Television “Venus”
Whenever I see bands ranting and raving about the Talking Heads or the Modern Lovers, I always wonder to myself why Television isn’t held in as high regard. Don’t get me wrong, I love the Talking Heads and the Modern Lovers, but I just think there needs to be a little bit more room at the table. Television’s debut record, Marquee Moon, is still one of my favorite albums of all time and holds up incredibly well 30 years after it was created. The band, which was fronted by Tom Verlaine, featured many hugely influential members (Fred Smith, Richard Hell, Richard Lloyd) that helped to shape their sound that helped to define the late 70′s punk scene in New York. Marquee Moon is filled with great songs (including the title track and “See No Evil”) that flow easily between genres, but the song I always come back to is the amazing “Venus.” The song mixes jangly guitars that bob and weave with a propulsive rhythm section and Verlaine’s whiny but powerful voice. The song hits its peak right after each chorus when the amazing duel guitar work of Lloyd and Verlaine unleashing their highly melodic riffs. The whole album is filled with their nuanced but jammy guitars and Verlaine’s great street poetry—it is an album that you should go out and purchase if you do not already have it in your collection.
The Stokes were good for something… when I was in college I picked up a copy of Marquee Moon from a pawn shop in Davenport, IA… because I had read the influence the band had.
For the life of me, I can’t get into the Talking Heads or Modern Lovers as much as history tells me I should.
I think the title track is my favorite on the album.
the title track is one of the best songs of all time imo, and esp one of the best 10+ min songs.
i’d argue that Television are held in much higher regard than the Modern Lovers though.
Right on!
these guys get lost in the mix to often…
‘the blow up’ (live) is a great testament to a band way ahead of (and behind) their own time.
Such a perfect song. I’m pretty sure I can sing the whole thing without the song playing.
“Let’s dress up like cops; think of what we can do.”
Plus, I think “Friction” is one of the greatest album openers of all time.
I also love this song – my favorite by Television and probably in my top 20 songs of all time. I appreciate your mention of the rhythm section; so much is said about the amazing guitar work in Television’s songs (all of which is warranted), but the true secret weapon of the band was always the hefty and original use of bass and drums.