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Marquee Moon is Television
Television (band)

Television, formed in New York City in 1973, is an United States rock music band. Although Television never had more than a cult audience in their American homeland, they achieved significant commercial success in Europe and today are widely regarded as one of the key founders of punk rock....
's 1977 debut album
Album

An album or record album is a collection of related Sound recording and reproduction or music tracks distributed to the public. The most common way is through commercial distribution, although smaller artists will often distribute directly to the public by selling their albums at live concerts or on their websites....
 (see 1977 in music
1977 in music

EventsBohemian Rhapsody is named 'The Best Single Of The Last 25 Years' by British Phonographic Industry.In this year, the St. Magnus Festival was founded in Orkney by Sir Peter Maxwell Davies....
). It was re-released September 23, 2003.

vision was one of the mainstay acts that emerged from the CBGB
CBGB

CBGB was a music club at 315 Bowery at Bleecker Street in the Borough of Manhattan in New York City. Founded by Hilly Kristal in 1973, it was originally intended to feature its namesake musical styles, but became a forum for American punk rock and punk-influenced bands like Ramones, Misfits , Television , the Patti Smith, Willy Deville, The...
 scene in New York City. This album features the elliptical lyrics of Tom Verlaine
Tom Verlaine

Tom Verlaine is a singer, songwriter and guitarist, best-known as the frontman for the New York rock music band Television ....
 set against the sparse yet complex guitar
Guitar

The guitar is a musical instrument with ancient roots that is used in a wide variety of musical styles. It typically has six Strings , but Tenor guitar, Seven-string guitar, Eight-string guitar, Ten-string guitar, Eleven-string guitar, Twelve-string guitar, Thirteen-string guitar and doubleneck guitar string guitars also exist....
 work of Verlaine and Richard Lloyd, and the rhythm section of Fred Smith
Fred Smith (bassist)

Fred Smith is an United States bass guitarist, best known for his work with Television . He was the original bassist with Blondie until he replaced Richard Hell when Hell left Television in 1975 to form The_Heartbreakers_)....
 (bass
Bass guitar

The electric bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a plectrum.The bass guitar is similar in appearance and construction to an electric guitar, but with a larger body, a longer neck and Scale length, and usually four strings tuned to the same pitches as those of the double bass, whic...
) and Billy Ficca
Billy Ficca

Billy Ficca is a Punk Rock drummer who has played with the bands Television , The Washington Squares, The Waitresses and The Neon Boys. He frequently performed with guitarist/vocalist Tom Verlaine and bassist Richard Hell....
 (drums
Drum kit

A drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and sometimes other percussion instruments, such as cowbell s, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single drummer....
).






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Encyclopedia


Marquee Moon is Television
Television (band)

Television, formed in New York City in 1973, is an United States rock music band. Although Television never had more than a cult audience in their American homeland, they achieved significant commercial success in Europe and today are widely regarded as one of the key founders of punk rock....
's 1977 debut album
Album

An album or record album is a collection of related Sound recording and reproduction or music tracks distributed to the public. The most common way is through commercial distribution, although smaller artists will often distribute directly to the public by selling their albums at live concerts or on their websites....
 (see 1977 in music
1977 in music

EventsBohemian Rhapsody is named 'The Best Single Of The Last 25 Years' by British Phonographic Industry.In this year, the St. Magnus Festival was founded in Orkney by Sir Peter Maxwell Davies....
). It was re-released September 23, 2003.

Album information

Television was one of the mainstay acts that emerged from the CBGB
CBGB

CBGB was a music club at 315 Bowery at Bleecker Street in the Borough of Manhattan in New York City. Founded by Hilly Kristal in 1973, it was originally intended to feature its namesake musical styles, but became a forum for American punk rock and punk-influenced bands like Ramones, Misfits , Television , the Patti Smith, Willy Deville, The...
 scene in New York City. This album features the elliptical lyrics of Tom Verlaine
Tom Verlaine

Tom Verlaine is a singer, songwriter and guitarist, best-known as the frontman for the New York rock music band Television ....
 set against the sparse yet complex guitar
Guitar

The guitar is a musical instrument with ancient roots that is used in a wide variety of musical styles. It typically has six Strings , but Tenor guitar, Seven-string guitar, Eight-string guitar, Ten-string guitar, Eleven-string guitar, Twelve-string guitar, Thirteen-string guitar and doubleneck guitar string guitars also exist....
 work of Verlaine and Richard Lloyd, and the rhythm section of Fred Smith
Fred Smith (bassist)

Fred Smith is an United States bass guitarist, best known for his work with Television . He was the original bassist with Blondie until he replaced Richard Hell when Hell left Television in 1975 to form The_Heartbreakers_)....
 (bass
Bass guitar

The electric bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a plectrum.The bass guitar is similar in appearance and construction to an electric guitar, but with a larger body, a longer neck and Scale length, and usually four strings tuned to the same pitches as those of the double bass, whic...
) and Billy Ficca
Billy Ficca

