# The most undying sound of the CBGB in the 1970s: “So commonly cited as an influence”

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/the-most-undying-sound-of-the-cbgb-in-the-1970s-so-commonly-cited-as-an-influence/
- Published: 2026-08-05T03:00:00+00:00
- Updated: 2026-08-25T07:08:00+00:00
- Original publisher: Far Out
- Original article: https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/the-most-undying-sound-of-the-cbgb/
- Topics: Music

## Key points

- Television's "Marquee Moon" is hailed as CBGB's defining 1970s sound
- CBGB opened in 1973 for country/blues, became punk's birthplace
- Album's influence traced through Joy Division, The Cure and others

## Summary

This retrospective piece from Far Out Magazine argues that Television, and specifically their 1977 debut album "Marquee Moon", remain the definitive sound of New York's legendary CBGB club during the 1970s. The venue, opened by Hilly and Karen Kristal at 315 Bowery in Manhattan in December 1973, was originally intended for country, bluegrass and blues acts, yet by early 1974 it had become the crucible for a new wave of music that would come to be known as punk rock. The article contends that while contemporaries such as the Ramones, Blondie, Talking Heads and the Patti Smith Group also shaped the club's legacy, none captured its murky, neon-lit atmosphere as vividly as Television did.

The piece explores how Television's sound defies easy categorisation, blending elements of glam rock, art rock, jazz and the avant-garde, with influences ranging from Albert Ayler and Bob Dylan to the Beat poets and French Symbolists. Guitarists Tom Verlaine and Richard Lloyd are singled out for their intricate, complementary interplay, which the author suggests gives the album a "crooked perfection" nearly 50 years after its release. The article closes by noting the album's enduring influence on later acts including Joy Division, The Cure, Primal Scream and Kurt Vile.

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