Television – Adventure

This album is the follow-up to “Marquee Moon,” which is highly admired by fans of the New Wave scene and is a cult favorite of mine (as well as many other DeBaserians, as I’ve happily noted). It’s also important to say that it’s silly to continuously seek a forced comparison with this. Can the quality of one album depend on another? It might also be useful to explain that Television are children of the Velvet Underground: how can one not recognize the typical New York sound? And while it’s true that in comparison, Television may lack in innovation, it can also be said that they possess far superior technical skill.The album is impeccably played.
The guitars of Tom Verlaine and Richard Lloyd, at times whining and hysterical, at times soft and sweet, perfectly converse with each other and with the drumming of Billy Ficca, all accompanied by the prominent bass of Richard Smith. The vocals are delivered by Tom Verlaine’s piercing voice, which is hard to miss even on the first listen.
The harmonies are by Lloyd and Smith. All tracks are written by Tom, except “Days,” which is co-written by Verlaine and Lloyd.The album, with its essential cover depicting the four in a red frame bearing the name of the band and the album, opens with “Glory,” a pop-rock song built entirely on a rather simple yet effective riff.
Following is “Days,” which, despite a more intricate guitar riff, softens the tones even further, almost forming a beautiful lullaby. In stark contrast, after the end of this track, the hard rock riff of “Foxhole” kicks in, the album’s second single (the other being “Days”). This song is decidedly more intense than the previous ones, with wild guitars showcasing all the virtuosity of their players. The subsequent “Careful” again softens the tones, highlighting a stellar Verlaine on keyboards, along with an excellent Ficca. “Carried Away” closes the first side of the vinyl with great sweetness.A psychedelic arpeggio opens “The Fire,” one of the best compositions on the album, where Verlaine’s voice wonderfully caresses the listener before gifting us yet another incredible solo. “Ain’t That Nothing,” with its cheerier and more carefree riff, offers us a march that culminates with the lead vocals alternating with the chorus, a solution not new to the American band.

As usual, the final part is dominated by the intertwining of the two guitars. The last track of the album is “The Dream’s Dream,” where the music is incredibly cohesive, with melodies that summarize the sweet atmospheres this album has provided us.In conclusion, it can be said that “Adventure” is a gem, at least regarding its genre (whether pop rock, new wave, or post-punk) and its era (1977), during which many of the historic English bands were on the decline.

P.S. In the deluxe version of the album, there is the title track (great keyboards in the final part), as well as alternative versions of “Glory” and “Ain’t That Nothing,” which do not offer substantial differences, except for some sharper and more acidic guitar sounds.

Elektra – 8122795952
LP, Album, 2014 Reissue, Remastered, Stereo

Sticker reads: “Adventure. The second studio album from the New York punk pioneers Television”.