Re: (TV) Rating the TV albums

[Jesse Hochstadt <Jesse_Hochstadt@brown.edu>]

Fascinating to see how widely opinion varies on the TV albums. Here's 
my list (throwing in the Television albums for good measure):

1. Marquee Moon
2. Flash Light
3. Tom Verlaine
4. Cover
5. Adventure
6. Warm and Cool
7. Dreamtime
8. Television
9. Words from the Front
10. The Wonder

Several of these are extremely close; on any given day, I could rank 
Adventure over Cover, for example, or Dreamtime over Warm and Cool.

A few comments on why I feel as I do, especially about some of the 
albums more heavily discussed recently on this list:

A number of people clearly rate Dreamtime much higher than I do. When 
it came out, it was the first time I'd felt that Tom was re-treading 
old ground, writing songs that were reminiscent of older songs but 
not quite as good - more generic, less fleshed out. (For any Richard 
Thompson fans out there, think of how "Dead Man's Handle" stands in 
relation to "Wall of Death.") There are a number of songs I like a 
great deal on the record - the anthemic "Always" and "There's a 
Reason," the appropriately delicate "Fragile" - but others strike me 
as too precious (always a direction Tom veered perilously close to). 
Frankly, the way Tom sings the opening couplet on "Without a Word" 
verges on self-parody for me. It's interesting to look at some of the 
sidemen on that record: who were Ritchie Fliegler and Donald Nossov 
(sorry if the spelling's wrong; I'm working from memory)? Unlike Jay 
Dee Daugherty or Jimmy Rip(p), they're not names I think I've ever 
seen elsewhere, which suggested to me at the time that Tom was 
working with some less distinguished - and therefore weaker - 
collaborators than usual. (Of course, that's (a) an unfair prejudice 
and (b) may simply reflect my ignorance.)

By contrast, there seems to be little enthusiasm about Cover out 
there. I thought it was a major return to form after Words from the 
Front, and some of the songs seemed to break the mold set by past 
albums: "O Foolish Heart" with its skewed-country style*; the way 
"Rotation" pins the lighter-than-air style of past songs like "The 
Dream's Dream" and "Days on the Mountain" down to earth using more of 
a dance beat, etc., etc. (Actually, the All-Music Guide entry for 
Cover expresses it better than I can: 
http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=Aldjx7i2jg75r )

As for Warm and Cool: Sounds like a contractual obligation? What are 
you guys smoking? Tom wanted to make an instrumental album; Tom made 
an instrumental album; Rykodisc (a great label) was kind enough to 
put it out. Tom's always been deeply concerned with getting his 
guitar sound and the attack of his notes "just right." In an 
instrumental context it's no surprise he carries it to an extreme. I 
do agree that the album is not terribly emotive (I think the Village 
Voice suggested it could have been titled "Tube-Amp Sonorities of the 
1950s, Volume 1"), but I like it nonetheless. Whenever someone puts 
that much care and attention to detail into a project (yet one of you 
heard it as a tossed-off set of improvs?), there's an underlying 
feeling of love even if the surface is somewhat cold.

I share the opinion that "The Wonder" is somehow de-centered and way 
too ethereal in tone. It just doesn't work for me.

I'm glad to see that most of us regard Flash Light highly, as I think 
it's an outstanding album, with Tom's most varied song craft ever. I 
love "Song" so much I'm thinking of quoting part of it as an epigraph 
to my dissertation: "These difficult questions/Tell me a joke/These 
difficult questions tell me a joke" seems a very appropriate start to 
an intellectual work.

Speaking of which, this scientist should really stop writing this 
letter and get back to working on my research....

- Jesse
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