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Salient. Official Newspaper of Victoria University of Wellington Students Association. Vol 40 No. 19. August 1 1977

Two views of TV

Two views of TV

Television

Marquee Moon

Elektra

Brandishing a pedigree as precious as a Neil Cassady manuscript, Tom Verlaine releases his first album. The front-man of this four-piece band from New York City. Verlaine was the former sweetheart of Patti Smith — who has compared his guitar-playing to a "flight of birds" and Verlaine is featured on 'Break it Up' arguably the best track on her memorable 'Horses' !

He has attained a legendary reputation from his live appearances at CBGB's seedy club in the Bowery, playing late in the night to the stumble of the sans culottes and the drool of record company executives. I can see why: Verlaines studio music is spontaneous, animated rock truer to the roots of the whole she-bang.

On 'Marquee Moon', apart from the occasional use of piano, there are only two guitars, bass and drums. Television are like what pop-music was 11 or 12 years ago — largely short songs with a chorus and a catchy beat. But with 1980 a few years away, those lyrics are different: the 'effect' it different.

Side One opens with "See no Evil', an unfortunate start for a record-shop hearing. As with the majority of the album however, it needs to be heard a few times. New Musical Express alleged 'teeth-gnashing ostrich gee-tar glissando and hyena vocals! Well, yes. Basically this one is a shrieked vocal supported by loud guitar. Its all right.

Although the drummer Billy Ficca is quite good, it is immediately obvious Verlaine's fellow-members are a cats-paw to him.

Then we have [I fell right into the arms of] Venus de Milo — a good objective-co-relative [cough] in the tradition of Jonothan Richman's 'Pablo Piccaso' or John Cales' famous 'Helen of Troy'. One line goes: "I fell sideways laughing with a friend from many stages". This is probably Verlaine's most well-known song and it does get very catchy.

"Friction" is a rocker. Beginning like Bo Diddley't Who do you Love, the lyrics are suitably obscure.

"If I ever catch that ventriloquist, I'll squeeze his head right into my fist". The nifty little guitar breaks recall pops standard formula: 'short and sweet'!

'Marquee Moon', the title-track is probably the most accessible on the album. It begins slowly with a repetitive riff which builds in intensity. The mood is bittersweet:

"and the high buggers up my nights,
I feel the dusky embrace of life
outside 'neath the Marquee Moon .... hesitating".

Here, Verlaine's guitar rivals the fluidity of a Steve Hillage and the melodic power of a Nils Lofgren, The song peaks with a marvellous interlude of pure harmony which recalls the Dead's 'Dark Star'. Great stuff.

Side two cannot match the promise of the first, 'Elevation' leads, featuring a staccato chorus. "Guiding Light" follows, a mellower track incorporating piano. The lyrics here are quite good though not a patch on Verlaine's vain-taken namesake.

"Darling, darling must we part like the seas". "Prove It' is a jittery, ska-influenced number which shows up the debt to Velvet Underground. Indeed Verlaine's voice is pitched somewhere between Louis Reed's mutter and Patti Smith's screech. "Torn Curtain" has an adequate chorus despite melodramatic lyrics:

"Torn Curtain . . . where Beauty meets Abuse . . . loves all ridicule etc.".

Verlaine

Verlaine

To sum up, TV are an impressive new band which merits attention but will not appeal to everybody. Verlaine plays the best guitar this reviewer has heard for ages — a style rough-hewn but ordered. Theirs is an auspicious [unclear: debut].

Redmer Yska.

I can guarantee that this album will not sell enough copies to enter Top Forty Status, as it contains good music, lots of rock'n roll, no possible commercial single hits, and no funk.

To the music though-as it is the music that counts, right? And Television are musicians — one playing of "mm" and that fact becomes perfectly clear.

"mm" opens like all great albums ought to-with an exercise in the first principles of dynamics, here in the form of "See no Evil", Richard Lloyd [guitar, vocals] enters first, then simultaneously Tom Verlaine [Lead vocals, guitar spelt Guitar]. Billy Fica [Drums] and Fred Smith [Bass, vocals]. Television may be a New York band, but that is purely coincidental. They are more an urban band, to the extent that they could just have easily come out of L.A., 'Frisco or Boston.

"See No Evil" is pure white light, white heat as it were. [unclear: Undiluted], deady toxic energy. The guitar solo from Lloyd it inspiring.

