Alternative TV

Alternative TV
Mark Perry in NYC 2003
Background information
Origin	London, England
Genres	Punk rock, post-punk
Years active	1976–79, 1981, 1985–98
Labels	Deptford Fun City N.B. Cherry Red I.R.S. Noiseville Anagram Chapter 22 Overground
Past members	Mark Perry Alex Fergusson Tyrone Thomas Chris Bennett John Towe Dennis Burns Alan Gruner Ray Weston Dave Gerorge 'Protag' 'Nag' Steve Cannell Alison Philips James Kyllo Clive Giblin Bob Leith Karl Blake Tony Barber Jools Holland Genesis P-Orridge Steve Jameson Kif Kif Stefie Sharpstrings Sam Dobson Brian James Pete Brown Terry Edwards Ed Ball Susie Webb Yvette Eady Mika Mizushima Mike Cook Roddy Frame Annie Stubbs Siobhan Davigneau Kevin Mann Lee McFadden Steve Carter

Alternative TV (sometimes known as ATV) were an English rock band, formed in London in 1976. Their punk rock and post-punk sound was influential for several musical artists.

History

Alternative TV were formed by Mark Perry, the founding editor of Sniffin' Glue punk fanzine, with Perry, Michael Abbott (aka Mick Smith) on bass and Alex Fergusson. Early rehearsals took place at Throbbing Gristle's Industrial Records studio with Genesis P-Orridge on drums; recordings from this period appeared, long afterwards, on the Industrial Sessions CD. The band's first live appearance was in Nottingham supporting The Adverts.

The band's debut on record was "Love Lies Limp", a free flexi disc issued with the final edition of Perry's Sniffin' Glue fanzine. On this single Perry and Fergusson were accompanied by John Towe (ex Generation X) and Tyrone Thomas. Towe left to join The Rage and was replaced by Chris Bennett. This line-up was the most straightforwardly "punk" version of ATV, although they combined short fast songs with extended pieces such as "Alternatives To NATO", in which Perry read an anarchist political text and envisaged the possibility of a Soviet invasion of Britain. Shortly afterwards they released the "How Much Longer" / "You Bastard" 7" in December 1977. The A-side was a pointed critique of punk style: "How much longer will people wear/Nazi armbands and dye their hair?"

At the end of 1977, Perry sacked his chief collaborator and co-writer Fergusson. The latter went on to form the short-lived Cash Pussies and, a few years later, Psychic TV along with Genesis P-Orridge. He was replaced in ATV by Dennis Burns.

A dub influenced single, "Life after Life," was released as well as a debut album, The Image Has Cracked. The band's second album, Vibing Up the Senile Man, saw the band take a more explicitly experimental direction however, which alienated both the music press and audiences. A recording of one gig which ended in a violent stage invasion can be heard on the cassette-only release Scars on Sunday. Around the same time, a live LP, split with commune-dwelling hippy band Here and Now was released (a document of their tour together), marking the band's movement further away from the ever more predictable punk/new wave scene. Alternative TV soon evolved into the avant-garde project, The Good Missionaries (taking the name from a track on the 'Vibing' album), releasing one album, Fire From Heaven in 1979. Perry released a solo album, Snappy Turns, and joined the experimental duo The Door And The Window on their debut album Detailed Twang before he, Burns and Fergusson briefly reformed Alternative TV along with former members of Fergusson's Cash Pussies in 1981. The reconstituted ATV released one album, Strange Kicks, a venture into light pop songs unlike any of their previous work, produced by Richard Mazda.

From 1981 to 1982 Perry had a new project, The Reflections, a band with Nag from The Door And The Window, Karl Blake (of The Lemon Kittens) and Grant Showbiz among others. They produced an album, Slugs And Toads, and a single, "4 Countries", before disintegrating.

Perry reformed ATV in 1985. This line up started with Karl Blake, Steve Cannell and Allison Philips. Protag and then Clive Giblin featured later on guitar and ATV released further records on and off over the following decade or so with varying line-ups, Perry being the only constant member. Another line up followed with James Kyllo and Steve Cannell which lead to the releases of "Sol" and "Dragon Love".

