Television was an American rock band formed in New York City in 1973. The group's most prominent lineup consisted of Tom Verlaine (vocals, guitar, keyboards), 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 rock and alternative rock.
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. Their first gig was at the Townhouse Theatre, on March 2, 1974. Their manager, Terry Ork, persuaded CBGB owner Hilly Kristal to give the band a regular gig at his club, where they reportedly constructed their first stage. After playing several gigs at CBGB in early 1974, they played at Max's Kansas City and other clubs before returning to CBGB in January 1975, Eno produced demos of "Prove It", "Friction", "Venus", and "Marquee Moon" in December 1974, but Verlaine considered Eno's production "cold and brittle, no resonance. We're oriented towards really strong guitar music ... sort of expressionistic."
Departure of Richard Hell and debut release
Initially, songwriting was split almost equally between Hell and Verlaine, with occasional contributions from Lloyd. However, friction began to develop as Verlaine, Lloyd, and Ficca became increasingly musically confident and adept, 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 moving" onstage 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. He co-founded the Heartbreakers in 1975 with Johnny Thunders and Jerry Nolan of the New York Dolls, later forming Richard Hell and the Voidoids. Fred Smith, briefly of Blondie, replaced Hell in Television.
In 1975, Television shared a residency at CBGB with Patti Smith, who recommended the band to Arista Records president Clive Davis. Although he had seen them perform, Davis was hesitant to sign them at first. He was persuaded by Smith's then-boyfriend Allen Lanier to let them record demos, which Verlaine said resulted in "a much warmer sound than Eno got." However, Verlaine still wanted to find a label that would allow him to produce Television's debut album himself, even though he had little recording experience.
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. Former Pere Ubu guitarist Peter Laughner reportedly auditioned for his spot during this time.
Marquee Moon, Adventure and break-up (1977–78)
Television's first album, Marquee Moon, was received positively by music critics and audiences, and although failing to enter the Billboard 200 albums chart, it reached the top 30 in the United Kingdom and Sweden. 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." 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."
Television's second album, Adventure, was recorded and released in 1978. Softer and more reflective than their debut album, Adventure was well received by critics despite modest sales (although peaking at #8 on the UK Albums Chart). The members' diverging artistic visions, a lack of commercial success, and Lloyd's drug abuse led to the band's break-up in July 1978. Lloyd and Verlaine pursued solo careers, while Ficca joined the Waitresses.
Final years
Television reformed in 1991, released a self-titled third album the following year, and performed live sporadically thereafter. 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.
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. Due to illness, 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. In an MTV Brazil interview, the band stated that an album with about ten new tracks was close to being finished. In the 2010s, the band kept on touring, performing Marquee Moon in its entirety. In New York in October 2015, the band performed a four-song show that lasted an hour; a Village Voice critic highlighted a new song entitled "Persia" as "a pulsing, rhythmic exploration lasting close to 20 minutes, to which each member of the band contributed in equal strength".
Verlaine died on January 28, 2023, at the age of 73. In 2025, journalist David Fricke reported that the tracks comprising Television's unreleased fourth album remained unfinished, lacking vocals and lead guitar.
Artistry
Musical style and influences
Television were contemporarily regarded as an art punk band. The band broke from standard rock convention by omitting blues influence and instead incorporating elements of jazz, while retaining the "raw energy" that was influenced by garage rock. According to Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic, "With its angular rhythms and fluid leads, Television's music always went in unconventional directions."
As with many emerging punk bands, the Velvet Underground was a strong influence. Television also drew inspiration from minimalist composers such as Steve Reich. Guitarists Tom Verlaine and Richard Lloyd were both influenced by the Rolling Stones, with Verlaine stating that the Rolling Stones' "19th Nervous Breakdown" "was the first real rock song that totally grabbed me like a Coltrane record or something." Verlaine often cited the influence of surf acts like the Ventures and Dick Dale on Television's approach to the guitar, and he also expressed fondness for 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, whilst also covering "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" by the Rolling Stones, a band that was also known for its guitar interplay. Tom Verlaine also cited the Doors and the Yardbirds' 1964 live album Five Live Yardbirds as being influential to his improvisation.
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. Tom Verlaine has downplayed the comparison, citing the Ventures as a more apt reference point.
Instrumentation
Though Verlaine and Lloyd were nominally "rhythm" and "lead" guitarists respectively, they often performed interlocking parts with no clear rhythm or lead player. 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." Matt LeMay of Pitchfork noted that "Like the Velvet Underground before them, Television’s songs focus on interplay and exploration, rather than individual melodies and chord progressions."
Members
- Tom Verlaine – lead vocals, guitar, keyboards
- Billy Ficca – drums
- Richard Lloyd – guitar, backing vocals
- Richard Hell – lead vocals, bass
- Fred Smith – bass, backing vocals ; guitar
- Jimmy Rip – guitar
Timeline
Discography
Studio albums
- Marquee Moon (1977)
- Adventure (1978)
- Television (1992)
Singles and EPs
- "Little Johnny Jewel (Part One)" b/w "Little Johnny Jewel (Part Two)" – Ork Records (1975)
- "Marquee Moon" – Elektra Records (1977)
- "Prove It" b/w "Venus" – Elektra Records (1977)
- "Venus" b/w "Friction" – Elektra Records (1977/Japanese release)
- "Foxhole" b/w "Careful" – Elektra Records (1978)
- "Glory" b/w "Carried Away" – Elektra Records (1978)
- "Ain't That Nothin'" b/w "Glory" – Elektra Records (1978)
- "The Revolution" – Capitol Records, EMI (1992/French release)
- "Call Mr Lee" – Capitol Records (1992)
- "In World" – Capitol Records (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)
Filmography
- The Blank Generation (1976)