Marquee Moon

I only liked it at the end. The instrumentals were really good but I don’t like their voices

Pleasant enough but nothing worth saving to a playlist IMHO

This started out as an unexpectedly fun album that had somehow slipped my notice for many years. About halfway through, the shtick seemed to have run its course, though.

A really tricky one for me. I enjoyed the construction of the songs but the lead singer's voice is just so... weird! It's of its time, I guess. Favourite tracks: Venus, Guiding Light

Wow! Facevano proprio cantare chiunque😭 Peccato perché è carino in certi punti ma la voce mi strideva

Op zich wel een paar goede nummers, maar ook best veel van hetzelfde, en wat matige.

Nothing too surprising of phenomenal, but it is good. Very 70s and I really like the guitar and the drums are great too. I can’t stand the vocals sometimes, idk why. But in general I get why it might be loved by many people, I just think there are albums that are alike and could be better.

I like it, but I don’t love it, not surprisingly it’s like the Television album I have on vinyl. I see the pre-punk importance but I thought I would be more interested than I am at the end of the day. Good album, nice background music while I’m doing other things, but probably not something I’m going to find myself listening to on heavy rotation.

Has some interesting tracks. Marquee Moon kinda brings it down though. Too long without much interesting buildup.

I spent a lot of time with this album last year. There is a great episode of Bandsplain on Television. A few pretty good songs here.

Ca groove. Po pire!

Marquee Moon, the album's shining star, swooped in like a superhero in a vinyl cape to save the day! It's like the gourmet truffle in a bag of chips, unexpectedly elevating the whole snacking experience. And let's be honest, in the grand punk rock concert of life, who wouldn't want a performance that's more 'encore' than 'oh no'? With its standout tracks, Marquee Moon turns an average listening party into a rock odyssey worthy of a solid three out of five stars! Rock on! 🎸

Good music, little too repetitive sounding.

This was just OK.

Notable tracks: Marquee Moon, Guiding Light, Torn Curtain, See No Evil, Venus, Friction

Some clever lyrics. Nice rock album. Never heard of them.

Really great guitar / interesting jazzy drums. Sounds very modern and you can hear future influences for sure!

Unremarkable but yay for new music

Kind of meh on my first playthrough. After a second listen, I really started to enjoy it. It really doesn't sound like a 70s album, more late 90s/early 00s.

Solid British Rock album.

The infusion of more complex chords, rhythms, and depth to punk brought about so much development and genres breaking out. A big step that while some of the biggest punks are getting notoriety for their way, that they changed the formula to mixed reviews. Worth a re-listen, 3.5/5

Title track is enjoyable. Spotify calls this post-punk but definitely doesn't feel like that to me.

I don't remember anything about the album as being worth listening to.

I'm not sure how I have unintentionally avoided all of Television's songs/content until now, but that's the case. While Tom Verlaine's vocal delivery took a bit to get used to, it ended up working really well with the expert guitar work that is present on every track. What stands out to me most are the super melodic solos -- the nearly 10-minute "Marquee Moon" took me for a freakin' *ride.* Awesome song! I struggled to really vibe with this entire album as a whole, but respect the trail it blazed for a lot of indie rock bands, in particular, that have a very similar sound to what's on display in expert fashion on Marquee Moon. If I could give this 3.5/5 I would, but can't justify a 4 so we'll go with a 3. 3 stars: I see why this is on the list, something worth revisiting. Interesting Factoids from Wikipedia: *(Television frontman Tom) Verlaine's lyrics on Marquee Moon combine urban and pastoral imagery. Although it is not a concept album, many of its songs make geographical references to Lower Manhattan. *Among the most influential records from the 1970s, the album has also been cited by critics as a cornerstone of alternative rock. It heavily influenced the indie rock movement of the 1980s, while post-punk acts appropriated the album's uncluttered production, introspective tone, and meticulously performed instrumentation. Interesting Factoids from SongFacts.com: *[On "Marquee Moon"]: Running 9:58, this is Television's magnum opus, renowned for the inventive interplay between guitarists Tom Verlaine and Richard Lloyd. It's the title track to their 1977 debut album, but the song was years in the making. It started as an acoustic ballad Verlaine put together; the band started playing it in 1974 when they were regulars at the club CBGB in New York City (Television was the first to emerge from that club, which later provided a home base for Blondie, the Ramones, and the Talking Heads). They honed the song through live performance and diligent rehearsal, so when they recorded the album in 1976, they had perfected it. The entire album was recorded and mixed in just three weeks...When the Marquee Moon album was released in February 1977, the title track was clearly the standout, but not something that could garner radio play in America. It was also a tough sell because the band wasn't known outside of New York, and it didn't adhere to a particular genre: "pop" doesn't do justice to the song's complexity, and it's far from "punk." The album never made the charts in the US, but was later hailed as a classic in a number of surveys...The UK was more welcoming: The single charted at #30 and the band made the cover of New Musical Express. Critical acclaim for Television was most robust in Britain. Standout Tracks: See No Evil, Venus, Marquee Moon

Hmm. Will give it more of a chance. But the kind of album I’ve heard enough of on this list. Maybe this one deserves it and the others didn’t.

not bad at all. Between rock, pop and punk. 3 stars

OK!

