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Mar 04, 2025 Web Exclusive By Frank Valish

Television’s first two albums are as near perfect documents of the late ’70s New York art punk scene as you will ever find. Not punk, not pop, not rock, and certainly not New Wave, Television established itself as an entity of its own, a musical force without peer. The band’s debut, Marquee Moon, is all fire and brimstone, Tom Verlaine and Richard Lloyd’s guitars, Fred Smith’s bass, and Billy Fica’s drums cohering to create something truly individual and individually powerful.

The band’s second album, Adventure, is something of a different beast. The album opens with the obscure, poetic “Glory” and the lines: “I was out stumbling in the rain, staring at your lips of red. You said, ‘Blah blah blah, you got a pillow stuck in your head.’” The balladic “Days,” with its chiming guitar and subtle chorus harmonies, is the earliest indication that Adventure is no Marquee Moon, rather a more nuanced work, Verlaine and company massaging its genius into an album that while less immediate than its predecessor is all of its musical equal.

The straight-ahead anti-war anthem “Foxhole.” How the bass carries the tune in the shimmering “Carried Away.” The slow build-to-controlled fury of “The Fire,” a song that incidentally includes this reviewer’s favorite guitar solo of all time. The eerie harmonic-filled delicacy of the album’s final track, “The Dream’s Dream.” Adventure is a varied, mystical, subdued-at-times, furious-at-others work from a band whose initial incarnation unfortunately didn’t last much past its creation.

Reissued as part of Rhino’s High Fidelity vinyl series, in beautiful shiny gatefold packaging and with liner notes from album coproducer John Jansen, Adventure can truly be listened to anew here. The sonic quality of the Rhino High Fidelity repressings is absolutely stunning, and Adventure is no different. It is truly amazing how these pressings allow you to listen to your favorite records new; there is really little else to say.

Shortly after Adventure, Television’s time was up. Verlaine and Lloyd were on to solo careers. Fica largely stood by Verlaine, playing on his other projects, and Fica joined The Waitresses. Of course, the band would reform in 1992 for its self-titled third album, another fantastic work. But the glory days were gone, encapsulated in two masterpieces. Listen with renewed vitality and vibrance. (www.rhino.com)

Author rating: 9/10