The Cavern
Rock & Words
TELEVISION
“Those rooms were freezing and always dark,
But where we were never mattered.
Your head was golden”
“C”
Main Decade: 70’s
Main Eras:
Punk (1976-1980)
Key Members:
Tom Verlaine: Vocals, Guitar, Keyboards
Richard Lloyd: Guitar
Fred Smith: Bass
Billy Ficca: Drums
Key Songs:
Venus, See No Evil, Marquee Moon, Prove It, Carried Away, Guiding Light, Days, Careful, 1880 Or So, Call Mr. Lee, The Dream’s Dream
Like bands such as Joy Division and the Stone Roses, and within that generation of highly talented but short-lived bands, Television, with just three studio albums, stands as one of those cult groups that, despite having a certain reputation around the world, never come close to the recognition they truly deserve. They deserve it.
They are, along with The Clash, my favorite punk band, although, as with the group led by Joe Strummer, it would be a crime to pigeonhole them solely within that relatively limited genre. And therein lies the greatest virtue of this band: despite having experienced the New York punk scene firsthand at its peak alongside the likes of Patti Smith, Blondie, and the Ramones themselves, Television not only absorbed the essence of the movement but also expanded upon the musical and lyrical guidelines that other bands had established almost unintentionally. They didn't invent anything new, but they did inject the scene with a whole mix of sounds and influences that were often considered jarring in relation to more authentic punk.
On the one hand, they had that innate taste for the rawest proto-punk and the most outlandish glam attitude of bands and artists like Bowie, The Velvet Underground, T. Rex, Neil Young, and the New York Dolls, but they also possessed that other intellectual and artistic side that distinguished them from the rest: above-average lyrics, urban and decadent poetry reminiscent of Lou Reed, and literary references here and there. Added to all this was a technique that, while not reaching virtuosity, easily surpassed the vast majority of average punk bands and was camouflaged by their distinctly outsider aesthetic.
Why then did they go unnoticed by a large part of the music press, both then and now? This situation can be attributed to several factors. From the most obvious, the brevity of their work, to the generic nature of their band name (I have no doubt many people overlook this band when they encounter such a simplistic alias as the name of the square appliance). And let's not even mention their image, which is more reminiscent of a gothic rock band, the clearest example being the cover of their first album, Marquee Moon.
Television certainly carries a rather deceptive appearance and background that has nothing to do with their true sound, which is a delicate blend of garage rock, punk, new wave, glam, and even a touch of minimalist and prog rock.
Without diminishing the impeccable rhythm section (Fred Smith and Billy Fica), the true protagonists of the group are the duo of guitarist Richard Lloyd and frontman, vocalist, and guitarist Tom Verlaine, who frequently switch between lead and rhythm guitar and establish impressive instrumental dialogues on their respective six strings.
When composing, Verlaine doesn't aim for the easy, complacent three-chord song with a catchy chorus so typical of punk. Instead, he focuses on creating atmospheres through mesmerizing riffs and exploring different tonalities and harmonies through minimalist and seemingly simple lines.
Richard Lloyd is a guitarist with a unique and inimitable style, which somehow always seems to contain his true skills as a performer, but which also contributes greatly to the band's sound and gives it a clear identity. This identity is equally enhanced by Verlaine's screeching voice, which, although it may not appeal to everyone (it resembles the high-pitched, nasal voice of a younger Bowie), fits Television's style perfectly.
The band's history, while not as dramatic or flashy as that of some of their contemporaries, does contain some interesting tidbits worth mentioning. The beginning is similar to that of many other bands: three good friends who met in high school decided to form a rock group. Those three were Tom Verlaine, Billy Ficca, and Richard Hell, who were later joined by Richard Lloyd as a second guitarist.
They began playing in various local clubs and quickly built a small following, sharing the stage with Blondie and Patti Smith, with whom they were good friends. This was in the early 1970s, a few years before the explosion of the punk movement.
After a few years of honing their skills as musicians, some friction arose between Verlaine and Richard Hell, who was the only one who didn't seem to be progressing on his instrument—the bass—and the group didn't appreciate his erratic stage presence (incessant jumping and screaming). To make matters worse, Verlaine refused to play the songs he composed live, including "Blank Generation," which Hell would later record with his own project, Richard Hell and the Voidoids, and which would become an anthem of the first wave of punk.
All of this led to Richard's inevitable departure, as he actually belonged more to the raw, visceral punk scene that was developing alongside Television than to the much more intellectual and reserved style of Verlaine and company. Without Hell, bassist Fred Smith entered the equation, and the band underwent a significant and positive transformation.
They finally entered the studio to record their first proper album with Brian Eno himself, although the result wasn't what they had hoped for, and they tried their luck with other producers. The result was a pair of fantastic albums in less than two years: Marquee Moon in 1977 and Adventure in 1978.
After a brief period of great creativity and strong band chemistry, the group disbanded, primarily due to Lloyd's drug problems and growing tensions among the four members. Many years later, in 1992, they temporarily reconciled their differences and recorded a solid, self-titled third album. They would perform sporadically again at various venues (even recently without Richard Lloyd), but never with the same frequency or drawing power as in their heyday.
Both Lloyd and Verlaine would pursue solo careers, with the latter forging a more prolific and consistent trajectory—several of his solo works are in no way inferior to what he accomplished with his original band—while Television, as a group, would become little more than a memory of a glorious and distant past that, like punk itself, was born, grew, lived, and died as quickly as it arrived in this world. Nevertheless, a handful of recordings and a small catalog of songs were enough for this band to make history.
By el Hombre Mojón
Aug/29/2014
