Marquee Moon (Dig) [Original recording remastered, Original recording reissued, Extra tracks]

Television | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (September 23, 2003)
• Original Release Date: 1977
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Original recording remastered, Original recording reissued, Extra tracks
• Label: Elektra / Wea
• ASIN: B0000AI45P
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Music
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (176 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #11,005 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #46 in Music > Alternative Rock > Hardcore & Punk > American Punk
  • #61 in Music > Alternative Rock > Hardcore & Punk > Proto Punk

Track Listings

1. See No Evil

2. Venus

3. Friction

4. Marquee Moon

5. Elevation

6. Guiding Light

7. Prove It

8. Torn Curtain

9. Little Johnny Jewel (Parts 1 & 2)

10. See No Evil (Alternate Version)

11. Friction (Alternate Version)

12. Marquee Moon (Alternate Version)

13. Untitled Instrumental

Editorial Reviews

The title cut's epic; every cut's classic. Bonus tracks are the equally epic Little Johnny Jewel Parts 1 & 2 ; an untitled instrumental, and unreleased alternate versions of See No Evil; Friction , and Marquee Moon.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

110 of 116 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars No Remote Control October 23, 2003

By K. H. Orton VINE™ VOICE

Format:Audio CD

Like alot of folks, I'm wary of the reissue game. Tempting as bonus tracks are, I often find they ruin the integrity of the original release. That being said, this sounds a 1000x's better than the previous cd incarnation. And it' s nice to hear their long out of print 1st single, "Little Johnny Jewel" in it's entirety.

Though long associated with the CBGB Punk scene, they were far more ambitious than The Ramones ever were. I mean what is this stuff? Psychedelic Jazz Punk? Whatever it is, it's original. Verlaine croons like he's choking on a 25-cent hot dog at Gray's Papaya off 8th Avenue. And though his poetical leanings can often be obtuse, they're offset by a no nonsense, tough as nails rhythm section.

In terms of guitar playing, this band is armed with 2 guys who don't quite see eye to eye. Richard Lloyd's playing is as precise & solid as Verlaine is moody & improvisational. In other words, they are perfect foils. There's nothing quite like the epic title track. The lyrics seem ripped out of some lost notebook by Rimbaud. Musically, it's a dark, surreal sprial staircase---leading you back to from whence you came. The sonic equivalent of Carol Reed's the 3rd MAN.

In terms of barbed wit & killer hooks, how can you top the likes of "See No Evil", "Friction", "Elevation, & my personal favorite, "Proof It"? All of which makes the balladry of "Guiding Light" seem all the more delicate & fragile.

By far the darkest track is the closer,"Torn Curtain". In anyone else's hands it would come off as pure pretention. But they pull it off. Guess it even proved to be oddly prophetic. After this album, the band pretty much fell apart despite the flawed farewell of their follow up, ADVENTURE.

In terms of today's bands, Television's influence is undeniable. Radiohead. The Strokes. Artic Monkeys. Tape-n-Tapes. As competent as they are, after hearing this, they won't hold a candle. MARQUEE MOON is up ther with VU's "banana album" as one of the greatest albums a NYC based band has ever produced.

This is the sound of a station that's not on your regular dial. Music before the days of remote control & MTV banality. It's the TV you always wanted to see, only you have to close your eyes first. Shut them tight & tune in.

26 of 27 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars 5 stars for the album itself but packaging is less desirable November 17, 2003

By Eric Edelin

Format:Audio CD

'Marquee Moon' is one of those albums that not many people have heard of, but everybody with a credible music collection should own. (I also stated in my review of the original cd pressing that it should be an Amazon Essential Recording, but I guess they don't agree). Out of their CBGB contemporaries, Television stuck out like a sore thumb, even compared to the Talking Heads. While other groups were busy playing short, to-the-point punk rock, Television was mixing the immediacy of punk with the technical skills of progressive and jazz groups. The title track, 'Marquee Moon' is a ten and a half minute ascension to musical nirvana. Only the opening track 'See No Evil' has the jump-start effect of punk rock. Television were more about experimentation than punk rock. 'Marquee Moon' is one of the finest releases of the late 1970s, and among the top albums of the "New York scene."

The reissue, on the other hand, has some good parts, some great parts, and some really terrible parts. It's good to have the lyrics now, now I can understand what Tom Verlaine is singing. It's great to have the story in the booklet about the recording, and the pictures inside are great too. The remastering is eye-opening compared to the original 1990 cd pressing, as well. Very clear, well-mixed and separated. Unlike the reviewer who was against the bonus tracks, I think that having 'Little Johnny Jewel' is definitely a plus. There's no reason to complain about having tracks that have been deleted for 25 years and never released ever on cd. The alternate takes aren't all that different from the originals except for a few things, some substantial (the guitar solo in 'Marquee Moon' is very different, also the vocals during the chorus of the song are given a huge boost), and some subtle (the ending of 'See No Evil' is extended, which is pretty cool). The packaging itself looks pretty cool, and seems to be designed to replicate a vinyl sleeve, but it's very flimsy and easy to scratch up. The cardboard sleeve that holds the cd also scratched the hell out of the surface of the disc, but luckily it still plays fine. I've had this for a couple of weeks and it already looks like it's ten years old.

Rhino did an excellent job with the handling of this reissue, from the remastering, to the liner notes and addition of lyrics and pictures, and the addition of rare bonus tracks. The packaging on the other hand seems cheap, flimsy, and can possibly be damaging to the disc itself. I keep the disc in a hard plastic jewel case to avoid anymore damage. My advice would be to put the disc in a separate case after opening it, or to burn a copy of the disc to listen to after you buy it to avoid any damage to the disc that packaging may cause.

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Full Moon April 18, 2002

By Thomas Magnum HALL OF FAMETOP 1000 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Audio CD

Marquee Moon is one of the great albums of the 70's from the overlooked band Television. Born out of the mid 70's New York rock scene that produced the Ramones, Talking Heads, Blondie and others, the band was led by guitarists Tom Verlaine and Richard Lloyd. The band's sound was different from the others thanks in part to superb guitar interplay between Mr. Verlaine & Mr. Lloyd, but also they didn't pump out quick 3 minute songs, but had a jazzy edge. The title cut and "Torn Curtain" are both lengthy numbers (close to 10 minutes each) and show off the band's sharp musicianship. Mr. Verlaine is a sharp lyricist and his songs has a wry sense of humor. "Venus" is probably the best track on the album and contains a classic line "fell into the arms of Venus DeMilo". Television never gained the mass appeal of Blondie or the Heads or icon status of the Ramones, but Marquee Moon is better than any album to come out from that music scene and deserves to be heard by a wider audience.