"A Million Miles Away" (P. Case, J. Alkes, C. Fradkin) Copyright 1982 Baby Oh Yeah Music BMI/Nineties Music BMI
The Plimsouls, led by guitarist/singer/songwriter Peter Case, released a couple of terrific albums in the early ‘80’s, fusing power pop, punk and R&B into their own unique blend. “A Million Miles Away” was featured in the film Valley Girl, and should’ve catapulted The Plimsouls onto greater fame, but their career stalled and the band split up by the mid-’80’s. To some, this song marks The Plimsouls as One-Hit-Wonders, but their albums are chock-a-block with great songs. Still, there’s no denying the brilliance of “A Million Miles Away” and on this episode, we take a close look at this timeless classic.
“A Million Miles Away” (P. Case, J. Alkes, C. Fradkin) Copyright 1982 Baby Oh Yeah Music BMI/Nineties Music BMI
TRANSCRIPT:
String theory is the theoretical concept that all of reality is made up of these infinitesimally small vibrating strings. Smaller than atoms, smaller than electrons and protons, smaller than quarks, vibrating at different frequencies. And what is a guitar, or a violin, or a piano, but a bunch of vibrating strings? The whole universe is just one big song. Welcome to the Pantheon Podcast Network and the “I’m In love With That Song” podcast.
My name is Brad Page, and each edition of this podcast, I pick one of my favorite songs and we dig deep into it. Maybe not down to the level of quarks or electrons, but we go deep enough to examine all the elements that make it a great song. So you don’t have to be a scientist or a musical expert to enjoy this show. Just a little curiosity is all that’s required.
On this episode, we’re exploring a classic power pop band from the early ‘80’s that still sounds as fresh and vital today. This is The Plimsouls and “A Million Miles Away”.
Peter Case was a member of The Nerves, a band that straddled the line between punk and power pop in the mid-seventies. Along with Jack Lee and Paul Collins, they released one four-song EP in 1976 and then broke up. But those four songs were great, including the classic “Hanging On The Telephone”.
Of course, that track was later covered by Blondie, and they had a big hit with it.
Peter Case then put together The Plimsouls, named after a type of shoe, I believe. Initially they were a three piece with Peter Case on guitars and vocals, Dave Pahoa on bass and Lou Ramirez on drums. A little later, Eddie Munoz came on board on lead guitar. They released a five-song EP called “Zero Hour” in 1980.
They became pretty popular around LA and signed a deal with Planet Records, and released their first full album, self-titled, in 1981.
That first self-titled album is a great album, but it didn’t really sell, and they ended up parting ways with Planet Records. Then they independently released “A Million Miles Away” as a single. And that song ended up in the movie “Valley Girls”. In fact, the band is actually featured in that film. That got them some attention. They ended up getting signed by Geffen Records and released their second album, “Everywhere At Once”, in 1983. That album features a re-recorded version of “A Million Miles Away”.
The song was performed by Peter Case on lead vocals and twelve string guitar, Eddie Munoz on lead guitar, Dave Pahoa on bass, and Lou Ramirez on drums and percussion. It was produced by Jeff Eyrich.
The song kicks off with a flam on the snare drum and a great guitar riff. Sounds to me like that riff is played on the twelve string. Let’s hear just the guitars.
The bass and drums have a great groove going on too. Let’s go back and listen to those two together. We’ll pick it back up from that part of the verse.
They repeat that riff twice there. And then we get a new section, essentially a pre chorus. The chords here are a little dreamier, a little spacier, with lyrics to match: “I started drifting to a different place I realized I was falling off the face of the world and there was nothing left to bring me back:
There’s really great guitar accompaniment on this pre-chorus. This is definitely played on the twelve-string. Let’s go back and hear that.
And that pulls us right into the first chorus. Let’s listen to that all the way through. Let’s hear the whole band underneath the vocals. The guitars really work well together here. And there’s more cool riffing on the twelve-string.
All right, let’s back it up a bit and then play through the end of the chorus. Let’s pull up the vocals for this second verse.
Sounds like he’s doubling the vocals. Let’s pick it up at the next pre-chorus.
And let’s bring the vocals up again for this chorus.
