Marquee Moon

Television was one of the mainstay acts that emerged from the CBGB scene in New York City. This album features the elliptical lyrics of Tom Verlaine set against the sparse yet complex guitar work of Verlaine and Richard Lloyd, and the rhythm section of Fred Smith (bass) and Billy Ficca (drums). The introspective mood of the album, and the careful, instrumental virtuosity of Verlaine and his band were arguably one of the first manifestations of the post punk movement. Despite critical acclaim, the album never achieved more than a cult following in the United States at the time of its release, but rose to #28 in Britain, partly due to a lengthy rave review by Nick Kent in the NME.

Its high reputation in Britain has persisted: in 2003 NME declared Marquee Moon to be the fourth best album of all time. In the same year, the TV network VH1 placed it 83rd. It was also ranked at #128 in the Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time while Pitchfork Media named the album the 3rd best of the 1970s. In March 2005, Q magazine placed the song "Marquee Moon" at number 51 in its list of the 100 Greatest Guitar Tracks. The album usually sits inside the top 20 albums of the Rate Your Music: All-Time Top 5000 Albums.

The original vinyl recording was composed of eight tracks, as set forth below. The remastered 2003 compact disc rerelease of Marquee Moon retains the same track order, but the title track continues to 10:40, rather than fading out as on the original LP.

One of the songs on the album, "Venus", is not a cover of the Shocking Blue single. It is an original tune about taking refuge in the arms of the Venus de Milo, a legendary Greek statue that has lost its arms. The song "Guiding Light" takes its name from a soap opera.^{[citation needed]}

The album was dedicated to William Terry Ork, on whose label, Ork Records, the band's first 7" 45 ("Little Johnny Jewel (Parts 1 & 2)") was released.

LP track listing

All songs written by Tom Verlaine except as noted.

Side one

"See No Evil" – 3:53
"Venus" – 3:51
"Friction" – 4:44
"Marquee Moon" – 9:58

Side two

"Elevation" – 5:07
"Guiding Light" – 5:35 (Lloyd, Verlaine)
"Prove It" – 5:02
"Torn Curtain" – 6:56

CD reissue bonus tracks

"Little Johnny Jewel (Parts 1 & 2)" – 7:09
"See No Evil (Alternate Version)" – 4:40
"Friction (Alternate Version)" – 4:52
"Marquee Moon (Alternate Version)" – 10:54
Untitled [instrumental] – 3:22

The untitled instrumental is an unfinished attempt to record "O Mi Amore", a song Television performed frequently in concert during 1976 and 1977.

The song Marquee Moon was #372 on Rolling Stone's list of the 500 Greatest Songs All Time.

The Band

Tom Verlaine - Lead vocals, guitar, keyboards (guitar solos on "Venus," "Friction," "Prove It" and "Marquee Moon" after the third chorus)
Richard Lloyd - Guitar, vocals (guitar solos on "See No Evil," "Elevation," "Guiding Light" and "Marquee Moon" after the second chorus)
Fred Smith - Bass, vocals
Billy Ficca - Drums

Miscellanea

According to the liner notes of the 2003 reissue, Television originally wanted to record Marquee Moon with veteran jazz recording engineer Rudy Van Gelder (John Coltrane's A Love Supreme, most of the classic Blue Note Records catalog) at his legendary Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey recording studio.

The album cover features a portrait of the band taken by Robert Mapplethorpe, who also took the cover of fellow CBGB rocker Patti Smith's Horses album.

There is a passing reference to Marquee Moon in the Spanish group Amaral's song Moriría por vos. In the song's lyrics, while listing various reasons that the vocalist is falling for someone, she mentions that it might have something to do with the fact that the album is playing.

A cover version of the title track was recorded in 1990 by the Kronos Quartet for the compilation album Rubáiyát.

The song "Marquee Moon" was done in one take; drummer Billy Ficca thought that they were rehearsing.

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