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Television: Marquee Moon (Rhino Replicas Edition) CD Track Listing

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Television Marquee Moon (Rhino Replicas Edition) (1977)
Marquee Moon (Rhino Replicas Edition)\n2007 Warner Bros./Rhino\n\nOriginally Released 1977\nCD Edition Released September 1990\nRemastered + Expanded CD Edition Released September 23, 2003\nRhino Replicas Mini LP CD Edition Released March 6, 2007\n\nAMG EXPERT REVIEW: Rhino's 2003 expanded edition of Television's seminal debut, Marquee Moon, doesn't add much on the surface -- in addition to the de rigueur liner notes and loving packaging, all standard fare on serious reissues here in the early days of the 21st century, there are a mere five bonus tracks. Some might complain, but dealing with scarcity is part of being a Television fan; few great bands have left such a slim body of work, with only two studio albums from the golden age, weighing in at a total of 16 songs. So, any addition of new recordings, even alternate takes, to the canon is welcome indeed, and the five bonus tracks are all necessary, none more so than the first official CD release of Television's first single, "Little Johnny Jewel." Here, the two parts -- part one issued as the A-side, part two as the B -- are presented as one track (it does fade out and in at midway point), and it's a fascinating roughhewn blueprint for Marquee Moon. It's a legendary single, and it's a blessing that it's finally readily available, but hardcore Television fans will likely be more taken with the alternate takes of "See No Evil," "Friction," and "Marquee Moon." While "See No Evil" is the only tune that's radically different in this incarnation -- it's the same structure, only with another, very busy, guitar line surging throughout the verse -- the band, particularly Tom Verlaine and Richard Lloyd, always played the songs differently, so "Friction" and "Marquee Moon" make for fascinating listening anyway; that's also the reason why the untitled instrumental, which doesn't really go anywhere, is still good listening -- it's just a pleasure to hear this most musical of punk bands play. That, combined with good liner notes and remastering of a timeless album, make this an essential reissue. -- Stephen Thomas Erlewine\n\n\nAMG EXPERT REVIEW: Marquee Moon is a revolutionary album, but it's a subtle, understated revolution. Without question, it is a guitar rock album -- it's astonishing to hear the interplay between Tom Verlaine and Richard Lloyd -- but it is a guitar rock album unlike any other. Where their predecessors in the New York punk scene, most notably the Velvet Underground, had fused blues structures with avant garde flourishes, Television completely strips away any sense of swing or groove, even when they are playing standard three chord changes. Marquee Moon is comprised entirely of tense garage rockers that spiral into heady intellectual territory, which is achieved through the group's long, interweaving instrumental sections, not through Tom Verlaine's words. That alone made Marquee Moon a trailblazing album -- it's impossible to imagine post-punk soundscapes without it. Of course, it wouldn't have had such an impact if Verlaine hadn' t written an excellent set of songs that conveyed a fractured urban mythology unlike any of his contemporaries. From the nervy opener "See No Evil" to the majestic title track, there is simply not a bad song on the entire record. And what has kept Marquee Moon fresh over the years is how Television fleshes out Verlaine's poetry into sweeping sonic epics. -- Stephen Thomas Erlewine\n\nNew Musical Express (9/18/93, p.19) - Ranked #10 among The Greatest Albums Of The '70s. \n\nNew Musical Express (10/2/93, p.29) - Ranked #26 in NME's list of the 'Greatest Albums Of All Time.' \n\nHalf.com Notes\nTelevision: Tom Verlaine (vocals, guitar, keyboards); Richard Lloyd (guitar, background vocals); Fred Smith (bass, background vocals); Billy Ficca (drums). \n\nRecorded at A & R Studios, New York, New York. \n\nNew York's 70s punk was markedly different to that of Britain. Rather than reject the past, American groups deconstructed its forms and rebuilt them with recourse to the music's strengths. Television's leader, Tom Verlaine, professed admiration for Moby Grape and the folk rock of early Fairport Convention. Elements of the latter appear on this album's title track, which offers a thrilling instrumental break, built upon a modal scale. Verlaine's shimmering guitar style provides the set's focus, but his angular compositions are always enthralling. A sense of brooding mystery envelops the proceedings, and Marquee Moon retains its standing as one of the era's pivotal releases. \n\nAMAZON.COM CUSTOMER REVIEW\nA genuine 5 star record, March 22, 2007 \nBy Brian Sniatkowski "BrianSnat" (Morris County, NJ USA)\nI don't give out stars lightly. To rate a record 5 stars means to me that its one of the greatest records ever, of which there are perhaps 100. Marquee Moon is one of them. \n\nTelevision came out of the mid 70's NYC punk scene and may have had a punk attitude and fashion sense, but their music was the antithesis of the 3 chord, 90 second songs of Blondie and The Ramones. The first thing I remember thinking when I first played Marquee