Television “Adventure” 1978. Today, December 13th, is Television (and Neon Boys) singer/guitarist Tom Verlaine’s 70th birthday (b. Thomas Miller, 1949). Adventure is the band’s second album and though not nearly as ground-breaking or successful as their debut Marquee Moon (according to Wiki it did poorly on the US charts, though did go to #7 in the UK), it’s definitely innovative. And while it was released during the peak of punk – 1978 – it sonically straddles a weird line between post-punk and proto-punk, not easily falling into either category. (Contemporaries like Talking Heads and Blondie were categorized as punk but I can’t put them in that genre, and I don’t think Television belong there either.) I’m not a big Television fan but a few of the songs are pretty good. “Glory” and “Ain’t That Nothin’” are very Television-y (hiccupy and staccato’d, some pretty good power pop) and both “Days” and “The Dream’s Dream” sound a lot like what early R.E.M. would be a few years later: all jangly guitar and slowed-down post-punk rhythms. “Carried Away” has lots and lots of layered guitar but is too mellow for my tastes. “The Fire” is super-slow, too, but has a creepy vibe to the guitars that makes it pretty cool.