In some quarters there has been a resurgence in appreciation for British band Television Personalities, and we find it a very welcome development, indeed. Last July, Fire Records reissued the band's first four albums, spanning the period 1980-1984 and bringing to new and old fans some of the finest lo-fi indie pop or the '80s. Also last fall, Canadian label The Beautiful Music released a double CD collection of covers of Television Personalities' songs, which we commend to any fan. Alan McGee credited Television Personalities as his inspiration for starting Creation Records, and a small list of the many bands whose lineage can be traced to Television Personalities as an include MGMT, the Libertines, The Pains of Being Pure at Heart, Vivian Girls, Crystal Stilts, and The Mantles.
Television Personalities released Privilege, their sixth full length, in 1989. But main man Dan Treacy had written a couple of albums of material and Treacy and co-conspirator number 1, Jowe Head, kept recording in Head's apartment. The resulting material was release only as a cassette entitled Beautiful Despair, and then sadly seemingly lost in the mists of time. However, fulfilling their self-appointed and much needed role of saving worthy music from the dustbin, Fire Records has made Beautiful Despair available again in vinyl, CD and digital formats. We think it is vital, timeless music that no fan of indie pop should be without. And it is a great companion to the other TP albums, which no indie fan should be without. We like it a lot -- can you tell?
Bandcamp for Beautiful Despair
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