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Television (band)
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{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2023}}{{short description|American rock band}}









factoids
name Television| image = Television, US rock band (1977 Elektra publicity photo).jpg| landscape = yes| alt = Photograph of four men posed standing against a wall



Billy Ficca, Richard Lloyd (guitarist)>Richard Lloyd, Tom Verlaine, Fred Smith| background = group_or_bandNew York City, New York (state)>New York, U.S.
  • new waveWEB, The New York Times,www.nytimes.com/1983/09/18/arts/old-and-new-acts-ignite-a-folk-rock-comeback.html, 18 September 1983, OLD AND NEW ACTS IGNITE A FOLK-ROCK COMEBACK, 4 May 2023, Jon Pareles, WEB,www.allmusic.com/song/marquee-moon-mt0011704698, Marquee Moon - Television &124; Song Info &124; AllMusic, AllMusic,
  • art rockNEWS, Attie, Eli, Rhino, Getting With the Television Program,www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/style/2003/10/05/rhino-getting-with-the-television-program/3a22e4b4-e08a-4bf0-a925-93a7fa060b07/, Washington Post, 30 December 2022,
  • {{nowrap|proto-punk}}{{sfn|Murray|2015}}
    • }}
    • 1973–1978
    • 1991–1993
    • 2001–2023
    {edih}    		 {edih} {edih}| current_members = | past_members = *Billy Ficca }}Television was an American rock band from New York City, most notably active in the 1970s. The group’s most prominent lineup consisted of Tom Verlaine (vocals, guitar), Richard Lloyd (guitar), Billy Ficca (drums), and Fred Smith (bass). An early fixture of CBGB and the 1970s New York rock scene, the band is considered influential in the development of punk and alternative rock.MAGAZINE,www.rollingstone.com/music/artists/television/biography, Television Bio, 2017, Rolling Stone, September 20, 2019, dead,web.archive.org/web/20171201044455/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/artists/television/biography, December 1, 2017, {{sfn|Simpson|2013}}WEB,www.allmusic.com/artist/television-mn0000019701/biography, Television, Erlewine ST, AllMusic, Although they recorded in a stripped-down, guitar-based manner similar to their punk contemporaries, Television’s music was by comparison clean, improvisational, and technically proficient, drawing influence from jazz and 1960s rock.{{sfn|Schinder|Schwartz|2008|page=541}} The group’s 1977 debut album, Marquee Moon, is considered one of the defining releases of the punk era.

    History

    Early history and formation

    Television’s roots can be traced to the teenage friendship between Tom Verlaine and Richard Hell. The duo met at Sanford School in Hockessin, Delaware, from which they ran away.{{sfn|Waterman|2011|page=18}} Both moved to New York, separately, in the early 1970s, aspiring to be poets.{{sfn|Waterman|2011|page=25}}Their first group together was the Neon Boys, consisting of Verlaine on guitar and vocals, Hell on bass and vocals and Billy Ficca on drums.{{sfn|Wallace|Manitoba|2007|page=254}} The group lasted from late 1972 to March 11, 1973. A 7-inch record featuring “That’s All I Know (Right Now)” and “Love Comes in Spurts” was released in 1980.{{sfn|Waterman|2011|page=103}}On March 12, 1973, the group reformed, calling themselves Television and recruiting Richard Lloyd as a second guitarist. The name, devised by Hell, was a pun on ‘tell a vision’ as well as a reference to reclaiming the dominant media of the era.WEB, Nelson, Elizabeth, 2022-04-13, Lightning Struck Itself: Television’s ‘Marquee Moon’ in Eight Phases,www.theringer.com/music/2022/4/13/23022787/television-marquee-moon-tom-verlaine-richard-hell, 2023-02-15, The Ringer, en, Their first gig was at the Townhouse Theatre, on March 2, 1974.WEB,www.thewonder.co.uk/facts/gigs.htm, The Wonder – Tom Verlaine, Television and Stuff: Television Gigs – Gigography, The Wonder, December 25, 2014, Their manager, Terry Ork, persuaded CBGB owner Hilly Kristal to give the band a regular gig at his club,WEB,www.noclass.co.uk/hilly.html, Hilly Kristal, Interview, No Class Now, June 30, 2015, where they reportedly constructed their first stage. After playing several gigs at CBGB in early 1974,{{sfn|Waterman|2011|page=63}} they played at Max’s Kansas City and other clubs, returning to CBGB in January 1975, where they established a significant cult following.

