Television “Marquee Moon” 1977. Today’s pull in honor of fellow Vault member Joe’s birthday – I’m spinning records he loves and I won’t otherwise listen to. Last year I made myself listen to Pere Ubu (admittedly I do like Television more than Pere Ubu).

Marquee Moon, Television’s debut LP, has been hailed as one of the greatest records of its time and is credited with helping build the foundation of post punk and alternative music. Allmusic says about the album, “Where their predecessors in the New York punk scene, most notably the Velvet Underground, had fused blues structures with avant-garde flourishes, Television completely strip away any sense of swing or groove, even when they are playing standard three-chord changes. Marquee Moon is comprised entirely of tense garage rockers that spiral into heady intellectual territory, which is achieved through the group’s long, interweaving instrumental sections, not through Verlaine’s words. That alone made Marquee Moon a trailblazing album – it’s impossible to imagine post-punk soundscapes without it.”

“Friction” is one track that I genuinely like and can appreciate the blues-influenced hard driving guitar licks mixed though an art-rock lens. “Elevation” feels proto-goth in spots, so that’s kinda cool. It will be viewed by most post-punk fans as heretical but I find the title track “Marquee Moon” to be tiresome. Yes, the guitar work is cutting-edge and intricate, but it just goes on and on and I’m kinda reminded of some Grateful Dead jams when I would take a break from trance dance, sit down and nod off for awhile – sorry Joe!