alternative tv
random notes
From:
AMG?
"Although they were sometimes called one of the "founding fathers of
Punk", Alternative TV is probably best known for the scabrous fanzine
("Sniffin' Glue") published by lead singer Mark Perry (a.k.a. Mark P).
Here's what John Dougan of the All-Music Guide has to say about it:
"Perry's 'zine embodied punk's tear-it-down ethos with a wonderfully
petulant and sarcastic attitude, a fact that makes his transition to punk
musician such a profound disappointment. Ironically, Perry's band turned out to
be far less interesting than his mimeographed fanzine. Daringly attempting to
add the space-rock influences of Can and the satirical art-rock damage of Frank
Zappa to the, primarily, faster and louder punk zeitgeist, Perry fell from grace
with a resounding thud. The music meandered, the lyrics sounded painfully
overwritten and narcissistic, and Perry's tuneless 'singing' didn't help at all.
Oddly enough, Alternative TV did produce some worthwhile music and had a long
career for a band so conspicuously lacking in talent (Perry led a version of
this band until 1990). From 1979-1980, Perry led an equally mediocre band called
the Good Missionaries, who had the good sense to call it a career after one
record."
From:
EMDEBE@village.uunet.be
Alternative TV - which is Mark Perry (guitar, vocals), Chris Bennett (drums),
Dennis Burns (bass) and Tyrone Thomas (bass) - have recorded two versions of
"Why Don't You Do Me Right?".
From:
EMDEBE@village.uunet.be
The oldest one is on the album "Live At Rat Club '77"; although the
album dates from 1979 (Crystal Records), all tracks were recorded live at the
"Pindar of Wakefield" pub in 1977; the pub (328 Grays Inn Road,
London) was owned/run by a guy called Brian "Rat" Davies, hence the
"Rat Club". The album is available on CD through Obsession
Records/Jungle ( OBSESS CD 005), since 1993. Track list: Memphis Tennessee
(Berry), Love Lies Limp (Fergusson/Perry), My Hand Was Still Wet
(Fergusson/Perry), Sleep In Bed (Fergusson/Perry), Life (Fergusson/Perry), How
Much Longer (Fergusson/Perry), Alternatives to NATO (Lancaster
Anarchists/Fergusson/Perry), You Bastard (Fergusson/Perry), Why Don't You Do Me
Right? (Zappa), Total Switch Off (Fergusson/Perry). The FZ composition lasts
03:53 minutes. Be aware though that "this recording was made on a portable
mono cassette player, and therefore is not of conventional sound quality",
as it says on the back of the CD...
The other version is on an 1978 album called "The Image Has Cracked"
(Deptford Fun City, DLP 01), which contains live material, taped at the
"100 Club" on 7th February 1978, by Basing Street Mobile (it was mixed
and produced at Central Recorders, London). Track list: Alternatives
(Fergusson/Perry), Action Time Vision (Fergusson/Perry), Why Don't You Do Me
Right? (Zappa), Good Times (Bennett/Burns/Perry/Thomas), Still Life
(Fergusson/Perry), Viva La Rock 'N' Roll (Bennett/Burns/Perry), Nasty Little
Lonely (Bennett/Burns/Perry), Red (Perry), Splitting In Two (Perry). The FZ
composition lasts 03:10 minutes. The album cover has several pictures on it, one
of them (on the back) is showing Mark Perry lying on the ground with beside him
his favorite LP: "We're Only In It For The Money"!
Alternative
TV- The Image Has Cracked
1994 CD CDPUNK 24
Just to confuse the Russians, there's also an album called
"The Image Has Cracked - The Alternative TV Collection", released on
Anagram Records (CDPUNK 24), a division of Cherry Red Records Ltd., in 1994.
This CD contains not only the whole of their debut LP ("The Image Has
Cracked" - see above), but also 11 bonus tracks which include all of their
Punk A and B sides, complete with "in-depth" liner notes by Record
Collector's Mark Paytress.
Unfortunately, this album is "out of print",
but... luckily it has been re-issued as a "picture disc" in 1996 (same
reference: Anagram Records, CDPUNK 24), with additional sleeve notes by Mark
Perry.
From:
computeruser (roycobb1@juno.com)
I just got "The Image Has Cracked - The Alternative TV collection" on
Anagram / Cherry Red Records #CD PUNK 24.
It contains a Punk Version of "Why Don't You Do Me Right"
Mark Perry led this band. in the liner it says: "
"Action Time Vision" was a tightly constructed anthem in the old Who/
Mod vein, but less easily digested by identikit-punks was the 'Zappa' composer
credit on "Why Don't You Do Me Right". (In fact, Perry broke another
golden punk 'rule', by being pictured on the cover with his favorite LPs - among
them, the Mothers of Invention's "We're Only In It For The Money",
Love's "Forever Changes" and Captain Beefheart's "Clear
Spot".) The Rest of the Album was Similarly Eclectic, ...."