Guitar Teacher REACTS: Television - Marquee Moon (Live) - RIP Tom Verlaine

--

[strozerjan]

It is a shame that you have not listened until the end, because I think the last bit of the solo after the build up is very important. I also think that the studio version would be a better first listen.

[Dedalusk]

Marquee Moon is absolutely one of the greatest albums of it's era and, sadly enough, largely forgotten but all but us music nerds. In my top ten of all time.

[nunestunes]

Tom Verlaine and Richard Lloyd put together possibly the greatest debut album. I highly suggest listening to Marquee Moon. Fun fact Richard Lloyd knew Hendrix and got guitar lessons as a kid

[l.sueszabo]

I saw television in 1979 at a little bar in Cincinnati. It was amazing. Met the guys after the show. I was a soph in college.

[elliotgoodine]

You can really see here how Television was such a huge influence on Jeff Tweedy and Nels Cline from Wilco; they get a lot of their "out" moves out of this playbook. If you compare this to Wilco's "Impossible Germany" you see that same thing where the solo goes from an exploratory thing to having the whole band click back into a carefully planned arrangement.

[birdizzle]

The album version is SO GOOD. Please listen

[douglasmeneilley]

Saw Television in Ottawa, Canada back in early 80s, probably their only show ever here. A gift.

[tomeisenmenger]

That's not Television, but a Tom Verlaine solo concert (although the arrangement is very similar to what TV would have done). Television also featured Richard Lloyd, another outstanding guitarist, Fred Smith on bass (very melodic lines), and Billy Ficca on jazz-flavored drums. Outstanding band and all three studio albums were great.

[philharrison]

Not to be a dick about it but genuinely amazed that a guitar instructor has never come across this band and this album before.

[jerryohare]

I’m kind of stunned that you haven’t come across Marquee Moon as a guitarist and guitar instructor. Richard Lloyd wrote a column called “The Alchemical Guitarist “ for Guitar World at one point. Both he and Verlaine are, or were, sadly in Verlaine’s case, serious students of the instrument. All 3 of the studio recordings by Television are worth a deep dive. Please seek them out. Marquee Moon especially.

Also, please try a Richard Thompson tune, either ‘52 Vincent Black Lightning for Acoustic, or a Live electric version of Shoot Out The Lights. Thanks.

[Bruhaha]

Surprised you haven't heard of. The album version is considered one of the great guitar passages of the 20th century.

[neilevans]

I bought this when it first came out still got it and it's raw and gets into your bones that's what great music does makes you feel alive

[vanceritchey]

Never heard of Television?? One of the innovators of New Wave. A regular at CBGB. This song is fucking awesome. The record version is outstanding.

[crawlingwind]

Tom always winged his solos. His original influence was free jazz saxophone. Richard Lloyd (not in this video) played well thought out solos that he could repeat exactly if he wanted.

[lawtonzurn]

Got to listen to the album. Television without Richard Lloyd isn’t really Television.

[PhilBeforeYou]

surprises me you haven't heard of em, Mike! Such an iconic record. RIP, Tom!

[darrellstyner]

I heard Marquee Moon when it first came out and have always thought of it as "new wave jazz." The guitar work is so sophisticated, but there's a raw energy to the whole thing that defies categorization. It's a shame so many people never got to hear it.

[kennyrosenyc]

I'm pretty sure Richard Lloyd was the key guitarist of Television. I say this because I took some lessons from him and he was one of only 2 students of Jimi Hendrix (along with Velvert Jones). Hendrix taught a unique style that, obviously came from Hendrix, involving use of the 'Circle of Fifths' (which Hendrix used extensively) and which was based on primordial guitar stuff that predated 'Even Tempered Music'. For example, the 'Circle of Fifths' is, diatonically, 1526374 (intervals). The 1st mode changes nothing. The 5th mode flattens the 7, the 2nd mode flattens the 7 & the 3. You can see where this is heading based on the original sequence. Ergo, you can learn the modes using what used to be called 'Declension' in a matter of minutes (assuming you know your intervals) AND you can attach every mode to a chord almost instantly. Television was also the band to convince the owner of CBGB's to book rock bands as well (CBGB stands for Country, Blue Grass and Blues - I was a bouncer in NYC during this period). This is very early punk you're watching here. Richard actually has a series of videos called the 'Alchemical Guitarist' which is very interesting and informative. His knowledge is sickeningly deep. The toggle on a Jazzmaster switches between pickups, the other knobs control the volume and there's a 'Master Volume' and 'Tone' as well (I have a Jazzmaster). It's a very cool guitar, more for 'Surf' style, but it's awesome. You can sort of hear the 'Surf' type of guitar in his solo on this track if you stop and listen.

[redmosq]

I found that tune extremely cool. I’m going to have to go down a rabbit hole with this band.

[yoworob]

Always cool to see you react to stuff that's not in your wheelhouse - keep taking chances! Three Recommendations:
1. listen to the Marquee Moon studio album with Richard Lloyd and the original lineup
2. listen to some of Verlaine and Lloyd's respective solo work - Lloyd's field of fire is a GREAT song
3. buy a jazzmaster