01	Hey! Real Executives Jump From The 50th Floor!						06:07
	02	Clanghonktweet						06:44
	03	The Family That Oonts Together, Groonts Together						07:47
	04	I'm Whining For That Funky Baby Of Mine						06:25
	05	Empate						07:57
	06	Friends In High Places						08:08
	07	Slowly I Turn.. Step By Step... Inch By Inch...						12:16

EXPOSE ROUND TABLE: French TV - Virtue In Futility (Pretentious Dinosaur CD001 1994)

---Peter Thelen:
Four years in the making, and no less than seven years after the second album this latest offering by Louisville's
French TV is certainly worth the wait. One unanswered question is why it took from October 1990 until now to release
it...l've been hearing rumor of it for at least four years- Wayside would periodically mention it in the 'coming soon'
section of their catalog, and rumor had it available on cassette for a while~ although nobody could ever produce a
copy for me. Well, it's finally here, folks!

French TV is bassist/composer Mike Sary. and whoever he happens to be playing with at any point in time. On most
tracks, Fenner Castner handles the drum kit, quite impressively, I might add. Arrie Bratton handles most guitars,
while keyboard duties are shared by Bob Ramsey and Paul Nevitt, and woodwinds are shared by Reid Jahn and
Bruce Krohmer. Other musicians fill in on piano, violin, trumpet, etc. Aside from one track. the album is entirely
instrumental.

The music here is a rich blend of jagged edged rock, Canterbury/RIO, fusion, melodic prog rock, classical, and
plenty of humor. In addition, Sary's bass style frequently reminds me of Janik Top (Magma), although played in an
entirely different context. Limited comparisons might be made with the rock elements of Djam Karet, the inventive
melodic of However's "Sudden Dusk" or Happy The Man, the complexity of Henry Cow, the busy and multilayered
aspects of Zappa's instrumental works, and to a degree, the downtown sound - although most is original enough to
defy any instant identification. Tracks like "Real Executives Jump From The 50th Floor", "Slowly I Turn",
"Clanghonktweet", and especially the jazz-fueled "Empate" deliver on many different levels. Occasionally it bogs
down a bit, but it's always quickly rectified.

But no album is perfect. The stinker here is "Friends in High Places", in essence some programmed synth tracks
overlaid with tapes of the Iran-Contra hearings and other bits and pieces of Reagan and congress from the same
period, in an attempt to make a political statement. Hey, it's old news! This piece would have sounded very
appropriate on the second French TV album way back in 1987, when all this was happening, but eight years after the
fact its power to change things is lost, and now just amounts to kicking a dead horse. Thank god for programmable
CD changers.

Overall, though, I'd recommend this album highly, Sary has managed to produce an album that effectively bridges
many styles, doing it all seamlessly within his very unique musical vision. Hopefully the fourth album won't take so
long!

---Mike McLatchey:
Louisville is as unlikely a place for progressive rock as any, yet that's where bassist Mike Sary's French TV hail from.
Its been lO years since their debut album, yet "Virtue In Futility" (an apt title) is only their third. 7 years on from the
last one and not much has changed, French TV still remain a collection of influences from all over the map - Yes,
Genesis, Zappa, Brand X Gong, the Canterbury bands and many more. You'll hear a little bit of everything on this
one.

As a whole, all these disparate influences seem sort of hodge-podge. At times the music is breathtaking and
splendid at others its stodgy and boring. A fusion track here, melodic "prog rock" here and wait a second - Reagan?
Ollie North? Yes, yet another band trying to make a brash political statement! I assume this one was done pretty soon
after the second album, as the topic - the Contra scandals - seems a mite outdated. The music underneath does
nothing to save it either, a sequenced background with occasional gated sounding orchestral explosions. Personally,
I think there's better places for this - I'm sure most would program this out anyway.

I think trimming off about 20 minutes from this would have made the overall effect much more impressive, there
really is some good music here yet with all the filler it leaves me sort of in the middle. 7 years is far too much time for
musicians with the talent of Sary's group to make an album like this. .10 years on and French TV still rate as
promising, yet still primed to make a classic. Maybe next time?

