Kilimanjaro [Extra tracks, Import, Original recording remastered]

Teardrop Explodes | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (January 16, 2001)
• Original Release Date: 1980
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Extra tracks, Import, Original recording remastered
• Label: Ume Imports
• ASIN: B000050XIP
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #38,153 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

24 bit HDCD remastered reissue of the post-punk new wave act's 1980 debut album. Reproduction of the original UK version with original artwork. Includes six bonus tracks taken from the Japanese vinyl only mini album 'Kirimanjalo'. Bonus tracks, 'Reward', 'Kilimanjaro', 'Strange House In The Snow', 'Use Me', 'Traison' and 'Sleeping Gas' (Live).

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Record, March 20, 2001

By 

thedevilscoachman (Vienna, Virginia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Kilimanjaro (Audio CD)

I picked up (and reviewed) The Teardrop Explodes' Wilder first, and was floored by how good it was. This is easily that album's equal, if not its better - I can't decide just yet. On one hand, this album is more energetic and driving than Wilder; Wilder, on the other hand, is more varied and more subtle.

The Teardrop Explodes had a lot of musical assets, and all are on display here - Julian Cope's vocals are gripping, the melodies quirky but very hooky, the lyrics worth some thought, and the production (credited to the Chameleons, mostly) and instrumentation inventively off-kilter and interestingly textured. Especially great is the use of a horn section, which is employed in unusual ways, and adds a really distinctive element to the band's sound. Sound-wise, the result is impossible to describe, but I'll note that the music mixes psychedelic rock, dance music, and early-80's British post-punk (and, as a previous reviewer noted, some Tijuana Brass, too!) In sum, this album still sounds completely fresh after twenty years, a remarkable achievement for a twenty-year-old record, and especially remarkable for a record that was a product of the New Wave post-punk early 80's, when sounds dated quickly, it seems. "HA HA I'm Drowning" "Sleeping Gas" "Went Crazy" "Treason" and "When I'm Dreaming" stand out, but there is not a weak song in the original set of 11, and only a couple of weak ones on the bonus EP. Highly recommended.

12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars They had NO EQUAL., September 5, 2001

By 

Brad Rim (new york, new york United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Kilimanjaro (Audio CD)

Simply put, the 1980-81 version/lineup of the Teardrop Explodes simply had no equal. From the sheer suss of their songs, arrangements, lyrics and attitude to their 1970's revival stage show, THEY WERE THE JOE-COOLEST OF THE 1980'S (only the early bunneymen, Dexy's and the Jam came anywhere near). 'Nuff said.

11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass on mescaline, December 29, 2000

By 

Bill Kaluza (Denver, CO USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Kilimanjaro (Audio CD)

About twenty years ago--yes, kids, back in the vinyl days--I found "Kilimanjaro" in the record store cut-out bin. I bought it on a whim, knowing nothing of its personnel or genesis, and I was rewarded with an album that prodded me into exploring whole other genres of music. After all this time the music still holds up wonderfully well, frenetic and melodic and spooky. Nearly every cut is a gem. Unlike some, I never thought Julian Cope was much of a lyricist--as my writing teachers used to tell me, "Just because you don't understand it doesn't mean it's profound"--and I suppose the horns on "Kilimanjaro" are synthesized, but they still pack a wallop. The album does too. Very worthwhile.