No, no this isn't a post on the origins of television the medium but rather Television the band. Founded in the mid 70's in New York, Television are a post punk band with an influential sound which can be heard in later acts such as The Strokes, The Rapture and Talking Heads.
While coming from a jamming background the band stripped back the noodling and excess to create a raw garage sound with twisting and compelling guitar melodies and hooks. With Tom Verlaine's woozy vocals layered over this twitchy sound a distinct feeling of atmosphere bleeds through.
Marquee Moon, their debut, and standout, album displays all these qualities to the fullest. I have included the opener from the album below (See No Evil) but I urge you to hunt down the album in full, especially for the spacious extended numbers, Torn Curtain and the title track.
It should be noted that when grunge and garage rock resurfaced in the early 90's Television reformed and issued an album of new material. Strangely, even in such a climate, they could never cut through to mainstream acclaim. Acclaim or not they are still a kick ass guitar rock band and their mark can be seen on much of modern rock today.
See No Evil - Television
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1 comment:
Much respect man. There's nothing like the feeling of total superiority you get from knowing that for all the sheep out there sporting their Rammones T-shirts very few really know about the true origins of punk music and the much broader CBGBs scene. A totally underrated band, compulsory listening.
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