Tracks

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 (Part 1And2)

10. See No Evil (Alternate Version)

11. Friction (Alternate Version)

12. Marquee Moon (Alternate Version)

13. Untitled Instrumental

Performer 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: Daniel 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.

Professional Reviews

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'