The Teardrops (band)
Encyclopedia
The Teardrops were a Punk
/New Wave
band formed in Prestwich
, Greater Manchester
, England
, in 1978. The founders and always the core of this band were Trevor Wain, John Key and Jimmy Donnelly with various good friends from the Prestwich
music scene:- Buzzcocks
bassist Steve Garvey, members of The Fall; Martin Bramah
, Karl Burns
and Tony Friel
and former member of V2 Ian Nance, as well as occasional contributions from Dave Brisbane, Helen Harbrook, Dave Price and Rick Goldstraw.
, Martin Bramah
who was in The Fall at that time, Trevor Wain, Jimmy Donnelly, John Key and Karl Burns
who, at that time, was also in The Fall. It was this line-up with the addition of Dave Brisbane that recorded (at Cargo Studios
) and released their debut EP, In And Out Of Fashion
. Because of contractual difficulties with The Fall the band were never able to credit Martin Bramah
or Karl Burns
on the record sleeve.
Due to the communal nature of the band it was not always clear who, apart Trevor Wain, Jimmy Donnelly and John Key were in the band at anyone time. By the end of 1978 Steve Garvey was committed to his work in Buzzcocks
. Martin Bramah
in '79 had left The Fall to form Blue Orchids with Una Baines
. Karl Burns
also left The Fall and continued to make a strong contribution to the band. Tony Friel
who had left The Fall before they recorded to form The Passage
with Dick Witts
helped out on some tracks. Most of the recordings at this period varied between Cargo Studios
in Rochdale with John Brierly, Smile Studios and Arrow Studios in Manchester. When Graveyard Studios opened in Prestwich all subsequent recordings were done there. The Teardrops along with all their associated bands recorded there as well as a lot of other Manchester bands including Joy Division and A Certain Ratio.
By the end of 1980, The Teardrops stopped recording.
In 2010 a further set of tapes from the Graveyard Studio sessions were rediscovered and restored by Blind Eye Records. This format of the group contained the stalwarts Trevor Wain, Jimmy Donnelly and John Key along with Ian Nance. The recordings contain contributions from Steve Garvey, Martin Bramah
and Karl Burns
. Blind Eye Records are planning to release a series of 7" vinyls in late 2010 into early 2011.
They undertook gigs at The Russell Club (Factory Nights) in Hulme and Eric's in Liverpool with Private Sector, Fast Cars and V2.
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
/New Wave
New Wave music
New Wave is a subgenre of :rock music that emerged in the mid to late 1970s alongside punk rock. The term at first generally was synonymous with punk rock before being considered a genre in its own right that incorporated aspects of electronic and experimental music, mod subculture, disco and 1960s...
band formed in Prestwich
Prestwich
Prestwich is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Bury, in Greater Manchester, England. It lies close to the River Irwell, north of Manchester city centre, north of Salford and south of Bury....
, Greater Manchester
Greater Manchester
Greater Manchester is a metropolitan county in North West England, with a population of 2.6 million. It encompasses one of the largest metropolitan areas in the United Kingdom and comprises ten metropolitan boroughs: Bolton, Bury, Oldham, Rochdale, Stockport, Tameside, Trafford, Wigan, and the...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, in 1978. The founders and always the core of this band were Trevor Wain, John Key and Jimmy Donnelly with various good friends from the Prestwich
Prestwich
Prestwich is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Bury, in Greater Manchester, England. It lies close to the River Irwell, north of Manchester city centre, north of Salford and south of Bury....
music scene:- Buzzcocks
Buzzcocks
Buzzcocks are an English punk rock band formed in Bolton in 1976, led by singer–songwriter–guitarist Pete Shelley.They are regarded as an important influence on the Manchester music scene, the independent record label movement, punk rock, power pop, pop punk and indie rock. They achieved commercial...
bassist Steve Garvey, members of The Fall; Martin Bramah
Martin Bramah
Martin Bramah is a British musician best known as a founder member of both The Fall, Blue Orchids and Factory Star....
, Karl Burns
Karl Burns
Karl Burns is a British musician best known as drummer for The Fall, featuring in many incarnations of the band between 1977 and 1998....
and Tony Friel
Tony Friel
Tony Friel is a bass guitarist known for his role in different New Wave bands.He attended Heys Boys Secondary School, where met Martin Bramah and got, along him, Art O Level. He and Bramah shared many interests. In mid-1970s, they were introduced, by their friend Barbara Smith, to her brother Mark E...
and former member of V2 Ian Nance, as well as occasional contributions from Dave Brisbane, Helen Harbrook, Dave Price and Rick Goldstraw.
History
Initially, the band line up was, (as pictured) Steve Garvey then in BuzzcocksBuzzcocks
Buzzcocks are an English punk rock band formed in Bolton in 1976, led by singer–songwriter–guitarist Pete Shelley.They are regarded as an important influence on the Manchester music scene, the independent record label movement, punk rock, power pop, pop punk and indie rock. They achieved commercial...
, Martin Bramah
Martin Bramah
Martin Bramah is a British musician best known as a founder member of both The Fall, Blue Orchids and Factory Star....
who was in The Fall at that time, Trevor Wain, Jimmy Donnelly, John Key and Karl Burns
Karl Burns
Karl Burns is a British musician best known as drummer for The Fall, featuring in many incarnations of the band between 1977 and 1998....
who, at that time, was also in The Fall. It was this line-up with the addition of Dave Brisbane that recorded (at Cargo Studios
Cargo Studios
Cargo Studios was a recording studio located in the Kenion Street Music Building, off Drake Street, Rochdale, Greater Manchester, England, on the first floor above Tractor Music's Pro Audio shop...
