(TV) Peter Murphy[!] & Verlaine / Attn Keith: new review for site

["Casey, Leo J" <CaseyL@VOLPE.DOT.GOV>]

eRacerX,

Thanks for the Tampa, FL Verlaine 1988 acoustic date 
info, and thanks for the Ritz memory [I was at that 
Dec. 22, 1984 Ritz concert].

Regarding Peter Murphy: below is a piece from the 
Boston Globe September 10, 1988.  It's a review of a 
Tom Verlaine, Peter, Murphy, and Church concert at 
Boston's Orpheum Theater the night before (and which I 
attended). Murphy was even worse than the critic describes 
(but then so was Verlaine--albeit his set was sabotaged 
and forced to end prematurely by idiotic Church roadies).   
	Leo

"A Gathering of Pop's Dark and Moody Division"
THE CHURCH, PETER MURPHY, TOM VERLAINE- At the Orpheum Theater
Sept. 9, 1988 by Brett Milano

Ever been caught in a room with a bunch of intensely serious 
people?  Chances are your you'd find a bunch of  heavyweight 
conversations, and meet at least one guy you didn't get along 
with.  If you were lucky, you might wind up striking up a 
friendship.

That was roughly the mood at last night's Orpheum triple-bill, a 
gathering of pop's Dark and Moody division.  Tom Verlaine was the 
unapproachable one, who had a lot to say but proved too withdrawn 
to say it.  Representing the obnoxious crowd was Englishman Peter 
Murphy, former leader of Bauhaus.  Finally there was the Church, an 
Australian quartet who made it all worthwhile.

Peter Murphy's hour-long set was without exaggeration, one of the 
silliest things we've seen on a rock n' roll stage---unless one buys 
Murphy's sex appeal, which many of the fans seemed to be doing.  Here 
we had narcissism bordering on self-worship: one would never guess 
there were so many cool ways to stare into a spotlight, or so many 
tortured-artist expressions one could assume.  The set built slowly 
to that grand, climactic moment when Murphy.... TOOK OFF HIS SHIRT!

All right so how about the music?  A lot of lurches and drones, one 
reasonably catchy tune (his hit "Indigo Eyes"), and a vocal style 
crabbed from David Bowie's "Low" period.  He does have a great taste 
in covers, though:  after his versions of Magazine's "The Light Pours 
Out of Me", Pere Ubu's "Final Solution", and Iggy Pop's "Funtime", 
one started to think that Murphy's group might make a good new-wave 
cover band.  Then his version of Prince's "Purple Rain" made one 
think that no, maybe they wouldn't.

Best part of Tom Verlaine's set: during "Let Go the Mansion" he was 
surprised by a pack of Church roadies, who struck up a chorus from 
stage left  while he looked on with a puzzled expression.  Verlaine 
is something of a saint on the underground circuit, after masterminding 
one of the New York new wave's finest albums (Television's "Marquee 
Moon") and a number of intriguing solo LPs.  He hasn't played Boston  
since 1982, but last night he didn't really play here either.  The set 
was a five-song, 20-minute quickie, and the songs didn't always translate 
to the solo-acoustic format--too many mumbled vocals and scaled-down 
guitar parts.  A decent preview at best; now let's have Boston get 
a proper Verlaine set             


Commercial success agrees with the Church:  their hit album "Starfish" 
keeps the best aspects of their previous six releases-- the shifting 
moods, sense of foreboding and hints of elation---but meets the audience 
halfway, with some grabbing pop hooks.  In the past they've tended to 
drone on stage, saving the high volume release for last.  But last night's 
opener, "Constant in Opal" (nice pun) thundered from the start, and most 
songs had the best of both:  deep thought and cheap thrills, trancey 
melodies and guitar flights. 

They've also developed personalities within the band, so the two 
guitarists (Peter Koppes and Marty Wilson-Piper) integrated their 
parts better---with Wilson-Piper usually building atmosphere and 
Koppes blasting away.  Wilson-Piper's vocal on the fractured rockabilly 
Spark" also contrasted nicely with singer/bassist Steve Kilbey's 
moodier style.  Individual tunes stood out-- the folkish 
"Under the Milky Way" and the tense rocker "Unsubstantiated"--but 
the songs also flowed together in a thoughtful, satisfying way.

 -----Original Message-----
From: eRacerX 
Sent: Tuesday, January 14, 2003 10:31 PM
To: tv@obbard.com
Subject: RE: (TV) 2 more boring Qs

 I saw Verlaine (and Peter Murphy) open for the Church at Curtis Hixon Hall
in Tampa, FL on Aug 31, 1988.
I remember being frustrated that I could barely hear him, because I was
hoping to hear acoustic versions of the great songs I love.. but now, I
cannot remember a single song he played. The Curtis Hixon has/had great
acoustics, but the sound for Tom was just not good. The Church were stellar.
I remember Tom coming out for the encore, and doing some soloing, but I
vaguely remember being disappointed overall with Tom that night.

  There was some discussion regarding Tom at the Ritz in NYC
    - I have a ticket from Dec 22, 1984 GA $11. - those were the days!

 - Herman
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