Re: Todd Rundgren
As many of you may have guessed, I'm a HUGE Todd Rundgren fan ( ncluding The Nazz and Utopia). My love of his music began after about three songs into Utopia's show in 1981. Until then I had only heard a few of his best known songs. I liked those songs but he hadn't really been on my radar at all. I went to the concert and left a Rundgren fan. His singing, the songs, the style...it all just hit me where I live. His music has been all over the map in his 40+ years of making music. He very early on mastered the power pop and ballads he's probably best known for. His "Something/Anything?" album (1972) is a pop masterpiece. It's a double album and three of the four sides are completely a one man show - he wrote all the songs, played all the instruments, and produced. Of course just as he hit the pinnacle of his craft, he got tired of it and moved on to something else - a pattern that follows to this day. It probably cost him much wealth and fame but he didn't want to be pigeon-holed as a pop star. He moved into more psychedelic, progressive, fusion, and experimental music for the next several years. It wasn't until the late 70's that he moved back towards more pop and soul influenced music.
He has always been busy as a producer ( well, since the tail end of the 60's onward). He's produced some of the best albums from a host of artists of all stripes...The Band, Badfinger, Grand Funk, The New York Dolls debut, Rick Derringer, Steve Hillage, The Tubes, Tom Robinson, Sparks, Patti Smith, Meatloaf's Bat Out Of Hell album, Cheap Trick, XTC's Skylarking, Jill Sobule, The Pursuit Of Happiness...and the list goes on.
I have just about all his albums ( there's several live bootlegs that got released several years ago that I don't have). It's hard to pick the best of the bunch - there's some masterpieces and none that really suck. Some of my very favorites are Something/Anything?, A Wizard A True Star, Faithful, Hermit of Mink Hollow, Nearly Human, and his latest release (2008) - Arena. These are all damn near perfect in my eyes. From 1974 through 1985 he was concurrently releasing Utopia albums as well. The early Utopia albums were prog/fusion with great vocals and loaded with great hooks and great playing. The mid-to-late Utopia albums moved more towards pop/rock but always maintained an edge. My favorite Utopia albums are...well, ALL of them.
I've seen him live about 15 times ( three of those with Utopia). I've seen him with several different configurations...solo, one man shows...with a rock band...with a big band complete with backup singers, horns, etc....with an 11-voice choir and no band...in the multimedia "Todd Pod"...always a good show.
He's still going strong at 61. Currently touring playing the entire A Wizard A True Star album live with a band that includes former Utopia members, Jesse Gress ( Tony Levin Band guitarist and long time Todd sidekick), Prairie Prince -drummer from The Tubes, Greg Hawkes fron The Cars. I haven't seen the Wizard live show but if they come anywhere near Dallas, I'm there. I got to meet him a couple of times in the last few years, including after a House of Blues show that I took my daughter to.
Highly recommended. No matter what you like, Todd's got something for ya.
As many of you may have guessed, I'm a HUGE Todd Rundgren fan ( ncluding The Nazz and Utopia). My love of his music began after about three songs into Utopia's show in 1981. Until then I had only heard a few of his best known songs. I liked those songs but he hadn't really been on my radar at all. I went to the concert and left a Rundgren fan. His singing, the songs, the style...it all just hit me where I live. His music has been all over the map in his 40+ years of making music. He very early on mastered the power pop and ballads he's probably best known for. His "Something/Anything?" album (1972) is a pop masterpiece. It's a double album and three of the four sides are completely a one man show - he wrote all the songs, played all the instruments, and produced. Of course just as he hit the pinnacle of his craft, he got tired of it and moved on to something else - a pattern that follows to this day. It probably cost him much wealth and fame but he didn't want to be pigeon-holed as a pop star. He moved into more psychedelic, progressive, fusion, and experimental music for the next several years. It wasn't until the late 70's that he moved back towards more pop and soul influenced music.
He has always been busy as a producer ( well, since the tail end of the 60's onward). He's produced some of the best albums from a host of artists of all stripes...The Band, Badfinger, Grand Funk, The New York Dolls debut, Rick Derringer, Steve Hillage, The Tubes, Tom Robinson, Sparks, Patti Smith, Meatloaf's Bat Out Of Hell album, Cheap Trick, XTC's Skylarking, Jill Sobule, The Pursuit Of Happiness...and the list goes on.
I have just about all his albums ( there's several live bootlegs that got released several years ago that I don't have). It's hard to pick the best of the bunch - there's some masterpieces and none that really suck. Some of my very favorites are Something/Anything?, A Wizard A True Star, Faithful, Hermit of Mink Hollow, Nearly Human, and his latest release (2008) - Arena. These are all damn near perfect in my eyes. From 1974 through 1985 he was concurrently releasing Utopia albums as well. The early Utopia albums were prog/fusion with great vocals and loaded with great hooks and great playing. The mid-to-late Utopia albums moved more towards pop/rock but always maintained an edge. My favorite Utopia albums are...well, ALL of them.
I've seen him live about 15 times ( three of those with Utopia). I've seen him with several different configurations...solo, one man shows...with a rock band...with a big band complete with backup singers, horns, etc....with an 11-voice choir and no band...in the multimedia "Todd Pod"...always a good show.
He's still going strong at 61. Currently touring playing the entire A Wizard A True Star album live with a band that includes former Utopia members, Jesse Gress ( Tony Levin Band guitarist and long time Todd sidekick), Prairie Prince -drummer from The Tubes, Greg Hawkes fron The Cars. I haven't seen the Wizard live show but if they come anywhere near Dallas, I'm there. I got to meet him a couple of times in the last few years, including after a House of Blues show that I took my daughter to.
Highly recommended. No matter what you like, Todd's got something for ya.