Television Television (CD, Capitol Records, 1992) ****
They loom large in his legend (The Album Collection playlists): Part 1; Part 2; Part 3; Part 4; Part 5; Part 6
Active compensatory factors: Television are one of those seminal bands from the late seventies who forged a new, more cerebral way of rocking (along with Patti Smith and Talking Heads). Television were Tom Verlaine (vocals, guitar), Richard Lloyd (guitar), Billy Ficca (drums), and Fred Smith (bass - not to be confused with Fred 'Sonic' Smith - MC5 and Patti's husband).
Where do they all belong? *I used to have a copy of Adventure on a cassette tape but didn't play it much and haven't bothered finding a CD version. It's biggest problem was that it followed Marquee Moon, so I should give it another shot.
Genre: New wave, alt rock
Places I remember: Sydney music shop, JB Hi Fi
Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: See No Evil
Gear costume: Marquee Moon
Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: See No Evil
Gear costume: Marquee Moon
Active compensatory factors: Television are one of those seminal bands from the late seventies who forged a new, more cerebral way of rocking (along with Patti Smith and Talking Heads). Television were Tom Verlaine (vocals, guitar), Richard Lloyd (guitar), Billy Ficca (drums), and Fred Smith (bass - not to be confused with Fred 'Sonic' Smith - MC5 and Patti's husband).
Marquee Moon is their debut album. I asked my dad to get a copy of it while he was on a business trip to Sydney and he came through for me! I'd read a review of it in Sounds and it sounded like my sort of stuff.
I instantly loved it - all those spiky guitar lines by Verlaine and Lloyd, married to Tom's vocal delivery were a perfect combination. Nick Kent in NME said that the sound was 'vigorous, sophisticated, and innovative' and he wasn't wrong.
The band broke up after second album Adventure* in 1978 and then the four regrouped in 1992! The best thing that can be said of Television (the album) is that they still sound absolutely unique. It's a Television for the nineties - clever modern approaches to basic melodies and rhythms. I really like it but it's not even as commercially viable as Marquee Moon, so it fell on deaf ears unfortunately.
Where do they all belong? *I used to have a copy of Adventure on a cassette tape but didn't play it much and haven't bothered finding a CD version. It's biggest problem was that it followed Marquee Moon, so I should give it another shot.
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