Let The Day Begin...Let The Day Start!: Day 134 - Television Personalities

I feel I must post a disclaimer in the light of this post just incase anyone is under any illusion that I must be getting under the counter payments in brown paper envelopes loaded with cash from Rough Trade Records because today's spotlight falls upon yet another record released on that label. I never have received any such brown envelopes (or white ones for that matter under the counter or even over the counter!) loaded with cash (or even vouchers for records from their stores - though I wouldn't object if someone from Rough Trade were reading this and decided to be kind and send me a voucher or two!). It just seems to be a happy coincidence that for the third day in a row that a band and record I've chosen to spotlight is by an artist that was on Rough Trade Records. Conspiracy theorists be gone now!

Television Personalities have their roots in 'O' Level who released their debut single East Sheen on Psycho Records in 1978 and The Malcom McLaren Life Story EP on Kings Road Records in 1978. Ed Ball's school friend Dan Treacy invited him to join him to record some material and Ed brought along John and Gerrard Bennett (who also happened to be members of 'O' Level, a band that had been on the go since 1976). This coming together brought forth the fruit of the debut single by Television Personalities (though at the time they were called Teen '78) - 14th Floor / Oxford Street W.1, released on GLC Records.

'O' Level and Television Personalites even though they were both formed in and around the time of Punk are, it could be argued, are the Godfathers of the 80s Indie sound of jangly guitars and mixing it up with 60s Psychedelia! They were doing this a long time before Primal Scream's 'All Fall Down' debut single (1985) and the rest of the C86 crowd! But as Chas Smash of Madness once said, "Don't Quote Me On That" - it's just my opinion and not necessarily gospel truth!

...And Don't The Kids Just Love It is another of the great unheralded debut albums that seems to have been forgotten...a good case for bringing it into the spotlight today!

...And Don't The Kids Just Love It - Television Personalities

Rough Trade

Producer Vic Hammersmith-Broadway

Released January 1981

Tracklisting for Original LP Release

A1     This Angry Silence     2:39
A2     The Glittering Prizes     3:01
A3     World Of Pauline Lewis     2:38
A4     A Family Affair     2:36
A5     Silly Girl     2:49
A6     Diary Of A Young Man     3:59
A7     Geoffrey Ingram     2:15
B1     I Know Where Syd Barret Lives     2:34
B2     Jackanory Stories     3:04
B3     Parties In Chelsea     1:41
B4     La Grande Illusion     3:33
B5     A Picture Of Dorian Gray     2:13
B6     The Crying Room     1:59
B7     Look Back In Anger     2:40

Television Personalities are probably most famous for their Where's Bill Grundy Now EP.  It was originally released in 1978 on Kings Road Records and then reissued in conjunction with Rough Trade in 1979 mainly due to the popularity of the EP.

A-Side

Part-Time Punks.

Where's Bill Grundy.

B-Side

Happy Families.

Posing at the Roundhouse.

 Let The Day Begin...Let The Day Start!