It's hard to imagine Television emerging from the same CBGBs scene as the
Ramones. Television's meticulous guitar-oriented sound and precise songs seem like the antithesis of the punk aesthetic, but the hallowed, hardscrabble dive is where
Tom Verlaine assembled and nurtured this four-man crew in the mid '70s.
Marquee Moon is unlike every guitar-hero recording that preceded it, and few since have captured its discipline and charm. Introverts alike, Verlaine and fellow axman
Richard Lloyd dispense long, clean lines that seem more appropriate to a SoHo art gallery than a Bowery dive and, unlike so many guitar gods, play extremely well
within the context of the song. Adding to the mystique are Verlaine's lyrics, oblique and urbane, which draw on the tradition of another New York downtown band, the
Velvet Underground. Despite their lasting influence, the band recorded only one more album,
Adventure, before breaking up, only to reunite for a brief tour in 1992. More than 20 years later, the glory of
Marquee Moon remains undiminished, and is a must for guitar aficionados and New York rock fans alike.
