Television (band)
Encyclopedia
Television was an American rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...

 band, formed in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...

 in 1973. They are best known for the album Marquee Moon
Marquee Moon
Marquee Moon is the debut album by American rock band Television, released in 1977. While often considered a seminal work to come out of the New York punk scene of the late 1970s, the album differs from conventional punk in its clean, textured guitar-based arrangements and extended improvisation...

 and widely regarded as one of the founders of "punk
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...

" and New Wave
New Wave music
New Wave is a subgenre of :rock music that emerged in the mid to late 1970s alongside punk rock. The term at first generally was synonymous with punk rock before being considered a genre in its own right that incorporated aspects of electronic and experimental music, mod subculture, disco and 1960s...

 music. Television was part of the early 1970s New York underground rock scene, along with bands like the Patti Smith Group
Patti Smith
Patricia Lee "Patti" Smith is an American singer-songwriter, poet and visual artist, who became a highly influential component of the New York City punk rock movement with her 1975 debut album Horses....

, The Ramones, Blondie
Blondie (band)
Blondie is an American rock band, founded by singer Deborah Harry and guitarist Chris Stein. The band was a pioneer in the early American New Wave and punk scenes of the mid-1970s...

, Richard Hell
Richard Hell
Richard Hell is a singer, songwriter, bass guitarist, and writer.Richard Hell was an innovator of punk music and fashion. He was one of the first to spike his hair and wear torn, cut and drawn-on shirts, often held together with safety pins...

 and The Voidoids
The Voidoids
The Voidoids, also known as Richard Hell & The Voidoids, were an American rock band from the first wave of punk rock, fronted by Richard Hell, a former member of the Neon Boys, Television and the Heartbreakers...

, and Talking Heads
Talking Heads
Talking Heads were an American New Wave and avant-garde band formed in 1975 in New York City and active until 1991. The band comprised David Byrne, Chris Frantz, Tina Weymouth and Jerry Harrison...

. In contrast to the Ramones' rock 'n' roll minimalism, Television's music was more complex and more technically proficient, defined by guitarists Tom Verlaine
Tom Verlaine
Tom Verlaine is a singer, songwriter and guitarist, best known as the frontman for the New York rock band Television.-Biography:...

 and Richard Lloyd.

History

Television's roots can be traced to the teenage friendship between Tom Verlaine and Richard Hell
Richard Hell
Richard Hell is a singer, songwriter, bass guitarist, and writer.Richard Hell was an innovator of punk music and fashion. He was one of the first to spike his hair and wear torn, cut and drawn-on shirts, often held together with safety pins...

. The duo met at Sanford School
Sanford School
Sanford School is a private, college preparatory, coeducational day school for students in junior kindergarten through grade twelve, located in Hockessin, Delaware. Originally known as "Sunny Hills School", it was founded on September 23, 1930 by Sanford and Ellen Sawin, in memory of their eldest...

 in Hockessin, Delaware
Hockessin, Delaware
Hockessin is a census-designated place in New Castle County, Delaware, United States. The population was 12,902 at the 2000 census. The place name may be derived from the Lenape word "hòkèsa" meaning "pieces of bark" or from a misspelling of "occasion," as pronounced by the Quakers who settled...

, from which they ran away. Both moved to New York, separately, in the early 1970s, aspiring to be poets.

Their first group together was the Neon Boys
Neon Boys
The Neon Boys was an early 1970s New York City band, composed of Tom Verlaine, Richard Hell, and Billy Ficca. The trio later went on to form the American rock band Television in 1973...

, consisting of Verlaine on guitar and vocals, Hell on bass and vocals, and Billy Ficca
Billy Ficca
Billy Ficca is a punk rock drummer who has played with the bands Television, Nona Hendryx & Zero Cool, 40 Familys, The Washington Squares, The Waitresses and The Neon Boys...

 on drums. The group lasted from late 1972 to late 1973. A 7-inch record featuring "That's All I Know (Right Now)" and "Love Comes in Spurts" was released in 1980.

