Marquee Moon
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Marquee Moon | ||
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| Studio album by Television | ||
| Released | February, 1977 | |
| Recorded | 1975 | |
| Genre | Art punk Punk |
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| Length | 45:49 | |
| Label | Elektra | |
| Producer(s) | Andy Johns Tom Verlaine |
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| Professional reviews | ||
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| Television chronology | ||
| Marquee Moon (1977) |
Adventure (1978) |
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Marquee Moon is Television's 1977 debut album (see 1977 in music). It was re-released September 23, 2003.
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 following track listing is that of a remastered 2003 compact disc rerelease of Marquee Moon. The original vinyl recording was composed of the first eight tracks below, in the same order, although the title track itself was originally faded out early with a running time of 9:58.
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]
[edit] Track listing
Guitar solos where noted--
- "See No Evil" – 3:53 [Lloyd]
- "Venus" – 3:51 [Verlaine]
- "Friction" – 4:44 [Verlaine]
- "Marquee Moon" – 10:40 [Lloyd after second chorus, Verlaine after third chorus]
- "Elevation" – 5:07 [Lloyd]
- "Guiding Light" – 5:35 [Lloyd]
- "Prove It" – 5:02 [Verlaine]
- "Torn Curtain" – 6:56 [Verlaine]
Bonus tracks from CD reissue:
- "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.
[edit] 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.
