Editing Television (band) (section)

== 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 (guitarist)|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.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Nelson |first=Elizabeth |date=2022-04-13 |title=Lightning Struck Itself: Television's 'Marquee Moon' in Eight Phases |url=https://www.theringer.com/music/2022/4/13/23022787/television-marquee-moon-tom-verlaine-richard-hell |access-date=2023-02-15 |website=The Ringer |language=en}}</ref> 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 |access-date=December 25, 2014 |archive-date=July 6, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220706071448/http://www.thewonder.co.uk/facts/gigs.htm |url-status=dead }}</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|access-date=June 30, 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 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 (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 [[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. 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) ===

Television's first album, ''[[Marquee Moon]]'', was received positively by music critics and audiences, and although failing to enter the [[Billboard 200|''Billboard'' 200]] albums chart, it exceeded commercial expectations in Europe, reaching the top 30 in the [[Official Charts Company|United Kingdom]] and Sweden. 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}} 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 |website=[[AllMusic]] |access-date=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 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]].<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|access-date=July 28, 2016}}</ref>

=== Final years ===
Television reformed in 1992, released [[Television (Television album)|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 (music festival)|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]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.richardlloyd.com/news.htm |title=Richard Lloyd – Matters: News |last=Lloyd |first=Richard |author-link=Richard Lloyd (guitarist) |website=richardlloyd.com |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080424082045/http://www.richardlloyd.com/news.htm |archive-date=April 24, 2008 |access-date=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 |access-date=December 25, 2014}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://mtv.uol.com.br/programas/bigaudio/videos/big-audio-83-especial-dia-mundial-do-rock-com-television|title=Big Audio - Big Audio # 83 - Especial dia mundial do Rock com Television - 13/07/2011|date=July 13, 2011|access-date=January 28, 2023|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120318121010/http://mtv.uol.com.br/programas/bigaudio/videos/big-audio-83-especial-dia-mundial-do-rock-com-television|archive-date=March 18, 2012}}</ref> In the 2010s, the band kept on touring performing ''Marquee Moon'' in its entirety; they notably did European tours in 2014 and 2016.<ref>{{cite web|lang=it|url=https://www.ondarock.it/news.php?id=2746|title=I Television a Milano suoneranno tutto "Marquee Moon"|publisher=ondarock.it|date=2014-01-10|access-date=2023-01-29}}<br />{{cite news|lang=it|url=https://www.rtl.it/notizie/articoli/television-marquee-moon-e-un-album-senza-tempo-grazie-alla-sua-semplicita/|title=I Television a Milano suoneranno tutto "Marquee Moon"|newspaper=rtl.it|date=2016-03-22|access-date=2023-01-29}}<br />{{cite web|lang=fr|url=https://www.telerama.fr/musique/john-cale-dejoue-le-velvet-et-ses-fantomes-a-la-philharmonie-de-paris,140560.php|title=fantômes à la Philharmonie de Parisp|publisher=telerama.fr|date=2016-04-04|access-date=2023-01-29|quote=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”''}}</ref> 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".<ref>{{cite web|first=Caryn |last=Rose|url=https://www.villagevoice.com/2015/10/09/television-thrill-brooklyns-house-of-vans-with-20-minute-soundscape/|title=Television Thrill Brooklyn's House of Vans With 20-Minute Soundscape|publisher=Village Voice|date=2015-10-09|access-date=2023-01-29}}</ref>

Verlaine died on January 28, 2023, at the age of 73.<ref>{{cite news|last=Keepnews|first=Peter|date=January 28, 2023|title=Tom Verlaine, Influential Guitarist and Songwriter, Dies at 73|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2023/01/28/arts/music/tom-verlaine-dead.html|url-status=live|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|archive-url=https://archive.today/20230128222834/https://www.nytimes.com/2023/01/28/arts/music/tom-verlaine-dead.html|archive-date=January 28, 2023|access-date=January 28, 2023|url-access=limited}}</ref> In February 2025, a fourth album was announced, made from recording sessions in December 2007.<ref>{{cite web |author=[[David Fricke]] |date=February 27, 2025|title=Television's Unreleased Fourth Album Unveiled! |url=https://www.mojo4music.com/articles/stories/televisions-unreleased-fourth-album-unveiled/ |website=[[Mojo (magazine)|Mojo]]}}</ref>