In late 1973 the group reformed, calling themselves Television and recruiting Richard Lloyd as a second guitarist. Their first gig was at the Townhouse Theatre, on March 2, 1974. They soon persuaded CBGB
CBGB
CBGB was a music club at 315 Bowery at Bleecker Street in the borough of Manhattan in New York City.Founded by Hilly Kristal in 1973, it was originally intended to feature its namesake musical styles, but became a forum for American punk and New Wave bands like Ramones, Misfits, Television, the...

 owner Hilly Kristal
Hilly Kristal
Hilly Kristal was an American club owner and musician who was the owner of the iconic New York City club, CBGB, which opened in 1973 and closed in 2006 over a rent dispute. -Early years:...

 to give the band a regular gig at his club, where they reportedly constructed their first stage. After playing several gigs at CBGB in early 1974, they played at Max's Kansas City
Max's Kansas City
Max's Kansas City was a nightclub and restaurant at 213 Park Avenue South, in New York City, which was a gathering spot for musicians, poets, artists and politicians in the 1960s and 1970s.-Origin of name:...

 and other clubs, returning to CBGB in January 1975, where they established a significant cult following.

Initially, songwriting was split almost evenly between Hell and Verlaine, Lloyd being an infrequent contributor as well. However, friction began to develop as Verlaine, Lloyd, and Ficca became increasingly confident and adept with both instruments and composition, while Hell remained defiantly untrained in his approach. Verlaine, feeling that Hell's frenzied onstage demeanor was upstaging his songs, reportedly told him to "stop jumping around" during his songs, and refused to play Hell's songs, such as "Blank Generation
Blank Generation (song)
Blank Generation is the title track of The Voidoids' debut album Blank Generation. Richard Hell wrote the song during his time with the band Television, and performed it live with another band, The Heartbreakers. The Sex Pistols' song "Pretty Vacant" was directly inspired by "Blank Generation"....

", in concert. This conflict, as well as the failure of a Brian Eno
Brian Eno
Brian Peter George St. John le Baptiste de la Salle Eno , commonly known as Brian Eno or simply as Eno , is an English musician, composer, record producer, singer and visual artist, known as one of the principal innovators of ambient music.Eno studied at Colchester Institute art school in Essex,...

-produced demo to be picked up by Island Records
Island Records
Island Records is a record label that was founded by Chris Blackwell in Jamaica. It was based in the United Kingdom for many years and is now owned by Universal Music Group...

, led Hell to leave the group and take his songs with him. He co-founded The Heartbreakers
The Heartbreakers
Johnny Thunders and the Heartbreakers, also known as The Heartbreakers, were an American rock & roll band formed in New York in May 1975. The band was part of the first wave of punk rock.-History:...

 in 1975 with former members of the New York Dolls
New York Dolls
The New York Dolls is an American rock band, formed in New York in 1971. The band's protopunk sound prefigured much of what was to come in the punk rock era; their visual style influenced the look of many new wave and 1980s-era glam metal groups, and they began the local New York scene that later...

, Johnny Thunders
Johnny Thunders
Johnny Thunders, born John Anthony Genzale, Jr. , was an American protopunk guitarist, singer and songwriter.He came to prominence in the early '70s as a member of the New York Dolls...

 and Jerry Nolan
Jerry Nolan
Jerry Nolan was an American rock drummer, best known for his work with The New York Dolls and Johnny Thunders and The Heartbreakers.-Career:...

, later forming Richard Hell and the Voidoids
The Voidoids
The Voidoids, also known as Richard Hell & The Voidoids, were an American rock band from the first wave of punk rock, fronted by Richard Hell, a former member of the Neon Boys, Television and the Heartbreakers...

. Fred Smith
Fred Smith (bassist)
Fred Smith is an American bass guitarist, best known for his work with Television. He was the original bassist with Blondie until he replaced Richard Hell when Hell left Television in 1975 to form The Heartbreakers. At the time, Television played at CBGB along with Blondie...

