Customer Reviews

Miller's Tale: Anthology

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The Miller's Tale contain two parts - a brilliant Live performance, and a selection of Studio recordings by Tom Verliane and Television. I doubt anyone here requires a lesson on who Tom Verlaine or Television are. So I'll go straight into the CDs.

The Live album is great. Most of the songs here are equal or superior to the studio originals, with the exceptions of the cuts of Verlaine's self titled first album, which is also one of the instances where everything worked in the Studio. the recording is of very high quality, which is a relief for those of us accustomed to the loust sound on 'The Blow Ups'.

The highlights of the First album include mad guitars on ALLWAYS, A superior version of POSTCARD FROM WATERLOO, a nice BREAKIN' IN MY HEART, annd great versions of two calssic Television songs, MARQUEE MOON and PROVE IT.

The only weak cut on it is KINGDOM COME, which is a great song (covered by Bowie on his Scary Monsters album), but which doesn't quite live up to the studio version.

The second CD, though, is a much more shaky business. Any 'Best Of' compilationist would disagree with anyone else, (For example, I think THE GRIP OF LOVE is a fairly mediocre Veraline song which doesn't belong there), but some things are, I think, objectively wrong here.

First, there are two many songs off 'Cover'. I realise it is a matter of the Recording company, and Cover is a great album, but brilliant cuts O FOOLISH HEART and LET GO THE MANSION RITA, are obviously superior to LINDI-LU and FIVE MILES OF YOU. And no matter how you look at it, it's impossible to have only one but from Television's Adventure, and about 5 cuts from Cover.

Also obviously missing is LITTLE JOHNNY JEWEL. I would have prefered the original version, bnecause the live version, although superior, is more readily available and the sound recording in it is weak. However, either way, some version of what is arguably Verlaine's best Track simply HAS to be in an anthology of his work.

Finally, the CD ends with THE REVOLUTION, a b-side in France. while it is a good song, I doubt anyone will ever claim this is anywhere near the top 10 Verlaine songs. To end the compilation with it is ending with a whimpher rather than with a bang. A more fitting conclusion would have been LITTLE JOHNNY JEWEL or CALL MR. LEE - which is clearly the best song of Television self titled third album, and the only cut off it which could have suited into Marquee Moon.

But for all the criticism, this is a hell of an album, containing great tracks, some of them I've mentioned before, and some I haven't. VENUS from 'Marquee Moon' contains some of the cleverest lyrics I've encountered 'I fell right into the Arms of Venus De Milo' (If you don't get it, look on line for a picture of Venus de Milo). WORDS FROM THE FRONT, the title track of Verlaine's third album, captures the essence of the First World War "John died last night/he had no chance/under the surgeon's drunken' hand" The guitar work here is sublime.

O FOOLISH HEART might just be Verlaine's most beautiful love song. I don't hear the Lou Reed resemblance people often talk of regarding this song, but it's a killer either way.

Other highlights include Verlaine solo efforts such as STALINGRAD, SIXTEEN TULLIPS and AT 4 AM, as well as brilliant TELEVISION tracks CALL MR. LEE and GLORY.

In short this is a must have CD for long time fans and people who are new to and unfamiliar with the magic of Tom Verlaine's Guitar.

Although there's plenty of great, even brilliant songs on these two cds, it still doesn't make too much sense to get it. This compilation is NOT for someone who' never heard any of Tom Verlaine's music and wants a little introduction. The reason is that the first time user will get the wrong overall impression of what Verlaine's about. The best way too start listening to him is to either get the two albums Tom made with Television, or to start with his first solo self-titled album and the amazing "Dreamtime" one, and then see whether you can still listen to anything else anymore without thinking that you'd rather be listening to something by Verlaine instead. In that case you can try to spend some time (and money) to search out his other albums. Which brings me to why "The Miller's Tale" IS useful. See, it contains some of the best songs from Tom's other hard to find albums, and as far as I know has the only LEGALLY recorded live performance of a Verlaine concert that's available. So if you don't have the time, money, or enough desire to search out "Words From the Front", "Cover", etc., or some of Tom's bootleg(but better)live recordings, get this compilation. Otherwise, try E-bay, Gemm, European online stores, etc. Oh, and you can find "Dreamtime" at the Infinite Zero publications website. Get it today. It's time Verlaine got his well deserved royalties.

This 2CD set does an adequate job of introducing Verlaine's genius. The live CD is just ferocious, as compelling as Television's "The Blow Up" but tighter. Just great. Amazing guitar work from both Verlaine and compatriot Jimmy Ripp, solid backing by Fred Smith and Jay Dee Daugherty.

