There were a plethora of musical acts that originated from the CBGBs club in New York in the mid-1970s; The Ramones, Talking Heads, Patti Smith, and Blondie all went on to achieve acclaim, while all occupying different niches in the punk and new wave spectrum. Television are the least well-known of the above CBGBs acts, but they’ve received acclaim, especially for their 1977 debut Marquee Moon.
The pivotal part of Television’s sound is the guitar interplay of Tom Verlaine and Richard Lloyd with their interlocking riffs and impressive solos. The two guitarists have contrasting styles; Verlaine is more avant-garde and Lloyd is more sweet and melodic. But despite their guitar virtuosity and Verlaine’s impressionistic lyrics, Television are part of the punk era, with its stripped-down, DIY aesthetic; Verlaine’ strangled vocals are something of an acquired taste, while the rhythm section sound of drummer Billy Ficca and bassist Fred Smith is dry and uncluttered.
The band only produced two studio albums in their initial tenure – 1978’s Adventure was effectively the weaker half of their live set and was less well received. The same lineup reunited for 1992’s self-titled album, and have continued intermittently as a live act, although Lloyd hasn’t been involved recently.
1977, 10/10 Television’s remarkable debut showcases a young band with a fully developed style. In interviews, the band stated that the sound they wanted to record was different from the stadium rock sound on contemporary albums; the dry drum sound is more comparable to jazz, while there are echoes of New York forebears The Velvet Underground. Even the guitars of Verlaine and Lloyd are relatively unadorned, relying on their memorable riffs and melodies for effect.
It’s the guitar work that’ are the’s most memorable – Verlaine and Lloyd create musical figures that snake around unpredictably, like the dissonant ‘Elevation’ riff and the spiralling ‘Venus’ riff. But the centrepiece is the title track, a ten-minute epic packed with memorable guitar riffs and spiralling solos. The R&B-flavoured ‘Guiding Light’ is a nice change of pace, and Lloyd’s melodic solo is my favourite from an album full of great guitar work. Marquee Moon does peter out over its last two songs, but it’s worth tracking down the bonus track ‘Little Johnny Jewel’.
Marquee Moon is a masterpiece, an album with an original sound and great songs which blurs the lines between the simplicity of punk and the intricacy of art rock.
Adventure
1978, 7.5/10 The thought of following up on the acclaimed Marquee Moon is daunting, and Adventure is a much more modest, relaxed, album. It has the same guitar interplay, but there aren’t the epics like the ten-minute ‘Marquee Moon’ and the songs aren’t as memorable; reportedly it’s the remainder of their live set after its highlights were used for their debut.
It doesn’t measure up to Marquee Moon, and it doesn’t really attempt to, but there are still pleasures to be found on Adventure. ‘Foxhole’ is a relatively straightforward riff rocker, but it’s distinguished by its witty double-entendre lyrics. ‘Ain’t That Nothin” is the standout with its nagging riff and memorable chorus, while ‘The Fire’ has an unusual, high-pitched ringing hook. Even when the material is less impressive, the guitar interplay of Verlaine and Lloyd is a pleasure in itself.
It’s not a masterpiece on the level of Marquee Moon, but if you’d like to hear a more modest Television album, Adventure has plenty to recommend it.
Television
1992, 6/10 Fourteen years after Adventure, the same Television lineup reunited for a self-titled album. Verlaine’s voice has thickened and his deadpan vocals are part speaking and part singing, but otherwise, the Television sound is preserved intact, with the same guitar interplay and low-key rhythm section.
Not surprisingly, for a CD bargain bin hunter, this was the first Television album I picked up, but I’ve never connected to it in the same way as I have with the band’s other records. It’s utterly respectable, impeccably upholding the legacy of Television, but it’s also low-key and difficult to pick up individual songs from. On songs like ‘Rhyme’, Verlaine’s vocal style is as close to speaking as it is to singing. Opener ‘1880 Or So’ does stick with its melodic riff and building momentum.
In my head I classify albums like Television as “medicinal”; I know they’re worthy but I rarely feel like listening to them voluntarily.
Ten Favourite Television Songs
Marquee Moon Guiding Light Elevation Venus Ain’t that Nothin’ Friction Foxhole Prove It 1880 Or So Little Johnny Jewel
Upon first hearing Marquee Moon and Adventure, I loved them. Lately though, I haven’t listened to them in a long while. Their third studio album is mediocre at best (at least in my opinion). Enjoyable reviews!
Third one is tough – I think there’s something good there, but it’s so uniform sounding that it’s tough to get there.
Perfectly put.
Just the one album for me. The first one. Seen a favorite musician of mine, Butch Hancock and he was backed by a band called The Heath and Happiness Show, Richard Lloyd was the guitarist. Great show. It was a strange como at the time
The first one is the essential one. Richard Lloyd is maybe my favourite guitarist ever – I like his stuff with Matthew Sweet.
That’s pretty high praise but very cool none the less for Richard. So many really good guitarists get buried in all these “best of” lists. Again it’s listening and making up your own mind. I like that. Yeah the Sweet stuff is sweet (couldn’t resist).
Butch Hancock is the fellow who I mentioned before who cut an album in Australia with Jimmie Dale Gilmore and had Paul Kelly guest on it singing ‘Special Treatment’. Butch would be a cousin to Townes and all those types. Texas guy.
Cool – I’ll try to remember to look up Butch Hancock sometime.
Upon first hearing Marquee Moon and Adventure, I loved them. Lately though, I haven’t listened to them in a long while. Their third studio album is mediocre at best (at least in my opinion). Enjoyable reviews!
Third one is tough – I think there’s something good there, but it’s so uniform sounding that it’s tough to get there.
Perfectly put.
Just the one album for me. The first one. Seen a favorite musician of mine, Butch Hancock and he was backed by a band called The Heath and Happiness Show, Richard Lloyd was the guitarist. Great show. It was a strange como at the time
The first one is the essential one. Richard Lloyd is maybe my favourite guitarist ever – I like his stuff with Matthew Sweet.
That’s pretty high praise but very cool none the less for Richard. So many really good guitarists get buried in all these “best of” lists. Again it’s listening and making up your own mind. I like that. Yeah the Sweet stuff is sweet (couldn’t resist).
Butch Hancock is the fellow who I mentioned before who cut an album in Australia with Jimmie Dale Gilmore and had Paul Kelly guest on it singing ‘Special Treatment’. Butch would be a cousin to Townes and all those types. Texas guy.
Cool – I’ll try to remember to look up Butch Hancock sometime.