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

Bump!

So far, we have covered Nazz, Nazz Nazz, Runt, and Runt: The Ballad of Todd Rundgren.

I want to keep things moving. I'll move on to the next album once I see that the discussion on the above listed albums we have covered so far wanes.

 

A lot of the material on Runt could have been from a fourth Nazz album...I can almost hear Nazz cranking through rockers like "Who's That Man?" or "Devil's Bite." Or even "We Gotta Get You A Women," displaying the band's poppier side (as they did on the previous albums.)

But once we get to Ballad, it's all Todd. IMO this is the album where he steps up and becomes a true solo artist. His special talent for writing gorgeous ballads shines (not surprisingly, considering the album title) throughout. Unfortunately, there were no big singles on this one and it sank into obscurity at the time of release.

Here's a great track from Nazz III that really highlights Todd's evolving maturity as a songwriter:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VWuPEHLzCaU

 

It's a clavinet actually.

 

True dat or it sounds like a distorted Wurlitzer! I was going on memory, I was close enough.....

Speaking of the tune, this is pretty interesting. someone distills on the song on a keyboard with a piano preset. Pretty decent,uh?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ZK4rE-YjAI

 

I hadn't heard Runt in quite a while. It surprises me how much this sounds like late 70s Laura Nyro (Smile, Season Of Lights and Nested). There's of course also his tribute to Laura "Baby Let's Swing" with a piano part reminiscent of the one from Laura's "Wedding Bell Blues". Of the other songs it's "Believe In Me" and the lengthy "Birthday Carol" that stand out.

 

Mate, did you read my critiques of both Runt and Ballad of? I made bloody well sure that the tie to Nyro was up front and center! Though many used to compare Todd The Godd to Carole King,especially after S/A. And to be honest King was influenced by Laura WHO was in turn influenced by King herself!

And remember that Todd showed up on Nyro's Mother Spiritual as well.....

 

He plays synth on a few songs. It's the only Nyro album on which Todd can be heard. According to wikipedia Todd didn't like Nyro's new direction on that new album at all.

 

My Ballad of Todd Rundgren highlights...

The Ballad (Denny & Jean) - I love this song. It's always really moved me and I'm not exactly sure why, I know it's a beautiful song and quite a sad one too but it's always pushed a button in me. Like most of the songs on 'The Ballad' it's a really well crafted song.

The Wailing Wall - Another one which really moves me, it's so lovely and such a well thought-out and perfectly crafted little song. A very simple and effective production with the backing vocals used really sparingly.

The Range War - Such a sweet little song. Just perfectly structured and complete, like a lot of songs on 'The Ballad' it's in no way a revolutionary track, just a really perfect little song.

Be Nice to Me - Another vulnerable Todd song, honest and sweet. Very simple and traditional. Nice gentle swing to it and a really pretty arrangement.

Overall: I really like 'The Ballad of Todd Rundgren', much more than Runt. It's obvious from listening in context of the other albums before and after that Todd had completely nailed the pop song format. The lyrics are all very specific, a lot of songs told from others' perspectives and a few personal tracks. It's easy to see the progression from Runt, to this, to S/A.

There's nothing particularly adventurous, it's more like a perfection of Todd's style and pop song-writing abilities. It's clear Todd really knows what he's doing, composition wise, with this album and the production is pretty much on par with Something/Anthing. I suppose it's quite an overlooked album in that respect, considering the success of S/A.

I don't think it'd be in my TR top 5 but it's always a pleasure to listen to it.

 

Ballad Of Todd Rundgren is a great album, a significant improvement over the first album. Although fans of Todd's more rocking or more experimental material might be disappointed, it's a great collection of piano ballads, some of which remain among Todd's finest. It's also a much more cohorent listen than the debut and it's obvious that Todd had really found his own voice as a solo artist.

 

Sounds pretty good. I would LOVE to hear him do The Rubinoos 'Faded Dream', Hunter's 'Midnight Sun', Pursuit of Happiness' 'She's So Young', Shawn Cassidy's 'Pretending', Jill Sobule's 'Living Colour', & Cheap Trick's 'Heaven's Falling'. I guess he's concentrating on the band's original material more though instead of songs he wrote for others so that would eliminate a couple of those tracks.

Still, looking forward to it, as long as the mastering is a bit cleverer than Arena's was.

 

Having been into Todd for close to 30 years, I may have to eventually pick up a Laura Nyro album. Can't even recall one of her songs. What would be recommended for a Todd fan?

 

I disagree here. IMO it's a perfect "Hey Jude" type ending.

BTW this song has a great bridge.

