Patti Smith famously described Tom Verlaine's guitar sound as "a thousand bluebirds screaming." Television's leader soaked up the flavor of favorite records by John Coltrane, the Stones and the Dead – then synthesized them into something entirely new on the band's 1977 debut, Marquee Moon, spinning out endless fluid solos in concert with fellow guitar aesthete Richard Lloyd. Verlaine has kept a low profile in recent decades, but he remains a model for generations of guitarists with a taste for both punk violence and melodic flight.

Key Tracks: "Marquee Moon," "Little Johnny Jewel," "Breakin' in My Heart"

Related
• Television's Refined Tuning
• Tom Verlaine Returns with 'Songs'