) and released their debut EP, In And Out Of Fashion
In And Out Of Fashion
In and out of Fashion is the debut recording and the first EP and 12" single of New Wave band The Teardrops, released by Bent Records, in 1978. The band was formed by then Buzzcocks bass guitarist Steve Garvey, among others...
. Because of contractual difficulties with The Fall the band were never able to credit Martin Bramah
Martin Bramah
Martin Bramah is a British musician best known as a founder member of both The Fall, Blue Orchids and Factory Star....
or Karl Burns
Karl Burns
Karl Burns is a British musician best known as drummer for The Fall, featuring in many incarnations of the band between 1977 and 1998....
on the record sleeve.
Due to the communal nature of the band it was not always clear who, apart Trevor Wain, Jimmy Donnelly and John Key were in the band at anyone time. By the end of 1978 Steve Garvey was committed to his work in Buzzcocks
Buzzcocks
Buzzcocks are an English punk rock band formed in Bolton in 1976, led by singer–songwriter–guitarist Pete Shelley.They are regarded as an important influence on the Manchester music scene, the independent record label movement, punk rock, power pop, pop punk and indie rock. They achieved commercial...
. Martin Bramah
Martin Bramah
Martin Bramah is a British musician best known as a founder member of both The Fall, Blue Orchids and Factory Star....
in '79 had left The Fall to form Blue Orchids with Una Baines
Una Baines
Una Baines was best known as the keyboard player in the first line-up of British post-punk/new wave band The Fall. Her strong feminist ideals shaped the band's early political stance and she remains one of the very few Fall members, other than frontman Mark E...
. Karl Burns
Karl Burns
Karl Burns is a British musician best known as drummer for The Fall, featuring in many incarnations of the band between 1977 and 1998....
also left The Fall and continued to make a strong contribution to the band. Tony Friel
Tony Friel
Tony Friel is a bass guitarist known for his role in different New Wave bands.He attended Heys Boys Secondary School, where met Martin Bramah and got, along him, Art O Level. He and Bramah shared many interests. In mid-1970s, they were introduced, by their friend Barbara Smith, to her brother Mark E...
who had left The Fall before they recorded to form The Passage
The Passage (band)
The Passage were a post-punk band from Manchester, UK who appeared on several record labels including Cherry Red Records, and their own label Night & Day, a subsidiary label to Virgin Records.-Biography:...
with Dick Witts
Dick Witts
Richard "Dick" Witts is a professional musicologist, music historian, and ex leader of 1980s band The Passage. He was born in Cleethorpes on the coast of Lincolnshire, England....
helped out on some tracks. Most of the recordings at this period varied between Cargo Studios
Cargo Studios
Cargo Studios was a recording studio located in the Kenion Street Music Building, off Drake Street, Rochdale, Greater Manchester, England, on the first floor above Tractor Music's Pro Audio shop...
in Rochdale with John Brierly, Smile Studios and Arrow Studios in Manchester. When Graveyard Studios opened in Prestwich all subsequent recordings were done there. The Teardrops along with all their associated bands recorded there as well as a lot of other Manchester bands including Joy Division and A Certain Ratio.
By the end of 1980, The Teardrops stopped recording.
In 2010 a further set of tapes from the Graveyard Studio sessions were rediscovered and restored by Blind Eye Records. This format of the group contained the stalwarts Trevor Wain, Jimmy Donnelly and John Key along with Ian Nance. The recordings contain contributions from Steve Garvey, Martin Bramah
Martin Bramah
Martin Bramah is a British musician best known as a founder member of both The Fall, Blue Orchids and Factory Star....
and Karl Burns
Karl Burns
Karl Burns is a British musician best known as drummer for The Fall, featuring in many incarnations of the band between 1977 and 1998....
. Blind Eye Records are planning to release a series of 7" vinyls in late 2010 into early 2011.
They undertook gigs at The Russell Club (Factory Nights) in Hulme and Eric's in Liverpool with Private Sector, Fast Cars and V2.
Discography
- In And Out Of FashionIn And Out Of FashionIn and out of Fashion is the debut recording and the first EP and 12" single of New Wave band The Teardrops, released by Bent Records, in 1978. The band was formed by then Buzzcocks bass guitarist Steve Garvey, among others...
EP (1978) - Leave Me No Choice EP (1978)
- Seeing DoubleSeeing Double (single)Seeing Double is the first 7" single of the New Wave band The Teardrops, released on TJM Records, in 1979.The band comprised John Key, Trev Wain, Karl Burns and Jim Donnelly, being credited in the black sleeve of the single...
single (TJM, July 1979) - Final VinylFinal Vinyl (The Teardrops album)Final Vinyl was the only album released by Manchester, England New Wave band The Teardrops. It was released in January 1980, shortly before the band dissolved....
album (Illuminated, January 1980)
Various compilations
- Identity Parade (1980)
- White Dopes On Punk - 50 Punk Nuggets & New Wave Rarities (double-disc) (Castle, 2005)