelled a Belfast gig in 2013 because he was scared of the naughty terrorists. He probably did us all favour to be fair.

1.9 1x extended edition 1h8m

Passable, though barely. The bloated Britpop numbers on this album have produced a great many frowns and grimaces from (judging by the reviews) a great proportion of the audience, including myself. There's too much drum-machine, splashy/bloopy synth, and bland, uninspiring lyricism to really justify a positive review here, though a few pros are worth mentioning. The track When I Dream has potential to float to the top of the dumpsite, based on its infectious synth line – but after the two-minute mark you're thinking, "man, this is bloody repetitive, innit?" (you're British) and you glance at the runtime only to realise the song is over 7 minutes long. You sit back in your Union-Jack-cushioned and gaze out the window into the dreary, overcast Liverpool skyline, and think, "Ah, this is the life" as what little vitality remains in your English cadaver eagerly drains away. But seriously, there are some pros worth a shout-out. A few of the melodies in the synths are pretty good. The vocal is an enormous improvement upon most contemporary Britpop – reminds me a bit of Greg Lake from King Crimson. Nothing revolutionary, but a solid complement to the rest of the sound. The instruments are played fairly well, particularly the bass. But man, that repetition, particularly in the melodies... Each song is two bars of song looped for anywhere between 2 and 7 minutes. It's unforgivable. 2/5 Key tracks: Treason, Ha Ha I'm Drowning, Brave Boys Keep Their Promises

There’s no reason this needed to be on here. Won’t be listening to this again.

I didn’t like this one very much. Like the music is fine and the vocals are alright, but this just isn’t my style of music. I liked the song Books.

Day 55 - Oct 22, 2024 Mom can we have Joy Division? We have Joy Division at home Joy Division at home: 2/5 (only because I liked two of the songs)

Did they steel Reward from another band?

gammalt skrän

2/5

Feels lame but I don’t like this kind of music at all.

This is like proto-New Wave. I'm not loving this right off the bat. There's a vaguely ska element of so much British pop music from the mid-70s to the mid-80s that makes everything sound similar. This is like crappy Clash. These critics must be predominantly British because there are a ton of unknown, repetitive British bands in this list. Maybe this band was the first real New Wave band. A very active horn section in this album. These guys took what the Clash did and made it worse.

I feel like surely this is mentioned a lot as an inspiration for lots of artists but somehow I just never noticed? I don’t ever want to hear it again but it seems like lots of people must’ve felt the opposite. (ntm.)

Neo-psicodelia. Un tostón. Un 2.

2.5

Generic 80s pop rock mixed with even more generic 80s pop rock with a shot of 80s pop rock as a chaser. Stir well, pour into a higher than room temperature mug and serve.

Vähän veltoksi jäi kyllä tämä britti-rallattelu. 2/5

Did these guys get pissed when America and Asia were taken as band names? These guys fall into my biggest pet peeve category. There is no real separation of sound from one song to another. No standout track, just pure 80’s pop. Choice cut: Second Head

So much cheese and cow shit you'd think you were at a dairy farm in Southern Wisconsin

This sounds like part of a whole subgenre within UK new wave music I just can’t connect with. Like moody, surly dance music? Im never in a moody dance mood. The smiths, joy division come to mind. Sounds like an early progenitor of schlock like Panic at the disco. these songs have no melodies and no choruses and so seem kind of flat and featureless after a while. I’ll give it an extra point for good rhythm and a hint of the avant- garde, even if it doesn’t work for me.

Could not get in a groove with this album. I could see the strong argument for this being influential in the 80s for its psych rock ideas and thus significant enough for this list. Thats all I can say though. The listenability was low for me and I only found a couple of songs interesting. Kilimanjaro (the album title track) was my favorite… which stands out because it doesn’t sound like the rest of the album. Reward was also somewhat interesting for those wacky horn effects

Some cool moments on here. Catchy bass lines and some horn parts. Feels a little aimless in the end, likes it’s not building toward anything. Wanted to rate it higher.

2.5

bin bim dritte song und s isch afoch recht guete new wave, aber null öppis speziells. second head isch recht geil wege coole bass. bin bi brave boys und bi mi chli am langwile au wenns eigentlich no cool wär. books isch recht cool, ha glaub gad nöd d ufmerksamkeit für das album thief of baghdad macht definitiv en orientalism (Said, 1978). when i dream isch e cooli melodie und so. aber joooo da isch nöd so bsunders i hett lieber nomel es lady gaga album uf de liste. when i dream isch sowas vo z lang.

Nothing special, just like other British pop around this time. Which is fine, but I'm not sure if it's worth being on this list.

Pretty boring

Listened to version with extra tracks on Spotify. Too extra. Not sure at what point this album became a drag, but I assume it was before it was before the album xtra tracks. And the live song at the end was super obnoxious.

How is there more of this? Seriously?

Interesting vocals, fun music, but repetitive songs.

