Television was one of the mainstay acts that emerged from the CBGB scene in New York City. This album features the elliptical lyrics of Tom Verlaine set against the sparse yet complex guitar work of Verlaine and Richard Lloyd, and the rhythm section of Fred Smith (bass) and Billy Ficca (drums). The introspective mood of the album, and the careful, instrumental virtuosity of Verlaine and his band were arguably one of the first manifestations of the "post punk" movement. Others have argued that Television had little at all to do with the punk rock movement, but were merely 'bandwagon jumpers', using the momentum of the scene in order to promote their own musical ideas.
Despite critical acclaim, the album never achieved more than a cult following in the United States at the time of its release, but rose to #30 in Great Britain.
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