Billy Ficca is a Punk Rock drummer who has played with the bands Television , The Washington Squares, The Waitresses and The Neon Boys. He frequently performed with guitarist/vocalist Tom Verlaine and bassist Richard Hell....
 (drums
Drum kit

A drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and sometimes other percussion instruments, such as cowbell s, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single drummer....
). 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
Cult following

A cult following is a group of fan devoted to a specific area of pop culture. These dedicated followings are usually relatively small, and often pertain to items that don't have broad mainstream appeal....
 in the United States
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
 at the time of its release, but rose to #28 in Britain
United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom , the UK or Britain,is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe....
, partly due to a in the NME
NME

The New Musical Express is a popular music magazine in the United Kingdom which has been published weekly since March 1952. It was the first British paper to include a singles chart, which first appeared in the 14 November 1952 edition....
.

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
VH1

VH1 is an United States cable television network based in New York City. Launched on January 1, 1985 in television, the original purpose of the channel was to build on the success of MTV by playing music videos, but targeting a slighter older demographic than its sister channel, focusing on the lighter, softer side of popular music....
 placed it 83rd. It was also ranked at #128 in the Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone

Rolling Stone is a United States-based magazine devoted to music, politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J....
's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time while Pitchfork Media
Pitchfork Media

Pitchfork Media, usually known simply as Pitchfork, is a Chicago-based daily Internet publication devoted to music journalism and commentary, music news, and artist interviews....
 named the album the . 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
Rate Your Music

Rate Your Music is a metadata database where musical albums, Extended play, single , videos, and Bootleg recording are rated and reviewed by users....
: and is #25 at Acclaimed Music .

The original vinyl
Vinyl

A vinyl compound is any organic compound that contains a vinyl group , −CarbonHydrogenCovalent bondCH2. These are derivatives of ethene, CH2=CH2, with one hydrogen atom replaced with some other group....
 recording was composed of eight tracks. The remastered 2003 compact disc
Compact Disc

A Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store Data , originally developed for storing digital audio. The CD, available on the market since October 1982, remains the standard physical medium for sale of commercial Sound recording and reproduction to the present day....
 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
Shocking Blue

Shocking Blue was a Netherlands rock music musical ensemble from The Hague formed in 1967. Their biggest hit record, "Venus ," went to #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in February 1970, and the band had sold 13.5 million gramophone record by 1973, but the group disbanded in 1974....
 single. It is an original tune about taking refuge in the arms of the Venus de Milo
Venus de Milo

Aphrodite of Milos , better known as the Venus de Milo, is an Ancient Greece statue and one of the most famous works of Sculpture of Ancient Greece....
, a legendary Greek statue that has lost its arms. The song "Guiding Light
Guiding Light

Guiding Light is an United States television program credited by the Guinness World Records as being the longest-running soap opera in production and the longest running drama in television and radio history....
" takes its name from a soap opera
Soap opera

A soap opera is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in Serial format on television or radio. Programs described as soap operas have existed as an entertainment long enough for audiences to recognize them simply by the term soap....
.

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. A cover version of the title track was recorded in 1990 by the Kronos Quartet
Kronos Quartet

Kronos Quartet is a string quartet founded by violinist David Harrington in 1973. Since 1978, the quartet has been based in San Francisco, California....
 for the compilation album Rubáiyát
Rubaiyat

"Ruba?i" is Arabic language for "quatrain", and is used to describe a Persian quatrain, or its derivative form in English and other languages. The plural form of the word, ruba?iyat , is used to describe a collection of such quatrains....
. There is a passing reference to Marquee Moon in the Spanish
Spain

Spain or the Kingdom of Spain , is a country located in Southern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula.The Spanish constitution does not establish any official denomination of the country, even though Espa?a , Estado espa?ol and Naci?n espa?ola are used interchangeably....
 group Amaral
Amaral (music group)

Amaral is a music group from Zaragoza, Spain. The band consists of Eva Amaral and Juan Aguirre . They write their songs together. Eva Amaral started out as a drummer in another group until she set out with Aguirre to play her own material in 1997....
'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
Indie rock

Indie rock is alternative rock that most notably exists in the Independent music underground music scene. It primarily refers to rock musicians that are or were unsigned, or have signed to independent record labels, rather than major record labels....
 group Mystery Jets
Mystery Jets

Mystery Jets is an England four-piece Independent music band, formerly based on Eel Pie Island in Twickenham, London....
.

Reception

The album is one of the most acclaimed rock records of all time.