--Rob Walker:
French TV hails from Louisville, KY and has a handful of releases to their name since their inception in the
early/mid-1980s. Led by bassist Mike Sary, they play an aggressive, complex, and somewhat eclectic type of prog
which incorporates elements from a variety of styles including symphonic, fusion, and RIO. The seven tracks on
Virtue In Futility cover a lot of musical ground, shifting constantly from one feel or style to another, and showcasing
the considerable talent and versatility of the group.

Listening to this for the first time, one could easily mistake it for a new Japanese release; it has the same spirit, drive,
and attitude as bands like Il Berlione, Ain Soph, and Kenso. There is some great interplay between the guitar,
keyboards, and saxophone, all supported by active, powerful bass lines and solid, often busy drumming. The music
is full of abrupt time changes and driving riffs which provide a launching pad for some fiery guitar sax solos. These
in turn fade into mellower, more melodic passages, featuring some nice trumpet solos and other guest appearances.
There are a few less than spectacular spots on the CD-~ one track consists of a collage of excerpts from the
Iran-Contra hearings mixed with some sound effects and drums, and while it is good for a few listens, it rather quickly
becomes one of those tracks you skip over every time you get to it. Another track has a main theme which sounds
like it was taken right off of Jethro Tull's Warchild album.

The quality of the rest of the music on this CD goes a long way to make up for these blemishes; I just wish there was
another track or two of the good stuff. Out of the 55 minutes of music on this disc, roughly 35 minutes are top-notch
prog. The whole package is wrapped up by Sary in a delightfully humorous way, featuring entertaining liner notes
and song tides like "Hey! Real Executives Jump From The 50th Floor". In all, Virtue In Futility contains some of the
better instrumental prog of 1994, and is well worth checking out.
-----EXPOSE


French TV: Virtue In Futilty 1994-(55:17)-Pretentious Dinosaur
French TV is the musical diatribes of one, Mike Sary (bass) and his musician friends. He resides in Louisville, KY,
hence the title, French TV. Listening to French TV is somewhat akin to being locked up in the irreverent
counter-culture closet (for grown-ups). My guess is that Mike (he lists Mad Magazine and the 3 Stooges as influences)
and his musician friends are considered "somewhat different" by their local conservative community.

Mike recorded all this musical absurdity from June 1987 to October 1990. With titles like "Hey! Real Executives
Jump From the 50th Floor! " & "The Family That Oonts Together, Groonts Together", these songs are guaranteed to
change your outlook on the great cosmic void.

Even taking into account the tongue-in-cheek booklet, this is some seriously great music. Except for the political
piece, "Friends In High Places (Or Boy Do I Hate These Bastards)", a series of tape collages from the Iran/Contra
hearings, the songs are quite good.

The playing is clever, with Mike wringing the most out of the players. His writing is filled with influences and the
songs go from firm to spongy without a second thought. As a final insult to Top Forty stations everywhere, there are
no vocals. Good, very.
- - - - -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ---HvD --MUSIC UNCOVERED


FRENCH TV 3: Virtue In Futility
French TV is a Louisville-based experimental KY band based around bass player and founding member Mike Sary.
They released the debut album "FRENCH TV" in 1983, which was followed three years later by AFTER A LENGTHY
SILENCE. This was reissued by the Italian label MELLOW RECORDS back in 1996, and is still in print. French TV also
recorded a version of NEKTAR's "A TAB IN THE OCEAN" for this release as a bonus track. There was a lengthy
silence before the band re-appeared on the scene with their 1994 cd "VIRTUE IN FUTILITY". This contained tracks
recorded "sporatically" between July 1987 and October 1990, and effectively re-launched the band's career.

The opening track is "HEY! REAL EXECUTIVES JUMP FROM THE 5Oth FLOOR!". This track has a very strong
melody, but there are many times when the music goes off at a tangent to create different moods along the way.
There are some really nice atmospheric parts to this track; at other times, the music is hiqhly complex. There is also
some stunning guitar work.

The next track is called "CLANGHONKTWEET". Starting off with violin & piano, this has quite a classical feel to it,
then bass, guitar, and then drums are added. Mike states that this is an attempt at an Irish jig and I have to say that
this track does have a dance/ jig feel about it, but for me it doesnt have much of an Irish feel to it. More of a
classical-inpired jig.

