New York’s iconic progressive new wave rock legends Television delivered a stellar second act with Adventure, too often eclipsed by their landmark 1977 debut, Marquee Moon. That’s a shame, because 1978’s Adventure is a formidable record on its own—worthy of fresh ears and overdue respect. Rhino High Fidelity remedies that with a deluxe reissue: new vinyl lacquer masters cut from the original analog tapes by Kevin Gray at Cohearent Audio, premium pressings from Optimal, newly written liner notes, audiophile-grade plastic-lined custom inner sleeves, and an expanded, upgraded gatefold.
For those who still insist Adventure doesn’t measure up to Marquee Moon, flip the script—start with Side 2. Opening with the progressive blues of “The Fire,” it plays like a concise sequel (at nearly six minutes) to Marquee Moon’s epic, ten-minute Side 1 closer. The track features some of the most achingly beautiful guitar work Tom Verlaine ever recorded—credited in the album notes as “switchblade guitars,” though the new liner notes reveal it may have actually been a kitchen knife(!). Whatever the weapon, the solo is stunningly emotional and, no pun intended, cuts straight to the core. The closer, The Dream’s Dream, offers another rich showcase of Verlaine and Richard Lloyd’s trademark interwoven guitar lines, sealing Side 2 as proof that Adventure deserves far more respect than it usually gets.
The original Adventure LP always sounded good on vinyl, but much like Marquee Moon, the music felt a bit constrained—likely the result of mastering choices. The result was a presentation that leaned thin and somewhat reined in. Such compromises were common in the late 1970s, when audio engineering was caught between worlds: FM rock radio was shifting away from the lush, full-range fidelity of synth-driven progressive rock and the bass-heavy punch of disco funk, toward the raw, nervy immediacy of new wave and punk torchbearers like Patti Smith, Blondie, The Ramones, The B-52s, Talking Heads, and of course, Television.
This new Rhino High Fidelity edition of Adventure sounds richer overall. That brightness remains but the presentation is more detailed and cleaner. This easily surpasses my original UK pressing (red vinyl).
As for the need for a reissue like this, I can attest firsthand: finding a truly good original American pressing has always been a challenge. For years I wrestled with surface noise right at the start of each side, no matter how “clean” the copy. Eventually, I tracked down the UK red vinyl edition which, while still not perfect, proved noticeably better than any U.S. pressing I’d managed to find up to that point.
Fortunately, the new Rhino High Fidelity edition of Adventure raises the bar significantly with less compressed mastering complemented by completely transparent, dead quiet and perfectly centered pressings.
Reading the excellent new liner notes by Adventure co-producer John Jansen, I finally got an explanation for something I’d always noticed at the very start of the album—hiss. Adventure was recorded on 24-track tape running at 30 inches per second, with no Dolby noise reduction in play.
To that, this less compressed presentation of the music reveals some tape hiss but also reveals many little details I hadn’t noticed previously like the hand claps and studio ambiance during the guitar solo on “I Don’t Care.” Check out Billy Ficca’s proto-gated-flavored snare drum sound on opening track “Glory” and his tom tom fills on “The Dream’s Dream,” which feel much bigger. Once again, Verlaine’s soloing on The Fire is nothing short of heart-wrenching—tear-inducing in the best possible way—and it cements Adventure as essential listening.
Where to buy: $39.98 at store.rhino.com | Amazon (limited edition of 5,000)
Mark Smotroff is a deep music enthusiast / collector who has also worked in entertainment oriented marketing communications for decades supporting the likes of DTS, Sega and many others. He reviews vinyl for Analog Planet and has written for Audiophile Review, Sound+Vision, Mix, EQ, etc. You can learn more about him at LinkedIn.