Tune du Jour: “Marquee Moon” – Television
THE CLASH of Cover Tunes: Army of Halfwits vs. The Nutley Brass vs. Matthew Sweet and Susanna Hoffs
VOTE, COMMENT, then DO SOMETHING NICE FOR YOURSELF
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The Original
Television:
THE CLASH of Cover Tunes
Army of Halfwits vs. The Nutley Brass vs. Matthew Sweet and Susanna Hoffs
Army of Halfwits:
The Nutley Brass:
Matthew Sweet and Susanna Hoffs:
SPACE
Oh the disharmony! Much like Harlan County there are no neutrals here. It is your solemn responsibility to decide which cover song prevails. In other words … Which Side Are You On!??!
Disclaimer: Votes cast from Florida may or may not be counted.
cover me impressed 
Army of Halfwits and Matthew Sweet / Susanna Hoffs both deliver excellent covers but they are too true to the original.
I have to go with The Nutley Brass as it was a delightful and creative brass horn recreation!
Army of Halfwits performed well, but way too close to the original.
The Nutley Brass get credit for an instrumental version, but didn’t bowl me over.
Matthew Sweet also stayed close to the original, but was the most enjoyable. If we listen closely, there are a couple points in the song where one can faintly detect what appears to be a female singing in the background. I’m gonna guess that’s Susanna Hoffs. Nevertheless, this is credited to Matthew Sweet & Susanna Hoffs. She must have a great agent.
If push came to shove, and I had to list my top 10 favorite albums of all time, this album would be firmly on the list.
I’m impressed at how much Army of Halfwits sounds so much like the original.
The Nutley Brass’s version is cute and different, but this is a long song, and their little version wasn’t reverent enough.
Matthew Sweet’s version was very faithful to the original, dragging it out to the epic length it’s known for. I gave it to him (and Susanna, wherever she was.)
Recorded in September of 1976 but not released until early 1977 the album carrying this title track was and is immensely influential. Rolling Stone had it at 128 of the 500 best ever albums in 2003 but it moved up to 107 in the 2020 edition. Army of Halfwits, charming name aside, did very little as their carbon copy was only half length. Probably for the better. Nutley Brass did a fine jazzy interpretation using completely different instruments. Only three minutes long but a contender for creativity. I voted for Sweet and Hoffs because I was so impressed with their full ten minute cover including all the best aspects of this wholly original and poetic song. Critic Ty Burr believes the five minute or so guitar solo by Verlaine after the third chorus was the crux of Television’s vision. He claimed Verlaine never repeated himself in that solo. He compiled a tape of his live solos over 45 years of shows to make a six and a half hour collection saying both that the world needs it and that it was a profoundly even exhilaratingly stupid idea.