The Blow-Up
The Blow-Up | ||||
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Live album by Television | ||||
Released | 1982 | |||
Recorded | 1978 | |||
Venue | CBGB | |||
Label | ROIR[1] | |||
Television chronology | ||||
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The Blow-Up is a live album by the American band Television, released as The Blow Up on cassette in 1982.[2][3] It was reissued in 1990 and again in 1999.[4][5] The songs first appeared on a bootleg titled Arrow.[6]
Production
Recorded at CBGB in 1978, the album was released four years after the band broke up.[7][8] It contains covers of "Knockin' on Heaven's Door" and "Satisfaction".[9] ROIR allegedly acquired the recording from the fan who had bootlegged the band's shows; The Blow-Up's sound quality is typical of a bootlegged recording.[10][11][12] "Little Johnny Jewel" had previously only been issued as a single.[13]
Critical reception
Review scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Robert Christgau | B+[15] |
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
The Rolling Stone Album Guide | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
St. Petersburg Times | B[17] |
Spin Alternative Record Guide | 9/10[13] |
Robert Christgau, who cowrote the liner notes, stated that, "as with so many ROIR cassettes (and commercial tapes in general), audio makes the difference between a laudable document and living history," and called the version of "Little Johnny Jewel" "definitive."[15] The New York Times praised the "lyrical, incendiary" renditions.[18]
AllMusic wrote that the album "comes awfully close to being an essential document, simply because the band's studio albums didn't always capture the rawness and spontaneity that fueled their on-stage improvisations."[14] In 1990, The Philadelphia Inquirer determined that The Blow-Up "captures the heady intensity of the best guitar band to come out of New York's late-'70s punk/new-wave scene."[19] The Vancouver Sun admired the "breathtaking dual guitar interplay."[20] Spin listed the 1999 reissue as one of the five best of the year, deeming "Little Johnny Jewel" "the height of love between man and E-string."[21]
Track listing
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "The Blow-Up" | |
2. | "See No Evil" | |
3. | "Prove It" | |
4. | "Elevation" | |
5. | "I Don't Care" | |
6. | "Venus de Milo" | |
7. | "Foxhole" | |
8. | "Ain't That Nothin'" | |
9. | "Knockin' on Heaven's Door" | |
10. | "Little Johnny Jewel" | |
11. | "Friction" | |
12. | "Marquee Moon" | |
13. | "Satisfaction" |
References
- ^ Hart, Ron (Apr 19, 1999). "Reviews". CMJ New Music Report. Vol. 58, no. 614. p. 29.
- ^ "Television's The Blow-Up". Bomb.
- ^ Thompson, Dave (September 17, 2000). Alternative Rock. Hal Leonard Corporation.
- ^ Kot, Greg (26 Apr 1990). "ROIR, aka Reachout International Records Inc., is a cassette-only...". Tempo. Chicago Tribune. p. 14.
- ^ Mathur, Paul (May 1, 1999). "The Blow Up". Melody Maker. Vol. 76, no. 17. p. 36.
- ^ Gale, Ezra (December 16, 1999). "Frank Emilio, Television". Rotations. Miami New Times.
- ^ a b MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide. Visible Ink Press. 1999. p. 1129.
- ^ "Television". Trouser Press. Retrieved 17 September 2022.
- ^ "Rhythm & Views (June 10 - June 16, 1999)". Tucson Weekly.
- ^ Bowman, David (April 6, 1999). "Guitar refugees". Salon.
- ^ "12 O'Clock Track: Listen to Television rock out in 1978". Chicago Reader. March 11, 2014.
- ^ a b The Rolling Stone Album Guide. Random House. 1992. p. 696.
- ^ a b Spin Alternative Record Guide. Vintage Books. 1995. pp. 398–399.
- ^ a b "Television The Blow-Up". AllMusic.
- ^ a b "Television". Robert Christgau.
- ^ Larkin, Colin (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Vol. 8. MUZE. p. 83.
- ^ Vivinetto, Gina (16 July 1999). "Three Punk Bands Live". Weekend. St. Petersburg Times. p. 14.
- ^ Palmer, Robert (24 Nov 1982). "The Pop Life". The New York Times. p. C13.
- ^ Milward, John (29 Mar 1990). "A Record Firm That Zigs While All the Rest Zag". The Philadelphia Inquirer. p. E1.
- ^ Mackie, John (16 June 1990). "Verlaine the enigma returns". Vancouver Sun. p. H7.
- ^ Dolan, Jon (Jan 2000). "Five Best Reissues". Spin. Vol. 16, no. 1. p. 78.
- v
- t
- e
- Tom Verlaine
- Richard Lloyd
- Richard Hell
- Fred Smith
- Billy Ficca
- Jimmy Rip
- Marquee Moon
- Adventure
- Television
- The Blow-Up
- Live at the Old Waldorf
- "Marquee Moon"
- "Prove It"