The Vinyl Guide - Artist Interviews for Record Collectors and Music Nerds

·E541

Ep541: TV Smith - 50 Years of The Adverts

March 30
42 mins

Episode Description

TV Smith joins Nate to discuss the 50th anniversary of The Adverts, an Australian tour backed by The Hard-Ons, and a career full of great songs and terrible label luck.

Topics Include:

  • TV Smith is touring Australia in April with The Hard-Ons.
  • The tour celebrates the 50th anniversary of The Adverts.
  • The Hard-Ons are already learning the surprisingly complex Adverts songs.
  • TV finds it odd but joyful to still be performing.
  • He got back into vinyl to quality-check his own releases.
  • Bowie, Roxy Music, and reggae were key early influences for TV.
  • The Sex Pistols made TV believe he could actually do this.
  • The Roxy Club punk scene started with just 30 people.
  • Brian James of The Damned personally recommended The Adverts to Stiff.
  • They recorded One Chord Wonders in a single afternoon at Pathway.
  • Stiff misspelled the title and controversially centred Gaye Advert on the cover.
  • Gary Gilmore's Eyes was TV's satirical response to exploitative media coverage.
  • The BBC was deeply reluctant to air Gary Gilmore's Eyes on TV.
  • Anchor Records collapsed mid-momentum, leaving The Adverts suddenly without a label.
  • Crossing the Red Sea was recorded at Abbey Road with John Leckie.
  • Gary Gilmore's Eyes was left off the album deliberately — vinyl runtime constraints.
  • RCA signed them against their own A&R team's wishes — chaos followed.
  • Cast of Thousands suffered a botched mix, a terrible cover, label indifference.
  • Channel 5 was finally properly remastered after the producer found a safety tape.
  • TV is bringing vinyl to the merch table — especially the Handwriting LP.

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