Line #79 Music/MarqueeMoon


1	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/marquee_moon_8610.jpg]]
2	[[caption-width-right:350:I ain't waitin', uh-uh.]]
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4	''Marquee Moon'' is the 1977 debut album from UsefulNotes/NewYorkCity-based [[NewWaveMusic new wave]]/[[PunkRock punk]] band Music/{{Television}}, released through Creator/ElektraRecords. Though guitarist/vocalist Tom Verlaine claims to have written the songs intending to make a pop album -- "a bunch of cool singles" -- ''Marquee Moon'' gives Verlaine and Richard Lloyd plenty of space for extended solos and riffing, ending up as a PostPunk take on a [[Music/TheGratefulDead Grateful Dead]] jam-fest.
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6	''Marquee Moon'' was a massive critical favorite, finishing in third in the Village Voice's 1977 Pazz & Jop poll behind ''Music/NeverMindTheBollocksHeresTheSexPistols'' and Music/ElvisCostello's ''Music/MyAimIsTrue''. Strong reviews and a successful tour alongside Music/{{Blondie\|Band}} made a hit of the album across the pond, but stateside things went differently as a tour alongside ProgressiveRock stalwart Music/PeterGabriel had the band well out of its element, gathering very little steam before Creator/ElektraRecords pulled support.
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8	Although sales have never caught up to its reputation, ''Marquee Moon'' remains an acknowledged classic and a major influence on AlternativeRock guitar, cited by figures like [[Music/{{U2}} The Edge]], [[Music/{{John Frusciante}} John Frusciante]] and [[Music/{{REM}} Michael Stipe]].
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10	''''
11	!! Tracklist:
12
13	[[AC:Side One]]
14	# "See No Evil" (3:56)
15	# "Venus" (3:48)
16	# "Friction" (4:43)
17	# "Marquee Moon" (9:58)[[note]]10:47 on CD releases; it was trimmed on vinyl editions due to limitations of the format[[/note]]
18
19	[[AC:Side Two]]
20	# "Elevation" (5:08)
21	# "Guiding Light" (5:36)
22	# "Prove It" (5:04)
23	# "Torn Curtain" (7:00)
24
25	[[AC:Bonus Tracks (2003 Remaster)]]
26	# "Little Johnny Jewel (parts 1 & 2)" (7:09)
27	# "See No Evil (alternate version)" (4:40)
28	# "Friction (alternate version)" (4:52)
29	# "Marquee Moon (alternate version)" (10:55)
30	# "Untitled Instrumental" (3:22)[[note]]an instrumental version of "A Mi Amore", which had been a staple of their live shows[[/note]]
31
32	!! Elevation, don't list to my tropes!:
33	* AboveGoodAndEvil: Or possibly StrawNihilist, depending on how seriously they took the lyrics to "See No Evil":
34	--> ''I understand all (I see no...)''\
35	''destructive urges. (I see no...)''\
36	''They seem so perfect. (I see no...)''\
37	''I see... I see no... I see no evil!''
38	* AddedAlliterativeAppeal: Occurs in "Prove It":
39	--> ''Now the rose, how it slows\
40	You in such '''c'''olorless '''c'''lothes''.
41	* AlbumTitleDrop: "Marquee Moon"
42	* ComingOfAge: An interpretation of "Venus". The narrator describes how infatuated he was with his relationship, even though it was empty (how would one "fall into the arms of Art/VenusDeMilo"?). Afterward, once Richie suggests dressing up, he declines, having been changed by the experience.
43	* CityNoir: "Broadway looked so medieval" indeed.
44	* EpicRocking: Most of the album. "Elevation", "Guiding Light" and "Prove It" are all over five minutes. The TitleTrack clocks in at 9:58 (or 10:47 on the CD reissue), and "Torn Curtain" is exactly seven minutes. And the Rhino CD reissue adds the non-album single "Little Johnny Jewel", which is 7:09.
45	* FaceOnTheCover: A picture of the band, in this case a photocopy with skewed colors, giving it a surreal air.
46	* GrowingUpSucks: "Friction"
47	--> ''I don't wanna grow up, there's too much contradiction.''
48	* HardboiledDetective: "Prove It" is from the perspective of one.
