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Baker's Dozen

No Reconciliation Necessary: Doug McCombs' Favourite LPs
Nick Hutchings , July 16th, 2015 13:36

With the prolific bassist and guitarist and Tortoise and Brokeback founder about to release a new album, Works For Tomorrow, with Eleventh Dream Day, he gives Nick Hutchings a tour of his most seminal records

Television_1437052969_resize_460x400

Television - Marquee Moon
Marquee Moon is hands down my favourite album. It's hard to land on exactly why. I've been listening to it for close to 40 years - let's say 35 - and that it still sounds fresh, that points to something.

As a teenager I expected to hear something punk-er/weirder because I got it around the same time as Cramps' Gravest Hits and Wire - Pink Flag and Pere Ubu and Dead Boys. Instead I heard something beautiful that expressed the same anger and confusion, but also curiousness and wonder. It's emotionally complex.

I guess all of those records are emotionally complex. X - Los Angeles, too. Beautiful. As evidenced by their immeasurable influence, Television had something happening purely on a musical level, too. I was too young to understand this, but [there were] enough guitar ideas to sustain the next three generations of guitar players.