Arts & Entertainment
 

New bands grew up watching Television

'Marquee Moon' set standard for punk and garage bands, whether fans realize it or not

By Blake Whitaker
The Daily Cougar

Anyone who pays attention to trends and "next big" things will tell you it's natural for art to return to its foundations, and it's natural for music executives to try and cash in on, well, anything. Putting forth a hip, retro image allows bands and labels to use old sounds to garner new listeners, most of whom know nothing of the shoulders on which these musicians are standing. Chances are few White Stripes fans know who Son House or Robert Johnson are, and no one in their right mind would choose Ryan Adams over Gram Parsons if they actually knew of the existence of the latter.

The band Television fits perfectly in the category of under-appreciated influences. The New York City-based quartet recorded Marquee Moon, its first and best album, in 1977, the defining year of punk rock. But Television was not a stereotypical three-chord punk band; its tense, layered and often drawn-out sound leans closer to Horses-era Patti Smith than the Ramones, and relies more on tight, crisp musicianship than raw power. Led by guitarists Tom Verlaine and Richard Lloyd, Television is characterized by angular, intertwining guitar work.

Verlaine's lyrics feature vague imagery and clever word play, and although they are strong enough to stand on their own, they feel like a mere introduction to the definitive, explosive guitar solos. Bassist Fred Smith and drummer Billy Ficca provided a rhythm section that not only held the songs together, but added some interesting accents of its own.

Marquee Moon was the product of more than three years of playing live in the burgeoning punk scene without cutting an album, so the eight tracks on the record represent some of the best the band had to offer. The musicians, despite slight line-up changes, fit into their individual roles perfectly, taking the band's collective sound miles from the sum of its parts and giving the album a sense of logical progression.

From near-delicate, upbeat "Venus" to the sinister-sounding "Elevation," a wide range of tones are expressed and highlighted by Verlaine's skillful playing and Lloyd's more fiery guitar work. Verlaine's high-pitched, warbling voice goes from being sneering and tense in songs like "Friction" to a haunting croon, as in the slow, melancholy harmonization of "Torn Curtain." Although they may turn off listeners, it's hard to imagine Television without his raw, unique vocals.

Television, like so many influential bands and musicians, never made it big. Bridging the gap between art rock and punk, its sound helped shape the face of the musical revolution of late-1970s New York. So-called "garage revival" bands like the Strokes would have no image or sound on which to rely if it weren't for Television and countless other bands putting substance ahead of style.

Marquee Moon

Television
 
 

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