Television - CBGB, New York City, April 16, 1976

Television - CBGB, New York City, April 16, 1976In the spring of 1976, the Patti Smith Group was riding high on Horses, touring relentlessly across North America, spreading the NYC punk gospel far and wide. Meanwhile, their brothers-in-arms in Television were still pretty much right where they started — on the Bowery, playing to the faithful. Hey, if we learned anything from Tom Verlaine’s unusual path, it’s that he moved at his own unpredictable pace, regardless of any outside forces. Fifty years ago tonight, Television was back at CBGB, and we can enjoy one of their excellent April 16 sets thanks to an above average audience tape. Even though the band had more than enough material for an album (maybe two or three albums!), they were still doggedly workshopping new tunes, tinkering with old ones, finding the right arrangements. One notable thing here is that “Elevation” features the “I’m running wild with the one I love” line that would later be transported over to the coda of “See…