A collection of Tom Verlaine’s favourite songs
Before punk exploded in the United Kingdom, with bands like the Sex Pistols and The Clash defining an era of political discontent and rebellion, the United States honed the genre in its sweaty underground scene.
At bars like CBGBs and Max’s Kansas City, artists such as the Ramones, Patti Smith and Television could be found. These early punk artists were vital to the genre’s development, with the latter even innovating a sound more closely associated with post-punk.
Television was formed after lead vocalist Tom Verlaine began playing music with his friend Richard Hell. With the help of Billy Ficca and Richard Lloyd, the band became fully formed, with Fred Smith soon replacing Hell. The band played around New York for several years, becoming defining figures of the alternative rock and early punk scene before releasing their debut album, Marquee Moon, in 1977. It was praised for its impressive instrumentals and Verlaine’s offbeat lyrical musings, delivered in his distinctive style, unafraid to push his voice into unpolished, raw territory.
Part of the band’s experimental and innovative sound came from Verlaine’s love of genres that stretched far beyond the realms of guitar music. He studied jazz from a young age, playing the saxophone and piano during childhood.
Thus, it’s no surprise that when Verlaine appeared on NPR to discuss some of his favourite songs, he picked entirely instrumental pieces by classical and jazz composers. His first selection was Charles Mingus’ ‘Hog Callin’ Blues’ from the 1962 album Oh Yeah. Stating that he first heard the album when he was “11 or 12” after discovering it in a record shop by a fish market, he described it as “an amazing” and “exciting record.”
Detailing further, he added: “Just all the solos on it… everything about it. I mean, you can hear Charlie yelling stuff in the background… it’s just such a cool record.”
Next up was Henryk Górecki’s ‘Second Piece’, which he called “really beautiful”. The Polish composer was a key figure of the avant-garde in the 1950s and 1960s, with Verlaine explaining that the musician was “up until a certain point, writing, for a lack of a better word, no rhythm, no melody music”. Yet he called his choice “deceptively simple” and a “great piece for strings”.
Verlaine’s final two picks were from movie soundtracks, beginning with ‘Experiment in Terror’ by Henry Mancini, taken from the score of Blake Edwards’ movie of the same name. “This has a very cool guitar part, but also just a great arrangement,” he stated.
Finally, he selected ‘Prelude and Outer Space’ by Henry Mancini, which soundtracked 1951’s The Day the Earth Stood Still. Verlaine described his fondness for its “very odd melody,” calling it a “really memorable” piece from a “very memorable film”.
Discover Verlaine’s favourite tracks below.
Tom Verlaine’s favourite songs:
- ‘Hog Callin’ Blues’ – Charles Mingus
- ‘Second Piece’ – Henryk Górecki
- ‘Experiment in Terror’ – Henry Mancini
- ‘Prelude and Outer Space’ – Bernard Herrmann