Listen for the echoes on this next line.
Next up, Eddie Muniz lets loose with a pretty tasty guitar solo. There’s some more tasty playing going on behind the vocals there, so let’s go back and just listen to this section without the vocals.
Let’s bring it back in for the last chorus. Here comes the echoes on the vocals again.
The Plimsouls “A Million Miles Away”
The Plimsouls would break up after this album. Peter Case has continued to write and record. He’s released plenty of solo albums, and he’s still out there. A pioneer and founding father of indie rock, The Plimsouls have reunited a few times and they got one more album in 1998 called “Cool Trash”. I recommend all of their albums. They’re all worth seeking out.
Thanks for checking out this edition of the “I’m In love With That Song” podcast. New episodes of this show are released into the wild on the first and the 15th of every month, so I’ll be back soon. If you can’t bear to wait for the next episode, you can catch up on all of our previous shows. There’s over 150 of them on our website, lovethatsongpodcast.com or look for us on your favorite podcast app. And of course, there’s plenty of other shows on the Pantheon Podcast Network, so check some of those out too.
Please leave a review of the show wherever it is that you listen that helps, and share the show with your friends, family and neighbors. Your word-of-mouth support is the best advertising we can get, so thanks for that. And thanks for listening to this episode on “A Million Miles Away” by The Plimsouls.
RESOURCES:
The Plimsouls https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Plimsouls
Peter Case http://petercase.com/
The Nerves https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Nerves
Blondie https://www.blondie.net/
Valley Girl (film) https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0086525/
“Search And Destroy” (Iggy Pop & James Williamson) Copyright 1973 by Bug Music (BMI) and EMI Music Publishing Ltd.
Iggy Pop made his (first) comeback with the Raw Power album, released in 1973. The album opens with the ferocious track “Search And Destroy”. Produced by David Bowie and powered by the savage energy of the reconstituted Stooges (featuring James Williamson’s guitar fury), this track set the tone, not only for this album, but for decades of punk and heavy metal to come.
“Search And Destroy” (Iggy Pop & James Williamson) Copyright 1973 by Bug Music (BMI) and EMI Music Publishing Ltd.
— This show is part of the Pantheon podcast network — THE place for music junkies, geeks, nerds, diehards and fans!
TRANSCRIPT:
Greetings, wild ones. I am Brad Page, your host here on the “I’m In Love With That Song” podcast, one of many great shows on the Pantheon Podcast Network. Each episode of this show, I pick a song and we dig into it together, trying to get a handle on what makes it a great song. You do not have to be a musical expert to enjoy this show; we run a jargon-free, low-tech shop here that’s light on music theory and heavy on just listening.
There are rock stars, there are legends, and there are huge personalities. And then there are people like Iggy Pop, who somehow manage to transcend all of that, who reach beyond genre. You like hard rock or heavy metal? Iggy Pop was kicking ass with the originators of those sounds. You like punk? Iggy is one of the founding fathers of punk. If you prefer new wave, Iggy made his mark there, too. The dude even released a jazz album.
What a career.
On this episode, we’re heading back to 1973 for “Raw Power”, Iggy’s third album with the Stooges, and one of their all-time classic songs. Buckle up, because this is Iggy & The Stooges with “Search And Destroy”.
James Osterberg, Jr. Was born in Michigan in April 1947. His dad was an English teacher and he grew up modestly living in a trailer park in Ypsilanti. But his parents were supportive of his musical endeavors, even making room in the trailer for his drum set. He played drums for some local bands, including the Iguanas, which is how he would earn the nickname “Iggy”. He eventually landed in Chicago and started a band called the Psychedelic Stooges. Iggy became the lead singer, with Ron Ashton on guitar, his brother Scott Ashton on drums, and Dave Alexander on bass. They started calling him “Pop”. And so Iggy Pop was born.
In 1968, they signed with Electra Records and their first album, “The Stooges”, produced by John Kale, was released in August 1969.
They followed that with their second album, Funhouse, in 1970.