Moon was that I've never heard anything quite like this before. The awesome guitar play, the sharp lyrics and Verlaine's high pitched, quavering voice gave them a unique sound. \n\nIn later years I noticed some similarities between Television's guitar work and that of Neil Young's, particularly in Young's Cowgirl in the Sand and Down By the River. I have a feeling you will find some Young in Verlaine's and Lloyd's record collections. \n\nThe hardest thing about Television is describing their sound to someone. They just didn't sound like anyone else. Though they were never a commercial success, their influences have been heard later in bands like the Strokes, Violent Femmes, Radiohead, Sonic Youth, The Killers and many more. \n\nIn an attempt to describe Television's sound to someone, I asked him to picture a band with Neil Young and David Gilmour playing guitar, the Violent Femme's Gordon Gano on vocals and David Bowie writing the lyrics (Hmmmm, maybe someone should write them and see if they could put something together. It would have to be better than Tin Machine). \n\nMarquee Moon is Television's finest album, though I think the follow-up, Adventure, is vastly underrated. What "Freebird" is to southern rock and "Stairway to Heaven" is to progressive rock, that is what the title track, "Marquee Moon" is to alt/punk rock. It's nearly 10 minutes of one of Rock's greatest moments of guitar interplay. \n\nEvery song on this album is phenominal. From the opening riffs of "See No Evil" to Verlaine's plaintive wail on the closer, "Torn Curtain" the record is solid. \n\nMarquee Moon will be 30 years old this year. The amazing thing is that the music is still as fresh today as it was when it when released. \n\nIn 1977, if you looked back 30 years you saw artists like Guy Lombardo, Bing Crosby, Mills Bros. etc..., all fine artists in their own right, but that was grandma's and grandpa's music and had little relevance in 1977. The fact that Televison is as relevant, if not more so, in 2007 as they were in 1977 is a testament to their greatness. \n\n\nAMAZON.COM CUSTOMER REVIEW\nGoin' against the grain, the way it should be..., August 3, 2006 \nBy T. Nicholson "T-O-DoubleD" (Geneva, IL)\nI don't know how Dr. Gonzo can even compare the solo in "Marquee Moon" to such great solos by Jimmy Page (Stairway to Heaven) and David Gilmour (Comfortably Numb). I know it's easy to downplay such solos just because they also happen to be popular, overplayed, and overhyped over time. But it's not the song's nor the artist's fault. And comparing it to a solo like this doesn't even warrant an argument. I also think Gilmour's solo is great but not the best, but still it ranks much higher than this one, namely for its melody. Also, on the contrary, Page does not rely on fuzz pedals to carry/make his solos...leave that to today's guitarists. He's the man, especially in the studio, and should not be trivialized along with other arena rockers that couldn't make 1/10 of quality songs or riffs as him. They made it, played it, and paved the way for the inferiors to copy them; thus, Zeppelin and Page should stand apart from the punk cliche/ideology that Zeppelin sucked (though I'm not implying that is what Dr. Gonzo is saying). The Verlaine solo was okay, but nothing more than similar solos done countless times, namely in the 60's. The Peanut Butter Conspiracy's lead guitarist Bill Wolff comes to mind when I hear the solo. \n\nThat said, their guitar work was great as a duo, and they always found new ways to surprise, which is always fun for me as a listener. And it paved the way for an impressive album full of edge, rawness, melody, insight, and fun. It spoke to you the way other punk bands, save the Clash and Jam, couldn't do as well musically or lyrically. I hope the album finally gets the props it deserves once and for all...and for all the good reasons. \n\n\nAMAZON.COM CUSTOMER REVIEW\nA rock 'n roll staple gets the re-mastered treatment., February 3, 2006 \nBy Cromulus "Magnus Cromulus" (Roma)\nTelevision is an oddity - associated with punk even though they have more in common with Ayler than The Clash, it's a band that was nevertheless associated with the burgeoning NY punk scene. That scene, having been forced to find new places to play after Mercer came tumbling down, found three new digs to occupy - CBGB's, Max's Kansas City and 82 Club. Television, in spite of having played a long engagement at CGBGB's, were mostly looked upon as a Max's band, much like Patti Smith was. GBGB's is now known as the house The Ramones built but Blondie and The Talking Heads played there often enough to call it their backyard. \n\nThe point of all this is that riding the Patti Smith wave, record execs were looking to catch some big fish playing in the NY pond, and some of these fish were Television (around 1974 they were probably looked upon as most likely to succeed), The Ramones, Talking Heads, Richard Hell, Suicide, Johnny Thunder and The Heartbreakers and Blondie. As a result, these bands get lumped together even though Television has more in common stylistically with The Albert Ayler Trio than they do with The Ramones. That Verlaine held the Ramones beneath contempt should tell you all you need to know about what he thought of having Television lumped in with that crowd. \n\nTelevision