, briefly of Blondie
Blondie (band)
Blondie is an American rock band, founded by singer Deborah Harry and guitarist Chris Stein. The band was a pioneer in the early American New Wave and punk scenes of the mid-1970s...

, replaced Hell as Television's bassist.

Though Verlaine and Lloyd were nominally "rhythm
Rhythm guitar
Rhythm guitar is a technique and rôle that performs a combination of two functions: to provide all or part of the rhythmic pulse in conjunction with singers or other instruments; and to provide all or part of the harmony, ie. the chords, where a chord is a group of notes played together...

" and "lead
Lead guitar
Lead guitar is a guitar part which plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs within a song structure...

" guitarists, they often rendered such labels obsolete by crafting interlocking parts, where the ostensible rhythm role could be as intriguing as the lead. Al Handa writes, "In Television's case, Lloyd was the guitarist who affected the tonality
Tonality
Tonality is a system of music in which specific hierarchical pitch relationships are based on a key "center", or tonic. The term tonalité originated with Alexandre-Étienne Choron and was borrowed by François-Joseph Fétis in 1840...

 of the music more often than not, and Verlaine and the rhythm section
Rhythm section
A rhythm section is a collection of musicians who make up a section of instruments which provides the accompaniment section of the music, giving the music its rhythmic texture and pulse, also serving as a rhythmic reference for the rest of the band...

 the ones who gave the ear its anchor and familiar musical elements. Listen only to Lloyd, and you can hear some truly off the wall ideas being played." The opening of the song "Marquee Moon
Marquee Moon (song)
"Marquee Moon" is the title track from American rock band Television's first album, Marquee Moon. It was written by Tom Verlaine.- Overview :...

", from the album of the same name
Marquee Moon
Marquee Moon is the debut album by American rock band Television, released in 1977. While often considered a seminal work to come out of the New York punk scene of the late 1970s, the album differs from conventional punk in its clean, textured guitar-based arrangements and extended improvisation...

, displays the band's characteristic interlocking melodic and rhythmic guitar lines.

As with many emerging punk bands, the influence of The Velvet Underground
The Velvet Underground
The Velvet Underground was an American rock band formed in New York City. First active from 1964 to 1973, their best-known members were Lou Reed and John Cale, who both went on to find success as solo artists. Although experiencing little commercial success while together, the band is often cited...

 was pervasive. Television also drew inspiration from minimalist
Minimalism
Minimalism describes movements in various forms of art and design, especially visual art and music, where the work is set out to expose the essence, essentials or identity of a subject through eliminating all non-essential forms, features or concepts...

 composers such as Steve Reich
Steve Reich
Stephen Michael "Steve" Reich is an American composer who together with La Monte Young, Terry Riley, and Philip Glass is a pioneering composer of minimal music...

. Tom Verlaine has often cited the influence of The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones are an English rock band, formed in London in April 1962 by Brian Jones , Ian Stewart , Mick Jagger , and Keith Richards . Bassist Bill Wyman and drummer Charlie Watts completed the early line-up...

' "19th Nervous Breakdown
19th Nervous Breakdown
"19th Nervous Breakdown" is a song by the English rock band The Rolling Stones.The song was written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards during their 1965 tour of the United States. The song was recorded during the Aftermath sessions between 3 and 8 December 1965 at RCA Recording Studios in Hollywood,...

" on Television's approach to the guitar, and he has also expressed a fondness for Arthur Lee's Love
Love (band)
Love was an American rock group of the late 1960s and early 1970s. They were led by singer/songwriter Arthur Lee and lead guitarist Johnny Echols...

 and the Buffalo Springfield
Buffalo Springfield
Buffalo Springfield is a North American folk rock band renown both for its music and as a springboard for the careers of Neil Young, Stephen Stills, Richie Furay and Jim Messina. Among the first wave of North American bands to become popular in the wake of the British invasion, the group combined...

