View source for Television (band)

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{{refimprove|date=December 2014}}
{{Infobox musical artist
| name            = Television
| image           = Television-band.jpg
| alt             =
| image_size      = 250px
| caption         = (L-R) Ficca, Verlaine, Smith, Lloyd
| background      = group_or_band
| origin          = New York City, New York, United States
| genre           = <!-- In order to add genres to an infobox, they must be cited in-article by reputable sources. These are all sourced and please discuss any planned changes on talk page. -->{{flatlist|
* [[Rock music|Rock]]
* [[art punk]]{{sfn|Meagher|2015}}
* [[post-punk]]{{sfn|Hughes|2015}}
* [[proto-punk]]{{sfn|Murray|2015}}
}}
| years_active    = 1973–1978, 1991–1993, 2001–present
| label           = {{flatlist|
* ORK
* [[Elektra Records|Elektra]]
* [[Capitol Records|Capitol]]
* [[ROIR]]
}}
| associated_acts = {{flatlist|
* [[Neon Boys]]
* [[The Heartbreakers]]
* [[Richard Hell and the Voidoids]]
}}
| current_members = 
*[[Tom Verlaine]]
*[[Billy Ficca]]
*[[Fred Smith (bassist)|Fred Smith]]
*[[Jimmy Rip]]
| past_members    = 
*[[Richard Lloyd (guitarist)|Richard Lloyd]]
*[[Richard Hell]]
}}

'''Television''' is an American [[rock music|rock]] band, and considered influential in the development of [[punk rock|punk]] and [[alternative rock|alternative music]].<ref name="rollingstone.com">{{cite web|url=http://www.rollingstone.com/music/artists/television/biography|title=Television|publisher=Rolling Stone}}</ref>{{sfn|Simpson|2013}}<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.allmusic.com/artist/television-mn0000019701/biography|title=Television|publisher=AllMusic}}</ref> Television was formed in [[New York City]] in 1973 by [[Tom Verlaine]] and [[Richard Hell]].

Television was an early fixture of [[CBGB]] and the [[punk rock#new York city|1970s New York rock scene]]. Although they recorded in a stripped-down, [[guitar]]-based manner similar to their [[punk rock|punk]] contemporaries, the band's music was by comparison clean, improvisational, and technically proficient, drawing influence from [[avant-garde jazz]] and 1960s rock.<ref name="rollingstone.com"/>{{sfn|Schinder|Schwartz|2008|page=541}} The group's debut album, ''[[Marquee Moon]]'', is often 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 late 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}}

In late 1973 the group reformed, calling themselves Television and recruiting [[Richard Lloyd (guitarist)|Richard Lloyd]] as a second guitarist. Their first gig was at the Townhouse Theatre, on March 2, 1974.<ref name="The Wonder">{{cite web |url=http://www.thewonder.co.uk/facts/gigs.htm |title=The Wonder – Tom Verlaine, Television and Stuff: Television Gigs – Gigography |website=The Wonder |accessdate=December 25, 2014}}</ref> Their manager, [[Terry Ork]], persuaded [[CBGB]] owner [[Hilly Kristal]] to give the band a regular gig at his club,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.noclass.co.uk/hilly.html|title=Hilly Kristal|work=Interview|publisher=No Class Now|accessdate=30 June 2015}}</ref> 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,<ref name="The Wonder"/> where they established a significant cult following.

=== Departure of Richard Hell and debut release ===

Initially, songwriting was split almost evenly 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 (song)|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 members of the [[New York Dolls]] [[Johnny Thunders]] and [[Jerry Nolan]], later forming [[The Voidoids|Richard Hell and the Voidoids]].{{sfn|Wallace|Manitoba|2007|page=55}} [[Fred Smith (bassist)|Fred Smith]], briefly of [[Blondie (band)|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. Richard 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 (band)|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) ===
[[File:Tom Verlaine.jpg|thumb|right|Verlaine circa 1978.]]
Television's first album, ''[[Marquee Moon]]'', was received positively by music critics and audiences and entered the [[Billboard 200|''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 music|punk]], forget New York, forget CBGB's ... hell, forget rock and roll—this is the real item."{{sfn|Trakin|1977}} Critics have since ranked the album number 83 on cable music channel [[VH1]]'s 2000 list of the 100 Greatest Albums of Rock and Roll and number 128 on ''[[Rolling Stone]]''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s [[Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time|2003 list of the 500 greatest albums of all time]]. It was ranked number two in ''Uncut'' magazine's "100 Greatest Debut Records" and number 3 on [[Pitchfork Media]]'s list of the best albums of the 1970s. Stephen Thomas Erlewine of [[AllMusic]] writes that the album was "revolutionary" and composed "entirely of tense [[garage rock]]ers that spiral into heady intellectual territory, which is achieved through the group's long, interweaving instrumental sections."<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/marquee-moon-mw0000193524 |title=''Marquee Moon'' – Television - Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards|last=Erlewine |first=Stephen Thomas |publisher=[[AllMusic]] |accessdate=December 25, 2014}}</ref>