Don't love it. Very repetitive and a bit abrasive in the way synthpop can be. His voice is a lot and often in a bad way. Some melodies remind me of the B52s weirdly, only much darker and less polished. and less good to be honest. I liked Thief of Baghdad and Treason, especially the french version. Overall I think it's a 2.5

For the time it’s solid, not my cup of tea.

Couldn’t get into it

Organ was annoying after a few tracks. Reward is a good track

This album was just fine. I just really don’t see what sets them apart from anyone else and I don’t quite see the influence. I just listened to them and I feel like I can’t render anything. Their songs were amusing at some point, like Bpuncing Babies, but I just don’t see the interesting part.

This list has a such a bias towards pretty dull 80s indie pop. This was not good - Poppies In The Field was pretty much the only track that actually caught my ear.

Not personally a huge fan of the psychedelic rock. Not terrible, just not really my speed truth be told.

Not bad, but a few cringey parts. Not much to say about it.

Background listen. Didn’t give this as much attention as most albums but from what I heard I think that’s ok. Feel bad giving it a two, but gotta hit to at least get a three from me!

122/1001

More cheesy British 80’s music. No thanks, I’ve had enough. Something tells me we are in store for much more unfortunately.

I mean. This is like the Chat GPT version of New Wave.

The synth-horns almost save this but it's all played so straight.

Never heard this before. Kind of a transition from 70's to 80's music which is interesting. It's alright, a few songs are good. I'm not sure that I would need to listen to this again.

Nothing special, not my taste.

80s brit pop that sounds the same as any other 80s brit pop

Unexceptional, did not need to hear this. One star for the horns.

definitely one of the albums of all time

Jongens, dit level hadden we toch al uitgespeeld? Het is niet afschuwelijk slecht, maar bepaald ook niet megagoed. Kennelijk moest er rond 1980 een muzikaal gat gevuld worden met dit soort hobbybandjes.

Very early 80s

I probably would have liked them in the 80s but didn't know them then. Now I think this is quite boring typical 80s music.

Found this to be pretty mediocre in general. There was a lot of similar music coming out of the UK around this time, so I'm not sure what is supposed to make this stand out. A few pretty danceable songs, but the vocals are pretty annoying. The best song on the album is "Reward", but to my ears, it sounds like a rip off of "No More Heroes" by the Stranglers. Definitely won't be revisiting this one.

There is far too much New Wave and Post Punk on this list. Unfortunately this is a combo of both! Highlights: Second Head Reward

What's worse than a bad album? An album that leaves no impression.

Yet another run-of-the-mill assemblage of British 80's new-wave. I simply can't get into this genre, it speaks nothing to me. How does this mediocrity make its way into a list like this, or into the 100 Greatest British Albums Ever?

This is the first time hearing this band. This album seems to have all the ingredients of a solid early 80’s album but to me it was lacking memorable or catchy songs. As I listened through the first time I kept waiting for that one song to come on that made me go “oh I have heard this song!” and that moment never came. A quick wiki investigation revealed this band only lasted 4 years and the first album came out only a year after they formed. I guess to have some notoriety in such a short period of time is pretty impressive. And given the year of this albums release (1979) it must’ve been influential to the many bands that seemed to have a similar sound for years to come. But for me the songs just never impressed me, at first I liked the singers voice and delivery but very quickly he seemed to have little to offer in variety. The drummer also stood out as a weakest link, he wasn’t terrible I just felt like he was barely holding on for most of the album. The guitars had some pretty cool moments and to me were the most interesting element on this album but still, nothing mind blowing. I give this one a 2.

Listening to this band and this album just now for the first time, I catch glimpses of Devo, drum-machine-era The Cure, The Clash, The Talking Heads (particularly on "Went Crazy"), and Tears For Fears' synths on their best album "The Hurting", all which pre-date this work. I can't speak to their influence or how they shaped the soundscape within the context of the culture of their time, but on the surface I don't hear anything particularly unique that The Teardrop Explodes bring to the table. That's not to say the album isn't any good. The rhythm section's steady and tight vamp on each song keeps the album moving and upbeat. Lyrics often repeat in a similar vamp and are delivered in a voice similar to Adam Ant or When In Rome's "I Promise." "Treason" benefits from a break from the hypnotic pulse of the first two songs and welcomes in a much-needed chord changes for the chorus, making it easily one of the better songs, along with "When I Dream." The extended version of the album I heard contained 6 additional songs: "Reward" and would-be title track "Kilimanjaro" which greatly improve the album and provides a bit more range and variation than the whole. Shame they were left off. Fatigued and little bored, I wasn't interested in listening to the last 4 bonus tracks. Even if they were trailblazers for their time (though I am in no way convinced of this), history shows that others have done similar stylings but more attuned to my tastes. There are albums I appreciate more than this that still would not make it on my own personal list of "the 1001 most important and influential [albums] in popular music." This would be an easy three stars for me, but I'm degrading to two; being on this list suggests its appreciation is already over-inflated.