The 3rd track "THE FAMILY THAT OONTS TOGETHER, GROONTS TOGETHER", is more Jazz-influenced, with some
great guitar. There are also some wonderful moments when the music becomes more aggressive, with moments from
sax, clarinet, and trumpet played with so much feeling and emotion.

The next track "I'M WHINING FOR THAT FUNKY BABY OF MINE" has lots of atmosphere. Once again there's a lot of
Jazz influence here, and quite a lot of the track sounds improvisational.

"EMPATE": This is what I would call mood music; something you could play for your partner, wife, etc. The opening
section is quite beautiful and seductive. That is, until the menacing change in direction; and this stays for the rest of
the track.

The 6th track "FRIENDS IN HIGH PLACES",, is quite a political track with sampled voices of U.S. presidents with
atmospheric drums and keyboards forming the backdrop.

The final track is "SLOWLY I TURN...STEP BY STEP...INCH BY INCH...". This track is the longest on the album at just
over 12 minutes, starting off with intricate guitars, nice drums, percussion, and bass. The guitar work then takes on a
slightly heavier stance, with some mellow keyboards and piano too. As the track progresses, the keyboards go more
atmospheric; I would even say that they are quite haunting in a way. Theres some sax then added, beautifully
seductive and at the same time there is still this haunting theme going on in the background. Then Mike and Artie
come in and play their lines in unison and for me this works extremely welL After awhile the music then fades away,
and for the last 3 minutes there is the Drunken Viking Chorus, which sounds like the band just having a bit of fun at
the end of their recording session.

VIRTUE IN FUTILITY is an album with influences such as Jazz, Rock, & Progressive Rock. There are moments
throughout when there are political aspects to the album and Mike takes a jab at American culture and
social-political naivety. One thing I do wonder is whether there a band at all, as there seems to be a lot of guest
musicians used for 1 or 2 tracks on the album. Not that it matters, as lonq as the end results turn out to be fine, and
for me it is. Personally, I like this kind of music, as I am always looking for something a little bit different from the
norm. Recommended

---STORMBRINGER [CANADA]


FRENCH TV: VIRTUE IN FUTILITY
French TV is the recording moniker for Louisville, Kentucky bassist Mike Sary and friends, including Fenner Castner
on drums, Artie Bratton and Dean Zigoris on guitars, Paul Nevitt and Bob Ramsey on keyboards, and Reid Jahn,
Richard Brooner and Bruce Krohmer on brass and woodwinds. The music on Virtue in Futility draws from a variety of
influences including fusion, more traditional jazz, the Canterbury scene, Yes, classical music and Frank Zappa, all
mixed with no small sense of humor. Diverse yet cohesive, most of the seven songs are supported on foundations of
strong, engaging compositions built by talented musicians. Often, one song will tread across many different styles.
For example, "Clanghonktweet" opens with violin, piano and bass in classical rigidity, overlaid with a fusion-esque
rhythm, later followed by a somewhat melancholy wind- synth solo, bound together in a matrix of proggy synth. After
the wind-synth solo, the band jumps into a groove ala Jean-Luc Ponty. "The Family That Oonts Together, Groonts
Together" works through tight twisting riffs characteristic of Zappa's excellent fusion work. "I'm Whining For That
Baby of Mine" sounds like an improvisational blow across Henry Cow and Soft Machine fields. "Empate", after a
"contemporary" trumpet solo, plows headlong into an oncoming train of progressive fusion. Sary, no slouch on the
bass, has coupled himself with a superb and tasteful drummer- the two make a powerhouse rhythm section to propel
the music through the many surprising hairpin turns. There are a few blemishes in the finished product. however.
The most obvious flaw is "Friends in High Places," Sary's political statement. A mash of tapes extracted from the
Iran-Contra hearings, infused with synth and drum machines, the song portrays Sary's anger with the covert deal
gone awry, but will severely date the album and will be ignored beyond the initial listen by most listeners. The
above-mentioned improv gets a mite tedious, lasting for over six minutes but never developing a groove. "Slowly I
Turn... Step By Step.. Inch By Inch" is a mixed bag of aimlessness and purpose. Overall, though, Virtue in Futility has
a lot to offer with few flaws. French TV seems destined to languish in obscurity but undeservedly so.

