2. 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.Â