, two groups noted for their dual-guitar interplay. Television's ties to punk were underscored by their late 60s garage-rock
Garage rock
Garage rock is a raw form of rock and roll that was first popular in the United States and Canada from about 1963 to 1967. During the 1960s, it was not recognized as a separate music genre and had no specific name...

 leanings, as the band often covered The Count Five
Count Five
The Count Five was a 1960s garage rock band from San Jose, California, best known for their Top 10 single "Psychotic Reaction".The band was founded in 1964 by John "Mouse" Michalski and Roy Chaney took over bass duties, two high school friends who had previously played in several short-lived...

's "Psychotic Reaction" and the 13th Floor Elevators
13th Floor Elevators
The 13th Floor Elevators were an American rock band from Austin, Texas formed by guitarist and vocalist Roky Erickson, electric jug player Tommy Hall, and guitarist Stacy Sutherland, which existed from 1965 to 1969...

' "Fire Engine" in concert.

Lester Bangs heard in Television's music the influence of Quicksilver Messenger Service
Quicksilver Messenger Service
Quicksilver Messenger Service is an American psychedelic rock band, formed in 1965 in San Francisco.-Introduction:Quicksilver Messenger Service gained wide popularity in the Bay Area and, through their recordings, with psychedelic rock enthusiasts around the globe and several of their albums ranked...

, noting a similarity between Verlaine's guitar playing and that of John Cipollina
John Cipollina
John Cipollina was a guitarist best known for his role as a founder and the lead guitarist of the prominent San Francisco rock band Quicksilver Messenger Service...

. Tom Verlaine has downplayed the comparison, citing the Ventures
The Ventures
The Ventures is an American instrumental rock band formed in 1958 in Tacoma, Washington. Founded by Don Wilson and Bob Bogle, the group in its various incarnations has had an enduring impact on the development of music worldwide. With over 100 million records sold, the group is the best-selling...

 as a more apt reference point. In 2004, Robert Christgau pointed to the debt that Television owed to the San Francisco scene of the late 1960s, directly comparing Verlaine's guitar playing to that of Jerry Garcia
Jerry Garcia
Jerome John "Jerry" Garcia was an American musician best known for his lead guitar work, singing and songwriting with the band the Grateful Dead...

.

Television made their vinyl debut with "Little Johnny Jewel", a 7-inch single on the independent label Ork Records in 1975. Ork Records was owned by their manager, Terry Ork. The song was split into two parts, one on each side of the single. Richard Lloyd apparently disagreed with the selection of this song, preferring the never-released "O Mi Amore" for their debut, to the extent that he seriously considered leaving the band. Reportedly Pere Ubu
Pere Ubu (band)
Pere Ubu is an experimental rock music group formed in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1975. Despite many long-term band members, singer David Thomas is the only constant...

 guitarist Peter Laughner
Peter Laughner
Peter Laughner was an American guitarist, songwriter and singer.A native of Bay Village, Ohio, Laughner remains a rather little known figure; nonetheless, Richie Unterberger described him as "probably the single biggest catalyst in the birth of Cleveland's alternative rock scene in the mid...

 auditioned for his spot during this time.

Television's first album, Marquee Moon
Marquee Moon
Marquee Moon is the debut album by American rock band Television, released in 1977. While often considered a seminal work to come out of the New York punk scene of the late 1970s, the album differs from conventional punk in its clean, textured guitar-based arrangements and extended improvisation...

, was received positively by music critics and audiences, despite failing to enter the Billboard 200
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...

 albums chart - though it sold well in Europe and reached the Top 30 in many countries there. Upon its initial release in 1977, Roy Trakin wrote in the SoHo Weekly, "forget everything you've heard about Television, forget punk, forget New York, forget CBGB's ... hell, forget rock and roll—this is the real item." Recently, critics ranked it number 83 on cable music channel VH1
VH1
VH1 or Vh1 is an American cable television network based in New York City. Launched on January 1, 1985 in the old space of Turner Broadcasting's short-lived Cable Music Channel, the original purpose of the channel was to build on the success of MTV by playing music videos, but targeting a slightly...