I'd never heard of this band before....like literally ever. I really like a lot of what I heard, particularly with the instruments. I felt though that the singer, despite having a good voice was very repetitive with his note selection throughout the whole album, down to the interval spacing between notes being almost identical sometimes and even the phrasing of the notes being the same. I felt like the singer was given some really good stuff to work with but he did not stretch across the note spectrum of what was possible to come up with cooler more creative melodies. I've kind of felt that way about Morrissey also. I was fascinated also by the fact that the music was catchy but most of the songs seem to lack obvious hooks n the choruses. They have a typical new wave 80s. Similar bands I think would be Madness and Duran Duran. I felt like 'Books' was a pretty good song and the one I kept coming back to. I liked 'Treason' and 'Reward' also. I am somewhere between a two and three...more.if the singer were more creative.

Not my favorite but I liked the song Use Me

der var sådan en bestemt måde at udtale tekster på som sangere kun gjorde i 80'erne, og det gør ham her sygt meget!! Jeg har en ret høj tolerance for den her genre men den er sgu for lang og blæserne er simpelthen for irriterende

Ikke mit yndlingssted på new wave / post punk spektret, men det var ok!

It’s been a while since I’ve had to listen to lame 80s music so I guess it was refreshing in that way but otherwise I got no enjoyment out of this. Maybe it was because I got remain in light recently idk. Also not sure why I didn’t give that album a 5.

It's ok. I've heard many albums like this and have passed many, many more like this in the bins. 1,001 other bands no less talented, but selling the same kind of sound. Very 80's. I didn't find much here to make it break out of the pack for me. The Fixx would be a better representation of that sound.

It was okay. Inoffensive.

Not bad. Tolerable.

More Britpop crap nobody ordered or wants to keep.

I kind of like the bass beats, but this music is very repetitive. Not sure I like the horn section either.

Not my jam

Não consigo formar opinião, eu achei neutro só.. não escutaria de novo mas não é ruim

Quite forgettable.

I feel like if I received this album earlier in the list, I would have given it a higher score. But at this point I've had to sit through so many generic early 80s post punk albums that I'm starting to get a bit sick of them. This is by no means awful, but there is nothing even remotely interesting about compared to 90% of the other post punk albums I have listened to. "Thief Of Baghdad" was a cool song, but everything else was so generic and indistinguishable.

It feels like it should be more exciting but the repetition and vocals just make it boring.

One or two good songs, I do not feel like I needed to hear this before I die. Why was this on the list?

pretty good overall

Couple of enjoyable moments. But, not enough.

A post punk / new wave record with horns and hints of psychedelia that somehow sounds uninspired, reserved and boring. I'm not sure how they pulled that off, but it's an accomplishment, although not one to be proud of.

I think this is a fairly uninspiring new wave album with one great song that wasn't even originally on it. There's a strand of UK new wave that was just a bit purposeless/moody but underwhelmed on the songs.

meh,

Det lyder som Joy Division. Hvis Joy Division var komplet talentløse

Söngurinn er litlaus og lögin fæst eftirminnileg. Reward er mest spilað, það er líka best, hresst brass þar. Annað er frekar boring. Heilt yfir svo sem ekki ferlegt en ég fæ mig ekki til að setja þrist á þetta.

Yet another way too 80s album from the 80s.

Okay listen

Cripplingly boring, just why?

ok

This is like of punk music was as soft as tissue paper and mixed with synths. This is pretty lame and very dated. Not too sure what separates this from other 80s pop rock music. At this point any British band that did something may have made this list. 4.8/10

Tuntuu, että on isot puitteet ja hyvä meno, mutta vähän asiaa. Suureellista mutta sielu on hieman hukassa, vaikka vähän sieltä kurkistaa. Live-vedot oli silkkaa mahtailua. Kivat rummut kyllä, ilahduin kasarista.

Pari vetävää riffiä/bassokuviota - eli mitä kasarilta nyt sopii odottaa. En ole riittävän innoissani tarkistamaan mahdollisia laiminlyöntejäni. 2+

I think I've come to the conclusion I just don't like britpop.

Was just sorta ok, nothing was very memorable to me

Some songs were interesting but most faded to the background for me

There were parts of this album that felt like I was slowly falling into an acid trip…that was the cool part. Other than that nothing felt all that special or particularly special about this album. Just another 80s rock album.

It felt like generic 80s new wave/post-punk, very repetitive. It has its moments, but they are few and far between.

unlistenable

Not a huge fan of this style. This is about the time recordings started going digital and everything sounds like it was recorded in a black box. Musicianship is good but not big on the vocal style.

Most of the songs sounded like generic 80s pop but then I heard some U2-like drumming in Kilimanjaro. Won't be listening to this one again.

This album was Bantha fodder. Men at work meets Devo and got invaded by a flock of seagulls. I was thinking about 1980 and what was released around that time, and one of the songs was like something from the Wall that never made it past the sound room. Sorry exploding teardrop dudes.

It’s ok. 2 stars

Very uninspiring. Sounds a bit like tame 80s circus music to me. Not great, not terrible either.

80’er britpop, postpunk-vibe, lidt for meget som noget man har hørt før