(TV) I've been Working On This Case So Long/"Tom Varlen"

["Casey, Leo J" <CaseyL@volpe.dot.gov>]

On Jan. 25, 2001 Philip said: " Bonus points for anyone who can translate the Japanese liner notes in the c. 1993 Japanese CD releases of TOM VERLAINE and DREAMTIME... they are quite lengthy. "
Philip, do I win a roundtrip flight to Great Britain, a seaside cabin at Camber Sands, and all the Toffe Apples I can scarf down?
More seriously, I was able to get a friend of a co-worker to give her translations of Dreamtime and the album Marquee Moon. 
	Leo
First, Dreamtime, then MM liner notes' translation to follow in next few minutes.  The translator got Tom's name as "Tom Varlen", so I changed it. 

 Liner Notes To Japanese Pressing of the Album & Japanese CD , Dreamtime

Waiting................for two years.
The second solo album from Tom Verlaine.  First one was just his name.  This time it is time to dream.
For two years.  It seems such a long, long two years.  It's not just two-years.
His first solo album was just after Television broke up. It was just enough for a while.
However, this time it's not the same as before.  This time, the silent two years is so huge.
It seems more like 10 years than just 2 years.  Things have changed in the 
Rock'n roll world.  Even the famous names have been changed, too.
Punk? New Wave? For most of the names I need a reminder to remember even after 2 years.
Previous solo album wasn't so popular even though it was a good one.  It wasn't so easy to become famous in the world. It's not so easy to create a happy ending.
Let me tell you something.  For the present, Tom Verlaine has no past legacy.  At least he has no legacy that can be listened to by others.  For this past 2 year, his past legacy became empty--silence. 
Tom Verlaine?  He didn't fit. He had just a bad reputation.  In this world everyone praises everyone, but no one praised him, so only negative reputation.  Maybe I only had a chance to listen [be exposed to] his bad reputation.
It seems that the bad reputation just stuck to him.
Tom Verlaine's music has lots of emotion and melody.  There were some rock critics in the United States, who found fault with it.  But if you take a good listen, you'll hear that Tom Verlaine have a sense of crystal, and a shapeness of the knife.  Nothing wrong[ with that]. 
One of the members in Talking Heads said that Tom Verlaine was not good because he took one year to make just one album.
He means that even if you make good music, you cannot be successful if you don't make a strong effort to let other people be able to listen [to your music].  That means you have to have both music and a business sense.
	That's real.  The reason for Talking Heads' success was this. They had put forth the required effort for both music and business.  However, Tom Verlaine was too naïve to do both.  He was too sensitive on this live stage. Once he heard booing from the audience, he lost his confidence and energy.  He made so many mistakes in his live show.
	I can hear the critics of Tom Verlaine, for instance, Richard Hell, who was a  member of Television.  He was an egoist and jealous of other talented people, also he pooled [sic] his leg and had a small heart. And then .......OK.  I think talented person can be this kind of person.

It might be real; it might not.  Such a reputation makes me imagine that Tom Verlaine is walking on a knife with no shoes.  Even the slightest mistake, you can bleed.  You cannot afford to think about others.

Tom Verlaine always listens to each sound carefully.  He does not waste any elements.  He might be an odd [ball] in this world that is so thick with music.  His first album was that way, too.  He played with almost the same members as here.  He did not change the attitude.  He used a few guitars, bass and drums.  It was a result of his pure heart toward the music.
Tom Verlaine has a sense of beauty, and it's rare that one has such a talent.  His bad reputation is the result of his sense of beauty.  What's wrong [with that].  I don't see anything wring.  I think it's wonderful.

Well it's been 2 years.

For this two year's absence, what Tom Verlaine brought to this world?.  For me, it's flexibility.  It seems like a soft glass.

He did not present us with such an easy listening experience before [in his first solo record].  Did he compromise?  Maybe.  But there is no softness in it.  Instead of softness, there is endurance.  I might have stomach pain but I feel better [sic].
Pup?  Rock'n roll?  Don't take it cheap.  There is 2 years of Tom Verlaine's life in there.  There is his life that he has nurtured.  It started from Doors and Jerry Garcia [sic!,] and went to American Rock'n roll.  This is the end of Tom Verlaine comparison.  He doesn't depend on anything in this new record.  No other reputation needed.
For 2 years I waited.
Let's wait for the next album



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