Marquee Moon

New York's 1970s punk was markedly different to that of Britain. Rather than reject the past, American groups deconstructed its forms and rebuilt them with recourse to the music's strengths. Television's leader, Tom Verlaine, professed admiration for Moby Grape and the folk rock of early Fairport Convention. Elements of the latter appear on this album's title track, which offers a thrilling instrumental break, built upon a modal scale. Verlaine's shimmering guitar style provides the set's focus, but his angular compositions are always enthralling. A sense of brooding mystery envelops the proceedings, and Marquee Moon retains its standing as one of the era's pivotal releases.

Q Magazine - (5/02 SE, p.143)
- 5 stars out of 5 - Included in Q's "100 Best Punk Albums".

Mojo (3/03, p.76)
- Ranked #32 in Mojo's "Top 50 Punk Albums" - "...A graceful new wave bite that betrayed delicate hints of neo-psychedelic sophistication..."

NME (9/18/93, p.19)
- Ranked #10 among The Greatest Albums Of The '70s.

NME (10/2/93, p.29)
- Ranked #26 in NME's list of the `Greatest Albums Of All Time.'

Rolling Stone (10/16/03, p.90)
- 5 stars out of 5 - "...One of the all-time classic guitar albums....MOON still shimmers with urban grime and psychedelic imagination..."

Entertainment Weekly (9/26/03, pp.94-5)
- "...One of the era's masterworks, a multilayered thrill ride of interlocking stun-gun guitars and leader Tom Verlaine's nervous vocals..." - Rating: A

Q (1/03, p.132)
- "...A brutally stark, yet intricate weave of guitars and affectingly passionate vocals..."

Uncut (11/01, p.134)
- "...Television may have vowed to 'pull down the future', but no one knew they'd reinvent it. Proof that lightning can, indeed, strike itself..."