Concluding my look at the albums of 1977…

Another seminal debut album from 1977, Television’s Marquee Moon got me thinking about how the artists from this era were really bouncing off of each other in interesting ways.

Earlier this week, I heard so much Elvis Costello in The Jam’s first album, even though both artists debuted the same year. And in this album, I hear so much Talking Heads, whose debut album also came out in ’77.

It makes sense, because Television had been playing the New York City club circuit for years before releasing this album. David Byrne and company no doubt saw them perform many times at CBGB, where they became a popular staple.

Television gets mentioned alongside the other punk bands that emerged in the late 70s, but they’re up to something different. Marquee Moon is not a collection of tight, fast, aggressive songs. Most of its 10 tracks top five minutes and they all make room for inventive guitar parts and instrumental interludes. There’s a jazz influence here that you won’t hear in a true punk album.

The approach garnered critical acclaim and modest commercial success, mostly in the UK. Marquee Moon placed third in the annual Village Voice Pazz & Jop critics poll (behind the debuts by The Sex Pistols and Elvis Costello and just head of Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours).

Television released a second album the following year, then broke up (they reformed in 1992 to put out their third and final album). Frontman Tom Verlaine embarked on a quiet solo career that produced ten studio albums. He died three years ago of prostate cancer at 73.

That wraps up my look at 1977, a truly remarkable year for music. I could easily round up another 20 notable albums in addition to the 20 I covered. I’m curious to see how the later years of the 80s, 90s, and 00s stack up.