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Television’s “Marquee Moon” redefined guitar rock in such an original and groundbreaking way that critics and fans still struggle to describe its essence, even five decades after its initial release. Released in 1977 on Elektra, the album came about after the band had earned its stripes for four years in New York’s thriving art scene. The debut was ranked No. 107 on Rolling Stone’s list of the greatest albums of all time and appears on virtually every major list of the best! Furthermore, the epic title track was ranked No. 173 on Rolling Stone’s list of the “Greatest Songs of All Time.”
Producer Andy Johns was initially put off by Tom Verlaine’s request to record in one of the smallest rooms at the A&R studio, using a retro setup that included a tube mixing console. Johns also misunderstood Verlaine, who served as co-producer and envisioned a dry sound—a vision that clashed with the big, rich sound that ultimately prevailed. Johns spent a day tinkering with the drums to achieve effects similar to those he’d created with Led Zeppelin and the Rolling Stones – only to take it all apart again when Television expressed a desire for a simple, reverb-free sound. On “Marquee Moon,” you can hear this direct, focused, straightforward sound and how it was realized with minimal overdubs for piano and vocals. By this point, his attitude toward “Marquee Moon” had shifted from detached curiosity to unreserved admiration. His change of heart is easy to understand and aligns with the opinions of nearly everyone who has engaged with this strange, beautiful, seemingly contradictory record. Few albums of this era – or before and after it – combine such acrobatic technical virtuosity, a “back-to-the-basics” structure, jam-band improvisations, narrative mysticism, delicate finesse, and such catchy hooks. Above all, Verlaine’s playing and his lyrics – but also his interests and background – differ from those of the archetypal guitar heroes, let alone the representatives of the first wave of punk: he first fell in love with classical music before turning to jazz and the saxophone. Verlaine’s genius, discipline, and intuition are omnipresent on “Marquee Moon” and are an essential component of the impressionistic six-string dialogues with his congenial bandmate Richard Lloyd – as are the restrained, syncopated rhythms generated by bassist Fred Smith and the jazz-oriented drummer Billy Ficca. Together, the four members achieved a unique blend of precision, chromaticism, and expressionism, situated in the gray areas between garage rock, punk, prog, and free jazz, and equally influenced by classical music, jazz, and psychedelia. No wonder “Marquee Moon” had a major influence on the subsequent subgenres of new wave, experimental rock, art pop and rock.
Lovingly remastered from the original tapes at MoFi’s California studio and presented in a mini-LP-style gatefold sleeve, this Hybrid SACD brings this classic to life for the first time in audiophile reference quality: incredible realism and captivating presence, with unrestrained clarity, dynamics, and meticulous attention to detail: The numbered Hybrid SACD from MFSL delivers more rock ‘n’ roll feeling than ever before. Turn the volume all the way up!
1. See No Evil
2. Venus
3. Friction
4. Marquee Moon
5. Elevation
6. Guiding Light
7. Prove It
8. Torn Curtain