I don't see much discussion about Todd's work here on the forum (and Todd himself is probably to blame) so I decided to start this thread for whatever subject matter: news, opinions on songs, albums, tours, etc. Where are you, Toddheads?
Having been a progressive rock fan for a little while, a Beatles fan for a very long time, and overall being very enamored with the sixties, seventies scene I was always suspicious about Todd Rundgren. I was very shallow in my approach to him early on, thinking that it looked too studied and flashy and American and too much focus on gear and skill rather than actual songcraft. But I was wrong! I started getting into him via his later solo works. There is a song on his 2004 album Liars called Future that just struck me upon first listen. I then started to get more of the classics. A Wizard, A True Star was an early wake-up call to his genius, though my first purchase had been a two-fer containing Initiation and Faithful. Initiation I dug because of the harder rocking tracks, did not take to the progressive side of it at all - then. Finally I got into Utopia a few years back. Deface the Music is an album I listen to often and love dearly. Their 1977-82 material is likewise marvelous, a perfect marriage of progressive rock and pop tendencies with a light dash of new wave thrown in. As a solo artist, I am also quite struck by his later material - State, Global, Runddans and White Knight. He has a sound and an overall atmosphere that still exudes creativity half a century after his first stabs at music. The Nazz, I got their debut album recently and just loved it. I knew Open My Eyes via The Move and Nuggets. Also became a big fan of Acapella when I received it little more than a year ago... Impressive vocal work. Todd Rundgren is an extremely versatile player, and has an ear for both melody and the absurd. His vast discography across different projects and solo material is impressive and has stood the test of time quite well. I own all his solo studio albums, all of Utopia studio albums (bar Oblivion) and there is stuff to go for on all albums from all eras. I am not done discovering Rundgren. One of the prime artists in terms of creativity as well as pop and experimentation.
Don't take that too seriously. I said that because he did a lot of non-commercial albums and also because his several changes in musical style alienated his audience in the early 70s. He could have been the next Elton John/Paul McCartney and capitalize on it for the rest of his life but he chose not to.
I would have liked an album-by-album thread but beggars can't be choosers. RR Hall of Famer baby! Well not yet.
He's discussed a fair amount here during threads and the recent SACD releases were topics of conversation. He's done it all - solo artist, bandleader, collaborator, producer, etc. Personality-wise, he kind of runs people the wrong way.
I have all his albums and have seen him on every tour that has come through my town for 37 years. A musical genius and renaissance man. Among the top echelons as guitarist, lead and backing singer, composer, lyrisist and producer - doing every one of these things on major hits - and able to hold his own on bass, drums, keys and sax. I posit there is nobody else in music that is at his level on every one of these things.
I got the Rundgren solo box set some time last year and have only had time to go through it once. It's excellent.... there was one album that didn't do much for me, but the rest were great. I used to have Hermit Of Mink Hollow on vinyl years ago and that was my starting point for him. It just took a long time to follow up
Try as I might, I can't fall in love with anything Todd has done in over 20 years (except the great tune he co wrote with Moe Berg). But I can't put him down, he went his way, I went mine. I have heard some live work of his and it appears that his voice comes and goes, depending on the night. He's not young any more. I will say one thing I liked is that a year or two ago he said something like that he woke up and realized he's ost a lot of people along the way and he need sto get off his butt and work more (studio and live). No slowing the kid down!
That explains a lot of things on his latest album: White Knight. It's his first album in years that doesn't sound like a retired musician having fun with a laptop. I do like a few tracks from Global and State but they are indeed very below his standards.
Sounds great but a little harder to execute cause for me personally, I held back putting one together cause I don't know the post-Bearsville recordings as well-just some here and there. Another reason is some might want the complete picture with Nazz and Utopia. So it ends up being a bigger project than it appears at first. Then adding in all the live archive stuff and you got a big fat thread on your hands. I'd probably end up listening to a lot and I could provide reviews but we would need a couple of the Todd experts here too. I'm blanking on the name of that one guy who I've been begging an album thread from-you guys probably know him. Anyway, if you're willing to, you should go for it - plenty of Todd fans, I'd stick around and submit stuff especially if others chime in here to do an album-by-album for him.
