Richard Lester Meyers was born in Lexington, Kentucky on October 2, 1949. His father died when Richard was seven years old; he was then raised by his mother. He attended the Sanford School in Delaware, where he met Tom Miller (aka Tom Verlaine). They ran away from school together and were arrested in Alabama for arson and vandalism. Richard Meyers, who later changed his name to Richard Hell, moved to New York City to become a poet.In 1972, Verlaine joined Hell in New York; they added a guitarist, Richard Lloyd and became Television. They regularly played at CBGB and here Television played the anthematic “Blank Generation”. In 1975, Hell parted ways with Television because of creative differences. In 1976, Hell released the three song “Blan Generation” EP on Ork Records, founded by the late Terry Ork, manager of Television.The first track, “(I Could Live With You In) Another World” contains a funky, repetitive bass line, a meandering instrumental break, and a catchy chorus. The second track is “(I Belong to the) Blank Generation”, starts off with a guitar intro, after which Hell launches into his vocals: “I was sayin’ let me out of here before I was/Ever born, it’s such a gamble when you get a face”. This early version of the song is the same released on Stiff Records later that year, which can be heard on The Stiff Records Box Set (1992), although the version on the Ork Records compilation doesn’t have the surface noise. The third and final track, “You Gotta Lose” is a surprisingly upbeat boogie, again with a compelling base line and drum beat. The instrumental fade out is particularly good. “Another World” takes up all of side one, with side two split between the other two songs.Overall, I found this EP surpisingly melodic, punctuated by Hell’s bass line, and an excellent introduction to the music of Richard Hell. You can find all three tracks on the Ork Records compilation, released in 2015.
