''The Painted Word'' is the fourth studio album by English
post-punk
Post-punk (originally called new musick) is a broad genre of punk music that emerged in the late 1970s as musicians departed from punk's traditional elements and raw simplicity, instead adopting a variety of avant-garde sensibilities and non-roc ...
band
Television Personalities
The Television Personalities are an English post-punk band formed in 1977 by London singer-songwriter Dan Treacy.Earp, Joseph.The Missing Man Of Music: A Search For The Elusive Dan Treacy Of Television Personalities. ''The Brag'', 26 July 2016 ...
. It was released in 1984 by record label Illuminated.
Reception
''The Painted Word'' has been generally well received by critics. Jack Barron of ''
Sounds
In physics, sound is a vibration that propagates as an acoustic wave, through a transmission medium such as a gas, liquid or solid.
In human physiology and psychology, sound is the ''reception'' of such waves and their ''perception'' by the ...
'' wrote "Some people think this is the best group in Britain. But that's a pointless debate to engage in when you can listen to such a well-crafted record."
Ira Robbins of
Trouser Press
''Trouser Press'' was a rock and roll magazine started in New York in 1974 as a mimeographed fanzine by editor/publisher Ira Robbins, fellow fan of the Who Dave Schulps and Karen Rose under the name "Trans-Oceanic Trouser Press" (a reference to ...
called the album "surprisingly serious and altogether excellent."
A negative review came from Cath Carroll of ''
NME
''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming, and culture website and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a 'rock inkie', the NME would become a magazine that ended up as a f ...
'', writing "This opus even made the cat cringe."
Musical style
Ira Robbins described the album's musical style thus: "Musically, the TVPs have drifted off into spare, droning
psychedelia
Psychedelia refers to the psychedelic subculture of the 1960s and the psychedelic experience. This includes psychedelic art, psychedelic music and style of dress during that era. This was primarily generated by people who used psychedelic ...
and ultra-restrained rock that's hauntingly beautiful, like the most delicate moments of
The Velvet Underground
The Velvet Underground was an American rock band formed in New York City in 1964. The original line-up consisted of singer/guitarist Lou Reed, multi-instrumentalist John Cale, guitarist Sterling Morrison, and drummer Angus MacLise. MacLise w ...
."
Track listing
; Side A
# "Stop and Smell the Roses"
# "The Painted Word"
# "A Life of Her Own"
# "Bright Sunny Smiles"
# "Mentioned in Despatches"
# "A Sense of Belonging"
# "Say You Won't Cry"
; Side B
# "Someone to Share My Life With"
# "You'll Have to Scream Louder"
# "Happy All the Time"
# "The Girl Who Had Everything"
# "Paradise Estate"
# "Back to Vietnam"
Personnel
*Daniel Treacy
*Dave Musker
*
Joseph Foster
*Mark Flunder
with:
*David Walmsley, Ingrid Weiss, Martin Kerry-Daley
References
External links
*
1984 albums
Television Personalities albums
Fire Records (UK) albums
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