Biography
The Neon Boys, an obscure yet semi-legendary outfit that served as a direct forerunner to Television, included Tom Verlaine, Richard Hell, and drummer Billy Ficca among its ranks. Their run lasted only from autumn 1972 through spring 1973, according to Clinton Heylin’s From the Velvets to the Voidoids. Recordings that eventually appeared confirmed how far ahead of the prevailing scene they had been. On the tracks “That’s All I Know” and “Love Comes in Spurts,” released years afterward as one half of a seven-inch EP, the trio delivered a sound whose raw urgency evoked both amphetamine intensity and the coming punk style. Shrieking guitars, half-spoken vocals delivered in a near-hysterical register, and lyrics too raw for 1973 commercial radio—most plainly on “Love Comes in Spurts”—marked the performances. Before the Neon Boys, still operating as a trio, called it quits, a then-unknown Dee Dee Ramone tried out unsuccessfully for the role of second guitarist.
All three core members soon reappeared in Television’s original lineup, although Hell departed prior to the band’s debut album. Hell later cut his own version of “Love Comes in Spurts” as a solo artist. The Neon Boys’ original takes of “That’s All I Know” and “Love Comes in Spurts” occupied one side of a seven-inch EP on Shake Records, paired on the flip with two subsequent Hell solo recordings. A further Neon Boys cut, “High-Heeled Wheels,” later appeared on a CD single issued by the UK label Overground that also contained the two previously released tracks. From the Velvets to the Voidoids notes three additional Neon Boys songs—“Tramp,” “Hot Dog,” and “Poor Circulation”—that were recorded yet remain unreleased.
All three core members soon reappeared in Television’s original lineup, although Hell departed prior to the band’s debut album. Hell later cut his own version of “Love Comes in Spurts” as a solo artist. The Neon Boys’ original takes of “That’s All I Know” and “Love Comes in Spurts” occupied one side of a seven-inch EP on Shake Records, paired on the flip with two subsequent Hell solo recordings. A further Neon Boys cut, “High-Heeled Wheels,” later appeared on a CD single issued by the UK label Overground that also contained the two previously released tracks. From the Velvets to the Voidoids notes three additional Neon Boys songs—“Tramp,” “Hot Dog,” and “Poor Circulation”—that were recorded yet remain unreleased.