Initially, the band line up was, (as pictured)
Steve Garvey then in
Buzzcocks,
Martin Bramah who was in
The Fall at that time, Trevor Wain, Jimmy Donnelly, John Key and
Karl Burns who, at that time, was also in
The Fall. It was this line-up with the addition of Dave Brisbane that recorded (at
Cargo Studios) and released their debut EP,
In And Out Of Fashion. Because of contractual difficulties with
The Fall the band were never able to credit
Martin Bramah or
Karl Burns on the record sleeve. Due to the communal nature of the band it was not always clear who, apart Trevor Wain, Jimmy Donnelly and John Key were in the band at anyone time. By the end of 1978
Steve Garvey was committed to his work in
Buzzcocks.
Martin Bramah in 1979 had left
The Fall to form
Blue Orchids with
Una Baines.
Karl Burns also left
The Fall in 1979 and continued to make a strong contribution to the band.
Tony Friel who had left The Fall in 1977 to form
The Passage with
Dick Witts helped out on some tracks. Most of the recordings at this period varied between
Cargo Studios in Rochdale with John Brierley, Smile Studios and Arrow Studios in Manchester. When Graveyard Studios opened in Prestwich all subsequent recordings were done there. The Teardrops along with all their associated groups recorded there as well as a lot of other Manchester bands including
Joy Division and
A Certain Ratio. By the end of 1980, The Teardrops stopped recording. In 2010, a further set of tapes from the Graveyard Studio sessions were rediscovered and restored by Blind Eye Records. This format of the group contained the stalwarts Trevor Wain, Jimmy Donnelly and John Key along with Ian Nance. The recordings contain contributions from
Steve Garvey,
Martin Bramah and
Karl Burns. Blind Eye Records were reportedly planning to release a series of 7" singles on vinyl in 2010 but as of 2023 no such releases have ever appeared. They undertook gigs at The Russell Club (Factory Nights) in Hulme and Eric's in Liverpool with Private Sector, Fast Cars and
V2. ==Discography==