Exactly middle.

nothing interesting but not bad either

6/10

Marquee Moon

Surprised this was from the 70s, sounds way later than that. Must've been some trend setters. Pretty good

This was ok. 3.5

It's good until it's not. I enjoyed the first 3 or 4 songs then the guitar twang and the shrill vocals just started to get to me

Decent enough. Sounds very 70s rock. Like if The Clash and Rolling Stones had a less talented baby. Some moments do sound a little like inspo for the Strokes

I had never heard of this band and this record was surprisingly enjoyable.

Muy bueno.

Hey I’ve heard this one before. The dial goes unmoved for Television

This album has grown on me over the years. Love Marquee Moon especially. RIP Tom Verlaine.

I can see how this album inspired futures albums. I had the impression in one song to be listening to Red Hot Chilli Peppers, in another one, it sounded like a Guns and Roses. This kind of rock might not be my preferred, but the instrumental part is great. Highlight to the introduction of Marquee Moon

A good album I have never heard of! I enjoyed it but only only enough to put it on an occasionally repeat! I thought it would be better based on community reviews

Enjoyable - guitar was excellent! I think I’ll come back for a relisten sometime and I think I could get into it with a few repeats. Nothing really stuck out, but pretty solid album overall

Hmmh. Talking Heads, Stones … and sone more.

That's not my taste in musik. But ok

Patti Smith vibes. Can hear where Razorlight got their sound.

I enjoyed some of the musical riffs, but much of the album didn't catch me. Also not a huge fan of the lead singer's voice. Enjoyable listen overall, though.

meh

I have their one song, Marquee Moon on a playlist somewhere and for a hot minute I enjoyed it. Now it's a hard skip whenever it comes on. That's some bands - for one bright moment they enter a point of becoming somewhat interesting but then the honeymoon is over. And that's this album. It's fine, it exists, but it just feels a little under-produced and strained. Oh and it commits the all too common sin of having perfunctory, obfuscated lyrics. Just such an aggressively mid album all around.

I know it's a recognised classic, but other than the centrepiece, it's a tiny bit... Boring?

Who’s writing this list?

- reminded me pf the cardigans a bit (or the cardigans are like television i guess) - idk what else

This is an easy 4-star album for the musicians and instrumentation; sub 1-star for the vocals. What awful garbage fronted this really neat band. The guitar players in particular wrote some really neat diddies and riffs. The droning and crooning of the singer brought the whole thing down so much. Fav tracks: Marquee Moon, Friction

Um álbum interessante, com alguns lampejos de genialidade, mas no geral é mediano.

Very different

listened 1x. 2.6

Very Talking Heads-ish sound of the same period. Guess America didn't need two bands with that sound?

I didn't mind at all. Never heard of them and probably won't listen again but I didn't not enjoy it.

This one hit me more as clinical appreciation rather than true love. I can see why it gets much love, especially for it’s legacy as artistic inspiration for bands to come, but that’s about it for how it hit me.

Great surprise! This band looks like a punk rock band but sounds nothing like it. Perhaps maybe the vocals lean towards the genre but it's not as annoying. Very experimental and an art-rock vibe. The guitar work in this record is very good. Some great solos, and some great riffs and progressions. The vocals lack hard. Definitely a punk inspiration behind them.. Which is a shame. I was unimpressed with the vocals and thought that they'd ultimately sway this record. To a degree, they did. But if they had a great singer, I'd argue a 4/5 or at least a strong 3. Im being generous right now, but I also do enjoy this record - vocals aside.

After listening to this I think that it's fairly overrated. I don't see what's the big deal or where the wow factor is. The title track is the best song.

Little too slow

I think placing the album during the time that it was released would add to how innovative it was, but it’s hard to understand that in hindsight without the full appreciate for the history of punk rock

Some good instrumental and sound.

I didn’t love it or hate it. I liked the title track, it has good guitar work and overall vibe. “Elevation” sounded like a skipping LP at times, but I guess that was the point and it was cool the way it settled back into the groove. Outside of those it was ok. I would probably revisit. Average 2.5/5 rounded up.

Rape me

Good stuff, I like the vibe!

its aight

Changing the channel.

It’s a really, really competent and super nice 3. I think, ultimately, my big thing with the album is that most of its tracks, while technically and instrumentally incredibly solid, with a great sound, and foundationally good to listen to, don’t do enough to stay memorable past those moments of bliss. Vocally, I find Tom Verlaine to be… I don’t know, just not the right fit for the great instrumentation on this album. He’s not bad, necessarily, but it feels more like a bit of Bob Dylan mixed with David Byrne to me, and that just doesn’t vibe well with these instruments. In that sense, if you can’t keep me engaged with all the parts of your soundscape, it’s harder to hook me into the songs, and most of them never fully hooked me. The guitar work on this album would get a 5/5 if we were going only by that, but as an entire package, I just don’t think there are that many memorable songs to return to that would justify giving this any higher than a 3, but I could be completely wrong.

