The Teardrops – Final Vinyl [LP] (1980, Illuminated Records)

'Final Vinyl', released in January 1980 on Illuminated Records, was the only full-length album by Manchester's short-lived The Teardrops. By the time it appeared, the band had already gone through several line-up changes and had evolved far beyond its early punk roots. What began in 1978 as a side project for Buzzcocks bassist Steve Garvey gradually became a vehicle for a more adventurous mix of new wave, art rock, psychedelia and post-punk experimentation, making 'Final Vinyl' feel less like a straightforward debut and more like the final chapter of an already complicated story. 

The Teardrops were originally put together by Steve Garvey alongside Trevor Wain, John Key, Dave Brisbane and drummer John Donelly. Their first recordings appeared on the 'In and Out of Fashion' EP, released by Bent Records in 1978. Soon afterwards the line-up shifted dramatically with the arrival of Tony Friel and Karl Burns, both formerly of The Fall, and the band re-recorded much of the same material for the 'Leave Me No Choice' EP. A year later they released the 'Seeing Double' single, although there has always been some uncertainty over whether Garvey actually played on that recording despite being credited in some discographies. 

By the sessions for 'Final Vinyl', the group had changed once again. Trevor Wain remained while Helen Barbrook and Dave Price joined the fold, bringing fresh ideas to a record that embraced experimentation without abandoning the band's punk instincts. Several earlier songs were revisited in new forms. "Everything's O.K." was a reworking of "Teardrops and Heartaches," originally the B-side of 'Seeing Double', while "Teenage Vice" returned from the band's early EPs with a different arrangement that reflected how much their sound had developed over just a couple of years. 

The album has often been described as an overlooked late-'70s UK new wave and art rock curiosity. Instead of sticking to one style, it jumps between energetic power pop, angular post-punk, psychedelic textures and quirky pop ideas. The opening track, "Everything's O.K.," bursts out with a sharp, power-punk energy that recalls Garvey's work with Buzzcocks, while "No One Is Innocent" leans into more angular art rock territory. "Hey Count De Bok Bok" throws in funky rhythms and playful whistle effects, "Teenage Vice" and "Some People" drift into psychedelic territory, and the notorious "Fackin Kant" delivers schoolboy humour wrapped in pogo-punk attitude. The result is a messy but surprisingly creative blend of new wave, psych and arty pub rock that constantly shifts direction from one track to the next. 

Steve Garvey was already well known as the bassist of Buzzcocks, one of Manchester's defining punk bands, while Tony Friel and Karl Burns had both been part of the earliest incarnation of The Fall before joining The Teardrops. Trevor Wain played an increasingly important role as the band's line-up evolved, helping steer the material towards the more adventurous sound heard on the album. Those connections placed The Teardrops right in the middle of Manchester's fertile late-1970s underground, where punk bands were quickly branching out into stranger and more experimental territory. 

The album appeared on Illuminated Records, an independent British label that became known during the late 1970s and early 1980s for releasing adventurous post-punk, industrial, experimental and alternative music. The label's catalogue sat comfortably alongside the era's DIY ethos, giving space to artists who didn't fit neatly into commercial expectations, making it a natural home for an album as unconventional as 'Final Vinyl'. 

Not long after the album's release, The Teardrops came to an end. They contributed the song "Colours" to the Manchester compilation 'Identity Parade' in 1980, documenting another small piece of the city's thriving independent scene. Some of the musicians continued with the short-lived Bok Bok, who released the single "Come Back To Me" later that same year, while 'Final Vinyl' remained the band's only full-length statement and a snapshot of Manchester's restless post-punk creativity at the turn of the decade. 

 

Label: Illuminated Records – JAMS 2 

Format: Vinyl, LP, Album 

Country: UK 

Released: 1980 

Style: New Wave, Post-Punk 

 

Tracklist: 

A1 Everythings O.K. 

A2 No One Is Innocent 

A3 Hey Count De Bok Bok 

A4 Teenage Vice 

B1 Meet The Teardrops 

B2 Some People 

B3 Slow Glass 

B4 Fackin Kant 

B5 Time To Go 

 

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