The retrospective CD is good, though I wish they had chosen fewer tracks from "Cover" and more from the brilliant "Dreamtime" and "Flash Light". But since "Cover" is the only album Verlaine recorded for Virgin (the label behind this release) that's probably to be expected. Big plus - the inclusion of the wonderful Verlaine/Richard Lloyd "Call Mr. Lee," with Lloyd's Stratocaster moving sideways over the chorus like an angry crab.

Completists will complain but the uninitiated will enjoy this.

I've never understood why Tom Verlaine hasn't received the recognition he deserves. This CD is a good overview of his career from Television (one of the truly great bands of the '70s) up to the present. He's made some of my all-time favorite albums--Flashlight and Cover immediately come to mind. Try to find these if you can, but otherwise this is a great place to start!

Tom Verlaine's "best" collection is a godsend for those of us who love music that gets beyond mere melodies and hooks. Mr. Verlaine has never pandered to "Pap"-radio sensibilities, and his music and lyrics are astounding. His voice? That's another story. To call it an acquired taste is being generous. I would still listen to him over nearly any other artist of the last twenty years. Buy this CD and give it two good listens. I think anyone can enjoy it, if they give it a chance.

This is one of a handful of essential CDS that capture the alternative era of the late 1970s and 1980s in perfect form. Tom Verlaine is a highly underrated musician and one that deserves much attention for not only his work in Television and with Richard Hell but also his exceptional solo work. On many of these songs, he re-invents rock guitar. Contrasting this with Eddie Van Halen, who appeared at roughly the same time and received much greater acclaim by innovating within the traditional structure and techniques of rock guitar, is a fascinating contrast. Verlaine uses the guitar in many new ways and without even a hint of what many would consider the rock and roll artifacts. The fact that '80s hair bands were getting all the airplay when real innovative music was coming from bands like Television should be classified as a felony. Get these CDs and open your mind. It is a true undiscovered classic. If the music isn't enough consider this: Tom is the one who convinced the owner of CBGBs in NYC to book rock and roll acts in the mid-1970s. For that alone, he deserves sainthood. Meanwhile, the OJays get inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame...

I have seen TV, I have seen Tom and this "Anthology" is a mixed bag too loose to keep me into it. I guess I did not read the review well. I know he just wants to be his own "magician" and all, but I was expecting "his" best as a solo artist. This is not "it" for a pop fan. This is more for the "fanatical" Verlaine "fan".
Buy his cd's and make your own "Anthology", you will be a lot happier. Later.

The second Cd is forgettable and not interesting in anyway (kinda random compilation?)
but the first one, the live Cd, is one of the best live albums ever produced.
Heavy and deep sound,incredibly energic and dynamic, good mix. And, the melodic lines are so beautiful...
Utterly strange, the fact that you FEEL like listening to a very good VINYL live album!
Blowminding... 1000 miles better than Television live, actually!
Comes to the level of 801 Live and Magazine's PLAY, or Rolling Stones Get yer's ....

Energy PEAK at : "A1ways" ! ELECTRIC GUITARS AT THEIR BEST

I first discovered Television and Tom Verlaine about a quarter century ago(!). A fair warning to the uninitiated: Verlaine's is a dangerous type of music, in that it only takes a very small taste to get totally addicted to the miles and miles of shimmering layers of guitars. I bought just about everything I could get my hands on back when the best recording format was vinyl LPs. After that, and before CDs came around, I'd make Tom Verlaine/Television compilation tapes in order to mix things up a little beyond the LP sequencing of the songs.

Once CDs came around, it seems there was a scarcity of the older Tom Verlaine and Television material, although I dutifully bought his solo and one Television album in the early 90s. Those were good, but didn't quite capture the magic of "Cover", which arguably stands as his finest.

This compilation has most of the selections from "Cover", along with several others I hadn't previously heard.

"5 Miles of you" might be the perfect example of a Tom Verlaine song. Musically, it begins with a lone guitar, then a second guitar begins to lay down a rhythm line. As the song evolves, the two guitars begin to seemingly feed off each other, and a huge sonic horizon soon lays in front of the listener. Verlaine has the uncanny ability to build massive soundscapes like no one else. His sound is instantly recognizable and inimitable at the same time.

"5 miles" is also typical of Verlaine's lyrics; abstract, ethereal, and somehow catchy, mysterious, and otherworldly all at once.

Without a doubt, one of the world's greatest living guitarists. A great compilation for long time fans and those who are just delving into Verlaine.

cd1 is all unreleased live stuff, which is cool. Some great solos, tight band etc. Way better than 'the blow up'. Disc2 has some televsion songs but mostly solo stuff. This stuff is not as good as television, but there are some good songs. Definitely worth getting