    Departure of Richard Hell and debut release

    Initially, songwriting was split almost equally between Hell and Verlaine, Lloyd being an infrequent contributor as well.{{sfn|Thompson|2000|page=683}} 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 the songs{{citation needed|date=December 2014}} and occasionally refused to play Hell’s songs, such as “Blank Generation”, in concert. This conflict, as well as one of their songs being picked up by Island Records, led Hell to leave the group and take some of his songs with him.{{sfn|Waterman|2011|pp=95–101}} He co-founded the Heartbreakers in 1975 with former New York Dolls Johnny Thunders and Jerry Nolan, later forming Richard Hell and the Voidoids.{{sfn|Wallace|Manitoba|2007|page=55}} Fred Smith, briefly of Blondie, replaced Hell as Television’s bassist.{{sfn|Waterman|2011|pp=108–109}}Television made their vinyl debut in 1975 with “Little Johnny Jewel” (Parts One and Two), a 7-inch single on the independent label Ork Records, owned by their manager, Terry Ork. Lloyd apparently disagreed with the selection of this song, preferring “O Mi Amore” for their debut, to the extent that he seriously considered leaving the band.{{sfn|Waterman|2011|p=13}} Reportedly Pere Ubu guitarist Peter Laughner auditioned for his spot during this time.{{sfn|Waterman|2011|p=17}}Marquee Moon, Adventure and break-up (1977–78)“>

    Marquee Moon, Adventure and break-up (1977–78)

    Television’s first album, Marquee Moon, was received positively by music critics and audiences and entered the Billboard 200 albums chart – it also 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.“{{sfn|Trakin|1977}} Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic writes that the album was “revolutionary” and composed “entirely of tense garage rockers that spiral into heady intellectual territory, which is achieved through the group’s long, interweaving instrumental sections.“WEB,www.allmusic.com/album/marquee-moon-mw0000193524, Marquee Moon – Television – Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards, Erlewine, Stephen Thomas, AllMusic, December 25, 2014, Television’s second album, Adventure, was recorded and released in 1978.{{sfn|Waterman|2011|p=x}}{{sfn|Emerson|1978}} Softer and more reflective than their debut album, Adventure was well received by critics despite modest sales. The members’ independent and strongly held artistic visions, along with Lloyd’s drug abuse and lack of commercial success,{{sfn|Heylin|2005|p=270}} led to the band’s break-up in July 1978. Both Lloyd and Verlaine pursued solo careers, while Ficca became the drummer for the new wave band the Waitresses.WEB, Huey, Steve, The Waitresses {{!, Biography & History {{!}} AllMusic|url=http://www.allmusic.com/artist/the-waitresses-mn0000585210/biography|website=AllMusic|access-date=July 28, 2016}}

    Reformation (1992–2023)

