N.Parsons – Guitar, Bass & Vocals. R.Harty – Drums & Vocals. Dan Treacy & Ed Ball
The Television Personalities wereThe maddest of the mad !! Only punk could open up a door for something like this. Totally amateur sounding and childlike you will inevitably start humming the tune of Part Time Punks. Classic single and just so undeniably English Part Time Punks / Where’s Bill Grundy / Happy Families / Posing At The Roundhouse (Kings Road Records 1978). An insidious commentary on the time. They namecheck Swell Maps who return the compliment at the end of Dresden Style which is nice of them eh ??!!
From the Television Personalities website
Chelsea, London, in the mid-70s. Schoolmates Dan Treacy, Ed Ball, Joe Foster, John Bennett and his brother Gerrard rehearsed together in their spare time, playing covers by the likes of The Who and Pink Floyd.
Inspired by the punk movement, Dan, Ed and the Bennetts went into a recording studio in August 1977 and emerged with ’14th Floor’ and ‘Oxford Street’. Lack of money meant that only a handful of white label singles were initially pressed. Dan originally thought of calling the band Teen 78; whilst writing out a label to send a copy to the DJ John Peel, for a joke he listed the members of the band as famous television stars of the day, and the name Television Personalities was born. Peel played the single a number of times, and eventually Dan scraped together enough money to press 867 copies.
Dan returned to the studio with Ed Ball in the Summer of 1978 to record a follow-up single, the ‘Where’s Bill Grundy Now?’ EP. This was an instant hit with John Peel, who played the track ‘Part Time Punks’ many times. The success of the EP led to a deal with Rough Trade, who reissued the single and a follow-up, ‘Smashing Time’ (recorded again by Dan and Ed). Throughout these early years, Ed Ball had his own projects, O Level and then the Teenage Filmstars. Although Dan and Ed helped out with each other’s groups, they were always separate bands.
In the middle of 1980, the Television Personalities made their live debut following the recruitment of Joe Foster on bass and Mark Sheppard (known as Empire) on drums. This line-up was short-lived, reportedly due to differences in opinion between Foster and Sheppard, resulting in Joe’s departure. Prior to this, Dan and Mark helped out with Joe’s solo project, the Missing Scientists, which also included Mute Records boss Daniel Miller. The group’s ‘Big City Bright Lights’ 7″ was released by Rough Trade in September 1980.
From the Television Personalities website
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