-Mike Taylor GIBRALTAR ENCYCLOPEDIA


French TV: French TV Ill: The Virtual in Futility (sic) (Pretentious Dinosaur) By Jeff Poole
French TV. The name brings up images of naked people and odd humor doesn't it? A Louisville band - Blues?
Country? Unimaginative rock?

To my complete surprise, Virtue in Futility, French TV's third album, is a treat. With songs like "Hey! Real
ExeeutivesJump from the 50th Floor!," a Zappa-like study in ArtRock, and "I'm Whining forThat Funky Baby of
Mine", which is spooky Mingus-like jazz, you might get the impression that these guys aren't really serious, but let
me tell you, this is some serious stuff!

"Friends in High Places" is reminiscent of that great San Francisco Bay Area band Negativeland. Okay, so there's
humor and social criticism, what else do you want from a CD? How about more from the same people? Virtue in
Futility is the third in a collection of soon-to-be-four Cds by Mr. French TV, Mike Sary and an revolving assortment of
other talented players.

The album was recorded at Mom's studio with Howie Gano engineering. The first French TV album is on vinyl (really)
and is soon to be released on CD by Mellow Records of Italy. All of French TV's recordings are available at Ear
X-Tacy Records. The fourth (ed. note:actually the fifth) CD was recorded live at the Louisville School for the Blind and
this album will soon be available. This album breaks with the French TV chronology and is titled Yoo-Hoo, just like
the soft drink.

People of Louisville take note, you should CHECK THIS OUT. This town is full of talented people. I know you're all
dying to see French TV in person, but Mike Sary reports there are no scheduled events in the near future. Maybe
when the weather warms. Until then, buy their CDs!
----Jeff Poole/LOUISVILLE MUSIC NEWS


FRENCH TV: VIRTUE IN FUTILITY
It has been a long silence for FTV (since the age of vinyl!). The guiding force behind the band is Mike Sary, and with
a little help from some friends he's come up with a new album that is one of the most eclectic and powerful examples
of US instrumental music I`ve heard in some time. His love of Euro progressive rock and Magmaesque fusion shows,
as the sound is made up of those influences along with a strong dose of Americanism. His ability to compose music
and play a mean bass also is evident. In fact, the various diverse tracks show off some good playing by all involved.
Yes, there is VIRTUE IN FUTILITY!


FRENCH TV-VIRTUE IN FUTILITY
We now jump forward 10 years (since FTV#2) to French TV's third album, released on CD in 1994 but actually
recorded between June 1987 and October 1990. Obviously, this is more up to date, especially in the mixing and
production. The opener is tremendous and is a grand piece of work by all the musicians. This is a varied track which,
dare I say, borders on film score material but at other times erupts full tilt into frenzied jazz rock sections. On
"Clanghonktweet" we find a delightful change of direction with its mix of jazz rock and Irish jig influences, with wind
synth and violin playing a major part. In a way, it's melodic and grows quite quickly with nice touches of piano plus
there's the occasional hint of Jethro Tull at their most complex moments. On track 3 we find the first of two tracks
that have a Mark Isham ring to them mainly coming from the trumpet and to a lesser degree from the sax, this is a
classic. This can also be said for track 5 "Empate" where the "Isham" trumpet again comes into play as the
mellowness takes over from the complex opening with the keys and sax entering the fray in the final stages, this is a
monster!

Once again there is a change of tack on "Friends In High Places", this time it's in the form of taped radio broadcasts
of assorted elected leaders spewing forth and being uneconomical with the truth or to us commoners, they are
talking a load of crap, bless their rotten hearts. This is a chilling, poignant track that has well placed drums,
percussion and keys emphasising critical points of the dialogue.

We finally wind up with "Slowly I Turn....Step By Step....Inch By Inch...." which has a gentle opening of keys and
guitar with eventual heavy time changes and the occasional sax. This is a dark and sombre piece that is ideal for
smoky jazz/blues bars although it does develop into some frenzied complex jazz.