    Television reformed in 1992, released a self-titled third album and have performed live sporadically thereafter.{{sfn|Thompson|2000|p=684}} After being wooed back on stage together for the 2001 All Tomorrow’s Parties festival at Camber Sands, England, they played a number of dates around the world on an irregular basis.(File:Television.jpg|thumb|Television performing in 2014)In 2007, Lloyd announced he would be amicably leaving the band after a midsummer show in New York City’s Central Park.WEB,www.richardlloyd.com/news.htm, Richard Lloyd – Matters: News, Lloyd, Richard, Richard Lloyd (guitarist), richardlloyd.com,www.richardlloyd.com/news.htm," title="web.archive.org/web/20080424082045www.richardlloyd.com/news.htm,">web.archive.org/web/20080424082045www.richardlloyd.com/news.htm, April 24, 2008, December 25, 2014, Due to an extended hospital stay recovering from pneumonia, he was unable to make the Central Park concert. Jimmy Rip substituted for him that day and was subsequently asked to join the band full-time in Lloyd’s place. On July 7, 2011, the new lineup performed at the Beco 203 music festival in São Paulo, Brazil.WEB,www.setlist.fm/setlist/television/2011/beco-203-sp-sao-paulo-brazil-33d35c39.html, Television Concert Setlist at Beco 203, São Paulo on July 7, 2011, Setlist.fm, December 25, 2014, In an MTV Brazil interview, the band confirmed that an album with about ten new tracks was close to being finished, but as of 2023, that album has not surfaced.WEB,mtv.uol.com.br/programas/bigaudio/videos/big-audio-83-especial-dia-mundial-do-rock-com-television, Big Audio - Big Audio # 83 - Especial dia mundial do Rock com Television - 13/07/2011, July 13, 2011, January 28, 2023, dead,mtv.uol.com.br/programas/bigaudio/videos/big-audio-83-especial-dia-mundial-do-rock-com-television," title="web.archive.org/web/20120318121010mtv.uol.com.br/programas/bigaudio/videos/big-audio-83-especial-dia-mundial-do-rock-com-television,">web.archive.org/web/20120318121010mtv.uol.com.br/programas/bigaudio/videos/big-audio-83-especial-dia-mundial-do-rock-com-television, March 18, 2012, In the 2010s, the band kept on touring performing Marquee Moon in its entirety; they notably did European tours in 2014 and 2016.WEB, it,www.ondarock.it/news.php?id=2746, I Television a Milano suoneranno tutto “Marquee Moon”, ondarock.it, 2014-01-10, 2023-01-29, NEWS, it,www.rtl.it/notizie/articoli/television-marquee-moon-e-un-album-senza-tempo-grazie-alla-sua-semplicita/, I Television a Milano suoneranno tutto “Marquee Moon”, rtl.it, 2016-03-22, 2023-01-29, WEB, fr,www.telerama.fr/musique/john-cale-dejoue-le-velvet-et-ses-fantomes-a-la-philharmonie-de-paris,140560.php, fantômes à la Philharmonie de Parisp, telerama.fr, 2016-04-04, 2023-01-29, Next to the Velvet Underground exhibition, two concerts were face to face this weekend reminding rock to its souvenirs. Television played his classic Marquee Moon without warmth (En marge de l’expo Velvet Underground, deux concerts confrontaient ce week-end le rock à sa mémoire. Television a rejoué sans chaleur son classique “Marquee Moon”, In New York in October 2015, the band performed a four-song show that lasted an hour: Village Voice reviewed it saying the highlight of the set was a new number “Persia”, dubbing it “a pulsing, rhythmic exploration lasting close to 20 minutes, to which each member of the band contributed in equal strength”.WEB, Caryn, Rose,www.villagevoice.com/2015/10/09/television-thrill-brooklyns-house-of-vans-with-20-minute-soundscape/, Television Thrill Brooklyn’s House of Vans With 20-Minute Soundscape, Village Voice, 2015-10-09, 2023-01-29, Verlaine died on January 28, 2023, at the age of 73.NEWS, Keepnews, Peter, January 28, 2023, Tom Verlaine, Influential Guitarist and Songwriter, Dies at 73,www.nytimes.com/2023/01/28/arts/music/tom-verlaine-dead.html, live, The New York Times,archive.today/20230128222834/https://www.nytimes.com/2023/01/28/arts/music/tom-verlaine-dead.html, January 28, 2023, January 28, 2023, limited,

    Musical style and influences

    As with many emerging punk bands, the Velvet Underground was a strong influence.{{sfn|Waterman|2011|pp=22–24}} Television also drew inspiration from minimalist composers such as Steve Reich.WEB,classicalbumsundays.com/album-of-the-month-television-marquee-moon/, The Story of Television ‘Marquee Moon’, Murphy C, 2014, Classic Album Sundays, September 20, 2019, Tom Verlaine has often cited the influence of surf bands the Ventures and Dick Dale on Television’s approach to the guitar, and he has also expressed a fondness for the bands Love and Buffalo Springfield, two groups noted for their dual-guitar interplay. Television’s ties to punk were underscored by their late ‘60s garage rock leanings; the band often covered the Count Five’s “Psychotic Reaction” and the 13th Floor Elevators’ “Fire Engine” in concert.{{sfn|Waterman|2011|p=95}}Lester Bangs heard in Television’s music the influence of Quicksilver Messenger Service, noting a similarity between Verlaine’s guitar playing and John Cipollina’s.{{sfn|Bangs|1979}} Tom Verlaine has downplayed the comparison, citing The Ventures as a more apt reference point.{{sfn|Wizon|1992}}Though Verlaine and Lloyd were nominally “rhythm” and “lead” 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 of the music more often than not, and Verlaine and the rhythm section 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.“{{sfn|Handa|1996}} .

