[orthobiz]

First saw Television at the Bottom Line in NYC in 1978. Never knew of the group before that, third song was Elevation and I was jaw-droppingly totally hooked. Saw them several times since.

First Beck, now this.

Paul

[Daryl Zero]

Never saw him but he and Richard Lloyd and the rest of Television were a huge influence on my own guitar playing and musical tastes. Verlaine was a leading light in independent, creative thinking in rock music. Rest in peace.

[Letitroll98]

Never saw him play, never heard a Television song that I'm aware of.  Was he a NYC thing?  I understand they were a CBGB house band?

[ctviggen]

Interesting music:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s4s5bj5fZO8

I've added the album this is on to my Amazon wish list.

[Daryl Zero]

Never saw him play, never heard a Television song that I'm aware of.  Was he a NYC thing?  I understand they were a CBGB house band?

Some of their stuff has been played on TV such as Mr. Robot.

I believe that Television's manager went up to Hilly Kristal and asked if they could play live there starting in March of 1974. I recall and interview which Hilly said that they sounded awful. He then let the Ramones play (starting in August of 1974) and they sounded even worse. The Ramones first gig is legendary because they played all their songs in about 16 minutes, didn't play the same songs as each other and got into fights with each other.

[jandrews]

It's a big loss.  Televisions records are great, including their sleeper late (1992) self titled album.
As are Tom's solo records in the 80's. I love listening to both he and Lloyd on guitar.
NY Times just put this article out today for those who are less familiar ...I think I can post it here and non subscribers will still have access
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/01/29/arts/music/tom-verlaine-television-songs.html?smid=url-share

[Daryl Zero]

Tom Verlaine really hadn't been doing much music-wise that I know of for a while. It's just seeing this sort of second generation rockers start to die out that makes me feel all too mortal.

[Daryl Zero]

Here are some reactions to his death collected in Spin magazine:

https://www.spin.com/2023/01/tom-verlaine-death-reactions/

[Daryl Zero]

Besides his guitar playing and the collaboration with Richard Lloyd, his lyrics were always amazing. He'd usually throw in a jokey couplet which always blew me away. In Marquee Moon, he had:

From Guiding Light:

Oh no, can't pull a trick
Never the rose without the prick

Or in Prove It:

Project, Protect, It's warm and it's calm and it's perfect
It's too "too too" to put a finger on.

But my favorite song has always been Days with amazing lyrics and incredible guitar entanglement:

Up on the high, high hills
With my floating friend
Watching all the silver
No one will ever spend
I feel the touch of her hand
And all it will erase
These footprints I followed
Though they followed my every pace

Days
Days
Days
Be more than all we have

No matter how much I cross
I always see the same stream
I'm standing up on these bridges
That are standing in a dream

Days
Days
Days
Be more than all we have
Days

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lZetdccVvBs

[js1955]

Never saw him play, never heard a Television song that I'm aware of.  Was he a NYC thing?  I understand they were a CBGB house band?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GGc1pfS741A&t=634s

[Daryl Zero]

Never saw him play, never heard a Television song that I'm aware of.  Was he a NYC thing?  I understand they were a CBGB house band?

Here's a song live on Jools Holland with both Verlaine and Lloyd playing solos. This was the reformation of Television so it was in the 90s.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lrl7O-gyHJs

[Letitroll98]

Thanks for the links everyone.  Not my cup of tea, but I see the attraction.  Television and Tom were in the same vein of a lot of groups that I liked both now and then.

[Daryl Zero]

If you check out Tom Verlaine and the band Television on the internet, Television's first album, Marquee Moon, is described as legendary. I've looked at a few videos on this and I think this guy nails it:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=syRj54dFER4