Kilimanjaro (1980)

Kilimanjaro is the debut album by the neo-psychedelic Liverpool band The Teardrop Explodes, released on 10 October 1980. 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.

Personnel

Original album release

• The Teardrop Explodes
• Julian Cope – vocals, bass guitar
• David Balfe – piano, organ, synthesizer
• Gary Dwyer – drums

Alan Gill – guitar on "Reward" (second edition of album only), "Poppies in the Field", "Ha Ha I'm Drowning", "Books" and "When I Dream"

with:

Michael Finkler – guitar on "Second Head", "Brave Boys Keep Their Promises", "Bouncing Babies", "Ha Ha I'm Drowning", "Sleeping Gas", "Treason", "Went Crazy" and "Thief of Baghdad"

Hurricane Smith, Ray Martinez – trumpets on "Ha Ha I'm Drowning", "Sleeping Gas" and "Went Crazy"

• Technical
• Hugh Jones – engineer
• Brian Griffin – photography

2010 deluxe edition release

Disc 1 (Kilimanjaro)

(same credits as for the original 1980 album release)

Disc 2 (Bates Motel)

Julian Cope – vocals, bass guitar, violin on "Strange House in the Snow"

Gary Dwyer – drums

Paul Simpson – organ on "Sleeping Gas" (single version), "Camera Camera" and "Kirkby Workers Dream Fades"

Michael Finkler – guitar on "Sleeping Gas" (single version), "Camera Camera", "Kirkby Workers Dream Fades", "Bouncing Babies" (single version), "All I Am Is Loving You", "Treason" (Zoo single version), "Read It in Books", "Use Me" and "Traison (C'est Juste Une Histoire)"

David Balfe – keyboards on "Reward", "Treason" (Zoo single version), "Read It in Books", "Kilimanjaro", "Reward", "Strange House in the Snow", "Use Me", "Traison (C'est Juste Une Histoire" and "Sleeping Gas" (live version)

Alan Gill – guitar on "Reward", "Kilimanjaro" and "Strange House in the Snow"

Troy Tate – guitar on "Sleeping Gas" (live version) (uncredited)

Ronnie François – bass guitar on "Sleeping Gas" (live version) (uncredited)

Disc 3 (BBC Sessions)

• Julian Cope – vocals, bass guitar
• Gary Dwyer – drums

Michael Finkler – guitar on "Brave Boys Keep Their Promises", Ha Ha I'm Drowning", "Went Crazy", "Chance", "The Thief of Baghdad", "When I Dream" and "Poppies in the Field"

Ged Quinn – keyboards on "Brave Boys Keep Their Promises", Ha Ha I'm Drowning", "Went Crazy" and "Chance"

David Balfe – keyboards on "The Thief of Baghdad", "When I Dream" and "Poppies in the Field"

"The Emotional Jungle" – guitar on "Reward", "Suffocate", "For Years" and "The Great Dominions"

"The Evil Wasp" – keyboards on "Reward", "Suffocate", "For Years" and "The Great Dominions"

"The Legendary" Eric Batchelor – trumpet