We discuss the spectral signatures of strong electronic correlations and electron-phonon interactions in two representative low-dimensional systems. In the 2D compound 1T-TaSe2 a charge-density-wave (CDW) induces a narrowing of the conduction band, which triggers a surface metal-insulator (M-I) transition and the disappearance of the quasiparticle (QP) features. In the 1D blue bronze K0.3MoO3 strong interaction with the lattice lead to pseudogapped polaronic lineshapes, and the large mass renormalization masks the signatures of electronic correlations. (C) 2004 Elsevier B.V All rights reserved.