    Members

    Former members
    • Tom Verlaine – lead vocals, guitar, keyboards {{small|(1973–2023; died 2023)}}
    • Billy Ficca – drums {{small|(1973–2023)}}
    • Richard Lloyd – guitar, vocals {{small|(1973–2007)}}
    • Richard Hell – lead vocals, bass {{small|(1973–1975)}}
    • Fred Smith – bass, vocals {{small|(1975–2023)}}; guitar {{small|(1991-1993)}}
    • Jimmy Rip – guitar {{small|(2007–2023)}}
    Timeline{{#tag:timeline|ImageSize = width:1000 height:auto barincrement:20PlotArea = left:90 bottom:100 top:5 right:10Alignbars = justifyDateFormat = dd/mm/yyyyPeriod = from:12/03/1973 till:28/01/2023 TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal format:yyyyLegend = orientation:vertical position:bottom columns:3ScaleMajor = increment:2 start:1975ScaleMinor = increment:1 start:1974Colors =
    id:lvocals value:red legend:Lead_vocals
    id:vocals value:pink legend:Vocals
    id:guitar value:green legend:Guitar
    id:keys value:purple legend:Keyboards
    id:bass value:blue legend:Bass
    id:drums value:orange legend:Drums
    id:album value:black legend:Studio_album
    id:other value:gray(0.7) legend:Other_release
    id:bars value:gray(0.95)
    BackgroundColors = bars:barsLineData =
    color:album layer:back
    at:08/02/1977
    at:01/04/1978
    at:02/09/1992
    color:other layer:back
    at:01/01/1982
    at:01/01/2003
    at:01/01/2003
    at:01/01/1998
    BarData =
    bar:Hell text:Richard Hell
    bar:Tom text:Tom Verlaine
    bar:Lloyd text:Richard Lloyd
    bar:Jimmy text:Jimmy Rip
    bar:Fred text:Fred Smith
    bar:Billy text:Billy Ficca
    PlotData =
    width:11
    bar:Tom from:start till:01/07/1978 color:lvocals
    bar:Tom from:01/01/1991 till:01/01/1993 color:lvocals
    bar:Tom from:01/01/2001 till:28/01/2023 color:lvocals
    bar:Billy from:start till:01/07/1978 color:drums
    bar:Billy from:01/01/1991 till:01/01/1993 color:drums
    bar:Billy from:01/01/2001 till:28/01/2023 color:drums
    bar:Hell from:start till:01/01/1975 color:lvocals
    bar:Lloyd from:start till:01/07/1978 color:guitar
    bar:Lloyd from:01/01/1991 till:01/01/1993 color:guitar
    bar:Lloyd from:01/01/2001 till:01/01/2007 color:guitar
    bar:Fred from:01/01/1975 till:01/07/1978 color:bass
    bar:Fred from:01/01/1991 till:01/01/1993 color:bass
    bar:Fred from:01/01/2001 till:28/01/2023 color:bass
    bar:Jimmy from:01/01/2007 till:28/01/2023 color:guitar


    width:7
    bar:Tom from:start till:01/07/1978 color:guitar
    bar:Tom from:01/01/1991 till:01/01/1993 color:guitar
    bar:Tom from:01/01/2001 till:28/01/2023 color:guitar
    bar:Fred from:01/01/1991 till:01/01/1993 color:guitar


    width:3
    bar:Tom from:start till:01/07/1978 color:keys
    bar:Tom from:01/01/1991 till:01/01/1993 color:keys
    bar:Tom from:01/01/2001 till:28/01/2023 color:keys
    bar:Hell from:start till:01/01/1975 color:bass
    bar:Lloyd from:start till:01/07/1978 color:vocals
    bar:Lloyd from:01/01/1991 till:01/01/1993 color:vocals
    bar:Lloyd from:01/01/2001 till:01/01/2007 color:vocals
    bar:Fred from:01/01/1975 till:01/07/1978 color:vocals
    bar:Fred from:01/01/1991 till:01/01/1993 color:vocals
    bar:Fred from:01/01/2001 till:28/01/2023 color:vocals
    }}

    Discography

    Studio albums Live albums Compilation albums
    • The Best of Television & Tom Verlaine (EastWest Japan) (1998)
    Singles
    • “Little Johnny Jewel, Part One” b/w “Little Johnny Jewel, Part Two” (Ork) (1975)
    • “Marquee Moon Part 1” b/w “Marquee Moon Part 2” (Elektra) (1977) 30 UK
    • “Marquee Moon (Stereo)” b/w “Marquee Moon (Mono)” (Elektra) (1977)
    • “Venus” b/w “Friction” (Elektra) (1977)
    • “Prove It” b/w “Venus” 12” 45 (Elektra) (1977) 25 UK
    • “Foxhole” b/w “Careful” (Elektra) (1978) 36 UK
    • “Glory” b/w “Carried Away” (Elektra) (1978)
    • “Ain’t That Nothin’” b/w “Glory” (Elektra) (1978)
    • “Call Mr. Lee” (Capitol) (1992) 27 Billboard Modern Rock Tracks

    Filmography

    References

    Citations

    {{Reflist|30em}}

    General and cited references

    External links

    • {{Discogs artist|254494|Television}}
    • {{imdb name|2098433}}
    {{Television (band)|state=expanded}}{{Richard Hell}}{{Authority control}}


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