JULIAN COPE : Last of the independant hero

Cope with his band (insert of Saint Julian's lp)
Look for his special personnalised micro, where he climbs on it in concert.

I first heard about Julian Cope in 1987 with the cool Saint Julian lp. Great album of deranged pop, but full of classics such as World shut your mouth, Trampolene or Space hopper.
Yes, I also known at that time that Cope came out of his band Teardrop Explodes and that it was not his first solo lp, but his discography was already not easy to find in France.

Then, the artist entered in a glorious period of enlightment by the help of these sus-mentionned singles. French radio broadcast Bernard Lenoir's Les inrockuptibles intensively airwaved these tunes and it was soon followed in 1988 by a new album on the same Island label : "My nation underground", as pop and as commercialy "formated". But it failed, in spite of a great live "black session" (Lenoir = black in english), where Cope offered us a superb compilation of some of his best habited songs (*).

This was to be a climax.
Two years later, the wind has turned. Cope was thankfulled by his record label, and he returned to independance, to bizarre music, and to... shadow. If you were not in Great britain, it became difficult to get news about mister Cope (except on Bernard Lenoir's broadcast).

But nonetheless, the "Droolian" was continuing making albums and big part of them are worth the listen. That you take the superb double lp "Peggy suicide" (1991) , 20 mothers (1995) or anything else til now, you can always expect some good music with intelligent message on it. That it contains rough, punk, psyche, transe or popish songs, or the whole thing mixed, Julian Cope's albums are always where we cannot wait for them, and in the same time never disappointing.
Ok, you have also to look hard for it, but it's worth having a handfull of them in its discotheque.

Isn't it the rule for all of the last independant heroes ?

Read a cool chronicle of the Sunspot ep on the great Vivonzeureux web zine.

See also a good resume of his activities on Wiki.


Space-hopper (live Cigale 1988)


(*) Soon here : Julian Cope's live at the Cigale , Paris, 30 Oct 1988.