Neither album was commercially successful. Of course, they’ve gone on to become classics, but at the time, few people were interested. But one person who was listening was David Bowie. By then, the Stooges had split up and Iggy was pretty deep into his heroin addiction. But Bowie scooped him up, along with guitarist James Williamson, who had joined the Stooges at the tail end. Before they split, Bowie took them both to London, hoping to hook them up with some British players to form a new band. But that just wasn’t working out. Iggy and Williamson were just too “Detroit” for these London glam musicians, so they brought back Ron and Scott Ashton, with Williamson on guitar. Ron switched to bass. He wasn’t exactly happy about that, but he did it.
They signed a deal with CBS Records and recorded the new album at CBS Studios in London. Iggy originally produced and mixed the album, but apparently that mix was kind of a mess and CBS wouldn’t release it. So Bowie was brought in to remix the record. Working under a limited budget, and with limited time, he had to mix the album in one day and it kind of shows it’s a rough and raw mix.
Released in February 1973, the album, called “Raw Power”, wasn’t any more commercially successful than his first two albums. But like those records now, “Raw Power” is considered a classic.
Now, before we delve into the album, there’s one thing we have to discuss, and that is these various mixes. As I mentioned before, David Bowie had mixed the album under less-than-ideal conditions and that is the version that was released on vinyl in 1973. But when the album was rereleased on CD in 1997, Iggy Pop remixed the whole album, and this has led to differing opinions. Some, like the legendary critic Robert Christgau, prefers Iggy’s remix. But many fans, including both James Williamson and Ron Ashton, who were in The Stooges, didn’t like Iggy’s new remix at all, and say the original Bowie mix was better. Now, none of this really matters if you’re listening to the album on vinyl– that’s the original mix. But if you’re listening on CD, well, which one are you really listening to?
There’s the first CD version from 1989, which, like many early CD’s, was not a great transfer. Then there’s Iggy’s remix from 1997. And then there’s the deluxe “Legacy” version CD released in 2010 that restored Bowie’s original mix. And, if you’re listening to it by streaming, well, good luck, because who knows which version you’re getting?
Let’s quickly compare the two. Here is the original Bowie mix and as acknowledged, it’s far from perfect:
And this is the 1997 Iggy remix. You can hear he’s pushed everything into the red. It’s a lot louder, but there’s also a lot of digital distortion which you can clearly hear:
The version that I am going to use here is from the 2010 “Legacy Edition” CD with the remastered and restored Bowie mix. I think that gets us closest to the original version and the original intent. Again, it’s not a great mix, but I think it’s the best of the choices available.
Ok, so the album opens with “Search And Destroy”. Like all the tracks on the album, it was written by Iggy Pop and James Williamson. It features James Williamson on guitar, Ron Ashton on bass and backing vocals, Scott Ashton on drums, and Iggy Pop on lead vocal.
The whole band launches in from the start. A couple of bars in, James Williamson overdubs a few guitar licks.
The song was inspired by an article in Time magazine about the Vietnam War. It’s always been assumed that the character in the song is a soldier, but there’s plenty of Iggy in this character, too. On the back of the album cover, there’s a photo of Iggy in one of his favorite jackets with a cheetah sewn on the back. So Iggy himself could be the “street walking cheetah”.
Let’s look at each element of the second verse. First, let’s hear the bass. Ron Ashton is using a really gnarly, fuzzed out bass sound on this track.
And now let’s hear Scott Ashton on the drums. I really like what he’s doing here.
And let’s check out guitar.
And listen to that second verse.
Let’s listen to the guitar in this section again. You can hear that there’s a second rhythm guitar overdubbed on this part, which adds a little extra punch to this already pretty powerful tracker.
You can barely hear the bass and the drums, they’re mixed so low.
Let’s go back and listen to just the bass and drums.
There’s let’s hear that all together again.
And there’s another short solo from James Williamson.
James Williamson really tearing it up here. Listen to his guitar behind the vocal.
“Search And Destroy” by Iggy and The Stooges.
Whether you want to call it proto-punk, primitive, heavy metal, or just the purest form of rock and roll, there is no denying how influential Iggy and The Stooges were, and how important “Search And Destroy” was in particular.
As always, I thank you for joining me for this edition of the “I’m In Love With That Song” podcast. New episodes are released into the wild on the 1st and the 15th of every month, so I’ll join you again then. And if you’re still jonesing for more, there are a ton of old episodes just waiting for you to discover them. You’ll find them on our website, lovethatsongpodcast.com, or just look for them in your favorite podcast app.