Tasty alt-rock goodness

I'd never heard of this band before which usually doesn't fare well for stuff I've heard on this site but I actually enjoyed this album despite(?) the vocals.

Prove It // Torn Curtain

Not heard of this - punk album from 1977. Not bad but not my thing either. Low 3.

3+

3.5/5, pretty good early punk album

Good listen. Some stuff not to keen on. Overall is good with some nice highs Will I listen to again: 40%

Some nice bass lines. Interesting stuff.

Love the hit; kinda like the other stuff.

I will have to listen a few more times to this one in order to appreciate it.

Didn't love it, didn't hate it.

I've unwilling listened to this album dozens of times thanks to a pizzeria I used to work at. Marquee Moon has no business being over ten minutes long - tedious. Eh, this is ok.

Average. Of it’s time

Proggy, not as unabashedly stupid fun as King Crimson, honestly just sort of boring.

Reminded me of The Killers mixed with Talking Heads.

Decent! Unfortunately, not memorable enough to warrant a higher score, but still interesting and unique, especially given the time period.

Totally understandable that it was no hit at arrival but has garnered a big following down the years. Personally I am just lukewarm. They feel a bit like a less fun Talking Heads with more guitar wankery. Still kind of a unique sound for the time.

Not bad! Classic

very close to 4 stars

3,5 *

Enjoyed it more than I thought I would. Very 70s rock vibes

I don't think that they are bad or unskilled, just not for me.

Хочется сказать, что это что-то крутое, вот только непонятно, что хвалить? Голос посредственный, гитара неплоха, но не более, тексты обычные. Может, сейчас альбом не впечатляет, а в 1977 был прорывом? Может быть, но мне что с того?

vibey 70s music good working music

Again. not my kind of music. At least it wasn't offensive like yesterday.

Egentligt ret fint. Følelsen af at have hørt det hele før, så noget velkendt og behageligt. Nok ikke noget jeg vender tilbage til foreløbigt, men det var en fin oplevelse. 👌

Well, this was a nice listening experience. It's not the usual punk rock power chords strumming, but something more complex without losing its connection to its roots.

I've been aware of this album for a long time but never listened to it. It had a very familiar sound to it since so many bands I love were influenced by this.

Not bad not amazing.

I enjoyed it. Verlaine makes it sound like an early version of the Talking Heads, which in a way it was, as they were floating in some of the same circles when this was released. Worth another listen, but just a 3 for me today.

It was okay. I listened to the whole album, but nothing really popped for me.

It was okay, liked a few songs a lot

Fine

nice 70s vibes, me gusta

a difficult one to rate. this was more musical than i was expecting, and when it worked it worked well. but other songs were a little shakier and i found the album dragged at different points. but the influence this album has had on so much music i love was obvious. i'll give this a 3.5 rounded down to 3.

This album was pretty average. There wasn't really anything I haven't heard done by other 70s rock groups, but I didn't hate it. I thought that "Torn Curtain" was particularly good, but the rest were just fine: not bad, but not amazing.

total unknown for me, enjoyed it just fine. 3.5

Inoffensive and enjoyable, but not compelling to me personally

I have listened to this a few times on recommendations. It’s good.

Second listen. I don’t really get this, even though I feel like I should.

Not my favorite type of music but I did enjoy some of the songs!

Never heard of 'em. Liked the sound but not the singer's voice.

I listened 3 times and it was pleasant but didn't stick

Not bad. Didn't hear a bad tune, but no bangers that I'll be humming this time next week. Oh yeah - and their front man sounds EXACTLY like the lead singer from Violent Femmes. It's crazy.

Thoroughly enjoyed most of this 3.5/5

Surprisingly enjoyable, except for Elevation, whose weird time shifts made me want to puncture my eardrums with an ice pick.

Decent album but not quite my thing. Would listen again but won't seek it out.

Decent.

It was ok!

Some familiar tunes and a good vibe throughout

This was an average to slightly above average album to me. I can hear influences in other artist, but just didn’t grab me. 3/5

Did not open

The album is characterized by the complexity and originality of the guitars of Tom Verlaine and Richard Lloyd, which intertwine creating hypnotic and angular sounds. Verlaine's lyrics are also poetic and evocative, influenced by authors such as Rimbaud or Verlaine, from whom he took his stage name. The album was highly praised by critics and is considered one of the best albums in rock history. However, I am not a big fan of 70s punk music, except for some groups and some more well-known and commercial songs. I found the album interesting, but for my tastes, I wouldn't listen to it again and I wouldn't save it to my playlist.

solid album

Chill album. Get high and enjoy.

Marquee Moon song was catchy. Lots of catchy songs. Jesus the song marquee moon is 10min long

Guitar playing is really great! Mix of surf rock and punk. Not loving the singing but band is tight. Would recommend to someone looking for something a little more innovative/interesting in their chords changes and structure

Etwas psychidelisch. Nicht mein Ding.

