Marquee Moon [Bonus Tracks] [Remaster]

Performer: Television
Engineer: Andy Johns
Producer: Andy Johns; Tom Verlaine
Distributor: WEA (Distributor)

Notes: Television: Tom Verlaine (vocals, guitar, keyboards); Richard Lloyd (guitar, background vocals); Fred Smith (bass, background vocals); Billy Ficca (drums). Recorded at A & R Studios, New York, New York. Originally released on Elektra (1098). Includes liner notes by Alan Licht. Personnel: Richard Lloyd , Tom Verlaine (vocals, guitar); Fred Smith (vocals); Billy Ficca (drums). Audio Mixer: Andy Johns. Audio Remasterer: Dan Hersch. Liner Note Author: Alan Licht. Recording information: A & R Studios, New York, NY. Photographers: Robert Mapplethorpe; Richard Robinson ; Roberta Bayley; Chuck Pulin; Godlis. New York's 1970s 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. 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

Rolling Stone (12/25/03, p.112) - Included in Rolling Stone's "Top 10 Reissues of 2003" Rolling Stone (10/16/03, 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 (12/03, p.125) - "...It's the first punk jam album and a thing of swooning, brawny loveliness..." Entertainment Weekly (9/26/03, 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 (01/01/04, p.77) - Included in Q's "Best Re-releases of 2003" Q (5/02 SE, p.143) - 5 stars out of 5 - Included in Q's "100 Best Punk Albums" Q (1/03, p.132) - "...A brutally stark, yet intricate weave of guitars and affectingly passionate vocals..." Uncut (11/01, 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..." Mojo (Publisher) (3/03, p.76) - Ranked #32 in Mojo's "Top 50 Punk Albums" - "...A graceful new wave bite that betrayed delicate hints of neo-psychedelic sophistication..." Mojo (Publisher) (11/03, pp.134-6) - 5 stars out of 5 - "...MARQUEE MOON sounds more accomplished, more idiosyncratic than ever..." NME (Magazine) (9/18/93, p.19) - Ranked #10 among The Greatest Albums Of The '70s NME (Magazine) (10/2/93, p.29) - Ranked #26 in NME's list of the `Greatest Albums Of All Time'

Television came up in the 1970s among the first wave of New York punks (Ramones, Talking Heads, etc.), but their ambitious epics and stellar musicianship were far removed from the proletarian orientation of their CBGB's peers. The twin guitars of Richard Lloyd and Tom Verlaine made for a magical sound, further enhanced by Verlaine's poetic lyrics. Television broke up after two albums, but reunited long enough for a third in 1992, and have since staged sporadic reunion concerts.

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