Television live were intense and hypnotic, with Tom Verlaine and Richard Lloyd’s interweaving guitar work creating intricate, extended jams. Unlike many of their punk-era contemporaries, Television had a cleaner, more melodic sound, emphasizing musicianship over aggression. Their live shows however had a rawer, more unfiltered quality compared to their records–less polished but more immersive.
Power Chord brings you two live radio broadcasts from 1978. By this time, they had already released their debut album, Marquee Moon (1977), and their second album, Adventure (1978), and this release features setlists from those two records.
Here are included extended versions of “Marquee Moon”, “Venus”, and “Friction”, where Tom Verlaine and Richard Lloyd’s dual-guitar work really shines. They weren’t flashy performers, but the intensity of their playing made up for it–Verlaine’s solos feel almost like free jazz in their unpredictability. Melding punk energy with avant-garde guitar work, paving the way for post-punk and alternative rock