’s 2000 list of the 100 Greatest Albums of Rock and Roll, number 128 on Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...

s 2003 list of the 500 greatest albums of all time. It was ranked number two on Uncut magazine's 100 Greatest Debut Records, and number 3 on Pitchfork Media
Pitchfork Media
Pitchfork Media, usually known simply as Pitchfork or P4k, is a Chicago-based daily Internet publication established in 1995 that is devoted to music criticism and commentary, music news, and artist interviews. Its focus is on underground and independent music, especially indie rock...

's list of the best albums of the 1970s. Stephen Thomas Erlewine writes that the album was "revolutionary" and " entirely of tense garage rock
Garage rock
Garage rock is a raw form of rock and roll that was first popular in the United States and Canada from about 1963 to 1967. During the 1960s, it was not recognized as a separate music genre and had no specific name...

ers that spiral into heady intellectual territory, which is achieved through the group's long, interweaving instrumental sections."

Television were disparaged by English punk band The Damned in the song "Idiot Box", from the album Music for Pleasure. This was apparently a reaction to Television's treatment of them while a support act on a 1977 tour. Verlaine, Lloyd, Smith, and Ficca are each given abuse in the verses, with the chorus knocking Television's live act and the album Marquee Moon.

Television's second album, Adventure, was issued in 1978, to less fanfare. The distinctive guitar work of Lloyd and Verlaine are still evident on Adventure, notably on the tracks "Glory," "Foxhole" and "The Fire."

The band members' independent and strongly held artistic visions, along with Richard Lloyd's drug abuse, led to the band's break-up in 1978. Both Lloyd and Verlaine pursued solo careers.

Television reformed in 1992, recording an eponymous third album, and have performed live sporadically thereafter. Since being wooed back on stage together for the 2001 All Tomorrow's Parties
All Tomorrow's Parties (music festival)
All Tomorrow's Parties is a music festival which takes place at Camber Sands holiday camp in East Sussex and Butlin's holiday camp in Minehead, Somerset, England....

 at Camber Sands
Camber Sands
For historical information on the area, see Camber articleCamber Sands is a beach at the village of Camber , East Sussex, England...

, England, they've played a number of dates around the world, and continue to perform on an irregular basis.

In 2007, Richard Lloyd announced he would be amicably leaving the band after a midsummer show in New York City's Central Park
Central Park
Central Park is a public park in the center of Manhattan in New York City, United States. The park initially opened in 1857, on of city-owned land. In 1858, Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux won a design competition to improve and expand the park with a plan they entitled the Greensward Plan...

. Owing to an extended stay in hospital recovering from pneumonia, he was unable to take his place with the band for this concert. His place that day was taken by Jimmy Rip. Rip was subsequently asked to join the band in Lloyd's place. On July 7, 2011, the new lineup performed at the Beco 203 music festival in São Paulo, Brazil. In an MTV Brazil television interview, the band confirmed that an album with about ten new tracks was close to being finished.

Members

  • Tom Verlaine
    Tom Verlaine
    Tom Verlaine is a singer, songwriter and guitarist, best known as the frontman for the New York rock band Television.-Biography:...

     – vocals, guitar, keyboards (1973–present)
  • Billy Ficca
    Billy Ficca
    Billy Ficca is a punk rock drummer who has played with the bands Television, Nona Hendryx & Zero Cool, 40 Familys, The Washington Squares, The Waitresses and The Neon Boys...

     – drums (1973–present)
  • Fred Smith
    Fred Smith (bassist)
    Fred Smith is an American bass guitarist, best known for his work with Television. He was the original bassist with Blondie until he replaced Richard Hell when Hell left Television in 1975 to form The Heartbreakers. At the time, Television played at CBGB along with Blondie...

