Todd Rundgren - Solo, with Utopia, and selected productions.*

I have that one, too: "Goin' Down the Tubes". One disk is pretty good general compilation, disk 2 is "Remote Control." If I didn't have this one already, I'd be in the market for the new reissue, but the one I have will do.

http://www.amazon.com/Goin-Down-Tubes-Reis/dp/B0018RR9XA/

 

If anyone wants a GREAT 2010 live album:

 

Anyone catch the dvd and care to comment on the production qualities?

 

Prairie Prince is still in The Tubes.

 

Just finished the cd, hopefully get to the movie tonight. Got a Todd jones going on.

 

Has Todd released any official live shows from the 70' to 72' period of his career? Love those live songs on the Somewhere/Anywhere comp.

 

He hasn't released a full show from this period. There are a few tracks on the 'For Lack of Honest Work' box-set iirc and there are a couple of shows circulating unofficially but not officially. It's a shame the 'official bootleg' series didn't last longer.

 

How's the concert film version? Any additional tracks on it? How's the editing?

 

Nothing as far as additional tracks. It's fine for what it is I guess. Very well played as you know already, video isn't hi def but decent enough. Found the dvd/cd for 11 bucks on ebay. Easily worth it if you love the album. Very 70's vibe throughout which makes sense.

 

Bumping/adding the last current album because it's long overdue:


State


State is the twenty-fourth studio album by American rock musician Todd Rundgren. It was released in April 2013. The album was written, performed and produced by Rundgren alone with the exception of vocals by Rachel Haden on "Something From Nothing". Limited editions included a bonus second disc of a live performance at Paradiso, Amsterdam on 11th November 2012 by Rundgren and The Metropole Orchestra.

Track listing
All tracks are written by Todd Rundgren:

1. "Imagination" – 8:10
2. "Serious" – 4:13
3. "In My Mouth" – 4:16
4. "Ping Me" – 4:40
5. "Angry Bird" – 4:18
6. "Smoke" – 5:48
7. "Collide-A-Scope" – 5:19
8. "Something from Nothing" – 4:23
9. "Party Liquor" – 4:17
10. "Sir Reality" – 6:22

Bonus disc - live at Paradiso, Amsterdam on 11th November 2012

1. "Another Life" – 7:03
2. "Hello, It's Me" – 4:48
3. "Pretending To Care" – 4:51
4. "Flamingo" – 3:09
5. "Frogs" – 3:52
6. "If I Have To Be Alone" – 3:56
7. "Love In Disguise" – 4:08
8. "Love Science" – 5:35
9. "Mammon" – 4:47
10. "Fascist Christ" – 7:49
11. "We Gotta Get You A Woman" – 3:44
12. "Bag Lady" – 4:12
13. "Can We Still Be Friends?" – 4:20
14. "Fade Away" – 3:52

Review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Todd Rundgren long ago seized his status as a maverick, and his unpredictability can be as maddening as it is invigorating. State, by some counts his 20th proper solo album (the count gets a little confusing thanks to odd detours like the two he took in 2011; covering a blues legend on Todd Rundgren's Johnson and re-recording songs he produced for other artists), is maddening and invigorating in nearly equal measure, but ever so slightly favors the latter. Rundgren remains a devotee of D.I.Y. and there can be some audible hints that State may have been recorded at home and slightly on the cheap; it's never quite as chintzy as (Re)Production but there's certainly a thinness to the production, particularly the drum loops, that suggests Todd assembled this all directly onto iMac. Of course, this is part of the charm of State, as is how Rundgren seamlessly splices elements of his past together here, relying heavily on the expansive arena art rock of Utopia -- not surprising, given the group's recent reunion -- and the glossy AOR punch of Nearly Human, threading just a bit of the pop classicism of Liars into the mix but also some of the up-to-the-minute modernism of Tr-i, via the vaguely silly song titles "Angry Bird" and "Ping Me."

