(TV) New Television song titles revealed!

[Rex Broome <rexbroome@gmail.com>]

On 12/5/05, Casey, Leo J <Leo.J.Casey@volpe.dot.gov> wrote:
>
> Tom might say to Richard to take/play my part
> on "Z" tonight and I'll do the solo on "Y" tonight.


I can't wait to hear these songs (no less plausible TV song titles than
"Squaggle")...

Kidding aside:

>
> Ms Secret X told me quite awhile ago, that sometimes
> Tom gave  almost all of the soloing to Richard (with
> a couple of exceptions such as Prove It or the 2nd
> one in MM)--as several on List have noted in the past
> this mostly happens on nights when Tom just "isn't
> into it". Also--she wrote to the List once saying Tom
> is not adverse (one might even say he's 'magnanimous),
> or isn't insecure about giving others (e.g., Richard )
> most of the spot-light.


Well, I pretty much think that Richard's playing is far better and/or more
varied now than it was in the '70's, great as it was back then.  Tom's
current playing feels like a more refined version of the singular sound he
always had (Leo described it pretty well, IMHO).  Honestly, the
fantastic-ness of Richard at the TV "reunion" shows is kind of a
double-edged sword:  when you go to these shows and Richard sort of
dominates, you have to weigh the benefits of hearing some of the flat-out
greatest guitar playing imaginable vs. the disappointment of hearing less
characteristic Verlaine lead and solo parts than one might expect at a
Television show.  But what is a Television show without some kind of
yin-vs.-yang tension anyway?


Separate but related:
> During all of Tom's electric tours 1981- 1987 he would
> let Ripp play great majority of the solos on songs when
> he could easily have done more of them.
> (In fact a couple of my friends unfamiliar with
> Verlaine/Television's music would sometimes comment on
> first attending a show that
> they were more impressed with Ripp's guitar playing!)


Before reading this I was going to write that I was very glad to have seen
Tom "solo with band" between the Televsion shows I've seen (in '93 and '03,
approx) because the solo show had a lot greater "Tom unleashed" factor,
despite some really impressive work by Ripp.  That was in the '90's, at a
one-off gig and not the '81-'87 period cited by Leo above, but I've heard my
share of live recordings from that period and they seem pretty Tom-centric
(cf. the live MILLER'S TALE disc).  Is it just that those Ripp-dominated
shows have had less staying power in terms of the tapes staying in
circulation?

-Rex
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