Television Album: “Television”

After an era when every band who was cool or was supposed to be cool taking after the sly attitude and pop sensibilities of the artpop side of the New York punk scene, represented by them, Patti Smith, Talking Heads and Blondie, Television returned on this 1992 reunion album. This older, more subdued version of Television offers some nice additions to the band's cannon. "1880 or So" exceeds "Days" as their most beautiful song. The thumping, suave of "Beauty Trip," the reflective tone of "No Glamour for Willi" and the bop of "In World" are also well worth noting. But still this self-entitled offering disappoints, namely in the area of guitar work. Richard Lloyd and Tom Verlaine were once the best collaboration of guitar players in rock. The clean, crisp, fluid electric guitar duel from the title track of 1977's Marquee Moon is one of the finest moments of the instrument's history in this form of music. This album offers decent riffs but generally the guitar parts flounder (e.i. the jumbled sound of "Mars" or the wandering musings of "Rhyme"). Even the more catchy riffs do not really take off as they once did. Also, Verlaine is not the vocalist he used to be. On this album, his voice sinks behind most of the instruments, but luckily his ability to write crafty, ironic lyrics is still in tow. Many of the elements that made Television one of the best bands of the punk movement are still here but ten years of rust has somewhat taken its toll.

...we present this wonderful album. While listening to it, I thought of how timeless Television's music is. Please correct me if you think I'm wrong. I expected this album to be the "mature" statement that so many reunion albums are described as. Instead, it is often playful and humorous, full of Tom Verlaine's clever and wicked jokes, puns and double-entendres. Musically, many of the songs have a relaxed, airy feel, with most of the tension in the rhythms of the songs. There are many sublime guitar solos and riffs by both Verlaine and Lloyd - wow, is there a better guitar duo out there? The first larger part of the album is especially good, but what the last number of songs lack in sheer beauty they (probably) make up for in weirdness. So yeh, get this album, but also try to get a live concert recording of the band on the reunion tour, since some of the songs do sound more alive live. And, as the music fan below said, Long live the glorious electric guitar!

After listening to this album for several years, what keeps me coming back are the guitars. The monochrome guitar orchestrations of Marquee Moon have been replaced by an array of subtle tonal shadings and juxtapositions--amp vibrato, rotating speakers, etc.--a manifestation of Verlaine and Lloyd's growing guitar and amp collections, as well as their growing ears. Lyrically, the album is a sleeper. Verlaine's voice is warm and rich, but he lingers at a distance inside the quilted guitar textures. The lyrics and music work together to create a mood or an impression rather than a distinct portrait. There is also virtuosity, especially on Call Mr. Lee, where Richard Lloyd steps out to showcase the enormous chops he's developed over the previous years between albums. But even as he stings, he does not disrupt the smooth, reverbed texture. Billy Ficca is a much different drummer on this album, less active and kinetic on the hi-hat, mixed back in a supporting role while the guitars take the foreground.

This one's a sleeper... Like a stalker whose been quietly following you for days & then suddenly decides to reveal himself to you when the shadows are just right.

It took me years to get "into" these guys. Riding in on the CBGB Punk wave, Television seemed far too "arty" for fans of The Ramones. Meanwhile, their lenghty jam oriented workouts only served to alienate Talking Heads enthusiasts. If anything, they took their cue from The Velvet Underground. While others were merely content with dropping Lou Reed's name, these guys took their cue from "Sister Ray" in the seemingly vain attempt of melding the inacessible with the radio friendly. The end result was a masterpeice called, Marquee Moon. After years of deliberately ignoring all the critical hype, they eventually found their way into my heart after a lull in barroom conversation. The song was, "Prove It". Now, I consider that record to be one of THE great Rock albums of all time.

Like their sophomore effort(Adventure), I find this self titled reunion to be terribly underrated. Back when Nirvana was all the rage, these guys unceremonioulsy reformed & just as suddenly disappeared forever. I'm sure the late 90's death of bassist, Fred "Sonic Smith" didn't much help the revival effort either. In short, this record isn't so much concerned with recapturing past glories as it is with testing of the waters after a 13 year hiatus. Call it an "experiement", if you will. Here, atmosphere takes the front seat to accessibility.

"1880 or so" begins with a catchy little riff that gets roughed up a bit in the ensuing, "Shane, she wrote this". Both feature juicy hooks & lyrics you can make sense of later. All of which sets the standard for the entire album. Suffice it to say, that inexplicable magic between guitarists Lloyd & Verlaine is still there. As for Billy Ficca & Fred Smith, time has only made their rock solid rhythmn section more subtle.

"Call Mr. Lee" features the album's most haunting character. This is the kind of guy you dial up when you're in some Film Noir caper of a bind. It could be Bruce Lee or some ingognito spy who fixes the mess you made. "Rhyme " captures Verlaine in Barry White mode while the rest of band backs him up in an eloquently sparse fashion. & I love the title, "No Glamour For Willie". Though I still haven't figured out what it's about narratively. Still, there's enough there to warrant further investigation. Where "Beauty Trip" swoons with "my heart goes bomp-bomp-bomp", "Mars" comes off like a wounded dog fighting off the hoardes of hell. It's enough to send a thousand Goth poseurs fumbling for their eyeliner. An ominous coda to a twilight world of a record.

Though this may not be something you listen to everyday, there's enough mystery and intrigue here to spare it from the bargain bin of your mind. One can only wonder what they would of done if they kept it up. And therin lies the real tragedy, if any.

It is very rare that a band go on hiatus for as long as Television (about 10 years) and regroup to record something as vital as this. I saved this gem from a cut-out bin many years ago. Let's just say if I needed to replace it, I wouldn't think twice about paying the inflated import price. This record is worth every penny.

Long live the guitar!