Rocktober '70s Song #17: "See No Evil" by Television (1977)

Next up on the dark-themed selections for Halloween Week is "See No Evil" by punk/post-punk/art rockers Television.  The band was a CBGB staple in the mid to late '70s, with lead singer, guitarist, and main songwriter Tom Verlaine leading the way.  Punk legend Richard Hell was an earlier member, but he left the band in 1975.

Their debut album, 1977's Marquee Moon, is one of the most influential albums of the punk era.  While Television certainly (rightly) is lumped in with punk, their sound kind of crosses genres.  It's punky, but it's also kind of poppy, proto-punky, more guitar-driven, and what people in the '80s would have called "college radio" songs.  Certainly, no punk band was including ten-minute songs on their albums (like the title track to Marquee Moon).  Verlaine and the band's other guitarist, Richard Lloyd, play off each other magically, and the subject matter of their songs are a little more heady than most punk bands.  They even look more intellectual than other punk bands of the day.  When you listen to the album, you can hear how it inspired alternative bands of the '80s and '90s, like REM, the Pixies, and Sonic Youth.  Unfortunately -- as often happens with rock and roll bands -- the band broke up a year later after releasing their second album, although they reformed in 1992 and released a third album, and they have sporadically toured since then (though Lloyd left the band in 2007).

Since we are in Halloween week, I'm going with "See No Evil," which is the first track off of Marquee Moon.  The guitars are great, especially Lloyd's solo.  If you haven't listened to this album before, I highly recommend it.