You can support the show by writing a review and by telling a friend about the show. The power of your recommendation is the strongest advertising tool that we have. So, thanks for spreading the word.
On behalf of everyone on the Pantheon network, I remind you to support the artists you love by buying their music. And I thank you for listening to this episode on Iggy Pop and The Stooges and “Search And Destroy”.
REFERENCES:
Iggy Pop https://www.iggypop.com/
The Stooges https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Stooges
Raw Power Album https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raw_Power
David Bowie https://www.davidbowie.com/
James Williamson https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Williamson_(musician)
Ron Ashton https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ron_Asheton
Scott Ashton https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scott_Asheton
CBS Records https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CBS_Records_International
"I Wanna Be Sedated" (Jeffrey Hyman, John Cummings & Douglas Colvin) Copyright 1978 Bleu Disque Music Co., Inc and Taco Tunes
Few bands left a legacy as deep and as lasting as The Ramones. You literally couldn’t count the number of bands who were influenced by these 4 New York ne’er-do-wells. They created a sound and a look that virtually created a whole genre of music. Let’s have a listen to one of their classic tracks, “I Wanna Be Sedated”.
“I Wanna Be Sedated” (Jeffrey Hyman, John Cummings & Douglas Colvin) Copyright 1978 Bleu Disque Music Co., Inc and Taco Tunes
TRANSCRIPT:
This ain’t no Mud Club or CBGB’s– this is the “I’m In Love With That Song” podcast. My name is Brad Page, and each episode of this show, I pick a favorite song and we poke it and prod it, unearthing all the elements that go into making it a great song. Musical knowledge or experience is not required here, the only prerequisite is a little curiosity and a lot of love for music.
On this edition, we’re digging into a song by the progenitors of punk, the forefathers from Forest Hills– The Ramones and “I Want To Be Sedated”.
The Ramones came together around 1974, when guitarist John Cummings and bassist Doug Covid recruited Jeffrey Hyman to play drums in their new band.
Doug was the first one to change his name. Inspired by a fake name that Paul McCartney used to use, he changed his name to Dee Dee Ramone. He convinced the others to change their names, too. So, John became Johnny Ramone and Jeffrey became Joey Ramone. It didn’t take long for Dee Dee to realize that he wasn’t any good at playing bass and singing at the same time, so Joey took over lead vocals, and then he realized that he couldn’t sing and play the drums. So their would-be manager, Tommy Erdelyi, changed his name to Tommy Ramone and became their drummer.
They played their first gig in March 1974. Their songs were fast, short and loud. Dressed in black leather jackets, these guys were not Greenwich Village hippies. This was something new. They became regulars at CBGB’s, and in 1975, they signed a contract with Sire Records. They released their first self-titled album in 1976, a total of 14 original songs. The longest song clocking in at a breakneck 2 minutes and 35 seconds. That album is a classic.
They recorded two more albums, but by 1978, Tommy was tired of the relentless touring and left the band. But he would continue to work with them as their producer. They recruited a new drummer, Mark Bell, who had played with Richard Hell, Wayne County, and a band called Dust, and rechristened him Marky Ramone.
They started work on their fourth album, “Road to Ruin”, co-produced by Tommy and Ed Stasium. The Ramones never strayed far from their trademark sounds. But “Road to Ruin” shows just a tiny hint of advancement. There’s some acoustic guitars, short guitar solos, and some of the songs even crack the three minute mark. I think it’s one of their better records, and it contains one of their most enduring songs. “I Want To Be Sedated”.
Their constant touring schedule brought them to London during Christmas 1977. The band was exhausted, and when everything in the city shut down for Christmas, they were stuck at their hotel with nothing to do, nowhere to go. Apparently, after one show, Joey had said to their manager, “put me in a wheelchair and get me on a plane before I go insane”. All of this would work its way into the lyrics to this song.
The song is credited to Joey, Dee Dee, and Johnny Ramone. It’s the track that opens side two of the album.
Like so many great Ramones songs, the track kicks off with a bang, with all instruments coming in together.