Zoals bij elk (art/post)punk album is dit één van dé belangrijkste (art/post)punk platen ooit, dus daar ga ik geen punten meer voor toekennen. Als je kijkt naar de reviews zie je de interessante mannetjes alweer over elkaar heen buitelen om te laten weten hoe geweldig ze dit vinden. Ik hoor op zang een soort Mick Jagger die schijt heeft aan toonhoogtes. Muzikaal gezien is het ook niet allemaal heel spannend, maar wel oké. Ik kan hier geen 4 voor geven. Daar gaat m'n streak.

Great vibes, title track the best. Would throw on again.

Marquee Moon definitely the headliner. Torn curtain was a memorable album closer. Guiding light probably my second fav after title track.

The music was interesting, but the lead singers voice totally threw me off. Not for me.

Makes me want to get back into guitar.

I relistened to this and gave it a higher rating, not sure why I rated it worse before the singing wasn't that bad. 2.88

Marquee Moon isn't at all the type of music I enjoy listening to. That being said, the first half of this album almost made me wanna go vinyl shopping for records from bands like The Clash etc. However once the album is at it's end, I found myself not liking it as much after the first 3-4 songs

Reminds me of a band I listened to in the 80s, Joe King Carasco and the Crowns

1st Lots of early punk rock influences

About the same level as the Boomtown Rats for me, though with more of an attempt to be like The Rolling Stones.

Q’s jam but not my bag. That whining voice would be a good torture technique.

nid schlecht, recht groovy, aber nid heruusragend

Liked it but will not listen to it on repeat - 3.5/5

Not bad but probably won’t ever listen again

so influential. and that one song. not sure it’s something I’d need to come back to.

3.5/5 I was never a big punk fan, and I am by no means an expert, deep or attentive listener, but this was a beautiful and an easy listening. Songs that you can just chill and vibe with. Definitely gave me more appreciation for punk. Not likely something I will come back to often besides maybe a track or two, since still not quite my style.

Marquee Moon is a fine album and nothing else. The songs all sound good enough to be listenable but are not necessarily stuff i really want to go back to. There wasn't all too much that really stood out about this album, neither good nor bad. I think that it's an okay album but it doesn't really go beyond that Best Song: Guiding Light Worst Song: See No Evil

A good but probably forgettable album

Not sure where this lays in a genre. Pretty advanced of r1977 - would not call it Punk, but surprisingly pretty good

Another 70s album. OK, but not as interesting as Bowie or Deep Purple.

Gets better as it goes on. Great guitar sound, I can see how this influenced a lot of music that came after. Singer is annoying to me.

positivt overrasket

nothing really stood out on this one for me

They're ok I guess. The songs kind of just blended together for me. It certainly was rock music. I will say that they do not sound like music that came out in the 70s; would have this pegged as late 80s or early 90s. In that sense, they were ahead of their time. Nothing was particularly bad to me tho. Feeling a light to decent 3/5

I liked this a lot, but the songs were so long that I started fast-forwarding to the next about halfway through.

Pretty good. A lot of Rolling Stones vibe, but still an original sound that I'd call "forward looking" in a lot of ways.

Nope. Just can't get along with those vocals. Bad karaoke.

Not my cup of tee, but it was fine

Not my jam, but fine. Sometimes the lead singer was a little too whiny, but on at least song, they reminded me strongly of The Cars.

Not sure about this. It was quite punky, as you’d expect for the time but it was definitely listenable so low 3*

I don't hate this as much as I remembered, but I'm not a fan the singing. Favorite song: elevation

70er halt, war ok

Ok

Pretty decent

I feel like this is an album that I need to give more listens. I can already feel it growing on me, but it just sounds so similar to other post-punk albums to me that I feel like I'm missing the genius of it. 3 for now, but I hope to listen more and that that changes.

I remember a few years ago I read Julian copes book and this album was one of the ones he cited as a massive influence. I got it at the time but wasn't massively for me.

Wasn't bad. Didn't really grab me though.

It was a nice exception from what I usually listen to. I enjoyed a couple of songs a bit more than the others, so I mustn't be too generous on my first rating.

I don't believe i've ever heard this before, unfortunately it sounds the same is a significant portion of music i've heard my entire life. Where i bet in the context of when it came out it'd have been maybe a bit different?

Nice pop/rock

Again. Decent band

Decent old sound, not too dissimilar to Talking Heads

ok

See No Evil - 3/5 Venus - 2/5 Friction - 3/5 Marquee Moon - 3/5 Elevation - 3/5 Guiding Light - 2/5 Prove It - 2/5 Torn Curtain - 3/5 Overall decent. Wish the songs were shorter, on average.