Well, this was a nice surprise and a big leap forward in overall sound and composition i.e. not so loose or so
seemingly improvised, yes, I enjoyed this one. 80% Highly Recommended.
-------Terry Tucker/EUROPEAN PROGRESSIVE ROCK REVIEWS

French TV: Virtue In Futility

French TV is a Louisville-based experimental rock band based around bass player and founder member Mike Sary.
They released their debut album, French TV in 1983 which was followed three years later by After A Lengthy Silence
(1986). Both of these albums are now deleted. There was a lengthy silence before the band re-appeared on the scene
with their 1994 album Virtue In Futility. This contained tracks "recorded sporadically" between July 1987 and October
1990, and effectively re-launched the band's career.

French TV has always been a lose amalgam of musicians, and the Virtue In Futility line-up contains various line-ups
depending on the songs. The full credits are Mike on bass, Fenner Casterner on drums, Paul Newett, Reid Jahn and
Jon Encifer on keyboards, Dean Zigoria and Artie Bratton on guitars, Gretchen Wilcox on violin, Bruce Krohmer on
sax and clarinet, Richard Boomer on trumpet and Howie Gano on keyboards and effects. Since releasing Virtue In
Futility, Mike has totally changed the French TV line-up, releasing two albums Intestinal Fortitude (1995) and the live
album Yoo-Hoo (1997). The opening track, with its title, "Hey! Real Executives Jump From The 50th Floor!", shows
that French TV follow the Canterbury line, at least as far as giving your instrumentals as outlandish a title as you can.
The opening is pretty fast and furious too. Dean's guitar takes the lead with the rhythm section hammering along is
close persuit. Paul's keyboards are used partly to complete the tapestry, and at others to take over the lead when
Dean runs out of fingers.

"Clanghonktweet" showcases most of the band at different time. This is a frenetic composition with solos from most
of the seven personnel involved at different times. Gretchen's violin has a strong influence on the song's sound,
especially noticeable with her absence from the rest of the album. "The Family That Oonts Together, Groonts
Together" just about takes the prize for stupidist title - on this album at least. This is probably the most jazzy track on
the album, a tight fusion composition with some mean sax from Bruce.

"I'm Whining For That Funky Baby Of Mine" sees Reid on sax playing a wild and weird Jazz melody a la Jan
Garbarek or Jason DuMars. Fenner does something similar on drums with Artie echoing the sax with some whiny
guitar. Mike's input, described n the CD cover as "random bass" is pretty much what it says! "Empate" sees that band
in full flow again. The jazz influence is still very strong with Richard's mellow laid-back trumpet setting the scene for
the rest of the band to paint. That mellowness is struck head-on with an extended outburst of what I can only describe
as progressive jazz-rock. The whole band showing exactly what they are in the studio to go!

"Friends In High Places (or Boy, Do I Hate These Bastards)" is a "duet" between Mike and Howie. Actually this is more
a collection of samples - Mike on "tapes" - with Howie adding keyboards and drum machine. This is a cutting stab at
the American political structure with samples from various news clips amidst Howie's terse industrial instrumentation.
After the aggressive of "Friends...", the album closes on a high with "Slowly I Turn…Step By Step…Inch By Inch…."
Reid has more Garbarek-esque sax with Bob's keyboards and (I think) Mike's bass pedals used to punctuate the
intricate jazzy sax line. The track finishes with the tongue-in-cheek Drunken Viking Chorus - a very Bonzo Dog Band
way to close an album.

This is an intricate amalgam of jazz with rock and progressive elements. I would label this very much RIO- Mike's
politics are not indelibly infused in the music, but the whole album takes what opportunities it can to jab at American
culture and social-political naivety. The album seems to revolve around the "guests" on each track - Gretchen
on"Clanghonktweet", Reid on "Whining..." and "Slowly...", etc., which leaves me wondering exactly whether there is
a band there at all, or whether the whole thing is some fig-leaf for Mike's eclectic and twisted imagination. Someone
once described a French TV album as "like rolling down a mountain road at midnight with your headlights off - its
anyone's guess what the next bend holds in store" I would second that motion!

Virtue In Futility is released on the band's own Pretentious Dinosaur label (which pretty much underlines Mike's
approach to the music industry!).
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- Frank Blades/ALTERNATE VIEWS