From what I can tell, there are probably four guitar parts here. There’s a guitar panned all the way to the left and another to the right. It’s possible that that’s just one guitar in stereo, but I think it’s two separate parts. Those guitars are just chugging away on the power chords, while there’s a third guitar in the middle playing in a higher register. Then there’s another guitar, also in the center channel, playing a twangy single note part, Dwayne Eddy-style. This is a good example of how multiple, pretty simple guitar parts can be layered together to create one big guitar sound.
Let’s take a listen to Joey’s vocal. There’s some classic 1950’s Sun Studio style echo on his voice.
And let’s check out the bass and the drums.
And that guitar break is even simpler than it sounds.
And here’s a key change.
And the hand claps return for this final section.
And that one note guitar part comes back here, too.
The Ramones – “I Want To Be Sedated”
The Ramones recorded over a dozen albums of original material. None of the records were that commercially successful. The band struggled their entire career. It’s so ironic that now that the band has long since broken up and all the original members are gone, now they’re probably more well-known than ever. They still probably sell more t-shirts than records. I bet half the people wearing Ramone’s t-shirts barely know anything about the band. But there’s no question how important they are in the history of rock and roll and how influential they were. Spanning decades, they inspired the British punks in the ‘70’s well as bands like Nirvana in the 90’s. It’s just a shame the guys didn’t live long enough to enjoy this success.
Joey Ramone died from lymphoma in 2001. Dee Dee died from a heroin overdose in 2002. It was prostate cancer that took Johnny Ramone in 2004, and Tommy died from cancer in 2014. But Marky Ramone, who plays drums on this song, is still with us today.
And that will do it for this episode of the “I’m In Love With That Song” podcast. New episodes are released on the 1st and the 15th of every month, so I’ll be back with you in about two weeks with a new show. You can find all of our previous episodes on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Amazon, Google, pretty much anywhere where podcasts are available. And of course, they’re all on our website too: Lovethatsongpodcast.com.
Keep in touch with us on Facebook, just search for the “I’m In Love With That Song” podcast, or on Podchaser, where you can leave reviews and comments and feedback.
This show is part of the Pantheon family of podcasts, where you’ll find plenty of other great music related shows to check out.
Thanks for listening to this episode of the “I’m In Love With That Song” podcast. Remember to support the artists you love by buying their music. Take a few bucks out of your pocket and buy that album, that CD, or those m p three files. Now everybody sing along, as the Ramones play us out with “I Want To Be Sedated”.
REFERENCES:
The Ramones https://www.ramones.com/
CBGB http://www.cbgb.com/
Sire Records https://www.sirerecords.com/
Wayne County https://www.allmusic.com/artist/wayne-county-the-electric-chairs-mn0000247765
Dust (Band) https://www.discogs.com/artist/
Pantheon Podcasts https://pantheonpodcasts.com/
I’m in Love with That Song Podcast on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/lovethatsongpodcast
I’m in Love with That Song Podcast on Podchaser https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/im-in-love-with-that-song-688085
"See No Evil" (Verlaine) Copyright 1977 Double Exposure Music Ltd. ASCAP
Television came out of the CBGB’s scene in New York (in fact, they were the first rock band to play the legendary club), but they never fit the “Punk” or “New Wave” label. They were unique, which is why their debut album Marquee Moon sounds timeless, as fresh today as the day it was released in 1977. Fronted by two great guitarists– the mercurial Richard Lloyd and the enigmatic Tom Verlaine, who also provided unorthodox vocals and most of the songwriting– Television would influence generations of bands that followed. Though they never achieved commercial success, Marquee Moon regularly appears on virtually every “Greatest Albums Of All Time” list. On this episode, we explore the track that opens the album, “See No Evil“.
“See No Evil” (Verlaine) Copyright 1977 Double Exposure Music Ltd. ASCAP
TRANSCRIPT:
Hello once again, fellow music travelers. My name is Brad Page, and this is the “I’m In Love With That Song” podcast, coming to you on the Pantheon Podcast Network. Each episode of this show, I pick a favorite song and try to get a handle on why it’s such a great song; what is it about this song that draws me in? Hopefully you find something in each of these songs, too. We don’t get deep into technical details or music theory, I’d rather talk about the arrangement, the performances, the production, and the emotional effect of the song. Our journey on this edition of the “I’m In Love With That Song” podcast brings us to the band Television and the song “See No Evil”.