Not bad, but also not terribly exciting. Sometimes feels like a cross between the early 2000s and the Doors.

got distracted and accidentally took a 100-album-long (i think that's twenty weeks??? that's as many as two tens, and that's terrible) break from listening. no matter, life goes on. this will be the original 1977 release with 8 tracks, rather than the 2003 re-release containing five bonus tracks track 1, See No Evil: has the feel of a roadtrip montage and driving on a rocky dirt road. two people wearing white tank tops staring at a map, one of them turns the map upside down to be rightside up. they bought the wrong flavor of gatorade. typical road trip. 7/10 track 2, Venus: the tone quality on the guitar is a hair too close to what i would call The Beatles' sound for me to be able to enjoy the song, but there's nothing bad about this. 6/10 track 3, Friction: road trip part two! pretend there were thirty full seconds of silence staring at the exterior door of a public restroom at a rest stop, then back in the car and onto the highway. sunglasses firmly on their faces because there isn't a cloud in the sky. they still didn't buy the right flavor of gatorade, but the taste is growing on them. 6.5/10 track 4, Marquee Moon: titular track! it seems this is the 2003 version, with a 10:38 duration rather than 9:58. i can say with certainty that this is a great track to dissociate to, with a constant heartbeat on guitar pulsing for most of the song. solid 6.5/10 SIDE TWO track 5, Elevation: maybe it's just Television's general sound or vibe, but this song sounds kind of same-y, although i could not tell you what it sounds the same as. 6/10 you know, maybe it stems from how music is most commonly listened to these days, where we do not listen to one entire album from front to back in one sitting, and instead listen to several songs from several artists across several releases, albums or singles. perhaps it is this that makes it difficult to not fall into passive listening over active listening for a song. that or maybe the adhd. where were we? oh, yes, track 6, Guiding Light: this is a very "walking home alone after being turned down after asking someone on a date" feeling, carrying a drooping medium-sized bouquet. you kick a puddle under the streetlight. it's not raining tonight, but maybe it did a day or two ago. halfway home you ditch the flowers in a trash bin, and pick your head up. the lamp post in your front yard draws you home. 7/10 track 7, Prove It: we're back on the road trip, babey! the sun is low in the sky, and we're tumbling along this same dusty highway. must be close to our destination now. around sunset we pull into a motel parking lot and check in (they had one room left) and collapse on the singular bed. 7/10 track 8, Tom Curtain: this is "what if you didn't get your emotions out on the walk home from Guiding Light" and now you're at home, alternating between sobbing into a pillow and staring dead-eyed into a mirror while taking glugs from a bottle of alcohol you're definitely not supposed to have. around four minutes in you throw the empty bottle at the wall across from you and just cry yourself to sleep. 7/10 overall: 6.6/10 -> 3/5. i could not tell you what feeling the artists were going for with this album (if you thought i was able to remember a single lyric from any of these songs you're kidding the both of us, reader), but there were distinct feelings happening nonetheless, and art is nothing if not subjective.

Pretty good 70's rock. None of the songs really stuck with me though.

3.3/5 - fine, but most of the tracks pale in comparison to the title tune

Enjoyed the listen, 3/5 for now as I only had time for 1 full time through it.

It's okay. 3/5

Average with some good songs

groovy

This was pretty ok; similar vibes to Darklands but I like it slightly less. Cool band name, cooler album cover. 3/5

it alright

Some good songs but not the best

3/5, nice guitar riffs. Vocals are too punky for me.

I liked this recommendation, better than the last one, music is more on the modern side,

Discordant. Harsh. The kind of music that pretentious nerds think they SHOULD listen to, but nobody actually enjoys. Title track is okay.

fine as background noise

I’m not sad I listened to it but I also don’t feel like I would have missed much if I never listened to the album.

I like this album alot, the titular track is really fun. All of it is easy to listen to and does some unique things but I don't see myself listening to it all that often. It doesn't grab me in a way I want to be grabbed by music so I think I'm rating it in the middle. I like what it's doing but it doesn't stand out too far from everything else.

Some good stuff in there

Elevation!!! Torn curtain! not bad

Liked the old hard rock sound of it

Nothing blew me away, but it was worth a listen.

Good, seems like the strokes were influenced

3.4

nice instrumentals.

Nice easy listen. Style is familiar.

Was ok. Nothing memorable.

Hard to judge this without a time machine. So much that is innovative was perfected by other alt-rock bands that came later. I did not pick up on the punk aspects at all. Good solid songs and arrangements. These guys are inspiration for a lot of bands I loved later.

Title track is awesome. Instruments are nice, I like the lyrics, but the vocals don’t do it for me. First half much better than second half.

Not bad. Similar to Rolling Stones. Early punk sound!

Good, easy to listen to album, but not much in it to make me want to come back to it again. It's interesting to hear how this album would go on to influence other post-punk music.

Ville nok vært 4 forrige uke, men skal være strengere så idk

Some good songs, not a huge fan of the vocals.

Melodic punk. An indierock landmark recording.

some of the guitar is osom, singer is kind of doodoo. the title track is rlly good.