Television's second album, ''[[Adventure (Television 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 Richard Lloyd's drug abuse, 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]].<ref>{{cite web|last1=Huey|first1=Steve|title=The Waitresses {{!}} Biography & History {{!}} AllMusic|url=http://www.allmusic.com/artist/the-waitresses-mn0000585210/biography|website=AllMusic|accessdate=28 July 2016}}</ref>

=== Reformation (1992–present) ===

Television reformed in 1992, released [[Television (Television album)|an eponymous third album]] and have performed live sporadically thereafter.{{sfn|Thompson|2000|p=684}} Since being wooed back on stage together for the 2001 [[All Tomorrow's Parties (music festival)|All Tomorrow's Parties]] festival at [[Camber Sands]], England, they've played a number of dates around the world and continue to perform on an irregular basis.

In 2007, Richard Lloyd announced he would be amicably leaving the band after a midsummer show in New York City's [[Central Park]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.richardlloyd.com/news.htm |title=Richard Lloyd – Matters: News |last=Lloyd |first=Richard |authorlink=Richard Lloyd (guitarist) |website=richardlloyd.com |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20080424082045/http://www.richardlloyd.com/news.htm |archivedate=April 24, 2008 |accessdate=December 25, 2014}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.setlist.fm/setlist/television/2011/beco-203-sp-sao-paulo-brazil-33d35c39.html |title=Television Concert Setlist at Beco 203, São Paulo on July 7, 2011|website=Setlist.fm |accessdate=December 25, 2014}}</ref>  In an MTV Brazil Television interview, the band confirmed that an album with about ten new tracks was close to being finished.{{citation needed|date=December 2014}}

== 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 [[minimalism|minimalist]] composers such as [[Steve Reich]].{{Citation needed|date=July 2010}} Tom Verlaine has often cited the influence of surf bands [[the Ventures]] and [[Dick Dale]] to Television's approach to the guitar, and he has also expressed a fondness for the bands [[Love (band)|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, as 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 that of [[John Cipollina]].{{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 guitar|rhythm]]" and "[[lead guitar|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}} The opening of the song "[[Marquee Moon (song)|Marquee Moon]]" from [[Marquee Moon|the album of the same name]] displays the band's characteristic interlocking melodic and rhythmic guitar lines.

== Members ==

; Current

*[[Tom Verlaine]] – vocals, guitar, keyboards (1973–present)
*[[Billy Ficca]] – drums (1973–present)
*[[Fred Smith (bassist)|Fred Smith]] – bass, vocals (1975–present)
*[[Jimmy Rip]] - guitar (2007–present)

; Former members

*[[Richard Lloyd (guitarist)|Richard Lloyd]] – guitar, vocals (1973–2007)
*[[Richard Hell]] – vocals, bass (1973–1975)

== Discography ==

; Studio albums

* ''[[Marquee Moon]]'' (1977) #23 Sweden, #28 UK
* ''[[Adventure (Television album)|Adventure]]'' (1978) #7 UK
* ''[[Television (Television album)|Television]]'' (1992)

; Live albums

* ''The Blow-Up'' (1982)
* ''Live at the Academy, 1992'' (2003)
* ''[[Live at the Old Waldorf]]'' (2003)

; Compilation albums

* ''The Best of Television & Tom Verlaine'' (1998)

; Singles

* "Little Johnny Jewel, Part One" b/w "Little Johnny Jewel, Part Two" (1975)
* "[[Marquee Moon (song)|Marquee Moon]] Part 1" b/w "Marquee Moon Part 2" (1977) #30 UK
* "Marquee Moon (Stereo)" b/w "Marquee Moon (Mono)" (1977)
* "[[Prove It (song)|Prove It]]" b/w "Venus" (1977) #25 UK
* "Foxhole" b/w "Careful" (1978) #36 UK
* "Glory" b/w "Carried Away" (1978)
* "Ain't That Nothin'" b/w "Glory" (1978)
* "Call Mr. Lee" (1992) #27 Billboard Modern Rock Tracks

== Filmography ==

* ''[[The Blank Generation]]'' (1976)
* ''[[CBGB]]'' (2013)