[Music]
A couple of years ago, back on Episode 39 of this podcast, we explored a song by Richard Lloyd, one of the guitarists in Television, and we talked about Television quite a bit then. But last year– in fact, one year ago this month– we lost Tom Verlaine, the other guitarist and primary singer and songwriter for television. He passed away on January 28, 2023. So, I wanted to revisit Television and dive into one of their classic songs.
Television was one of the first, if not the first, so-called punk band to play the legendary CBGB’s club in New York City, and were critical in launching the punk and new wave movement that changed music history. Television was founded in late 1973 when two friends, Richard Myers and Tom Miller, who had run away to New York City in the 60’s, met a guitarist named Richard Lloyd, and they recruited a drummer, Billy Ficca. Billy had played with Myers and Miller before, in a band called Neon Boys, but they never went anywhere. Myers and Miller were actually more successful writing and publishing their own poetry. By the time Television came together, guitarist Miller had changed his name to Tom Verlaine, and Myers, on bass, became Richard Hell. This kind of self-invention is an essential element in the sound and the approach of Television. This was the era of glitter and glam, of long hair and Led Zeppelin. But Television, largely driven by the aesthetic of Richard Hell, wore their hair short and dressed in tattered clothes. Legend has it that Malcolm McLaren was inspired by Richard Hell’s look and brought that image back to England, and the Sex Pistols who he managed.
Patty Smith was there for Television’s early gigs at CBGB’s and as a writer and a critic for magazines like Cream, she was an early booster of Television and the whole CBGB scene, publicizing the sights and the sounds and helping to create the mythology that was the New York punk scene of the 1970’s.
In 1974, the band went into the studio to lay down some demos with Brian Eno producing. But Verlaine was not happy with the results, and no record label signed the band. So they returned to CBGB’s, playing two sets a night. These Eno demo tapes have never been officially released and remain among the most legendary, infamous bootlegs, much like the Beatles in Hamburg, Germany.
Television’s steady gigs at CBGB’s tightened them up and refined their sound. But tensions grew between Verlaine and Hell, as Verlane became more and more the focus of the band, and Hell quit the band in April 1975. It was a pretty acrimonious split. He was replaced by Fred Smith, who’d been playing bass with Blondie.
The band got tighter, better, and some songs got longer, with extended dueling guitars between Verlaine and Lloyd. This interplay is one of the most important elements in Television sound, right up there with Verlaine’s lyrics and idiosyncratic voice. Bands with two distinctive lead guitarists were not new, but Television brought the guitar solo into a punk and new wave context in a unique way. And it’s the thing that I love the most about this band.
Finally, around 1976, Television signed a recording contract with Electra Records. By this point, the Ramones, Blondie, Talking Heads and Patty Smith had already released albums, even though Television had been on the scene first. They hit the studio in November ‘76 with producer Andy Johns, whose resume includes albums by Led Zeppelin and the Stones. Andy Johns has worked on some of the greatest records of all time. Verlane said they chose Andy Johns because he got decent rock and roll sounds without messing with the arrangements.
The first television album, “Marquee Moon”, was recorded in three weeks. The band wanted to keep the sound stripped down and minimal. No horns or strings, no synthesizers, no acoustic guitars. They wanted to capture their live sound, but they had spent months before rehearsing for the record, and they were ready.
Their debut album, “Marquee Moon”, is widely considered one of the greatest debut albums of all time. An incredibly influential album, even though sales-wise it was considered a flop. It sold less than 80,000 copies in the US and didn’t even crack the Billboard Top 200. But today, look at any list of the greatest albums of all time and you’re guaranteed to find Television’s “Marquee Moon” on that list somewhere. It’s just another example where sales and charts are no indication of greatness.
The album opens with the song “See No Evil”. “See No Evil” was written by Tom Verlaine and performed by Billy Ficca on drums, Fred Smith on bass, Richard Lloyd on guitar, and Tom Verlaine on guitar and lead vocals. It was produced by Andy Johns and Tom Verlaine.