He holds a special place in my musical appreciation, but only the first 10 solo albums. The Utopia stuff hasn't aged well for me...
I was reluctant to embrace Todd’s music. I thought he was a pretentious pop star wannabe. After I started dating my future wife and she was a big Todd fan I started to “get him.” Over the years I’ve become a hardcore fan myself. I own lots of his albums and I’ve seen him live many times. He’s a great songwriter and versatile player. Utopia is a great band in its own right. You’ll start to get into them after you warm up to Todd. Then you’ll start to collect all the other artist’s albums that he has produced. He produced great albums by XTC, Psychedelic Furs, Patti Smith, and Grand Funk. His productions are not audiophile quality but he brings a great Pop sensibility to everything he works on. All around he’s an interesting and creative artist and producer.
The Future...is NOW! Todd has written some great songs. He certainly marches to the beat of his own drummer (pun intended). He can be uneven in concert (Muskrat Love, anyone), kind of like watching a car crash, you want to look away, but can't. That being said, he is in my Top 5 of all time.
Todd is my third-favorite artist (after The Beatles and The Who). I love all his work. One of my prized possessions is a 12-track copy of his first solo album, Runt. Nevertheless, I usually just play the Edsel "alternate Runt" CD so I don't have to nervously handle the vinyl LP.
I stumbled across this interview snippit just a few minutes ago. There are a few people in music who think this deeply or well:
Uncut has a track called That’s What Love Will Make You Do from John Mayall's new album Nobody Told Me featuring Todd: Hear John Mayall's new track, featuring Todd Rundgren - Uncut To be honest, the song doesn't do much for me - Generic Blues #106. But Todd is happy about it: “When I was 18, one of the greatest influences in my musical life was John Mayall’s Bluebreakers,” says Rundgren. “Some 50 years later, it is one of the most memorable experiences I’ve ever had as a guitarist – to be a Bluesbreaker, if only for a moment.”
I've been a long time admirer of his. I'm gonna bookmark this so I can add some stuff in the near future.
How's the album that is your avatar picture, Todd? I picked up a white label promo version a while ago - haven't gotten to it yet. Basically, I think he's a genius. I don't have anything like a comprehensive collection of his stuff, but love most of what I do have.
Todd did an unusual tour back in 2010. He was asked to do an album of Robert Johnson songs, which was released as Todd Rundgren's Johnson. My brother and I saw it at the Cubby Bear North, and the set list was a mix of Robert Johnson songs and Todd's more Blues oriented songs, and ones that he rearranged into a Blues style: I Believe I'll Dust My Broom (Robert Johnson cover) Stop Breakin' Down Blues (Robert Johnson cover) Kiddie Boy (Nazz song) Soul Brother Walkin' Blues (Son House cover) Kind Hearted Woman Blues (Robert Johnson cover) Bleeding Black Maria Last Fair Deal Gone Down (Robert Johnson cover) Love in Vain (Robert Johnson cover) Open My Eyes (Nazz song) Mystified They're Red Hot (Robert Johnson cover) Sweet Home Chicago (Robert Johnson cover) Unloved Children I Went to the Mirror Come On in My Kitchen (Robert Johnson cover) Hellhound on My Trail (Robert Johnson cover) Number 1 Lowest Common Denominator Born to Synthesize Weakness Travelling Riverside Blues (Robert Johnson cover) Cross Road Blues (Robert Johnson cover) I Saw the Light Tiny Demons Boogies (Hamburger Hell)
I'd say that "Todd" is the closer an album gets to showcasing all of his different musical personas. There's nearly everything from weird electronic experiments to pop ballads, from complex progressive rock to straight ahead rock'n'roll. Some people consider it a mess. I even found an old thread on which a guy trimmed it down to a single disc, discarding all the more avant-garde tracks. I like it the way it is. With all the weird stuff and the normal stuff. There's not a weak track imo.
