Television Personalities

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Television Personalities
General information
origin London , England
Genre (s) Indie-Pop , Neo-Psychedelia , Post-Punk , Indie-Rock
founding 1977, 2004
resolution 1998
Website televisionpersonalities.co.uk
Founding members
Dan Treacy
Ed Ball (1977–1988, 2004–2007)
Gerard Bennett (1977)
John Bennett (1977, 2006/07)
Current occupation
Dan Treacy
Bob Juarez (since 2006)
Mike Stone (since 2006)
Arnau Obiols (since 2009)

Television Personalities (also abbreviated as TV Personalities ) are a British rock band from London , founded in 1977, whose styles range between pop , punk and psychedelia . Singer Dan Treacy is the only constant member of the band.

history

Beginnings and successes as an insider tip

The band was founded in 1977 by school friends Dan Treacy (vocals and guitar) and Ed Ball (electric organ, guitar and drums). The frequently changing line-ups in the early days included a. the brothers Gerard (bass) and John Bennett (drums) and Joe Foster (bass). Influenced by bands of the 1960s such as The Who , The Beatles , The Small Faces and the early Pink Floyd , Television Personalities created their own musical style between pop, punk and neo-psychedelia, later with elements from mod , lo-fi and indie Rock .

The group debuted with the single 14th Floor . It was followed by Where's Bill Grundy Now? - EP where the group made fun of weekend punks ( Part Time Punks ) and asked about the whereabouts of talk master Bill Grundy , who was fired from the BBC in 1977 after a Sex Pistols interview .

In 1980, Mark "Empire" Sheppard (drums) joined the formation as a permanent member. The trio Treacy, Ball & Sheppard released their debut LP ... And Don't The Kids Just Love It in early 1981 . The cover featured the 60s icons John Steed and Twiggy , musically the album was influenced by psychedelic pop ( This Angry Silence ), but there were also quieter numbers ( La Grande Illusion ). Thematically, Treacy showed himself to be a fan of film, literature and pop culture and sang about Dorian Gray and the early Pink Floyd singer Syd Barrett ( I Know Where Syd Barrett Lives ).

During the current tour, Ball was replaced by Bernie Cooper (bass), with whom the group released a single under the pseudonym The Gifted Children . Ball soon returned and in early 1982 the second album Mummy You're Not Watching Me was released . The band was even more oriented towards the psychedelic music of the 1960s than on its predecessor. With If I Could Write Poetry or Where the Rainbows End the band also intoned quieter songs again. However, the group did not get beyond the status of an insider tip with the album, which ultimately led to the fact that they self-ironically titled another compilation They Could Be Bigger Than the Beatles . It contained only rare single tracks, alternative versions, album outtakes and session pieces.

Reshuffles and own ways

Various changes followed. Ed Ball fell out with Treacy and formed his own band ( The Times ), and Sheppard also left the group. Finally, Treacy formed a new lineup with the returned Joe Foster (now guitar), as well as Mark Flunder (bass) and Dave Musker (organ), which recorded the LP The Painted Word . On this album, Treacy mainly showed his sentimental side as a little boy in a world that was much too big ( Happy All the Time , Bright Sunny Smiles or A Sense of Belonging ). The strongest track, however, is without a doubt the anti-war song Back to Vietnam, which grippingly portrays the nightmares of a Vietnam veteran (“He wakes up-SCREAMING”).

This line-up also eventually broke up. One after the other, Flounder, Foster and Musker left the band, replacing Jowe Head (bass / ex- Swell Maps ) and Jeff Bloom (drums). This lineup then remained stable for the next few years. After the Stanley Kubrick- influenced maxi How I Learned to Love the Bomb , the next album Privilege followed in 1990 . Here, too, the group convinced with lively pop ( Salvador Dalí's Garden Party ) and quieter pieces such as All My Dreams Are Dead on which Treacy mourned the deaths of John Lennon and Andy Warhol . After a break, the almost 80-minute long CD Closer to God followed, the most striking piece of which was the eleven-minute title song.

Breakup and reunion

Lack of money as well as alcohol and drug problems led to the slow breakup of the band. As a result, new publications became increasingly scarce. Bloom left the group in mid-1993 and was replaced by Lenny Helsing. Finally, both Helsing and Head left the band in late 1994.

With Liam Watson (bass) and Sexton Ming (drums) Treacy recorded the neglected album I Was a Mod Before You Was a Mod . With titles like Everything She Touches Turns to Gold , Evan Doesn't Ring Me Anymore or I Can See My Whole World Chrashing Down , some of Treacy's strongest, yet little noticed pieces are on this release. In 1996 the group gave their last concert for the time being. In 1998 Treacy almost single-handedly recorded the last album Don't Cry Baby ... It's Only a Movie , which almost exclusively featured cover versions by Jonathan Richman , George Harrison and Psychic TV , among others .

In 2004 Treacy surprised with a reunion of the band. TV Personalities gave several concerts with Ed Ball (bass), Victoria Yeulet (vocals) and Mathew Sawyer (drums) . In February 2006 the album My Dark Places was released . The album Are We Nearly There Yet? whose recordings, however, were from 2005. At that time the formation consisted of Treacy, Ball and Yeulet as well as Texas Bob (guitar, bass), Stickymoan (keyboards, guitar, bass) and founding member John Bennett (drums). Bennett was replaced a little later, however, by Kev Mann. In 2008 Ball, Yeulet and Stickymoan left the band, but Mike Stone (keyboards, bass, guitar) joined the formation. In mid-2009, Kev Mann left the group and was replaced by Arnau Obiols.

In May 2010, the group released the single She's My Yoko , at the same time an advance notice for the early June released new album A Memory Is Better Than Nothing .

Dan Treacy was in critical health following an operation in October 2011 that removed a blood clot from the brain.

Discography

Studio albums and EPs:

  • 1978: Where's Bill Grundy Now? ( EP )
  • 1981: ... And Don't the Kids Just Love It
  • 1982: Mummy You're Not Watching Me
  • 1982: They Could Have Been Bigger Than the Beatles
  • 1985: The Painted Word
  • 1990: Privilege
  • 1991: The Strangely Beautiful (EP)
  • 1992: Closer to God
  • 1994: How I Learned to Love the Bomb (EP)
  • 1995: I Was a Mod Before You Was a Mod
  • 1996: Paisley Shirts & Mini Skirts
  • 1998: Don't Cry Baby ... It's Only a Movie
  • 2006: My Dark Places
  • 2007: Are We Nearly There Yet?
  • 2010: A Memory Is Better Than Nothing

Live albums:

  • 1985: Chocolat-Art (A Tribute to James Last) (Live 1984)
  • 1991: Camping in France (Live 1985)
  • 1996: Top Gear
  • 1996: Mod Is Dead
  • 1997: Paisley Shirts & Mini Skirts
  • 1999: Made in Japan (Live 1994)

Compilations:

  • 1995: Yes Darling, But Is It Art?
  • 1997: Prime Time 1981–1992 (archive material)
  • 2000: The Boy Who Couldn't Stop Dreaming
  • 2002: Fashion Conscious (The Little Teddy Years)
  • 2005: ... And They All Lived Happily Ever After
  • 2007: Singles 1978-1987
  • 2017: Beautiful Despair (archive footage)

Best Of:

  • 1999: Part Time Punks - The Very Best of the Television Personalities

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Television Personalities: Dan Treacy after brain surgery in a coma Ox-Fanzine, October 14, 2011, accessed February 16, 2014.