Unlike the balls-out guitar rock of 2008's Arena, it doesn't feel like Rundgren is pushing too hard here, partially because he allows himself to slip into some of his favorite mild indulgences, letting the opening "Imagination" stretch out and shimmer for eight minutes and later throwing out a frenetic, impish novelty in "Party Liquor." Such quirks are endearing while others, like the stiff computerized funk of "Serious," are slightly baffling, but State never feels forced, either in its execution or concept. Rundgren is pushing the edges of his comfort zone just enough to keep himself stimulated while offering enough melody to satisfy those fans whose concentration usually drifts whenever he wanders, and the result is an imperfect but satisfying art-pop album.




Thoughts? Opinions?

 

I have a ticket to see him next week and I totally don't know what to expect. As a fan of his early pop material, how does the integration of that vs. his more proggy/Utopia stuff work in a live setting. I'm sure I'll have at least an.....interesting....time regardless!

 

Watched the DVD portion of the recent import CD/DVD for TODD RUNDGREN'S JOHNSON LIVE and even though the picture quality ain't the best I quite enjoyed it. Which is more than I can say about the original TRJ studio release(s) from a few years back.

 

Unless there is a specific theme to a show he usually does a really good job of mixing all the different genres in and keeping everyone interested - I'm guessing you'll enjoy the show a lot even if your not a fanatical follower, he's generally pretty fun on stage.

 

It was one of his "Unpredictable" shows. I'm glad I got the chance to see him but it was a little too off-the-wall for me. Also, the fact that people really wanted to hear "Hello, It's Me" and he wouldn't play it left me with a bad taste in my mouth. Tickets weren't cheap, he couldn't have obliged his fans? Also, didn't care for his arrangement of "I Saw The Light". He covered Daft Punk's "Get Lucky" which was pretty cool, but the other covers (Lorne Greene, "Running Bear", "Patches", "Fire") left me kind of cold. I'd liked to have heard some of his own material. Enjoyed some of the new-to-me Utopia material, and his reading of "It Wouldn't Have Made Any Difference" was sublime.

 

I'm going to have to state (pun not intended) the obvious and just say that when you see Todd in concert, you are there to SEE TODD and not see Todd play the hits. I've seen Todd 13 times over the last 23 years and not one concert was a "I'll pander to my paying audience and play what they want to hear" with the sole exceptions of the album shows (Wizard/Todd/Healing) because those shows were blatantly theme based.

I love Todd mainly for this. He always wants to follow his muse at great expense to his career and finances and if you can accept him at any level of uncertainty he goes off into at the cost of being commercial or commercial friendly, you will love EVERYTHING he does, even if you don't like it personally.

 

great thread for one great artist

cheers

 

todd self-explained in 1 sentence.

 

Ιf Lennon/McCartney are 'geniuses' . then what is Todd ?

such a shame that so few people took notice of this man.

Such a ****in' shame.

 

Bump, for any new comments on Todd's catalog, or new fans!

 

Old fan, eagerly awaiting the imminent releases of "Global" and the Norwegian collaboration "Runddans."

Very happy with the "Unpredictable" show last fall in L.A. My kid went nuts when he did the Russian Internet song. I went nuts for the Utopia songs rarely played in concert (with Kasim there as well).

To repeat a reply above in the thread, a Todd show is not about pleasing anyone who shows up for "Hello It's Me." He went forever without playing it at all, which suited me fine. I don't need to hear a one of his radio-friendly songs. It's always omakase.

 

I will hold judgement on "Global" until I hear it. The short clips I've heard seem to have some potential, but it's hard to tell.

The "Runddans" project is intriguing. The concept sounds unlike anything Todd's been involved with before. I am looking forward to it.

I've chosen to skip the upcoming Todd show in my area. The "accompanied by a DJ" concept just doesn't sound very appealing to me. I hope I won't regret it.

I also enjoyed the "Unpredictable" show a few months ago. The "Lolololo" song was pretty funny, but you had to have been familiar with the Internet meme to get it, and I know that some in the audience were Mystified. And I could probably done without the Lorne Green cover.