If the Beatles had recorded “Marquee Moon,” it would be on the absolute short list of greatest singles of all-time along with “Like A Rolling Stone,” “Smells Like Teen Spirit,” “Good Vibrations,” and “A Day In The Life.” Instead, it is just merely in the conversation for one of the best 500 singles of all time.
I saw Television and their album, Marquee Moon, in many all-time greatest album lists. Yet, I always glimpsed over Television to read about the greats made by The Beatles, Prince, Dylan, or Nirvana. Then, a few years ago, I started exploring other “greatest albums of all time,” which I previously ignored. The Stone Roses. The Bends. Transformer. Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs. So, I eventually found my way to Marquee Moon.
Another album I discovered in the last decade, The Ramones, came out in 1976. The Ramones played short quick songs as fast and melodically as they could.
The following year saw more epochal punk albums with the release of The Clash and Never Mind The Bullocks…Here’s the Sex Pistols. The Clash and The Sex Pistols played as loud and as hard as they could, and they did not hide their disdain for their overseers (government, police, The Queen).
Right in the middle of this punk rock bonanza was Marquee Moon. Marquee Moon came out after The Ramones’ debut and prior to The Clash and The Pistols.
While the Ramones were playing songs barely breaking two minutes, Television had guitar solos lasting two minutes, and one notable solo lasting six minutes, which I’ll get to later.
While Joe Strummer was yelling “White Riot” and Sid Vicious was calling for “Anarchy in the UK,” Television was more interested in taking listeners on a journey of their New York.
While The Clash and The Sex Pistols played power chords as hard and loud as humanly possible, Television was much closer to David Bowie, The Modern Lovers and Roxy Music. For Marquee Moon, Television’s two guitarists, Tom Verlaine and Richard Lloyd, blended rock with jazz overtones for a more melodic sound.
This melodic sound can be heard in the opening chords of the album opener, “See No Evil.” While “See No Evil” was not going to blow listeners’ speakers out, it was as melodic as any soft rock dominating the radio in 1977.
“Friction” is another song featuring the dueling jazzy melodic guitars of Verlaine and Lloyd. “Friction” leads into the album’s centerpiece and title track, “Marquee Moon.”
The song begins with a double-stopped guitar intro before drummer Billy Ficca’s comes into provide support. Everything just blends perfectly like the finest wine.
Lloyd’s guitar playing including a solo after the second verse flows in and out.
Ficca’s drums and Fred Smith’s bass providing the sturdy foundation. They play the perfect supporting characters: they advance the story without getting in the way of the leading characters.
Then, you have Verlaine. First, his guitar flourishes at the end of the verses are as romantic as anything The Edge ever played.
His singing is perfect for the song. “Marquee Moon” does not require a classically trained vocalist or a smooth crooner like Sam Cooke or Marvin Gaye. It needs someone who can hold a note with a tinge of a punkish sneer. Verlaine admirably fills the role.
Ultimately, what makes “Marquee Moon” one of the greatest singles of all time is Verlaine’s six-minute guitar solo. I’m not sure what we can from music. To make us feel uplifted. To make us feel like the world as endless possibilities. To teach us. To make us appreciate the art form. The “Marquee Moon” guitar solo accomplishes all these objectives.
The solo just blows my mind every time I hear it. I hear rock, specifically “In Memory of Elizabeth Reed.” I hear a lot of Duane Allman’s improvising in Verlaine’s playing. I hear John McLaughlin’s playing in Verlaine’s work.
I see colors when listening to Verlaine’s playing. I see waves crashing against rocks as completes his flourishes.
Most importantly, I feel hopeful. I feel like Jack and Rose standing at the edge of The Titanic with adrenaline flowing throughout my body. I do not feel confined to my normal self-imposed mental box, which is probably “Marquee Moon’s” greatest trick of all.
At the end of the solo, Television circles back to the double-stopped guitar, which opened the song. The rhythm section gets to take the lead for a few bars before Verlaine comes in to finish the song with more vocals and guitar heroics. The song lasts a way too fast 10 minutes and 30 seconds. I honestly believe if The Beatles had made “Marquee Moon” and released it as a single, radio stations would have played the full 10-and-a-half-minute version.
The second side of the album features more exquisite guitar playing especially on the lilting “Guiding Light.” However, it feels like come down after listening to “Marquee Moon.” I usually spend side two in a “Marquee Moon” stupor and even the high-quality songs on the second side cannot pull me out of it.
The brilliant singer and guitarist behind Television and “Marquee Moon,” Tom Verlaine, passed away on January 28, 2023, at the age of 73. Unfortunately, I just discovered Verlaine about seven years ago and did not get chance to spend as much time with him as other heroes like Lennon, Chuck D, and Springsteen. However, for as talented as all three of these visionaries are, none of them wrote a song that ever takes me to the highs of “Marquee Moon.” No shame in that. Very few have.