Alternative TV is a British punk band formed in 1977 in London , England and performing high-speed atonal avant-garde rock. The core of the ensemble is freelance journalist Mark Perry (aka Mark P.), who had a reputation as a “true underground punk rock spokesman” [1] and bass player Alex Ferguson, who was originally influenced by Can and Frank Zappa .
| Alternative TV | |
|---|---|
 Mark Perry in New York, 2003 | |
| basic information | |
| Genres | punk rock postpunk art punk noise rock |
| Years | c 1977 to 1981 1985 - 1998 2014 - up to now time |
| A country |  Great Britain |
| Where from | London england |
| Labels | |
| Composition | Mark P. Alex Ferguson Tyrone Thomas Chris Bennett Denis Burns |
| Former the participants | Genesis P-Orridge Kim turner John toe Mick Linehan Alan Gruner Ray Weston Dave George Steve canell |
| Official site | |
Content
Group History
In July 1976, Mark Perry quit his job as a bank clerk and founded the first punk fanzine Sniffin 'Glue , taking himself the pseudonym Mark P. - in order to preserve unemployment benefits [2] . In March 1977, he formed Alternative TV - with Alex Ferguson (guitar), Mickey Smith (bass) and John Touie (drums), who also played at that time in Generation X [3] . Then, together with Miles Copland, Perry formed the label Step Forward Records , signed contracts with The Fall , Sham 69 , Chelsea and The Cortinas [2] .
Almost immediately, Smith was replaced by Tyrone Thomas, and in the autumn Chris Bennett came instead of Touie. The band's debut release was the Love Lies Limp floppy disk, which was released as an appendix to the September release of Sniffin 'Glue . By the end of the year, Ferguson left to form the band Cash Pussies, and Dennis Burns became the bass player. This, considered the "main", composition and released the first "real" single "How Much Longer?". Subsequent releases were characterized by a complication in sound: Perry was increasingly moving away from punk rock to the avant-garde [3] .
The band's first recordings were compiled on Live At The Rat Club '77 , but came out after Perry released the experimental The Image Has Cracked (1978), done in studio and concert mode, as well as What You See ... Is What You Are (1978), recorded during a tour conducted in conjunction with Here And Now [4] .
Vibing Up A Senile Man (1979), recorded by Perry only with bassist Burns, was distinguished by expressive lyrics, but criticism noted his stylistic inconsistency [4] ; even the band supporting Sounds admitted that the album is impossible to listen to [5] . Strange Kicks (1981) was met with great interest, but this purely new-wave album, full of pop elements ( ska , pop punk , electrodance) turned out to be the last for the group [5] . In March 1979, on stage at Chelmsford, Perry announced that this performance was completing ATV's career [5] . By 1979, retaining partnerships only with Burns, he finally moved to the hippy avant-garde, where for some time he collaborated with Genesis P. Orridge [3] .
In collaboration with another experimental group, The Good Missionaries, Perry released the album Fire From Heaven (1979). Records of the group are also presented on the second side of the Scars on Sunday album; the first was recorded for the last ATV concert [5] . Perry later recorded solo (both under his own name and under the pseudonym Door and the Window ) and also collaborated in the Reflections group with Karl Blake ( Lemon Kittens , Grant Showbiz ).
In 1985, Perry reformed ATV and performed with a variable lineup for the next ten years. The studio album Revolution (2001, Lost Moment Records ) was followed by the “official bootleg” Viva La Rock'n 'Roll - a collection of live recordings made in Germany, France, Greece and the UK. In 2004, Perry recorded “Now I Wanna Sniff Some Glue” for the Argentinean tribute The Ramones - so the world first heard his version of the very song from which his legendary fanzine borrowed the name.
In 2007, Perry formed his own label Sniffin 'Glue Records.
Discography
Albums
- The Image Has Cracked (1978)
- What You See ... Is What You Are (1978)
- Vibing Up A Senile Man (1979)
- Live At The Rat Club '77 (1979)
- Action Time Vision (1980)
- Strange Kicks (1981).
Notes
- ↑ Forgotten Heroes: Mark Perry and ATV . www.soundfreak.com. Date of treatment August 13, 2010. Archived March 1, 2012.
- ↑ 1 2 Mark P. . www.markperry.freeuk.com. Date of treatment August 13, 2010. Archived March 1, 2012.
- ↑ 1 2 3 Alternative TV . - www.hiljaiset.sci.fi. Date of treatment October 21, 2009. Archived March 1, 2012.
- ↑ 1 2 Charles P. Lamey & Jim Green. Alternative TV . www.trouserpress.com. Date of treatment October 21, 2009. Archived March 1, 2012.
- ↑ 1 2 3 4 Dave Thompson. Alternative TV . www.allmusic.com. Date of treatment October 21, 2009. Archived March 1, 2012.
Links
- www.markperry.freeuk.com . - The official website of Mark Perry.