Professional reviews:

  • Rolling Stone
    Rolling Stone

    Rolling Stone is a United States-based magazine devoted to music, politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J....
     (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
    Entertainment Weekly

    Entertainment Weekly is a magazine published by Time Inc. in the United States which covers movies, television, music, Broadway stage productions, books, and popular culture....
     (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 (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
    UNCUT (magazine)

    Uncut magazine, trademarked as UNCUT, is a popular monthly publication based in London. It is available across the English-speaking world, and focuses on music, but also includes a film section....
     (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."- Ranked #2 in Uncut's list of the 'Greatest Debuts' (Lost to Velvet Underground & Nico)


  • Mojo
    Mojo (magazine)

    Mojo is a popular music magazine published by Bauer Verlagsgruppe, monthly in the United Kingdom.Following the success of the magazine Q , publishers Emap were looking for a title which would cater for the burgeoning interest in classic rock music....
     (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."


  • NME
    NME

    The New Musical Express is a popular music magazine in the United Kingdom which has been published weekly since March 1952. It was the first British paper to include a singles chart, which first appeared in the 14 November 1952 edition....
     (9/18/93, p.19) - Ranked #10 among The Greatest Albums Of The '70s - NME
    NME

    The New Musical Express is a popular music magazine in the United Kingdom which has been published weekly since March 1952. It was the first British paper to include a singles chart, which first appeared in the 14 November 1952 edition....
     (2003) - Ranked #4 in NME's list of the 'Greatest Albums Of All Time'


LP track listing

All songs written by Tom Verlaine
Tom Verlaine

Tom Verlaine is a singer, songwriter and guitarist, best-known as the frontman for the New York rock music band Television ....
 unless otherwise indicated.

Side one

  1. "See No Evil" – 3:53
  2. "Venus" – 3:51
  3. "Friction" – 4:44
  4. "Marquee Moon
    Marquee Moon (song)

    Marquee Moon is the title track from Television 's first album, Marquee Moon. It was written by Tom Verlaine....
    " – 10:40


Side two

  2. "Elevation" – 5:07
  3. "Guiding Light" – 5:35 (Lloyd, Verlaine)
  4. "Prove It
    Prove It

    Prove It was the seventh track from Television 1977 album Marquee Moon. It was released as a single with "Venus" on the B-side and became the most successful of their three hit singles in the UK Singles Chart....
    " – 5:02
  5. "Torn Curtain" – 6:56


CD reissue bonus tracks

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


The untitled instrumental
Instrumental

An instrumental is a musical composition or recording without lyrics or any other sort of vocal music; all of the music is produced by musical instruments....
 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" in 1978.

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

Personnel

  • Tom Verlaine
    Tom Verlaine

    Tom Verlaine is a singer, songwriter and guitarist, best-known as the frontman for the New York rock music band Television ....
     - Lead vocals, guitar, keyboards
  • Richard Lloyd - Guitar, vocals
  • Fred Smith
    Fred Smith (bassist)

    Fred Smith is an United States bass guitarist, best known for his work with Television . He was the original bassist with Blondie until he replaced Richard Hell when Hell left Television in 1975 to form The_Heartbreakers_)....
     - Bass, vocals
  • Billy Ficca
    Billy Ficca

    Billy Ficca is a Punk Rock drummer who has played with the bands Television , The Washington Squares, The Waitresses and The Neon Boys. He frequently performed with guitarist/vocalist Tom Verlaine and bassist Richard Hell....
     - Drums

Guitar Solos

The guitar solos in "See No Evil," "Elevation" and "Guiding Light" are played by Richard Lloyd, while the solos in "Venus," "Friction" and "Prove It" 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


  • According to the liner notes of the 2003 reissue, Television originally wanted to record Marquee Moon with veteran jazz recording engineer Rudy Van Gelder
    Rudy Van Gelder

    Rudy Van Gelder is an Ameerican audio engineering specializing in jazz.Frequently regarded as one of the most important recording engineers in music history, Van Gelder is one of the legendary behind-the-scenes figures in jazz, recording several hundred jazz sessions, including many widely recognized as classics....
     (John Coltrane
    John Coltrane

    John William Coltrane was an United States jazz saxophonist and composer.Starting in bebop and hard bop, Coltrane later pioneered free jazz. He influenced generations of other musicians, and remains one of the most significant tenor saxophonists in jazz history....
    's A Love Supreme
    A Love Supreme

    A Love Supreme is a jazz album released by John Coltrane's quartet in 1965. It is generally considered to be among Coltrane's greatest works, as it coalesced the hard bop sensibilities of his early career with the free jazz style he adopted later in his life....
    , most of the classic Blue Note Records
    Blue Note Records

    Blue Note Records is a jazz record label, established in 1939 by Alfred Lion and Max Margulis. Francis Wolff became involved shortly afterwards....
     catalog) at his legendary Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey
    Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey

    Englewood Cliffs is a Borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, New Jersey, United States. As of the United States 2000 Census, the borough population was 5,322....
     recording studio.
  • The album cover features a portrait of the band taken by Robert Mapplethorpe
    Robert Mapplethorpe

    Robert Mapplethorpe was an United States photographer, known for his large-scale, highly stylized black and white portraits, photos of flowers and naked men....
    .
  • The song "Marquee Moon" was done in one take; drummer Billy Ficca thought that they were rehearsing.