== References ==
{{reflist|30em}}

=== Bibliography ===
{{refbegin|30em}}
* {{cite journal |last=Bangs |first=Lester |authorlink=Lester Bangs |date=1979 |title=Free Jazz / Punk Rock |magazine=[[Musician (magazine)|Musician]] |url=http://www.notbored.org/bangs.html |accessdate=December 25, 2014|ref=harv}}
* {{cite web|last=Emerson|first=Ken|url=http://www.rollingstone.com/music/albumreviews/adventure-19780601|title=Television Adventure Album Review|publisher=''[[Rolling Stone]]''|date=June 1, 1978|access-date=April 4, 2016|ref=harv}}
* {{cite web |url=http://www.furious.com/perfect/tv12.html |title=Television: ''Marquee Moon'' |last=Handa |first=Al |date=May 1996 |website=Perfect Sound Forever |accessdate=December 25, 2014|ref=harv}}
* {{cite web|url=http://exclaim.ca/music/article/television_announce_vancouver_show | title=Television Announce Vancouver Show | work=[[Exclaim!]] | date=April 27, 2015 | accessdate=October 30, 2015 |last=Hughes|first=Josiah|ref=harv}}
* {{cite web | url=http://www.independent.ie/entertainment/music-television-nycs-artpunk-pioneers-31260962.html | title=Music - Television: NYC's art-punk pioneers | work=[[Irish Independent]] | date=May 31, 2015 | accessdate=October 30, 2015 |last=Meagher|first=John|ref=harv}}
* {{cite web|last=Murray|first=Noel|url=http://www.avclub.com/article/60-minutes-music-sum-art-punk-pioneers-wire-219113 | title=60 minutes of music that sum up art-punk pioneers Wire | publisher=[[The A.V. Club]] | date=May 28, 2015 | accessdate=October 28, 2015 |ref=harv}}
* {{cite book|last1=Schinder|first1=Scott|last2=Schwartz|first2=Andy|year=2008|title=Icons of Rock: An Encyclopedia of the Legends who Changed Music Forever|volume=2|publisher=[[Greenwood Publishing Group]]|isbn=0-313-33847-7|ref=harv}}
* {{cite book|last1=Ramone|first1=Marky|last2=Herschlag|first2=Richard|title=Punk Rock Blitzkrieg: My Life as a Ramone|year=2015|publisher=Simon & Schuster|isbn=978-1-4516-8775-0|ref=harv}}
* {{cite book|last=Robb|first=John|editor=Craske, Oliver|year=2012|title=Punk Rock: An Oral History|location=United Kingdom|publisher=PM Press|isbn=978-1-60486-005-4|ref=harv}}
* {{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2013/nov/17/television-sage-gateshead-review|title=Television|publisher=The Guardian|date=17 November 2013|last=Simpson|first=Dave|ref=harv}}
* {{cite book|last=Taylor|first=Steven|year=2003|title=False Prophet: Field Notes from the Punk Underground|location=Middletown, Conn.|publisher=Wesleyan University Press|isbn=0-8195-6668-3|ref=harv}}
* {{cite book|last=Thompson|first=Dave|year=2000|title=Alternative Rock|location=San Francisco|publisher=Miller Freeman|isbn=0-87930-607-6|ref=harv}}
* {{cite news|last=Trakin|first=Roy|title=''Marquee Moon'' review|newspaper=SoHo Weekly|year=1977|ref=harv}}
* {{cite book|last1=Wallace|first1=Amy|last2=Manitoba|first2=Dick|title=The Official Punk Rock Book of Lists|year=2007|publisher=Backbeat Books|isbn=978-0-87930-919-0|ref=harv}}
* {{cite book|last=Waterman|first=Bryan|year=2011|title=Television's Marquee Moon|series=[[33⅓]]|volume=83|publisher=Continuum International Publishing Group|isbn=978-1-4411-8605-8|ref=harv}}
* {{cite book|last=Walker|first=John|year=1991|title=The Trouser Press Record Guide|edition=4th|editor=Ira Robbins|location=New York|publisher=Collier|isbn=0-02-036361-3|ref=harv}}
* {{Cite web|title = Television|first=Tod|last=Wizon|year=1992|url = http://bombmagazine.org/article/1592/television|publisher=BOMB Magazine|website = bombmagazine.org|access-date = 2016-02-02|ref=harv}}
{{refend}}

== External links ==

* {{Discogs artist|254494|Television}}

{{Television (band)}}
{{Richard Hell}}

{{portal bar|Punk rock|New York|New York City}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Television}}
[[Category:American post-punk music groups]]
[[Category:American punk rock groups]]
[[Category:Art rock musical groups]]
[[Category:Capitol Records artists]]
[[Category:Elektra Records artists]]
[[Category:Musical groups established in 1973]]
[[Category:Musical groups disestablished in 1978]]
[[Category:Musical groups reestablished in 1992]]
[[Category:Musical groups disestablished in 1993]]
[[Category:Musical groups reestablished in 2001]]
[[Category:Musical groups from New York City]]
[[Category:Musical quartets]]
[[Category:Protopunk groups]]
[[Category:Pub rock musical groups]]
[[Category:Rock music groups from New York]]
[[Category:ROIR artists]]