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Alternative TV was one of the bands that expanded punk-rock's vocabulary
with keyboards and experimental touches.
Mark Perry, a radio disc jockey and the editor of one of the first punk fanzines, "Sniffin' Glue",
started the band in March 1977 with
Alex Ferguson on guitar, Micky Smith (and later Tyrone Thomas and then
Dennies Burns) on bass, John Towe (and later Chris Bennett) on drums.
The singles Love Lies Limp (Sniffing Glue, 1977),
Knights of the Future/ Alternatives to Normal Eating (Red Ronnie's Bazar, 1977)
and How Much Longer/ You Bastard (Deptford Fun City, november 1977)
heralded a new era for British rock music, an era that would soon revel in
the modernist sounds of XTC and
Magazine.
Ferguson had already left by this time. Alternative TV's songs were melodic
and complex, although they still boasted punk's angry "take-no-prisoners"
attack.
The Image Has Cracked (Deptford Fun City, 1978) is a milestone of
that era, as are the singles
Life After Life/ Life After Dub (Deptford Fun City, 1978),
Life/ Love Lies Limp (Deptford Fun City, 1978) and
Action Time Vision/ Another Coke (Deptford Fun City, 1978).
But the band was falling apart. Only Perry and the bassist were left on
the album
Vibing Up the Senile Man (Deptford Fun City, 1979), a much more
experimental album at the border between free-jazz and electronica, while the
market also received a couple of live albums and a bootleg or two.
The last single was
The Force Is Blind/ Lost in a Room (Depford Fun City, 1979).
Perry also released a solo album, Snoppy TUrns (Deptford, 1981) and
released records under the names Good Missionaries and Here And Now.
The original line-up reformed for the album
Strange Kicks (IRS, 1981) and the singles
The Ancient Rebels/ Dub in Bed (IRS, 1981) and
Communicate/Obsessed (IRS, 1981).
Perry used different line-ups for the album
Peep Show (Anagram, 1987)
and
the EP Sol (Chapter 22, 1990).
Splitting in 2 (Anagram, 1989) is an anthology of material from the
first album and the singles.
Alex Fergusson joined Psychic Tv and later started a
solo career devoted to a baroque and psychedelic pop sound with
Perverse Ballads (Overground, 1996).
The Essence (Trisol, 2001) is even more sophisticated, with help from
Strawberry Switchblade's Rose McDowell.
Alternative TV resurrected for the single
Purpose In My Life/ Company Of Lies (Feel Good All Over, 1993) and the
album
My Life As A Child Star (Feel Good All Over, 1993), mostly in the vein
of 1970s' pub-rock.
Yet another incarnation of the band would convert to trip-hop with
Punk Life (Overground, 1998).
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(Translation by/ Tradotto da Pierpaolo Palermo)
Gli Alternative TV sono stati uno dei gruppi che hanno ampliato il vocabolario del punk-rock con tastiere e tocchi sperimentali.
Mark Perry, disc jockey radiofonico e curatore di una delle prime fanzine punk, "Sniffin’ Glue", formò il gruppo nel Marzo del 1977 con Alex Ferguson alla chitarra, Micky Smith (più tardi Tyrone Thomas e poi Dennies Burns) al basso, John Towe (e più tardi Chris Bennett) alla batteria. I singoli Love Lies Limp (Sniffing Glue, 1977), Knights of the Future/ Alternatives to Normal Eating (Red Ronnie's Bazar, 1977) and How Much Longer/ You Bastard (Deptford Fun City, november 1977) annunciarono una nuova era per la musica rock Britannica, un’era che presto si sarebbe deliziata con i suoni modernisti di XTC e Magazine. Ferguson a questo punto era già andato via. Le canzoni degli Alternative TV erano melodiche e complesse, sebbene vantassero ancora l’attacco intransigente del punk. The Image Has Cracked (Deptford Fun City, 1978) è una pietra miliare di quell’era, come lo sono i singoli Life After Life/ Life After Dub (Deptford Fun City, 1978), Life/ Love Lies Limp (Deptford Fun City, 1978) e Action Time Vision/ Another Coke (Deptford Fun City, 1978). Ma il gruppo si stava sfaldando. Solo Perry ed il bassista figuravano sull’album Vibing Up the Senile Man (Deptford Fun City, 1979), un lavoro molto più sperimentale al confine fra il free-jazz e l’elettronica, mentre venivano messi sul mercato un paio di album live ed uno o due bootleg. L’ultimo singolo fu The Force Is Blind/ Lost in a Room (Depford Fun City, 1979).
Perry pubblicò anche un album solista, Snoppy TUrns (Deptford, 1981), ed altri dischi sotto i nomi di Good Missionaries e Here And Now.
La formazione originale si riformò per l’album Strange Kicks (IRS, 1981) ed i singoli The Ancient Rebels/ Dub in Bed (IRS, 1981) e Communicate/Obsessed (IRS, 1981).
Perry si servì di formazioni diverse per l’album Peep Show (Anagram, 1987) e l’EP Sol (Chapter 22, 1990).
Splitting in 2 (Anagram, 1989) è un’antologia di materiale dal primo album e dai singoli.
Alex Ferguson si unì ai Psychic Tv e successivamente iniziò una carriera solista dedicata ad un suono pop barocco e psichedelico con Perverse Ballads (Overground, 1996). The Essence (Trisol, 2001) è ancora più sofisticato grazie all’aiuto di Rose McDowell degli Strawberry Switchblade.
Gli Alternative TV resuscitarono per Il singolo Purpose In My Life/ Company Of Lies (Feel Good All Over, 1993) e l’album My Life As A Child Star (Feel Good All Over, 1993), che seguono più che altro il filone del pub-rock anni ’70.
Una ulteriore incarnazione della band si convertirà al trip-hop con Punk Life (Overground, 1998).
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