The track begins with Verlaine’s guitar on the left. The bass comes in with a few notes high up on the neck, and then the drums join in, along with Richard Lloyd’s guitar on the right.
Now, let’s take a closer look at the guitars here, because there’s two very different approaches happening: Tom Verlaine’s guitar is about as straightforward as you can get. It’s one guitar track, no overdubs or doubling of parts. Just Tom on his 1958 Fender jazz master, probably playing through a Music Man 410HD amplifier.
Lloyd, on the other hand, is playing multiple parts, doubled, tripled or more. Most likely, he’s playing his Fender 1961 Stratocaster through a Fender Super Reverb amp. So, you’ve got this mix of simplicity and complexity going on. Let’s hear that intro again.
This is where Tom Verlaine’s vocals come in for the first verse. Verlane’s vocals are easily the most punky thing about the band. If they had had a different, more traditional singer, they might not have even been lumped in with punk or new wave. Underneath the vocal, the band keeps churning, especially Richard Lloyd’s guitar and Billy Ficca’s drums, both giving the song the sound of a repetitive, unstoppable machine. Remember, this is the first song on their first album, and the first thing we hear out of Tom Verlaine’s mouth is “What I want, I want now” — quite a statement of purpose from a young band breaking new ground.
That delivers us to the first chorus. As the backing vocals repeat, “I see no”, Verlaine sings over the top, “I understand all destructive urges, it seems so perfect”. And then the band builds to a climax on “I see no evil”.
I love that chorus. There’s just so much great stuff going on there. Let’s listen to the bass and drums first. Listening to them by themselves, you might get the impression of a disco song. This was New York in 1976. Disco was at its peak and hadn’t worn out its welcome yet. That sound was in the air everywhere in New York City at that time, and a little bit of that flavor made its way into this track.
Add the guitars back in and they bring the edgier rock and roll elements again. Listen to the contrasts between the guitars. Verlaine’s guitar on the left plays big slashing chords, bringing the aggression, while Richard Lloyd’s guitar is playing arpeggios on the right, adding a sense of suspended tension, waiting to be resolved by that final walk down the scale to return to the verse melody.
And here we have the second verse. Let’s talk about Verlaine’s lyrics for a minute. Rarely anything literal, his lyrics move from really clever wordplay to indecipherable phrases. This verse has a little of both. It begins, “I get ideas, I get a notion, I want a nice little boat made out of ocean”. I like that one.
Then it continues. “I get your point. You’re so sharp”. That’s great. And then he sings “Getting good reactions with your Bebo talk”. Now, if you have any idea what “Bebo talk” means, please let me know. I think maybe only Tom Verlaine understood that line.
Now, if I had to guess, I would say that he was singing “when your people talk” there. But according to the official lyric sheet that comes with the album, it’s “Bebo talk”, so your guess is as good as mine.
There’s a nice, tasteful little drum fill there by Billy Ficca, and that gets us into the next chorus.
This time. Let’s bring up the vocals on the chorus.
That scream at the end there is great. That leads right into a guitar solo by Richard Lloyd. Both Verlaine and Lloyd were excellent soloists with their own distinctive style. On some Television tracks, they trade lines or play off of each other, but on this song, Richard Lloyd takes the solo by himself. He’s overdubbed this solo. You can hear his multi layered, repetitive pattern continuing to play in the right channel while the solo sits on top, in the middle. He begins with a melodically climbing pattern.
He tosses off some rapid-fire licks there, and then plays a descending phrase that has a middle eastern feel to it. I really like this bit a lot.
Again, some pretty flashy playing there at the end. As guitarists, both Lloyd and Verlaine were in a whole other league compared to most of the bands on the CBGB scene.
Let’s bring up the bass and the drums on this final verse.
Verlaine concludes this verse by returning to the opening lines, “what I want, I want now and it’s a whole lot more than anyhow”. And then he adds, “get it?” to drive the point home.,
Now as we reach the end of the song, they kind of merge the verse and the chorus together. Here’s what the guitars, bass and drums start playing. On top of that, you have one voice repeating “I see no evil”, while at the same time, another voice sings variations on “I’m running wild with the one I love. Pull down the future with the one you love”. It’s a somewhat chaotic but exuberant call to action. It’s a great way to end the song, and to open one of the most essential albums in rock history.