Along with the title cut, the next track — "Venus [de Milo]" — is undoubtedly the highlight cut of the album. How does one discribe music such as this?] It's beautiful, and also tragic, [the guy who spends his lifetime looking the world over for Venus' arms to find out her gesture) to the extent of just about making one want to put a fist through the TV. [no puns intended]. The lyrics may be poignant, but the guitar cries for attention. Verlaine's playing is showcased, and reveals him at extremely competent. If one listens to the Byrds' "Fifth Dimension" LP, one can sure enough trace back certain influences that Verlaine has caught on to [and hell, nobody else has over these past ten years, except the few such as Townshend]. Naturally, adding more credibility to 'Marquee Moon', "Friction" could easily qualify as the track-most-likely-to-be-a-single-un-commercial [not funk y' see] but accessible. The lyrics, basic as they are [rhyming "friction diction"] may be deemed punkesque as such, but the way they're sung, with the emphasis on "DIC-tion" tells you where they're at.

Verlaine has his guitar dominant throughout, and after mentionings of telescopic eyes, we get some ecstatic guitar vibrations.

The title cut follows and is definitely the alburr magnum opus. A total achievement of musical interplay and structuring as I've heard, spread over ten minutes.

Opening with Lloyd again, Verlaine enters utilising a vary catchy minor-chord motif. Definitely not punk— with Television, we have a band composed of musicians who studiously know their fields. It has often been said that volume and amplification does not music make. Volume does not compensate for intelligence and ideas — and Television have both.

The lyrics are extremely surreal, and might not warrant further investigating if it were not for the accompaning music. Cadillacs and hands appearing out of graves? Childhood traumas?

The track develops through some starting chord progressions, working up to a climax. But it's not over yet — momentary silence, then cymbal, drums, bass, and rhythm guitar in that order, and then that opening minor-chord motif, before the fade-out.

Oh well! ... as Verlaine says; "Television don't go to my head" - but who can resist such sounds. Probably the albums most 'laid-back' track it "Guiding Light". Overtly poetic, it is a sombre reflective song that allows the listener to appreciate the finer side of Television's attributes

"Prove it" could be considered the 'low-point' of the album — not that it is 'bad', but in relation to the rest of the album it lacks comething — either energy or finesse. If even sounds slightly reggaeish, which doesn't help things too much. So, to the album's closer in "Torn Curtain" — Hitchcock overtones and all. It is quite melancholic to the point of something like a funeral dirge, and the appearance of the piano reinforces it.

The album as an entity is a credit to the musicianship of Television as a collective combo, and to the guitar/songwriting abilities of Verlaine in particular. He also co-produced the album. It is significant that ten years ago Elektra released a traumatic [unclear: degut] album by a group known as The Doors. How appropriate that a decade later another traumatic debut album from an American band should appear in Elektra.

— Greg Cotmore.

Narada Michael Walden

Garden of Love Light

Atlantic

This is certainly not the first record album dedicated to Guru Sri Chinmoy, yet even if John McLaughlin has seen the light and departed from the fold, the ex-Mahavishnu drummer, Narada Michael Walden, is still wandering aimlessly in the white night, searching desperately for the path to the garden of Love Light where love may be found, and joy; where you may live to meditate on the dancing of the sun, the moon, the dancing of the stars, and where, of course, you can forever make and hear delightful music.

The cover depicts Narada in just such an arcadian utopia, dressed in flowing white robes, the oh-so-symbolic rose in hand, the neo-clas sic architectural stage props; but although his soul may be in the right place [sic], his music has yet to fulfil these aspirations of perfection.

The music could be described as 'delightful'; delightful implying 'nice', pleasant, approach' able, and ultimately delightful implying trivial. All the tracks are originals but uninspiring without exception: standard variations well within the soul/funk/jazz/rock idiom. Five of the nine numbers feature Narada on vocals, and although his voice is not bad — imagine a synthesis of Stevie Wonder, Al Jarreau and Billy Preston — the lyrics come close to embarrassment. For instance: "You are love/ sent down from above / I can hear your soulful symphony" from You are Love; "If your mind is having a rainy day / just ask your soul to blow the clouds away" off the title track; and "in my life / I feel a happy day / like a bluebird in spring/ I want my life to love you", from Delightful.

Tracks which stand above others are White Light, with Gomez at his best; You got the Soul is a very good to dance to [but what soul music isn't ?] and Saint and the Rascal for Jeff Beck's contribution. Incidentally, the album is produced by Tom Dowd, the talent which has recently shoved Pod Stewart into total commercial appreciation. The production, therefore, never falters, the strings are always tasteful and Narada Michael Walden is placed in the best light possible.

To conclude, if you like soul you may like this release, if you like Mahavishnu you should like it, and if you like jazz you probably won't.

Tim Nees.