The Teardrop Explodes | Treason (It's Just a Story) | Original Promo Restored | 1981

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Description

This is a new restoration of the promo video for The Teardrop Explodes single Treason (It's Just a Story), which was released in this month, April 1981.

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Treason was first released as a single in February 1980, and was subsequently included on the Teardrop Explodes debut album, Kilimanjaro, released in October 1980. After Reward was a sizeable UK hit in early 1981, Treason was remixed and rereleased as a follow up single.

Treason was written by Teardrops frontman Julian Cope, drummer Gary Dwyer, and guitarist Mick Finkler. It was produced by the longtime Madness production team of Clive Langer and Alan Winstanley.

The lyrics express Cope's disillusionment with love and politics. It was inspired by Yorkshire folk-pop songwriter and poet Jake Thackray and fellow / rival Liverpool post-punk band Echo and the Bunnymen.

"I was goofing on Jake Thackray," Cope told Uncut magazine. "I thought 'What if you did everything on minors?' The Bunnymen had a song called 'Stars Are Stars' and it was all minors. I thought that was so cheeky, so I started writing 'Treason' on B minor, E minor, F sharp minor, then it goes to G. I immediately started singing this 'la la la' thing, like Jake Thackray, and it sounded melodic and beautiful. I always wanted rebellion to be barbarian, but smart. It has a lugubrious charm and a big Gallic gob."

For the April 1981 single rerelease, Treason was remixed by UK producer Hugh Jones. Jones had engineered the Kilimanjaro album, and was at the time producing Echo and the Bunnymen’s second album, Heaven Up Here, which would be released in May 1981.

The 1981 release of Treason reached number 18 on the UK Singles Chart. Subsequently, the new mix was also included on the 1981 re-issue of the Kilimanjaro album, along with the addition of Reward, which had not been written or recorded at the time of the original album release.

Some of the above information contains quotes from:
https://www.songfacts.com/facts/the-teardrop-explodes/treason-its-just-a-story

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I can’t find any information about the making of the Treason promo video, including who directed it. The previous Reward promo was directed by filmmaker and musician Don Letts; but this doesn’t look like one of his videos to me.

About ten seconds into the Treason video, for 8 frames we see a fuzzy photo of Julian Cope sitting by a film camera on a tripod. Is this a suggestion that Cope directed the promo himself?

Unlike the Reward video, with its generous cast of Teardrop members and other Liverpool alternative scene luminaries, the Treason video features only Julian Cope. It was shot in London SW1, at Nash House and the Duke of York Column, both in Carlton House Terrace. Presumably the scenes among trees are filmed at St James Park, which is opposite Carlton House Terrace.

Carlton House Terrace is very close to both Downing Street; the residence of the UK Prime Minister, and Buckingham Palace; the royal residence in London. Since the definition of Treason is “The crime of betraying one's country, especially by attempting to kill or overthrow the sovereign or government”, perhaps there’s a significance in the choice of location?

Either way, the promo is a bonkers little classic. To my knowledge, it hasn’t been online before in good quality, so here’s my restoration.

Thanks for watching, I hope you dig it!

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Big thanks to Gary at Pulse Records, for unearthing the uber-rare Julian Cope / Teardrop Explodes Copulation DVD for me, the source for this video. Pulse Records - a great source for rare and sought-after vinyl and CDs http://www.pulserecords.co.uk/

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Credits

Video:
The Teardrop Explodes | Treason (It's Just a Story) | Original Promo | Produced by Mercury Records | 1981

Audio:
The Teardrop Explodes | Treason (It's Just a Story) | Recorded January 1980 | Remixed early 1981 by Hugh Jones | Released April 1981 on Mercury Records | ℗ 1981 Mercury Records Limited

Musicians:
Julian Cope | vocals, bass guitar
David Balfe | piano, organ, synthesizer
Gary Dwyer | drums
Michael Finkler | guitar

Clive Langer | Alan Winstanley | Production

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Always more videos to follow, so please keep your electric eye on me babe!

I don't own the rights, and I'm not making any money out of this etc. Just a fan making videos for other fans.

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