Television Personalities – Beautiful Despair (2018) [Bandcamp FLAC 24bit/44,1kHz]

The Television Personalities were an English post-punk band formed in 1978. Here’s a lost album from post-punk greats band is getting a wide release. “Beautiful Despair” was recorded on 4-track by Dan Treacy and Jowe Head in 1990 (between the recordings of their albums “Closer to God” and “Privilege”), at Head’s London flat.

The Pelevision Personalities unreleased album. Recorded in 1990 by Jowe at his flat in Glading Terrace, Stoke Newington (shortly before it was demolished), over a number sessions on a portable 4-track cassette-tape machine. “Over the course of a few weeks, we had amassed fifteen tracks, some of which ended up being re-recorded with very different arrangements on Closer to God. The intention was to finish and release these tracks at some point, and that time has finally arrived” Jowe Head. Of the previously unheard songs, I Like That in a Girl was based on a conversation Daniel Treacy had with Lawrence of the Birmingham band Felt, hence the peculiar accent that Dan uses towards the end! Love is a Four-Letter Word was a song the band would play regularly live; it eventually evolved into Love is Better Than War. I Suppose You Think It’s Funny displays Jowe and Daniels double-falsetto skills. If You Fly Too High was based on an encounter with Evan Dando of The Lemonheads in Berlin during a memorable gig with them at the Ecstasy Madhouse in December 1989, when the Berlin Wall was being torn down. The band jammed with Evan on stage that night, playing some tunes by Jonathan Richman and Johnny Thunders. The song also mentions Alan McGee, who was a great fan of the TVPS. Alan openly admits that he emulated Dan’s style of music, and influenced his decision to run a mod-psychedelic club, The Living Room, and to start his label, Creation.

Tracklist:
01 – Hard Luck Story Number 39
02 – Razor Blades & Lemonade
03 – How Does It Feel To Be Loved
04 – Love Is A Four Letter Word
05 – Beautiful Despair
06 – If You Fly Too High
07 – Have A Nice Da
08 – I Get Frightened Too
09 – Goodnight Mr Spaceman
10 – Honey For The Bears
11 – I Don’t Want To Live This Life
12 – I Like That In A Girl
13 – My Very First Nervous Breakdown
14 – I Suppose You Think It’s Funny
15 – This Heart’s Not Made Of Stone

Transferred to digital format at Sonic Bunker by Jowe and Rob McClymont.

Please note: Track “9-11,13,15” presented in 16-bit/44kHz.

Download:

mqs.link_TelevisinPersnalitiesBeautifulDespair2018Bandcamp24441.rar