is not three chord rock. It's not angry in the way The Sex Pistols were angry (actually most American punk isn't angry the way Brit punk was). What Television Is, it's a combination of kids tired of the same old crap. It's a handful of guys who liked VU and Albert Ayler and old black blues men and Captain Beefheart. If you wanna call it punk, you should really call it art-punk. That's especially appropriate since Verlaine took his moniker from a French poet. The problem is that when people first get introduced to Television as a punk band they don't get it. They expect three chords played fast and angry and the expectations are met with arpeggios and harmonics and astonishingly artful drumming. In other words, the expectations are NOT met. \n\nBut if you don't like something, it doesn't necessarily mean it sucks. Hardcore punkers will most likely be disappointed with Marquee Moon's lack of anger. Jazz heads will be disappointed with Marquee Moon's structure. Deadheads will be disappointed with Marquee Moon's lack of relaxed atmosphere and Verlaine's screeching voice. The only ones not disappointed will be those that are open to hearing something new. \n\n"Venus", "Prove It" and "Torn Curtain" don't feature chug-a-lug, downstream picking. They feature shimmering guitars interplaying with complex chords and delicate drumming, walking bass lines and counterpoint - not typical punk staples. Heck, "Guiding Light" even feature (gasp!) piano. \n\nThe new and re-mastered edition features Patti Smith pal R. Mapplethorpe's original shot of the undernourished band and Mr. Ficca's giant afro) as well as a handful of alternate takes, a 7 minute "Little Johnny Jewel" and an unreleased cut. \n\nTo my ears, Television belongs right in between The Velvet Underground and Big Star, having carved itself into a niche that no one is entirely sure how to categorize (I only care enough to do so because their own confused status seems to demand a clarification so perhaps art rock or smart rock will do the trick). \n\n\nROLLING STONE REVIEW\nOnce out of time, always out of time: In 1977 the stunning ice-blue guitarchitecture and defiant spirit of free-jamming wanderlust on Television's debut album, Marquee Moon, blew wide holes through cream-puff AOR rock and the already calcifying primitivism of punk. Fifteen years later, in a guitar decade awash in thick distortion and truncheon riffing, the reunited Television comes in colors -- pastel strumming, deep purple vibrato, sunrise orange chords -- and celebrates the lost virtues of precision, emotional depth and sonic elegance.\n\nThe schematic remains the same. Guitarists Tom Verlaine and Richard Lloyd uncork spectacular, interlocking riff spirals and spin into heated solo orbit over Fred Smith's bulwark bass playing and drummer Billy Ficca's firm, earthy cadences. But the spaces they've mapped out are dark and tight, full of claustrophobic menace. Combining the focused songcraft of the band's second album, Adventure, with Marquee Moon's flair for guitar melodrama, Television is rich in twang noir -- meticulous weaves of pithy guitar agitation and stately sleight of tune underscored with Verlaine's Sahara-dry wit and that unmistakable death-rattle choke in his singing. In "Call Mr. Lee," Verlaine sounds like a snickering Peter Lorre, his voice dripping with con-man smarm and I-spy mischief ("Just one trick and/You're sweet for life/Help me out, plum blossom"), as Lloyd's guitar skids through the choruses in a cat's cradle of hairpin turns. And "1880 or So" is an even more sinister beauty, the guitars' crystalline ping and Verlaine's polite Victorian love-speak ("Rose of my heart, the vision dims") belied by the darker obsession encoded in his parched vocal and Lloyd's solo outbursts.\n\nTelevision's unexpected emphasis on restraint and layered meaning makes it hard at first to give yourself up to deviant surprises like the droll tangle of "Beauty Trip" or the opiate syncopation of "Rhyme" and "Mars." Actually, the '92 model Television is like a twin-guitar version of those Bulgarian women's choirs, a model of complex, unaffected modal and melodic networking dramatically resolving into angry tremolo shivers, star-burst power chords and languid states of grace. One minute you hear Duane Eddy; the next, John Cippolina; the next, a kinder, gentler Hendrix.\n\nBut you hear it all as Television, orchestrated with impeccable clarity, sensual vigor and a gift for breathtaking understatement. In "No Glamour for Willi," the laughing sound of Verlaine's wah-wah break neatly mimics Willi's playful insistence that her love has no price ("My preferences, dear, are/Mostly half-price/A four-leaf clover might be nice"). It's a small moment but one that defines Television's slowly unfolding pleasures so well -- all, in turn, rooted in the greater pleasure of hearing guitars speak in tongues, not just fuzz. As Verlaine puts it, perhaps a little floridly, in "Shane, She Wrote This": "Sisters rejoice, strum the big minor chord/With wildly impassioned delight/Rapture is mine now as I behold/All turning holy and bright." It was worth waiting fifteen years. (RS 642 -- Oct 29, 1992) -- DAVID FRICKE
This rock cd contains 8 tracks and runs 46min 22sec.
Freedb: 570adc08
Buy: from Amazon.com

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