TV SMith Acoustic Session Vol 1
TV Smith
And so we have a new TV Smith record, well it slipped through the cracks last year and is new for me. Self released in true DIY Punk rock fashion. When history books are written about UK punk we hear many tales of that first wave of bands like the Clash, Sex Pistols and the Damned. The Adverts are quite often criminally ignored or maybe given some space as a footnote. Their first album, Crossing the red sea with the adverts, is one of the classic albums. It was released in 1978 and featured their hit single whcih was released the previous year, Gary Gilmores Eyes. That debut featured 11 songs all reflections of a Britain not quite burning yet but about to go up in flames.
Like many others they went a bit downhill dealing with the difficult second album. And so Cast of Thousands didn’t quite have the energy and exhuberance of their first offering and the adverts dwindled out. But TV Smith kept going, and kept going and is still travelling on the road to change. He then went to have TV Smiths Explorers and moved on to Cheap before deciding that the best way to travel on this road is as a solo artist. Along the way he picks up passengers and has worked with many artists. Every now and then he joins with Barcelonas Bored Teenagers and they play that first classic album. 36 years later and those songs are still fresh.
He is best known now for his solo gigs. One man and his acoustic guitar. They are celebrations of his life, please for people to take control of their own destiny and reflections on todays society. They are a joy to behold. It has been 3 years sonce his last new recorded solo output but it hasn’t stopped TV writing and including these songs in his set.
The acoustic sessions is TV and his guitar in a studio doing acoustic version of two dozen songs he has recorded over a 30 year period from 1977. From No Time To Be 21 which was on that Crossing the red sea album right through to Not In My Name which asks “Why do i have to show My ID?” before proclaiming “Never Again, Not in My Name”. Not IN My Name was on Misinforation Overload, released in 2006 on Boss Tuneage.
The title would suggest there may be an acoustic session volume 2 which I really hope is gonna happen. The sound neatly captures that live gig feel, the raw acoustic guitar as tv sings with feeling, these are raw stripped down version of punk classics which have certainly stood any time test and show how TV Smith should be a chapter in any punk rock story and the footnotes can be for those who disappeared after their five minutes of fame.
niallhope
