Some Kind Of Trip: Singles 1990-1994

After a relatively bright start in the late 70's and productive times throughout the 80's, things began to take a turn downward for outsider songwriter Dan Treacy and his shambling pop outfit Television Personalities. The band's early mix of scrappy punk and psychedelia resulted in prolific releases and regular gigging, but that had slowed down by the mid 80's due to difficulties with labels and Treacy's issues with drugs and mental health beginning to surface. After singing with Fire Records in the late 80's, Treacy's songwriting turned from the sardonic and light fare of early TVPs albums to more adult--- and often more tormented themes. Some Kind of Trip: Singles 1990-1994 inspects this strange phase of the band, collecting all non-album material following their 1989 album Privilege and before 1995's I Was a Mod Before You Was a Mod. Presented in chronological order, the compilation sees Treacy experimenting with early forms of sampling and remixing on "Strangely Beautiful (Chill Out Remix)" and "She's Never Read My Poems". Still sparkling with the wit that marked early songs, Treacy seems especially melancholic. Even more guitar-based tracks like "The Day The Dolphins Leave The Sea" or the plainly desperate "I Don't Want To Live This Life" replace the cheeky satire of lively early material with sincere sadness. More in line with the kind of singer/songwriter material that Nikki Sudden was doing around the same time, the songs on Some Kind of Trip are wistful and reaching out from darker places. From the perspective of a completist fan, the compilation is a detailed look at this transitional phase of the band's journey. Collecting long out of print 7"s and 12"s that were never available outside of their vinyl formats, the 26 tracks begin in a playful mood and walks step by step to the wounded, harrowing tones of the Far Away & Lost In Joy songs that close out the set. The beauty of this era of Television Personalities is how understated and smart the songwriting is, whether clunking through sloppy rock songs or bouncing along in faux-dance versions. While overall it's less bright than earlier material, Some Kind of Trip is no less important or engaging. ~ Fred Thomas