Lost Moment Records released the 2001 studio album, "Revolution", followed in 2003 by the official bootleg album "Viva La Rock'n' Roll – consisting of live performances recorded in the UK, France, Germany and the US. In 2004 Mark finally gave in to logic and recorded the Ramones classic "Now I Wanna Sniff Some Glue" for a Lost Moment Single and an Argentinian Ramones tribute CD, and the world heard at last his version of the song that his pioneering fanzine took its name from. Cleopatra Records released a compilation of the Lost Moment output for the US market in February 2006, entitled "In Control".

Mark Perry is currently (Dec 2006) in the process of forming the new Sniffin' Glue Records label, which will feature a third Long Decline album as its first release.

Cover versions

The Chameleons Regularly closed their gigs with a cover of Splitting In 2.

Savage Republic Covered Viva La Rock 'N' Roll on their 1988 LP Jamahiriya Democratique Et Populaire De Sauvage

Discography

Albums

• The Image Has Cracked (1978, Deptford Fun City, LP, DLP01)
• Vibing Up The Senile Man (Part One) (1978, Deptford Fun City, LP, DLP03)
• Strange Kicks (1981, I.R.S., LP, SP70023)
• Peep Show (1987, Anagram Records, LP, GRAM32) (reissued on CD 1996, Overground, OVER54CD)
• Dragon Love (1990, Chapter 22, LP, CHAPLP51)
• My Life As A Child Star (1994, Overground, CD, OVER39CD) (reissued 1995, Feel Good All Over, CD, FGAO16)
• Punk Life (1998, Overground, CD, OVER70CD)
• Apollo (1999)

Singles

• "Love Lies Limp" (1977, S. G. Records Unltd, 7" flexi)
• "How Much Longer" (1977, Deptford Fun City, 7", DFC02)
• "Life After Life" (1977, Deptford Fun City, 7", DFC04)
• "Action Time Vision" (1978, Deptford Fun City, 7", DFC07)
• "Life"/"Love Lies Limp" (1978, Deptford Fun City, 7", DFC05)
• "The Force Is Blind" (1979, Deptford Fun City, 7", DFC10)
• "The Ancient Rebels" (1981, I.R.S., 7", PFP1006)
• "Communicate" (1981, I.R.S., 7", PFP1009)
• "Welcome To The End Of Fun" (1986, Noiseville Records, 12", VOO1T)
• Love/Sex EP (1986, Noiseville Records, 12", VOO2T)
• "My Baby's Laughing (Empty Summer's Dream)" (1987, Anagram, 12", ANA36)
• The Sol EP (1990, Chapter 22, 12", 12CHAP46)
• "Best Wishes" (1994, Feel Good All Over, 7", FGAO6)
• "Purpose In My Life" (1995, Feel Good All Over, 7", FGAO22)

Splits

• Scars On Sunday (1980, Weird Noise, CAS, WEIRD001) (split with The Good Missionaries)
• An Ye As Well (1980, Conventional, CAS, CON14) (split with The Good Missionaries)

Compilation & Live

• What You See Is What You Are (1978, Deptford Fun City, LP, DLP02) (live LP, shared with Here & Now)
• Action Time Vision (1980, Deptford Fun City, LP, DLP05)
• Live At The Rat Club '77 (1979, Crystal Records, LP, CLP1)
• Splitting In 2 – Selected Viewing (1989, Anagram, LP, GRAM40) (compilation)
• Live 1978 (1993, Overground, CD, OVER29)
• The Image Has Cracked – The Alternative TV Collection (1994, Anagram, CD, CDPUNK24) (compilation)
• The Radio Sessions (1995, Overground, CD, OVER44CD)
• The Industrial Sessions 1977 (1996, Overground, CD, OVER49CD)
• Vibing Up The Senile Man – The Second Alternative TV Collection (1996, Anagram, CD, CDMGRAM102) (compilation)
• "25 years of ATV" (2002,Dressed to Kill, CD) (live at CBGBs, April 5, 2001, at Spin magazine's party to celebrate 25 years of punk)
• Black and White: Live (2009, Bongo Beat, CD)

External links

• www.markperry.freeuk.com Alternative TV/Sniffin' Glue website
• Myspace Music profile A fan's MySpace Music site with on-line streaming music player of the singles "Action Time Vision" and "How Much Longer / You Bastard"
• PUNKCAST#349 Live video from CBGB, NYC, on Oct 22, 2003. (RealPlayer)