Really good guitar work Some songs super long Elevation had some ear irritating riffs and lead tones with too much high end Venus, Friction, and title track are all amazing

Good listen

Fed, frisk lyd på første halvdel af albummet. Highlightet på albummet er tiltelnummeret. Friktion + Marquee moon + Anden halvdel stagnerer en del og bliver mere kedeligt. Træt af forsangerens stemme da anden halvdel begynder.

W album, just a little outdated for my taste.

I had never heard of Television. Maybe because I shun fancy things like electricity. I did listen to this while I walked through the valley where I harvest my grain, and I realized it was kinda plain. However, I did finish my listen, and you finished thine, so we can party like it’s 1699 (or 1977). Not as good as Amish Paradise. Not as bad as Amish rice. 3.25/5

This one always pops up on those lists of essential Post-punk albums, and I enjoy much of what is on those lists. This album, though, drags a bit. The instrumentation is good, if a bit repetitive, but many of these tracks go on far too long, and Verlaine’s vocals are pretty grating after a while. Stylistically, it’s pretty closely related to the Talking Heads, with one foot in the glam scene and one in late 70s NYC punk, but the pace is much more languid than any of the above. Not bad, just not for me.

Not my type

Good

Very 70s

I enjoyed it.

OK

6/10

Enjoable and original, but falls short of its immense reputation.

Kind of interesting, kind of meh. What did I like about this? Well, the arrangements were always gorgeous and tasteful. The lead guitar had everything I usually look for in lead guitar. It was soulful, a beautiful tone and distinctive, memorable melodies. However, the vocals let this down. I honestly think this band's vocalist just isn't very good. His lyrics are fine- they were weird and a bit obtuse, but I liked that. They were unique. However as a singer, he leaves a lot to be desired. He appears to be going for some cross between punk and so-called "art rock," but retains only the worst parts of these genre's vocal styling. He has the pretentiousness of more "sophisticated" rock styles with none of the usual technical proficiency. The unpolishedness of punk without its raw, real authenticity. To his credit, he sung some songs better than others. I particularly remember him singing the title track well, and also "Elevation," where his delivery on the word "confidential" got me every time. Closing track "Torn Curtain," however, was far and away my favourite. What a beautiful, unique song. I can definitely say I've never heard anything remotely like it, and that's not something you're able to say every day. Favourite song: Torn Curtain

I liked this album. Reminded me of a mix of The Rolling Stones and the Talking Heads.

Liked it OK, didn't love it. It actually made me want to listen to the Cars. The best song is probably the title track, though it's a bit to long. The last track, Torn Curtain went a bit long too. I liked the stripped down production, but the album as a whole didn't do a lot for me.

some cool ideas music wise. nothing special overall though

Album qui frôle le confusionnisme à mon avis

un peu étrange en effet

I was going to give this a neutral 2 but I think I will give it a hopeful 3. As I listened to the album for the first and only time, nothing turned me off, but nothing grabbed my attention, either. Until I got to the song Elevation, which I really liked. And it was the same with all of the songs after that. I haven’t had time to go and re-listen to the album to see if everything before elevation was crap and everything after it was wonderful, or, if my feelings about the album simply had to do with time exposed to the material . That’s where my hopeful three comes in.

Another difficult one to rate. I heard Patti Smith, Blondie, Talking Heads, Violent Femmes .... bands I like were either influenced by, influencers of, or co-inhabitants of the same time and place and this is like a stew of these artists, and yet, I cannot relate. There was some cool stuff going on, though the cymbal sound on that drum set is among the worst ever. But musically, compositionally, there was meat on these songs. I don't love the vocals, so that doesn't help, but as Niko said in a recent review, somehow I don't connect emotionally to this. So, one one level, a 4 for its innovation and creativity, but a 3 for its impact on me. I'm going low on this one, because I'm not intrigued enough to come back. I was not unfamiliar with the band, Marianne had this CD (maybe still does), but this listen gave me a new appreciation. So that's something.

Title track very good, everything else less interesting

Kinda wish the rest of the album was as great as the title track

Pretty decent album, never heard of them before! There were no song that really grabbed me other than perhaps 'Marquee Moon' a bit, but all of them held up well enough! Nothing really bad, so this ends right in the middle for me.

Lots of catchy riffs and tunes so the album never felt boring. I also didn't feel like anything really grabbed me in particular. Cool listen and you can hear that a lot of later bands took influence from this sound.

ok punk rock but nothing special

Lovely little rocker. Very nice guitar and drum work.

Nothing stood out too much but still enjoyed it

I really liked the instrumentation of this whole album. I wish the vocals weren't so whiny/new wave sounding - I probably would have rated it higher if that were the case

Why do they look like just released prisoners of war?

