Tom Verlaine - Solo Album (1979) | OUT OF PRINT - VOODOO WAGON

Tom Verlaine - self titled (1979) Voodoo Wagon

Tom Verlaine - self titled 
Studio recordings @320

Out of Print

This is great and whilst I thought we had it from when Tom passed early this year we don’t seem to have and it is worth checking as his forst sojourn into solo work

Famed for his trailblazing work as the singer and guitarist of the seminal New York punk band Television, Tom Verlaine also carved out an acclaimed and eclectic solo career. Born Thomas Miller in Wilmington, Delaware in 1949, Verlaine (who borrowed his name from the French symbolist poet) was trained as a classical pianist but gravitated toward rock music after an encounter with the Rolling Stones' "19th Nervous Breakdown." In 1968, he and bassist Richard Meyers (later Richard Hell) moved to New York's Lower East Side, where they and drummer Billy Ficca formed the group the Neon Boys. After the addition of second guitarist Richard Lloyd, the band renamed itself Television. Beginning with their landmark 1975 debut single, "Little Johnny Jewel," Television became one of the most renowned groups on the burgeoning New York underground scene; though lumped together with the punk phenomenon, the band's complex songcraf powered by Verlaine's strangled vocals, oblique lyrics, and finely honed guitar work clearly set them apart from their peers. However, after only two albums, 1977's classic Marquee Moon and the disappointing 1978 follow-up, Adventure, Television disbanded, and Verlaine started a solo career.

He resurfaced in 1979 with a self-titled debut that featured the song "Kingdom Come," later covered by avowed fan David Bowie. 1981's dense Dreamtime earned significant acclaim, and even hit the U.S. album charts. Both 1982's diverse Words from the Front and 1984's Cover drew raves from the British press, spurring Verlaine to take up residency in London. After a three-year hiatus, he returned with Flash Light, regarded as one of his best solo efforts. Following 1990's The Wonder, Television briefly re-formed for a self-titled album and tour; the group again broke up, however, and in 1992 Verlaine issued his first instrumental LP, Warm and Cool. In 1994, he composed the score for the film Love and a .45. After that, Verlaine renewed his working relationship with Patti Smith (he played on her first two albums), playing shows and recording new material with her sporadically for the next decade. Also in the mid-'90s, sessions as producer for Jeff Buckley were scrapped (although the material was later issued as Sketches for My Sweetheart the Drunk) and Television continued to be an on-again, off-again live venture. It wasn't until 2006 that Verlaine finally released new solo material: Songs and Other Things and an instrumental follow-up to Warm and Cool, Around, for new label Thrill Jockey.

Tom Verlaine, influential guitarist and songwriter, died aged 73, January 28, 2023.
 

Track List 

01 The Grip of Love
02 Souvenir From A Dream
03 Kingdom Come
04 Mr. Bingo
05 Yonki Time
06 Flash Lightning
07 Red Leaves
08 Last Night
09 Breakin' In My Heart

Tom Verlaine an Appreciation - AQUARIUM DRUNKARD

 Tom The Difficult . . . . . 

Heartfelt tributes to Tom Verlaine have been pouring in since news broke of his death late last month. A famously enigmatic character, the Television co-founder never went out of his way to make himself lovable — but he was loved all the same. As you’ll see below, Verlaine provided a guiding light for a wide array of artists through the decades. His deeply original approach (to the guitar, to songwriting, to life) went beyond mere influence and inspiration; it seeped inextricably into the DNA of generations of musicians and writers. As a result, this case will likely never be closed …

compiled by Tyler Wilcox Feb 2023

more appreciation of Tom Verlaine 

a truly fascinating read . . . . . . . . 

Tom Verlaine a guiding light . . . . . . AQUARIUM DRUNKARD

Patti Smith on Tom Verlaine . . . . . . . .

One of the things I missed was any quote from Patti when we lost Tom Verlaine despite it being her wonderful daughter Jesse who made the announcement that we heard over here . . . . .and I found this yesterday

There was no one like Tom. He possessed the child’s gift of transforming a drop of water into a poem that somehow begat music. In his last days, he had the selfless support of devoted friends. Having no children, he welcomed the love he received from my daughter, Jesse, and my son, Jackson.

In his final hours, watching him sleep, I travelled backward in time. We were in the apartment, and he cut my hair, and some pieces stuck out this way and that, so he called me Winghead. In the years to follow, simply Wing. Even when we got older, always Wing. And he, the boy who never grew up, aloft the Omega, a golden filament in the vibrant violet light.