 

start with the 'first songs' lp, it has pop songs presented very strightoforward-ly in standard arrangements. Many of the songs on it have become hits for other artists, like And When I Die and Wedding Bell Blues. There is a song on that lp called Lazy Susan. If you find you like it, then proceed to Eli and the 13th Confession, Laura's second lp. If you don't like it, then proceed at your own risk. A lot of Laura's later works kind of use that song as a beginning blueprint for her--changing tempos, wildly different arrangements, and going from a whisper to a shout in the same lyric line.

 

"Now I'm in the middle..." Awesome bridge, indeed! My favorite part of the song. I also like the build-up at the end, very nicely done with great guitar solo, etc.

 

Good tune BUT it was a bit much in the end for me,it meandered . I also didn't think that Hey Jude was perfect either! But I'd rather listen to Chain Letter any day of the week than their stuff anyway.I'll let other people extol the virtue of the Liverpool Four..... It's still my favorite Todd album even though it's sort of a transitional one.

 

Her later albums were less pop oriented than her earlier efforts. New York Tendaberry is arguably her most avant garde album. She was still experimental with Christmas and The Beads of Sweat(which wasn't a Christmas album BTW). There are elements of Upstairs by a Chinese Lamp, Blackpatch among other tunes that are evident on Christmas. Though that could just be a matter of coincidence because of her influence. But the first few tracks on side One of Christmas are so exquisite. Brown Earth's vocal is truly passionate and spine-tingling in one fell swoop.

Brown Earth:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wzYzCq4-R2A

When I Was a Freeport and You Were the Main Drag:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uQoYLAFZsDw

Blackpatch:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uj4DfIljnc0

 

"Ballad" is a one of the most unique Todd long players and one of my Top 3 solo albums. Many people compare "Hermit of Mink Hollow" to "Something/Anything?" but I think it most closely resembles "Ballad". Songs that I love that most people don't mention "Long Time...", "Wailing Wall", "Boat on the Charles"(very dark for Todd) and "Hope I'm Around".

 

I love the "Wailing Wall." Very moving song. I'm amazed how it's not cloying, it does its business and knew when to end. I think that's Todd's gift, well, most of the time, to just hit those marks, especially in the ballads. Anyway gorgeous song, I even like Nick DeCaro's version.

 

I wonder if anyone has compared vinyl pressings of "Ballad"? Originals on Ampex vs. US, Japan, or Dutch imports from the late 70s/80s when this album started to gain a following. And of course the CD on Rhino.

I have the CD, and a Dutch pressing from about 1984/85. It is silky and smooth, nice, and on Bearsville, but no gatefold cover. I also have a gatefold cover issue, label looks like the boots from the cutout bins, cover is sharp and authentic looking.

 

Quick thanks for that one. I had some comments about Something/Anything regarding LP issues BUT this was a good one to take a look at as well. I'd love to hear that Dutch pressing as I've only heard the US variants of the album on LP, CD AND cassette!

 

Thanks for the tips

 

Jumping forward (and backwards) a bit, but this is an interesting read:

http://beatpatrol.wordpress.com/2008/09/01/barney-hoskyns-todd-rundgren-go-ahead-ignore-me-1998/

 

Recalled Badfinger’s Joey Molland of the experience: “Todd was unbelievably rude. He would insult us. He’d say we couldn’t play, we couldn’t write and couldn’t sing and couldn’t do anything. I don’t know where he got off.” The list of Rundgren clients who would concur with such grievances is long and impressive. “Nobody ever used him twice,” says Mike Friedman. “He was just so self-involved. And there was never a thankyou – Albert would never have given him those projects if it hadn’t been for me.”

It was sad that Todd was such a d%^k to them. That's not the first time I've read about that. I wonder if he had any regrets about being so haughty and abusive towards the Badfinger boys. BTW, Badfinger did work with Todd again on A SS( I have to post it like this,I can't post the word as it is truly spelled). And Todd guested on another Meatloaf album after Bat Out Of Hell. He also worked with Grand Funk Railroad again as well. Not to mention The New York Dolls or two/fifths of the original band! So Friedman was wrong about that one.......

Edit: Funny that Todd was fired from A SS though! I'm surprised they asked him back...

 

Todd has said the problem on A SS stemmed from his attempts to get a fairer financial deal - he says he got underpaid for Straight Up since George Harrison received the primary producer credit on that album.

 

I have in the past but my mindset and ear is quite different now. My old recollection was that I loved the sonics of the original Ampex/Bearsville promo. I too had the dutch version and got rid of it. My recollectrion is that it was very smooth but I felt that the highs were rolled off a bit. I chalked that up to having a lower generation tape perhaps. Nice quiet copy. I beleive that I still have a Sony Japanese, Ampex stock copy and the Rhino reissue on vinyl. If I get time I will shoot them out again in the next couple of weeks.