Bootleg of the Week: Television Station

Here is another of those classic bootlegs for which no good Front 242 collection would be complete without!

Dating from around 1986 is "Television Station". This is a very beautiful and somewhat harder to find bootleg. Once again, imagine the time and effort it would take to make a vinyl bootleg!

The artwork for this release is very nice. It borrows images from "A Selective Retaliation."
The front image is a classic 242 pose, with a more gothic-heavy Front 242 logo.
The reverse contains one of the still images from the Quite Unusual video shoot.

Additional information from the sleeve:
"Most of the people do hate persons like us - but we never want to persuade to love us - only to buy our records. So this is our latest edition of live material and other unavailable studio-material. We thank Pete, Edmund, Lev, Ariane and all other persons who like rumblefish."

I am uncertain if this is supposed to be a Front 242 quote or a quote from the "bootleggers!?" To me it does not sound like the kind of thing 242 would say, especially from the "No Comment" and "Official Version" point in their careers!

Also we find on the sleeve:
"To contact us write to: "This is to sorry about" Belgique, 3100 Bruxelles 12em, Rue de la croix 155"

Once again, this does not seem to be an appropriate addy for Transmission 242.

The track listing is as follows:

Side 1 (Referred to as Front 242 Television Station 1st Programme:

1. Lovely Day (Western Art Pt. I)
2. U-Men (Daniel B. Remix)
3. Funkadahfi (Frustration Mix) 9.15
4. Special Forces (Demo Version Sept. '81)

Mixed on 27, March 1986 at Hahn Studios by Klaus Barbie.

(Note the only Klaus Barbie I could find was the Nazi Gestapo thug known as the Butcher of Lyon! Surely not the work of a remixer!

This version of Special Forces is also found on the 7" bootleg "Televison Programm 1st)

Side 2 (Referred to as Front 242 Televison Station 2nd Programme:

1. S. Fr. Nomenklatura
2. Don't Crash
3. Lovely Day
4. No Shuffle
5. Body To Body (Single Version)
6. Take One
7. Funkadahfi
8. U-Men

Live in Germany, Bochum, Logo 10.10. 1985

(Note these tracks can be found on several 242 bootlegs, including Technopolis Volume 1)

Depending on condition of the vinyl and picture sleeve, expect to pay in the $100+ range if you can find this one!

Television Station (front)

Television Station (back)

Television Station (side 1)

Television Station (side 2)