The bass is really grooving during this part. There’s also a guitar playing a nice little descending part in there, too.
Television – “See No Evil”.
Many critics raved after the release of the “Marquis Moon” album, the band toured both the US and the UK. They were more successful overseas, but in the US, outside of New York, they were relegated to playing clubs and college towns. Verlaine believed that the band were just too closely identified with that New York scene and that the punk label hurt them.
The band was broke. At one point, they had to sell all of their equipment just to survive, and Richard Lloyd was developing a serious heroin habit. The band recorded their second album, “Adventure”, released in April 1978. The album doesn’t really capture the magic of that first record. For one thing, Richard Lloyd had been hospitalized for weeks due to a heart condition caused by his drug abuse, and so his participation on that second album was limited.
At any rate, the second record fared no better than the first, and by July 1978, Television called it quits. Years later, a few reunions would follow, and they even recorded one final album in 1992.
As I mentioned at the top of the show, Tom Verlaine passed away one year ago, on January 28, 2023. He was 73 at the time of this recording. Billy Ficca, Fred Smith, and Richard Lloyd are still with us.
Thanks for listening to this episode of the “I’m In Love With That Song” podcast. I will be back in two weeks with another new episode. Until then, catch up on all of our previous shows on our website, lovethatsongpodcast.com. Or you can also find us on any podcast, app or service– Amazon, Google, Apple, Spotify, iHeartRadio, Yada yada yada, this podcast is available on all of them.
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On behalf of everyone here at the Pantheon podcast Network, I thank you for supporting all of our shows, and thanks for listening to this episode on “See No Evil” by Television.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: Television (band) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Television_(band)
CBGB’s club https://www.cbgb.com/
Tom Verlaine https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Verlaine
Richard Lloyd https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Lloyd_(guitarist)
Buzzcocks - "What Do I Get?" (Pete Shelley) Copyright 1978 Complete Music Limited
Back in ’77, one thing UK punk bands didn’t have much use for was love songs. But Pete Shelley of the Buzzcocks wrote what could be called “modern love songs”; honest songs about longing, romance, loneliness, and yes, love — all laced with self-deprecating humor. But their music was aggressive, all raging guitars, pounding drums & pummeling bass. With those thoughtful (dare I say, sensitive) lyrics on top, it was the best of both worlds. On this episode, we take a deep dive into the Buzzcocks classic “What Do I Get?”.
"Glad I'm Not Young" (Graham Day) Copyright 2008 Graham Day (MCPS)
After a few longer-than-usual episodes, I thought it was time for a
quick take on a straight-forward rocker with a premise not often heard
in rock, pop, metal or rap — Graham Day & The Gaolers (pronounced
“Jailers”) with “Glad I’m Not Young”.
“Glad I’m Not Young” (Graham Day) Copyright 2008 Graham Day (MCPS)
"Me & You & Jackie Mittoo" (James August Wilbur, Jonathan Patrick Wurster, Laura Jane Ballance, Ralph Lee Mccaughan) Copyright 2013 All The Songs Sound The Same Music
Do we expect too much from music? A great song can do a lot, but it can’t fix everything. This song is 2 minutes of joy… sometimes, that’s enough.
“Me & You & Jackie Mittoo” (James August Wilbur, Jonathan Patrick Wurster, Laura Jane Ballance, Ralph Lee Mccaughan) Copyright 2013 All The Songs Sound The Same Music
"Stupefaction" (Graham Parker) Copyright 1980 Street Music
Graham Parker arose from the UK Pub Rock scene, a back-to-basics sound that was a precursor to Punk. Along with his band, The Rumour (which included guitarist Brinsley Schwarz, a legend in his own right), he recorded a handful of essential albums in the ’70’s and has released a string of great records throughout his long career. A notable songwriter with a distinct edge and a wonderfully biting voice, he’s influenced many artists that followed. Here’s one song that represents everything I love about Graham Parker.
“Stupefaction” (Graham Parker) Copyright 1980 Street Music
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