This week in music...Television
You may not have heard of Televison, but you probably should have. Here's why...
In the mid-seventies, among the grime and filth of New York's Bowery district there was a small dingy Country, Bluegrass & Blues club called CBGB's. You might have heard of it. It was, after all, the birthplace of Punk. Almost from it's inception it became a hotbed of the local New York scene, home to the Ramones and Patti Smith, Blondie and the Talking Heads, and the epicenter of a musical revolution that would lead directly to the Clash, the Sex Pistols, even Green Day and the Donnas. It's strange to think that it might never have happened had it not been for the efforts of Tom Verlaine and Richard Hell from the not-nearly-as-famous Television.
It was Tom and Richard who convinced club owner Hilly Kristal to open the club on Sundays and allow them to play. Rumor has it the first show was an unqualified failure. There were a few paying customers, some friends of the band too broke to buy drinks, and a sound so cacophonous the owner swore he'd never let a racket like that in again. He relented, of course, and eventually the people did start turning up, and the once dingy little Country club became the House of Punk.
Legend has it that the guys from Television even helped build the stage there, so they could play on it. I don't know if that's literally true, but metaphorically its an unquestionable fact. Television wrangled their way in, and made CBGB's what it is today.
Since this is my first Tuesday music post I wanted to break out something special, and what could be better than this? Music straight from the dark underbelly of New York. Punk before there was such a thing. An odd, still uncertain, collision of beauty and power, before definition and success swept to dull it's edge. Marquee Moon is Televisions first commercial release, though by the time of it's recording Richard Hell had already left the band to pursue other musical projects. It's an album full of noise and raw sound, but there's also a simple delicate beauty about it. Listen for the interplay between Tom Verlaine and Richard Lloyd, and you'll see what I mean. Their balance is amazing. Also keep an ear out for Fred Smith on the bass. The first few notes he plays in the into of See No Evil alone are worth checking out this record. Ok, enough of that...here it is.
Television - Marquee Moon (Elektra 1977) 45:54
1. See No Evil
2. Venus
3. Friction
4. Marquee Moon
5. Elevation
6. Guiding Light
7. Prove It
8. Torn Curtain
More to follow...stupid Ad-Ware.
In the mid-seventies, among the grime and filth of New York's Bowery district there was a small dingy Country, Bluegrass & Blues club called CBGB's. You might have heard of it. It was, after all, the birthplace of Punk. Almost from it's inception it became a hotbed of the local New York scene, home to the Ramones and Patti Smith, Blondie and the Talking Heads, and the epicenter of a musical revolution that would lead directly to the Clash, the Sex Pistols, even Green Day and the Donnas. It's strange to think that it might never have happened had it not been for the efforts of Tom Verlaine and Richard Hell from the not-nearly-as-famous Television.
It was Tom and Richard who convinced club owner Hilly Kristal to open the club on Sundays and allow them to play. Rumor has it the first show was an unqualified failure. There were a few paying customers, some friends of the band too broke to buy drinks, and a sound so cacophonous the owner swore he'd never let a racket like that in again. He relented, of course, and eventually the people did start turning up, and the once dingy little Country club became the House of Punk.
Legend has it that the guys from Television even helped build the stage there, so they could play on it. I don't know if that's literally true, but metaphorically its an unquestionable fact. Television wrangled their way in, and made CBGB's what it is today.
Since this is my first Tuesday music post I wanted to break out something special, and what could be better than this? Music straight from the dark underbelly of New York. Punk before there was such a thing. An odd, still uncertain, collision of beauty and power, before definition and success swept to dull it's edge. Marquee Moon is Televisions first commercial release, though by the time of it's recording Richard Hell had already left the band to pursue other musical projects. It's an album full of noise and raw sound, but there's also a simple delicate beauty about it. Listen for the interplay between Tom Verlaine and Richard Lloyd, and you'll see what I mean. Their balance is amazing. Also keep an ear out for Fred Smith on the bass. The first few notes he plays in the into of See No Evil alone are worth checking out this record. Ok, enough of that...here it is.
Television - Marquee Moon (Elektra 1977) 45:54
1. See No Evil
2. Venus
3. Friction
4. Marquee Moon
5. Elevation
6. Guiding Light
7. Prove It
8. Torn Curtain
More to follow...stupid Ad-Ware.
posted by brian at 2:48 AM
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