Television has shown up on my Spotify when I let the genres play out after listening to a number of albums off this list. I even added a song to my downloads to play for my beautiful wife, 1880s or So, so I could get her opinion. For me, I kinda dig them and was excited to see them show up. First thing that surprised me was his album was from 1977. I would have never guessed they were from the 70s but here we are. I really enjoyed the 1st half of the album and I just saw on Spotify, their 4 most popular tunes are See No Evil, Venus, Friction and Marquee Moon. Also my favorite songs off this album even though Marquee Moon went on a little too long. I also enjoyed Elevation and Guiding Light. I can see how this guy's voice may wear on people but seem to work this band and their music. I can't say anything blew me away but will say I enjoyed most of this album (as well as some of their other songs) and though they were solid. Not sure I would Television their own place on my Spotify, but I am certainly up for checking out their other albums. They are distinctive enough I'm starting to recognize them when the pop up when the genre starts to play out after albums are over. Anyway, solid for me, just not great. 3.5 but will score 3. 3

3.5 really, few bops but they all sound very similar

It was alright

Good 8 song rip. Title song is the best

For the most part, 70s classic rock seems to fall on either side of two stars (boring, not worth listening to again) or three stars (has some cool ideas, might listen to it again). This one gets to three stars by breaking the conventions of song structure, having cool guitar sounds, and the lead vocalist singing with a lot of conviction. This works as a cooler-than-you alternative to The Talking Heads, or other early new wave stuff.

La guitare et ses jeux sont ce que j’ai préféré

It's an extremely 70's sounding album that manages to catch you off guard. Personally, my favorite track was Elevation.

Another new one for me and the first track did catch my ear getting me interested in what may be there for me on the rest of the album. It definitely fell short for me today, though. Even after a second chance listen (that I didn't think I could convince myself to do after the first), at best, I found it tolerable.

I was excited to listen to this one since it seems all the cool kids are into Television. I did not however particularly enjoy most of it. Guess I'm still not a cool kid.

I can respect this but I don’t like it. Musically talented, intricate and interesting. I just really don’t like his tone. It’s a 4 and a 2 so unfortunately have to go right down the middle.

Solid album. 3.5/5

This was probably really cool when it came out but a lot of the sounds seem dated today. Cover art: 7/10

Been wanting to listen to this album because of all the acclaim it gets. Was going into it thinking I would really love it. And I gotta say I just don’t get the hype. It’s fine, totally inoffensive, but where is the album that is apparently one of the greatest of all time? Maybe its greatness is flying through my untrained ear and out the other. But I just don’t get it. Best: see no evil, marquee moon MMM: ELEVATION DONT GO TO MY HEAD🫢

I might be a basic bitch, but I didn't really love this. It's fine, but on a first listen, not my favorite. I can understand why it is influential for the genre. Best parts of the album for me were the instrumentals, especially in the song Marquee Moon. Favorite song was Torn Curtain.

I’ll admit it wasn’t a super close listen. What I heard was pleasing but I never had a “wait!” moment that drew me in. Reminded me of The Rolling Stones a bit.

p388. 1977. 3.5 stars. Strange but oddly attractive early alt rock effort. Came cold to this and was surprised how good it is. Points deducted for strained vocals and musical wankage - too many tracks >5 mins, and no-one needs a 10 minute+ track.

Based on the first track, I was anticpating yet another uninspiring punk album, but it was better than that. Nothing really grabbed my attention though.

I’ve always found this album interesting. I can tell how it influenced many post-punk bands that came after…

Very catchy so far, loving the bass playing. I don't know, kind of reminds me of a more rocky CCR. Got that southern rock twang, at least to my ears anyway! Maybe even a bit of the Doors. (Crawling King Snake) I'm all over the place today. I think on my first listen through of this record I was rather perturbed that 'Marquee Moon' was nearly 11 minutes long, but it doesn't seem so bad this time. And the main guitar motif is excellent! Yeah, that was fuckin' awesome. The second half dragged a touch, but that was great. 3 / 5 stars.

I dig it.

very hippy-like, it's ok

Yeah expected more from the proto punks but then who am i kidding right?

Good fun.

I've listened to this before, it's alright, good pleasant listen, but somewhat forgettable.

Was alright, nothing too standout

Enjoyed this. Particularly the guitar solos on the track Marquee Moon

The song Marquee Moon is a great jam, I have a great appreciation for this song. Overall a solid album, but didn't do anything special for me. I have a feeling this is an album that was cutting edge at the time, but doesn't seem that special to us nowadays because a lot of artists use Television's style and technique. Just a hunch. Wasn't paying too much attention while listening to this album, could use a re-listen.

Good album, some catchy with alot of musical ability. Be a good album to throw on with the parents. Low likelihood of personal relisten.

This was okay but unremarkable. Sometimes I wonder why certain albums make the cut and not others - and this is one that had me questioning.

All 10 minutes of the song marquee were very enjoyable

Art punk an apt description for this. Doesn't stop/start in bursts of high energy like typical punk. Not my personal taste, but can see how this album was influential.

Rimelig lækkert. Har nogle virkelig fede temaer, hele vejen igennem. Nogle sange forekommer lidt længere end nødvendigt. Forsangeren er formentlig den mindst interessante her. Der er flere guitar-riffs der minder om meget 00'er musik, så de er vel forud for deres tid.

I’ve listened to ‘Marquee Moon’ multiple times now, and it continues to sound like a lot of other guitar rock albums from the era. Perhaps it was startling in 1977, but in 2023 it sounds ubiquitous. It’s not bad, it’s just familiar.