Patti Smith

 and then this from doom and gloom from the tomb

Tom Verlaine - Bloomsbury Theatre, London, England, May 5, 1990

Television’s first stabs at greatness are well-documented, from the Neon Boys to the Ork Loft to the Eno demos. One thing that’s missing, however, is any trace of Tom Verlaine as a solo act circa 1973. After the Neon Boys dissolved, he played a few open mics at spots like Gerdes Folk City and Reno Sweeney. This wasn’t a folkie thing, though. 

“I decided to play the sets like I had a whole electric band behind me,” Verlaine recalled. “So I just went in with an electric guitar and turned it up. They really hated it, [but] Richard Lloyd was there and he liked it.” 

Tom didn’t really pursue this solo setting much in the years to come — except in 1990, when he embarked on a tour all on his lonesome, armed with just an acoustic guitar. It’s not like it was back in the East Village, but the live tapes from the era give us a tantalizing glimpse of Tom Verlaine: solo troubadour. 

I think this London gig is the best quality recording I’ve heard, and it’s a very cool listen. He doesn’t bust out stripped down versions of old Television classics (I would like to hear him do “Venus” like that, though), instead concentrating on the then-new LP The Wonder and other assorted solo numbers. Unsurprisingly, he’s not exactly a chatty cathy onstage; his solo presence is enigmatic but warm, bringing the audience into a calm, but not-entirely mellow space. My favorite part is the dreamlike hush of “I Am Daylight,” an inner monologue accompanied by a simply strummed guitar figure. A peaceful piece. And stick around for Verlaine’s oddball rendition of “I Walk The Line,” a tip of the hat from one Man in Black to another. 

(Reblogged from doomandgloomfromthetomb)

Tom and Patti at Stevie Wonder’s Birthday Party

who also linked to this

Tom Verlaine - The Roxy, West Hollywood, California, October 17, 1981

Mo’ Tom Verlaine . . . . . . Television Playlist Aquarium Drunkard | t wilcox

 RELUCTANT FAREWELL

More Tom Verlaine

Tell-A-Vision - Tom Verlaine playlist - AQUARIUM DRUNKARD

A reluctant farewell to Tom Verlaine, who helped define (and then quickly transcended) the NYC punk scene of the 1970s, inspiring countless groups through the decades. 

We’ll likely have more to say about the man in the days/weeks to come, but in the meantime, here’s an hour’s worth of Television covers stretching from the 1970s on through the present day, putting a spotlight on the impact the band had on the generations of artists that followed in their wake.

by

t wilcox

Tom Verlaine - December 13, 1949 – January 28, 2023 ~ R.I.P. The definitive REBOOTS FLOPPY BOOT STOMP | Silent Way

TOM VERLAINE AT FLOPPY BOOT STOMP

Beautiful job here from the Boss over at Floppy Boot Stomp

another unique and haunting voice lost to us . . . . . . 

James Hamilton, Tom Verlaine, 1981

Television - Live All Tomorrow’s Parties, UK 2001 April 8, 2001 Camber Sands, England

Television - New York Stories (live 1975-76) at CBGBs

Tom Verlaine - Live Big Club Torino, Italy 1987

Television - Live Paradiso, Amsterdam 1977

Television - Live Rio de Janeiro 2005

Television - Live Hartsdale, NY 1977

Television - Live at the Academy 1992 

Television - Neon Boys and Double Exposure Demos -'73-'74-'75

Tom Verlaine - Live In Rouen France 1987

Tom Verlaine & Dave Bascomb - London Sessions 1986

Tom Verlaine - Live Gothenburg, Sweden 1987

with accompanying videos

UPDATE: Oh and there’s more today (31/01/23) 

Television - Live in The Old Waldorf San Francisco 1978 - Waldorf Moon - FLOPPY BOOT STOMP

Richard Lloyd, Tom Verlaine with Lou Reed at CBGB, New York City, 1975

“Practice? I never practice. I just write songs and take solos.” Tom Verlaine,  1982

I think the Boss liked Television!

