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Wilder

The Teardrop Explodes
1 disc

1. Bent Out of Shape
2. Colours Fly Away
3. Seven Views of Jerusalem
4. Pure Joy
5. Falling Down Around Me
6. Culture Bunker, The
7. Passionate Friend
8. Tiny Children
9. Like Leila Khaled Said
10. ...And the Fighting Takes Over
11. Great Dominions, The
12. Window Shopping For a New Crown of Thorns - (bonus track)
13. East of the Equator - (instrumental, bonus track)
14. Rachael Built a Steamboat - (bonus track)
15. You Dissapear From View - (bonus track)
16. Suffocate - (new version, bonus track)
17. Ouch Monkeys - (bonus track)
18. Soft Enough For You - (bonus track)
19. In- Psychlopedia - (bonus track)
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Additional Info

Manufacturer Part Number (MPN): 548 284
Credits

Producer
Engineer
German remaster adds eight songs.
Originally planned as THE GREAT DOMINIONS a full year beforehand, The Teardrop Explodes' sophomore effort only saw light in 1981. By this point, the public's fascination with the band was already on the wane. Not for the last time in his career, Julian Cope was busy fashioning obscurity from a potentially winning position. Against the backdrop of a group falling apart--and his own increasingly acid-fuelled instability--Cope somehow dispatched a minor psychedelic pop classic.
WILDER is less densely layered than its predecessor KILIMANJARO, relying all too heavily on string synthesizers for texture and cute electronic rhythms in a stark overall picture. Why grumble though, when the Turtles-esque "Passionate Friend" and the plainly insane imagery of the brassy "Colours Fly Away" lead the way into more Cope-fried confectionery? The Teardrops' transformation from group to hired hands leaves Cope clutching shakily at the reins. His writing and his voice, though, have never been better--witness "The Fighting Takes Over" or "The Great Dominions." And, if prime influences are difficult to disguise, thank goodness the boy has a great record collection.
Critic Reviews

Q (1/01, p.134) - 4 out of 5 stars - "...[A] fascinating record..."
Mojo (Publisher) (12/00, p.124) - "...One of the half-dozen best British pop albums of the early '80s..."