ну чё-то не впечатлило

Interesting

Surprisingly good!

I enjoy the guitar work, though I'm not much into an entire album of Tom Verlaine's vocals. I do see, however, the influence on Jeff Buckley's "My Sweetheart the Drunk," since he produced at least part of that album. I always feel like I should enjoy Television more, but they just haven't caught my ear as a band yet. Maybe it just needs to hit me at the right time.

My impression of Television consists of a reasonable dose of confusion and a smattering of thought. The band clearly has something going for it: By the time track seven started to wind down I realized that the closing song would determine much of my opinion. And that one, like the rest of its siblings, was skillfully executed and an interesting listen. However, the jazziness remains overstated and the boys can't put a crown on anything. That's frustrating, but doesn't cancel out my gratitude for the experience.

Rock que parece pop. Ni fu ni fa.

I was going to call this post-punk, but it came out in 1977 so the "post" part is inaccurate. It's basically the other side of the punk rock coin - they seem to have a lot of common influences, but on one hand you have one- or two-minute songs and "hey ho let's go" and on the other side you have 10.5-minute songs and art school jokes about about falling into the arms of Venus de Milo. I rate this 3.5 stars because the music and vocals didn't have a ton of range and the last part of the album seemed to blur together.

This was OK but I only made it half way through.

I liked a lot of this quite a lot.

Musically interesting and enjoyable but brought down by the vocal caterwalling is the closest I can describe though I guess that was en vogue for post punk groups. Might liaten to the favourite tracks again. Favourite tracks Marquee moon and Friction.

Like #3 Friction, #4 Marquee Moon, & #7 Prove It

Decent

The glittery guitars where pretty. I wish there were some heavier moments to to add some tonal and timbral variety, but far be it for me to dictate to artists how to make their art. The singer's whiny speak-singing was middling at best, normally this kind of vocal affliction would irritate me, but he wasn't too bad. Overall it's good, but lacking that "wow" factor for me. Three shiny, glimmering moons 🌕🌕🌕

7/10

fajnie się słuchało ale nic specjalnie nie zapadło w pamięć

beginning of the punk scene- not really my vibe.

I liked the title track and "Guiding Light" but I'm gonna mess up the curve here, sorry. Really just come's down to Verlaine's voice; I would flat out love to hear these same songs with a different singer. Can't promise I would have a different reaction, but I think the possibility is high. I hear the influence and appreciate the mood, guitars, production, etc. But when it comes to this television all I want to do... is change the channel. (cue cheesy 1990s Siskel and Ebert TV show music annnnd out.)

3.75/5

Rann létt í gegn. Langar að segja meh en samt alveg ágætt.

Pretty good, but for me forgettable

not bad, sounds like talking heads

This... this is different. In a good way. I really like the guitar throughout this album. The vocals are not bad but sound very much of the time. Or actually more like the 80s. I had never heard of Television or even a single song from this album before today. I won't be adding this to my rotation, but I'm happy to have listened.

Never heard of them, Really good. Some of their songs sound like Violent Femmes.

7th November 2022 Listened in the day while working from home. Seb round in the evening, watched luckiest girl in the world. Felt like I had listened to this before, a lighter, jazzier spin on garage rock. 3.5 if I could.

Carino, calmo, simpatico.

Not the biggest fan

Like i expect with any punk album, i didnt like the vocals at all throughout this thing. The production is quite good though, the attitude just drags the music into monotony, but on a more ambitious track like the last one it's less of a problem as there's more of an emphasis on melody. Not bad, but not for me

Music: 4.5 stars. Vocals: 2 stars. Lyrics: ?? Cover art: 1 star Influence: 5 stars Actual personal enjoyment: 2.5 stars Should it be on this list? Probably.

some kind hipster, indie music from the 70s. Sounds a lot like some bands from now but I can't put my finger on who. Anyway, it wasn't too bad.

I had expected very rough punk but was pleasantly surprised. This is, by any reasonable definition, a classic rock record. And look, they’re not virtuosos- Pavarotti and Django Reinhardt don’t have to be looking over their shoulder for Television. But they do get good sound quality, and the album is very well-produced. This is especially clear relative to other proto-punk, which often has a DIY aesthetic (read: shit production). And on songs like “Friction” and “Torn Curtain” they do show a willingness to take one or two steps off the beaten path in their composition. They especially get a lot of mileage out of their two-guitar attack- nearly every song is based around it, and you can really hear that influence (plus the late 70s disco beats the use on e.g. “See No Evil”) in early 2000s indie. There are some flaws. The title track really drags. The singer is not especially good. They’re a little slow-paced overall, lacking some of the manic energy of their 70s punk contemporaries. But overall a fun listen.

Pretty solid. Again, interesting to recognize later artists who may have been influenced by their style. The title track reminds me a Modest Mouse song. That being said, I don't think there's much I'd go back for.

been meaning to listen forever. good stuff