Tom Verlaine: (13 December 1949 - 28 January 2023) : URBANASPIRINES | Obituary

Tom Verlaine: (13 December 1949 - 28 January 2023) 

Nice biography from Kostas over at Urbanaspirines

Tom & Patti

Looking specifically at four albums; Tom Verlaine (’78), Dreamtime (1981), Songs and Other Things (2006) Around 2006

Tom Verlaine (born Thomas Miller, December 13, 1949 – January 28, 2023) was an American singer, guitarist, and songwriter. Tom Verlaine, whose band Television was one of the most influential to emerge from the New York punk rock scene centered on the nightclub CBGB — but whose exploratory guitar improvisations and poetic songwriting were never easily categorisable as punk, or for that matter as any other genre — died on Saturday in Manhattan announced by Patti Smith’s daughter Jesse. 

TOM VERLAINE - OBITUARY - URBANASPIRINES

More Sad News . . . . . . . . .TELEVISION "New Adventure In Lo-Fi" Live at the University Of London Union 2004 | For TOM VERLAINE

Tom & Patti 

. . . . it seems apposite and understandable that it is Patti’s daughter, Jesse’ who announced Tom’s death

Another revolutionary figure passes away . . . . . .

TOM VERLAINE 

R.I.P. 1949 - 2023

Tom Verlaine, whose band Television was one of the most influential to emerge from the New York punk rock scene centered on the nightclub CBGB - but whose exploratory guitar improvisations and poetic songwriting were never easily categorisable as punk, or for that matter as any other genre - died on January 28 in Manhattan. He was 73. His death was announced by Jesse Paris Smith, the daughter of Verlaine’s fellow musician Patti Smith. She did not specify a cause, saying that he died “after a brief illness.”

After putting out a 7-inch single in 1975 on their manager Terry Ork’s label, Television would sign with Elektra and release Marquee Moon in 1977 to critical and commercial success, cracking the Billboard 200 album chart. They quickly followed it up with the more subdued Adventure in 1978, and broke up shortly after. The band would briefly reform in the early ‘90s to record a self-titled studio album.

“Tom Verlaine is the guitarist to mention these days if you’re a young rocker with some pretense to intelligence and originality,” Robert Palmer of The New York Times wrote in 1987.

The layered, often ethereal sound that Verlaine and the other members of Television developed was a far cry from the stripped-down approach of the Ramones and other leading lights of the punk scene. But that scene - which also included bands as disparate as Blondie and Talking Heads - was never as one-dimensional as it was often portrayed.

After hearing of Verlaine’s death, countless musicians have posted tributes in his honor, including the Bangles’ Susanna Hoffs, Thurston Moore, Real Estate, Heems, and Ryley Walker, among others. “Tom Verlaine was a true great, tweeted  Mogwai’s Stuart Braithwaite. “His role in our culture and straight up awesomeness on the electric guitar was completely legendary. Name 10 minutes of music as good as Marquee Moon. You can’t. It’s perfect. Rest in peace Tom x.”

TELEVISION
New Adventure In Lo-Fi
Live at the University Of London Union; June 23, 2004. Very good audience recording.

The review for Television’s 1977 debut album, Marquee Moon, in BigO’s 100 Best Albums 1975-1995 is still relevant when listening to Television live in 2004:

“Marquee Moon vacillates between the New York sound of CBGB and the then current rock style of long songs and meticulous soloing which earned Television the unwanted title, Grateful Dead of punk. Fronted by twin guitarists in Tom Verlaine and Richard Lloyd, both played in a finger-picking style that showed no traces of the usual heavy metal/hard rock cliches… The CBGB side of Television was in the stream of consciousness lyrics that some critics accused of being meaningless and also in Verlaine’s less than macho singing. This was against the grain in ‘77.”

While it might have been uncool then to use the word “epic” for Television, there is certainly a sense of the epic on tracks such as The Dream’s Dream, The Sea and Persia, a similarity found on some of the songs by Calexico. Interestingly, Persia would well be the theme song for what’s currently unfolding in Egypt and the middle east. And for those who felt that the usual 10-minute Marquee Moon wasn’t long enough, here’s one that goes for 13 minutes.

Strong musicianship, their presence at CBGB, drawing influences from the Velvet Underground to Steve Reich and the bands they shared the stage with, not only are Television considered one of the founders of New York punk and new wave, they are still influential to this day (Marquee Moon was No. 2 on Uncut magazine’s 100 Greatest Debut Records).

While the artwork for this show, which was received in a trade, says New Adventure In Lo-Fi, the tracks are tagged as “In To The Dream”, possibly taken from a Japanese boot.

Television - Live at The Union, London University 2004 - For Tom

Thanks to Alice over at O My Soul

for this reminder . . . . . 

Television - Days (1978)