The Blow-Up

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]

The Blow-Up
Live album by
Released1982
Recorded1978
VenueCBGB
LabelROIR[1]
Television chronology
Adventure
(1978)
The Blow-Up
(1982)
Television
(1992)

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

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[14]
Robert ChristgauB+[15]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music[16]
MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide[7]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[12]
St. Petersburg TimesB[17]
Spin Alternative Record Guide9/10[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 1999, deeming "Little Johnny Jewel" "the height of love between man and E-string."[21]

Track listing

No.TitleLength
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

  1. Hart, Ron (Apr 19, 1999). "Reviews". CMJ New Music Report. 58 (614): 29.
  2. "BOMB Magazine | Television's The Blow-Up". BOMB Magazine.
  3. Thompson, Dave (September 17, 2000). "Alternative Rock". Hal Leonard Corporation โ€“ via Google Books.
  4. Kot, Greg (26 Apr 1990). "ROIR, aka Reachout International Records Inc., is a cassette-only...". Tempo. Chicago Tribune. p. 14.
  5. Mathur, Paul (May 1, 1999). "The Blow Up". Melody Maker. 76 (17): 36.
  6. Gale, Ezra (December 16, 1999). "Frank Emilio, Television". Rotations. Miami New Times.
  7. MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide. Visible Ink Press. 1999. p. 1129.
  8. "Television". Trouser Press. Retrieved 17 September 2022.
  9. "Tucson Weekly: Rhythm & Views (June 10 - June 16, 1999)". www.tucsonweekly.com.
  10. Bowman, David (April 6, 1999). "Guitar refugees". Salon.
  11. "12 O'Clock Track: Listen to Television rock out in 1978". Chicago Reader. March 11, 2014.
  12. The Rolling Stone Album Guide. Random House. 1992. p. 696.
  13. Spin Alternative Record Guide. Vintage Books. 1995. pp. 398โ€“399.
  14. "Television - The Blow-Up Album Reviews, Songs & More | AllMusic" โ€“ via www.allmusic.com.
  15. "Robert Christgau: CG: Television". www.robertchristgau.com.
  16. Larkin, Colin (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Vol. 8. MUZE. p. 83.
  17. Vivinetto, Gina (16 July 1999). "Three Punk Bands Live". Weekend. St. Petersburg Times. p. 14.
  18. Palmer, Robert (24 Nov 1982). "THE POP LIFE". The New York Times. p. C13.
  19. Milward, John (29 Mar 1990). "A RECORD FIRM THAT ZIGS WHILE ALL THE REST ZAG". The Philadelphia Inquirer. p. E1.
  20. Mackie, John (16 June 1990). "Verlaine the enigma returns". Vancouver Sun. p. H7.
  21. Dolan, Jon (Jan 2000). "Five Best Reissues". Spin. 16 (1): 78.
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