Re: Quite a Statement / RE: (TV) OT: Luna & Dean Wareham

[Russ <russvr@gmail.com>]

I appreciate hearing this Phil. I expect I will enjoy the Wareham
book, and I will selectively delve further into the Luna oeuvre.
thanks! Oh, and I can't imagine any band other than the immortal
Fairport Convention, being better than Television, or the Velvet
Underground.


On Thu, Apr 28, 2011 at 9:33 PM, Phil Obbard <pobbard@yahoo.com> wrote:
> I got into Luna with PENTHOUSE (thanks to Verlaine's cameo); I lost interest
> with their "new" material at DAYS OF OUR NIGHTS but continued to see them live
> whenever possible, right up to their last 2 shows in 2005. I was at the Bastille
> Day show used for part of LIVE. Much more recently, I read Wareham's bio (which
> I enjoyed) and it led me to finally discover the pleasures of ROMANTICA, which I
> recommend.
>
> I still listen to Luna frequently. I was enough of a diehard to collect many of
> their 7" singles, compilation appearances, etc., even if still haven't gotten
> around to picking-up RENDEZVOUS or the last two Wareham/Phillips efforts. Lots
> of good stuff was hidden away on EPs, b-sides, soundtracks, etc, like their
> covers of "Ride into the Sun", "Indian Summer", "In the Flesh", "Neon Lights",
> the original "Fuzzy Wuzzy", and originals like "Dear Paulina".
>
> Anyway: I don't think Luna's recorded output is superior to Television's and/or
> the Velvet Underground. I think it's good but very inconsistent; I think Wareham
> had a more limited set of musical ideas than Verlaine or Reed/Cale and stretched
> out over 7 Luna albums it wears thin. While I too wish there were more to
> Television's studio catalog, I think there's more musical (and lyrical) ideas
> packed into MARQUEE MOON (or TOM VERLAINE, or FLASHLIGHT) than 2-3 Luna albums
> combined.
>
> But, even when their albums were so-so, Luna was a great band to see live (at
> all stages in their line-up). They definitely share that with Television.
>
> --Phil
>
>
>
> ________________________________
> From: Andrew <andrewmfc@aol.com>
> To: tv@obbard.com
> Sent: Thu, April 28, 2011 4:55:16 PM
> Subject: Re: Quite a Statement / RE: (TV) OT: Luna & Dean Wareham
>
> Well Leo, with list activity being at pretty much a ten-year high I just
> thought I'd throw a cat in amongst the pigeons with that statement and see if
> we can crash the server... :-)
>
> I'll go further and say that I think that taken as a whole Luna's recorded
> output is superior to Television AND the Velvet Underground, by virtue of
> there being so much more of it, most of at least an arguably good standard.
> There are few bigger fans of Verlaine/Lloyd than I (and I'm wagering they're
> all on this list) but for all the heights they reached it's a crying pity that
> there's so damn little of it.  Whenever I have old friends over for drinks on
> a rainy night they all groan "not again" whenever I put on Marquee Moon.  It's
> the Stairway to Heaven of 70s NYC punk. Great, yes. But played out. But my
> friends will all grin and nod like idiots when a Luna album cut like Sideshow
> by the Seashore comes on. I truly believe that Wareham and Sean Eden are
> criminally underappreciated as guitar players.
> Dean seems to be a polarizing figure with many and the haters will all point
> to his obvious influences and say he ripped them off (Television, the Velvets,
> the Feelies) or used them to lend some sort of legitimacy of illusion of some
> sort of NY legacy to his band by having the likes of T.V. and Sterling
> Morrison play on Luna records.  They may have a point. But I do know that I
> have only wept in near ecstasy at one band's concerts and it wasn't
> Television.
>
>
>
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Leo Casey <LeoCasey@comcast.net>
> To: tv <tv@obbard.com>
> Sent: Thu, Apr 28, 2011 3:11 pm
> Subject: Quite a Statement / RE: (TV) OT: Luna & Dean Wareham
>
>
>>imho Wareham is a genius songwriter and he and
>> Sean Eden in Luna
>> are every bit the guitar playing equals of Verlaine/Lloyd,
>> with a discography
>> that dwarfs theirs.
>
> You've really thrown down the gauntlet there Andrew.
> I'm glad it's your humble opinion because I think your nuts : >)
> (despite the fact that I'm a big Luna fan).
>
> Leo
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