49	* HurricaneOfPuns:
50	** "Prove It"
51	--> ''Fantastic! You lost your sense of human''
52	--> ''It's too "too-too" to put a finger on''
53	* ImmediateSelfContradiction:
54	** "Marquee Moon"
55	--> ''I spoke to a man down at the tracks''
56	--> ''And I asked him how he don't go mad''
57	--> ''He said "Look here junior, don't you be so happy''
58	--> ''And for Heaven's sake, don't you be so sad!"''
59	** "Venus"
60	--> ''I knew there was pain but pain is not aching''
61	** "Guiding Light"
62	--> ''I woke up and it was yesterday.''
63	* ImpersonatingAnOfficer: "Venus"
64	--> ''Then Richie, Richie said''
65	--> ''Hey man let's dress up like cops'',
66	--> ''Think of what we could do!''
67	--> ''[[AvertedTrope But something, something, it said: "you better not!"]]''
68	* LastSecondWordSwap: Used in "Friction" for especially punny effect:
69	--> ''I start to spin the tale\
70	You complain of my dic... tion''
71	* TheNightThatNeverEnds: "Guiding Light":
72	--> ''Do I, Do I?''
73	--> ''Belong to the night?''
74	--> ''Only only''
75	--> ''Only tonight''.
76	--> ''All the ladies''
77	--> ''Stay inside''.
78	--> ''[[TimeStandsStill Time may freeze]]''
79	* OneWordTitle: "Venus", "Friction", and "Elevation".
80	* PerishingAltRockVoice: Tom Verlaine's yelping on this album is one of the quintessential examples.
81	* PostPunk: Like punk rock, their harmonies eschewed traditional rock and blues. But their complex arrangements and extended jamming also eschewed punk's ThreeChordsAndTheTruth attitude. Interestingly, this album came out six months before ''[[Music/NeverMindTheBollocksHeresTheSexPistols Never Mind the Bollocks]]'' did. In other words, post-punk was well underway even before punk hit the mainstream.
82	* RecordProducer: Andy Johns & Tom Verlaine. Hiring Andy Johns led to a bit of misunderstanding behind the scenes. He assumed that Television hired him for the huge, compressed drum sound that was his trademark, so he set the drums up for that sound before the band arrived at the studio. When Television arrived, they had to convince him that they hired him for the ''guitar sounds'' from the albums he produced--and that they wanted no compression or reverb on the drums.
83	* ReCut:
84	** The TitleTrack had to be cut down from 10:47 to 9:58 on the original release due to the space limitations of LP records. The song would later be restored to its full length on CD reissues.
85	** Both "Venus" and "Guiding Light" are split into two parts on the 8-track release due to the restrictions of the four-track format.
86	* RuleOfSymbolism: The lyrics are styled after Romantic poetry. Storytelling is somewhat surreal as a result.
87	* ShoutOut:
88	** "Prove It" echoes ''Film/TheLongGoodbye''.
89	** "Torn Curtain", a reference to ''Film/TornCurtain''. The drum roll in the intro is also similar to Music/TheStooges' "Dirt" (from their album ''Music/{{Fun House\|Album}}'').
90	** The [[SpellingSong "F-R-I-C-T-I-O-N!"]] in "Friction" is a shout-out to [[Music/VanMorrison Them's]] "Gloria," as well as Music/PattiSmith's cover from ''Music/{{Horses}}''. Tom Verlaine dated Smith for a while.
91	* TechnicianVersusPerformer: Lloyd is a straightforward [[Music/JimiHendrix Hendrix]]-influenced guitarist placed directly up against the emotional, avant-garde style of Verlaine.
92	* ThatMakesMeFeelAngry: "Friction" about feelings that lead to friction.
93	* UnbuiltTrope: A punk album with [[EpicRocking long songs]] and guitar solos? If the album had been released a few years earlier or had more keyboards it might have been classified as a ProgressiveRock album. Consequently, retrospective analysts categorize ''Marquee Moon'' as one of the first PostPunk albums, blending progressive rock tropes with a punk rock base.
94	* WordSaladLyrics: The album's lyrics were inspired by impressionist literature, and as such jumble words and phrases together with the intent of evoking emotion rather than telling coherent narratives.

Context Music / MarqueeMoon