On the invitation of our friend Martin Bunn (aka Old Bill) who was running the PA system, we went to a festival being held in a park behind a Sikh Gurdwara in Bilston (oh the glamour). I have no recollection of who else was on the bill that day but I clearly remember a 4-piece indie-rock looking outfit shuffling out onto the stage. They were fronted by a petite blonde girl who introduced them in a quiet Scottish accent. I have a thing about girl singers, Natalie Merchant, Gladys Knight, Siouxsie, Streisand, Emmylou Harris among many others. There is also something very powerful about a woman leading a band of men, so I was immediately intrigued.

They started playing and there was nothing shuffling or quiet about them from that moment on. The boys in the band beat out big, fat Crazy Horse-ish songs and that petite girl singer (who I’ve since come to know as Monica Queen) unleashed a voice and a set of melodies that kept me transfixed for their entire performance.  Now you may remember that we’ve met Monica Queen before when we looked at her solo album “Stop That Girl” back in March (if you missed that here you go https://www.whiterabbitrecords.co.uk/blog/read_205541/20234-albums-thing-286-monica-queen-stop-that-girl.html). I went out and bought “Rifferama” the very next day and have always wondered why on earth Thrum aren’t remembered as Indie legends. If nothing else, in my mind, Monica Queen’s voice puts her right up there with the ladies I mentioned earlier. 

“Rifferama” starts as it means to continue with a dramatic distorted intro to “Here I Am” which then bursts into life with big strummed chords and a screeching riff guitar to introduce Monica Queen’s incredible voice. By the time she gets to the second chorus she’s in full flow and it’s a joy to listen to. By songs end she’s coming on a little bit full throated Lulu which is never a bad thing. Man alive I love this band.

“So Glad” lulls you into a state of bliss with gently strummed chords before the drums batter you back and Monica opens with a beautiful “All I can see, It’s gotta make me believe”. The 2 line chorus is a wonder with Monica wrapping her vocal around the word “sad” in some serious gymnastics. These are basically relationship songs but the way they are delivered makes you forget the singers troubles in the lyrics because of that voice, which gets another serious workout on side 1’s closer “Lullaby II”.

Side 2 begins with some serious riffage as title track “Rifferama” lets the guitars loose in a way that Mr. Young and the ‘orse would most certainly approve of. It doesn’t let up, “Purify” is the equal of any song on this record and that’s followed by the utterly wonderful “Won’t Be Long” which Monica opens by pleading “Oh God, Oh God…” before settling into a gentle groove and reaching a crescendo as it draws to an end…did I mention I love this band ?

It’s also an album that at no point outstays its welcome, less than 45 minutes and it’s all done and dusted. It leaves you wanting more which in my book is more important than packing too much in and boring your audience. The original release of the album came with a bonus one-sided 7” single containing a cover of Neil Young’s “Hold Back The Tears” (from “American Stars ’n’ Bars”), most appropriate really. Monica Queen and Thrum guitarist Johnny Smillie are still working together, see the earlier piece on Monica’s solo album. There is nothing I don’t love about this record, great female singer, crunching fat guitars and great tunes. Thrum shoulda been big.

Rifferama - https://youtu.be/56UTf6HkXcQ?si=s8Evi50X3eo-Cf8h

PS…if you’re reading this and know this album, but only on CD, and you’re thinking he’s got the track listing utterly screwed up, no I haven’t…for some reason the LP and CD feature completely different running orders, the LP version begins with “Here I Am” and not “Rifferama” which the CD begins with…glad we cleared that up…

“Marquee Moon” was a genuinely groundbreaking record and because of that any follow up was going to sit meekly in its shadow. Thus is the case with “Adventure”, it’s not a bad album, it’s just not “Marquee Moon”. It was recorded in late 1977 and is a much less spiky and surprising record than its predecessor, much smoother around the edges, dare I say poppier ?

Opening song “Glory” is a great start. It has all the elements of Television, Verlaine’s rhythmic riff intertwining with Lloyd’s scatterbrained lead play but it’s all less urgent than before. 2nd song “Days” is, well it’s a ballad, which I wasn’t expecting. “Foxhole” lifts the intensity with its theme of a soldier in a foxhole supported by some crunching riffage and some of that “angular” playing that featured on “Marque Moon”, it’s probably the best song on the album.

Record company Elektra got right behind the album though (in the UK at least). Lead single “Foxhole” was released as a 12” with 4 different coloured sleeves (yellow, blue, green and red) and on Red vinyl along with the album (my copy is on red vinyl). But after finding little success following the release of “Adventure”, Television split up after a three night stand at The Bottom Line in NYC at the end of July 1978.

Foxhole - https://youtu.be/2IQCUc4rNN8?si=aqAZ4cEd-Y0a5x8e

The musical scene that developed out of the ashes of the New York Dolls, centered around a grotty club called CBGB’s down on the Bowery in New York City, must have been something to behold happening. It gave the world the Ramones, Blondie, Talking Heads, Richard Hell & The Void Oids and Television. 

Television were led by the twin guitars of Tom Verlaine and Richard Lloyd. Now you must know by now that I’m no fan of what I disparagingly refer to as fretw@nk (twiddly-diddley-widdly-weee…look how fast I can play) but if all guitar playing were to sound as beautiful, mystical and intense as Verlaine and Lloyd did here on “Marquee Moon” then count me in daddio. These two showed there was another way to do virtuoso and do it without the cod-piece.

It begins in dizzying fashion with Verlaine and Lloyd’s guitars equal parts crunching rhythm while intricately weaving lines around each other and themselves during “See No Evil”. Somewhat unbelievably to me the title track was recorded live in one take (drummer Billy Ficca thought it was a rehearsal run through) ! Producer Andy Johns suggested that they record another take, but Verlaine told him "forget it”. I don’t usually have the attention span for long songs and especially long songs that feature extended guitar solo’s but as we have already established, this ain’t no fretw@nk happening here. In just over 10 minutes Television keep me transfixed.

It’s a record I never tire of hearing, I gotta admit it took me some years to appreciate its brilliance. It was unfairly grouped in by the press with the New York Punk scene, it’s so much more than that, and the Damned had a go at Television in the song “Idiot Box” on their second album. But once I got it, I got it completely.

A little whinge…I’ve mentioned before my utter disdain for Rolling Stone magazine and here’s another reason for that. Rolling Stone described “Marquee Moon” as a Post-Punk record. Can someone explain to me how a record written and recorded during 1974, 1975 and 1976 can be POST Punk ? It was recorded in New York City in September 1976, The Damned’s “New Rose” (generally regarded as the first Punk single) was released in October 1976 !

“Marquee Moon” walks a path all by itself. It is a breathtaking work of utter genius. Yes Television were lumped in with the Punk/New Wave scene but that was more lazy journalism than the reality, this is neither Punk, New Wave or any other label you want to pin on it, it’s simply Television. These guys were genuinely out there forging a path all of their own.

Marquee Moon - https://youtu.be/g4myghLPLZc?si=IPfIkd5vSq03o9E_