Television

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Television

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By 1992 the legendary status of Television, the seminal band that was culturally, if not musically, linked to New York's C.B.G.B.'s, had surely grown, yet artistic influence be damned, a reunited Television still couldn't crack the Billboard Top 200 with their first album in 14 years. "Television", the group's third studio album, barely announced itself with abstract cover art and eponymous title, nor does the music jump out and take over your head and body the way "Marquee Moon" (1977) does. And, compared to their underrated second album, "Adventure" (1978), this is a more fleet and concise work, eschewing the langourous pace and watery keyboard/guitar textures. But unlike more successful peers such as Ramones, or Blondie, Tom Verlaine, Richard Lloyd, Fred Smith, and Billy Ficca successfully made a Television record for the 1990s that honors, and adds to, their legacy.

At first "Television" feels rather dry, and passes by pleasently enough; yet with familiarity it eventually reveals itself to be both timeless and unassuming, understated and sometimes gorgeous. More than a decade after its release I'm still hearing some new musical detail or emotional nuance whenever I play it.

With the band members in their forties, "Television" shows the New York quartet's 'maturity' which is not a back-handed compliment, for the musical intelligence, clarity of purpose, and self-awareness is evident throughout its ten tracks. Sometimes they seem to be evolving material out of loose jams ("Rhyme"), but the overall impression is of an organic and rigorous musical conception. And the songs, all of them memorable, give us Tom Verlaine in varied narrative personae, frequently exploring eroticism in a witty, appealing manner. The music is mostly made by guitars, bass, and drums (keyboards are less evident than on the Elektra albums), both stark and lush. Tom Verlaine's songs, in which darkness, compassion, and playfulness all co-exist in a world that seems hermetic at first, but prove to be Verlaine at his more accessable and communicative. The album certainly carries considerable emotional weight, yet many of the lyrics refer to literary and pop culture images from Verlaine's youth ("Mars", "The Rocket", "Rhyme"). As stripped down as Nirvana's contemporary "Nevermind" or "In Utero", the sound is typically dryer, less crunchy and inviting, but like Lloyd's superb solo debut "Alchemy" or Verlaine's classic "Dreamtime" the record deserves close attentionj. In my case I decided it was a good, slightly disappointing, record after three or four plays, and left it alone for nearly a decade. When I came back, after digging into Rhino's expanded editions of the two Elektra albums and the wonderful, incendiery "At The Old Waldorf" live album, I was amazed to find just how fresh the production was, and how many melodies and riffs had stuck in my brain without my even knowing it. There was a rush of pleasure, hearing this rich, nuanced album that sounds better than ever, and deserves the status of a minor classic.

The riffs and melody lines are quintessential, if restrained, but do not feel sketchy or underdeveloped; the interlocking friction and lyricism of the guitars, and those exquisite solos - Lloyd's almost mathematical yet stunning and physical in their impact, Verlaine's more improvised yet heady, angular - and interplay are like stars piercing through a clear night - they shimmer and glow. Verlaine and Lloyd, despite their publicized differences, are an amazing team, virtually telepathic, as inventive as ever yet more playful and allusive. They bring out the best in each other, and I only wish they made more records together. Fred Smith's bass is as always supple and, on "Rhyme", entrancing. And Billy Ficca is a master percussionist, adding something fresh to every track. Unless you like "Marquee Moon" but have been put off by the rest of the band's (or Verlaine's) work, this recording is highly recommended. Too bad it, too, hasn't been expanded - with three tracks issued on a French ep in '92, or live material from the hard to find "Live At The Academy" set sold at gigs.

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.