Marquee Moon is Television's 1977 debut album (see 1977 in music). It was re-released September 23, 2003.
Album information
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 because of a lengthy rave review by Nick Kent in the New Musical Express.
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,[1] while Pitchfork Media named the album the 3rd best of the 1970s. In March 2005, Q magazine placed the song "Marquee Moon" 51st 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 and is #25 at Acclaimed Music [1].
The original vinyl recording was composed of eight tracks. The remastered 2003 compact disc re-release 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.
The album was dedicated to William Terry Ork, on whose label, Ork Records, the band's first single ("Little Johnny Jewel (Parts 1 & 2)") was released.
Reception
The album is one of the most acclaimed rock records of all time.
- Rolling Stone (October 16, 2003, p.90) – 5 stars out of 5 – "One of the all-time classic guitar albums....MOON still shimmers with urban grime and psychedelic imagination."
- Spin (December 2003, p.125) – "It's the first punk jam album and a thing of swooning, brawny loveliness."
- Entertainment Weekly (September 26, 2003, pp.94-5) – "One of the era's masterworks, a multilayered thrill ride of interlocking stun-gun guitars and leader Tom Verlaine's nervous vocals." – Rating: A
- Q (May 2002 SE, p.143) – 5 stars out of 5 – Included in Q's 100 Best Punk Albums
- Q (January 2003, p.132) – "A brutally stark, yet intricate weave of guitars and affectingly passionate vocals."
- Uncut (November 2001, p.134) – "Television may have vowed to 'pull down the future', but no one knew they'd reinvent it. Proof that lightning can, indeed, strike itself." – Ranked #2 in Uncut's list of the Greatest Debuts (runner-up to The Velvet Underground & Nico)
- Mojo (March 2003, p.76) – Ranked #32 in Mojo's Top 50 Punk Albums – "A graceful new wave bite that betrayed delicate hints of neo-psychedelic sophistication."
- NME (September 18, 1993, p.19) – Ranked #10 among The Greatest Albums Of The '70s
- NME (2003) – Ranked #4 in NME's list of the Greatest Albums Of All Time
- Pitchfork Media – Ranked #3 in Top 100 Albums of the 1970s.
LP track listing
All songs written by Tom Verlaine unless otherwise indicated.
Side one
- "See No Evil" – 3:53
- "Venus" – 3:51
- "Friction" – 4:44
- "Marquee Moon" – 10:40
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 Evi" (Alternate Version) – 4:40
- "Friction" (Alternate Version) – 4:52
- "Marquee Moon" (Alternate Version) – 10:54
- Untitled [instrumental] – 3:22
The original vinyl LP faded out "Marquee Moon" to 9:58 because of space limitations. All CD issues have featured the full-length version of the song, clocking in at 10:40.
The untitled instrumental is an unfinished attempt to record "O Mi Amore", a song Television performed frequently in concert during 1976 and 1977. This recording of the song comes from the sessions for Television's second album Adventure (1978).
The song "Marquee Moon" was #372 on Rolling Stone's list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.
Personnel
Guitar Solos
The guitar solos in "See No Evil", "Elevation" and "Guiding Light" are played by Richard Lloyd, while the solos in "Venus", "Friction" "Prove It" and "Torn Curtain" are by Tom Verlaine. The solos in the album's title track are shared between the two, with Lloyd soloing after the second chorus and Verlaine soloing after the third.
Production
Covers and cultural references
A cover version of the title track was recorded in 1990 by the Kronos Quartet for the compilation album Rubáiyát. 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. The record is also mentioned in the 2008 song "Two Doors Down" by the British indie rock group Mystery Jets.
References
