“Action Time Vision” (1978) – Alternative TV * Written by Alex Fergusson and Mark Perry * 45: “Action Time Vision” / “Another Coke” * LP: The Image Has Cracked * Produced by Alternative TV and Chris Gray * Label: Deptford Fun City Records
Punk manifesto music in which the London band’s initials are given an “alternate” reading. Singer Mark Perry, the former editor of the punk zine Sniffin’ Glue, sings the title words with such authority – as though someone were taking dictation – that the listener assumes more meaning is intended than is actually perceived. He does the same upward curls at the end of his phrases that Johnny Rotten always did. They’re oratorical, didactic flourishes, and they make his announcement elsewhere on their The Image Has Cracked album (“Good Times”) that original member Alex Fergusson got kicked out for being a “dictator” seem ironic. The band’s previous single, in fact, was a reggae-tinged expression of sexual lethargy called “Love Lies Limp,” and there’s no question that the Fergusson-less lineup sounded more committed to virility.