(TV) Part 1 of 3: Answering My Own Q / Disentangling the Different Set s of Demos: (Sources: Guys Named Heylin, Hell, & Allison) / Patti's Loft !/ Alan Lanier Demos

["Casey, Leo J" <CaseyL@VOLPE.DOT.GOV>]

Part 1 of 3.

"Mirror, mirror on the studio wall, 
When, where, what were they for?" 

I originally asked this on Carried Away, but figured this was a more appropriate forum.
Previously, only Howard responded off-List, so I decided to research this myself.
>Can anyone answer the following: The non-Eno demos are which tracks?  

To disentangle this topic, one has to really want to know the answers, or be a 
maniac (or both).  Other than possibly Keith(The Wonder is 89.4% right on this topic), 
Philp(M.I.A), and Howard(starting to fall down on the job!), I don't believe what follows 
is well-known. Because this is very convoluted and confusing, I'm laying it all out 
below in a sorta 'summation to jury' format, and in exquisite (boring?) detail.  
 
Demos I: 

Fact (A):  According Bryan Williams in Clinton Heylin's "From the Velvets To The 
Voidoids", the Television demos were co-produced by Eno and Richard Williams for 
Island records at a studio named 'Good Vibrations' on Broadway, NYC . From evidence 
below, I show that these demos were recorded in **early March or late February 1975
----NOT in 1974** as several internet sites and articles attest.  Digression:  The next 
time you're at a cocktail party and you want to impress (or scare away) people, ask 
them:  What is the connection between the Beach Boys and the band Television?

Evidence for 1975 instead of 1974: 
In all that follows I assume Heylin is right (except for one instance related to a 
different fact (Fact (B) in Part 2 ).
>From Heylin: "From the point of Hell's departure in March 1975 -- **his final shows 
being the second weekend** of the New York Dolls' [for whom Television opened] 
ill-fated comeback at the Little Hippodrome**-- the succinct little vignettes which 
Verlaine had contributed ....". .  

Research [perpetual calendar or The Wonder] shows that the second weekend in 
March 1975 occurred Sat.-Sun, March 7-8. But Television also opened for the Dolls 
on the next night, Monday, March 9. It is extremely likely that Hell also played Monday 
March 9.  Why? Because after March 9, 1975, Television did not play at a club again 
until March 23 at CBGBs. Therefore, **Hell left Television sometime between March 10 
and March 22**; my best estimate is in the very early morning-hours of March 10, 
immediately after the final Hippodrome show when he probably said F You to Verlaine. 

But wait a minute you say; where did the March 22 come from?   
>From Heylin: "His [Clement Burke] first gig was at CBGBs in March 1975. 
 ...Debbie ... had dressed in jungle furs, which seemed to go down well with the 
largely male audience. **But after the first set** Fred Smith informed them that 
Richard Hell was leaving Television and that he was taking Hell's place.** "  
A case can be made that the Television club dates gap of March 10 - 22 very likely 
occurred so that Fred could learn the songs of his new band (and rehearse) .  
  
A couple of sources claim THAT Hell left Television in April 1975 and Fred Smith  
replaced him  in May 1975.  This can't be true because that would mean that 
Television would have had to play without a bassist for their  20 club performances 
[see Wonder] between March 23--April 30.  (Unless, someone else such as 
Peter Laughner's little cousin filled-in.) 

But what the F does this torturous recount of when exactly Hell left Television 
have to do with the Eno-produced demos? 
Answer: HELL interview by Bryan Swinsky for trakMARX : 
BS: Are there any recordings of that specific era? Other that the oft-bootlegged 
Brian Eno sessions?

HELL: The Eno sessions happened **maybe a month** before I quit. I'd already 
been more or less squeezed out. ..."

Ergo, Eno sessions occurred approximately February 10 - February 22, 1975.

Even more evidence for 1975 instead of 1974:  
>From Heylin: "Though according to Verlaine, Marquee Moon had been written as an 
acoustic ballad before Television even formed, .... **Though Hell manages to stay 
with the song on the Eno demos, and [although] the March 1975 version is not 
greatly different** in construction from the fall 1976 take used as the title track 
on Television's debut album, it is clear Hell did not feel confident extemporizing 
in the manner the other guitar players craved."
 
This seems to indicate Eno-produced demos were done in early March 1975.  

	Leo 
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