     – bass, vocals (1975–present)
  • Jimmy Rip - guitar (2007–present)

Former members

  • Richard Lloyd – guitar, vocals (1973–2007)
  • Richard Hell
    Richard Hell
    Richard Hell is a singer, songwriter, bass guitarist, and writer.Richard Hell was an innovator of punk music and fashion. He was one of the first to spike his hair and wear torn, cut and drawn-on shirts, often held together with safety pins...

     – vocals, bass (1973–1975)

Studio albums

  • Marquee Moon
    Marquee Moon
    Marquee Moon is the debut album by American rock band Television, released in 1977. While often considered a seminal work to come out of the New York punk scene of the late 1970s, the album differs from conventional punk in its clean, textured guitar-based arrangements and extended improvisation...

     – (USA Elektra 7E-1098 1977; UK Elektra K52046 1977 UK Chart #28)
  • Adventure – (USA Elektra 6E-133 1978; UK Elektra K52072 UK Chart #7)
  • Television – (USA/UK Capitol CDP 0777 7 98396 2 9 1992)


Marquee Moon and Adventure were remastered and reissued by Elektra/Rhino on CD in 2003 with bonus tracks

Live albums

  • The Blow-Up – (ROIR
    ROIR
    ROIR , or Reach Out International Records, is a New York City-based record label founded in 1979 by Neil Cooper.ROIR was founded the same year that the Sony Walkman launched, and initially, the label exclusively distributed its releases in cassette format...

     A114 (Cassette) 1982) [Recorded live 1978]
  • Live at the Academy, 1992
    Live at the Academy, 1992
    Live at the Academy, 1992 was an album by Television sold by the band at USA gigs during March, 2003. The CDR was a self-pressed release on Ohoo Music, and was recorded on 12/4/92 at the Academy, in NYC. -Track listing:#Intro#1880 or So#This Tune...

     – (2003) [Recorded live in New York City Dec 04, 1992]
  • Live at the Old Waldorf
    Live at the Old Waldorf
    Live at the Old Waldorf is a live album by Television that was recorded on 29th June 1978 at the Old Waldorf, San Francisco, on their last American tour until their 1992 reunion...

     – (2003) [Recorded live in San Francisco June 29, 1978]

Compilations

  • The Best of Television & Tom Verlaine – (Phantom Import Distribution 1998)

Singles

  • "Little Johnny Jewel, Part One" (3:30) b/w "Little Johnny Jewel, Part Two" (4:00) – 7-inch mono 45rpm (ORK Records 81975 1975)
  • "Marquee Moon
    Marquee Moon (song)
    "Marquee Moon" is the title track from American rock band Television's first album, Marquee Moon. It was written by Tom Verlaine.- Overview :...

     Part 1" b/w "Marquee Moon Part 2" – 7" single (UK Elektra K12252 April, 1977 UK Chart #30)
  • "Marquee Moon (Stereo)" b/w "Marquee Moon (Mono)" – 12" single (UK Elektra K12252 April, 1977)
  • "Prove It
    Prove It
    "Prove It" is the second single from American rock band Television's debut album, Marquee Moon, released in 1977. It was released as a single with "Venus" on the B-side and became the most successful of their three hit singles in the UK...

    " b/w "Venus" – (July 1977) UK Chart #25
  • "Prove It
    Prove It
    "Prove It" is the second single from American rock band Television's debut album, Marquee Moon, released in 1977. It was released as a single with "Venus" on the B-side and became the most successful of their three hit singles in the UK...

    " b/w "Venus" – 12" single (UK Elektra K12262 1977 green vinyl)
  • "Foxhole" b/w "Careful" – (April, 1978) UK Chart #36
  • "Foxhole" b/w "Careful" – 12" single (UK Elektra K12287 1977 red vinyl)
  • "Glory" b/w "Ain't That Nothin'" – 7" single (USA Elektra E-45516 July 1978)

Further reading

  • Roy Trakin, "Artificial Paradise", SoHo Weekly News, March 24, 1977, pg. 41.

Further listening

Podcast of Television: Live at the Old Waldorf in 1978

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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