Absolutely wonderful record IMO; TR re-energised and laying down the gauntlet. It bears comparison with his finest records, and even exceeds things like "Hermit" and "Todd" for me [though "Todd" needs more listens, admittedly]. "Past", "God Said" and particularly "Afterlife" are sublimely produced constructs... awe-inspiring, deeply felt music; Todd taking the celestial soul of "Wizard"'s second side even further... I love the extended, spiralling-ever-further dimensions of these songs, and the overall sense of a shattering journey -- looking for meaning in life. All building to the incandescent rage at Bush and the powers that be on the final "Liar". Like Nine Inch Nails in a strange way, and so powerful in the context of the album.
― Tom May (Tom May), Tuesday, 6 April 2004 23:57 (twenty years ago) link
― Michael Daddino (epicharmus), Wednesday, 7 April 2004 00:15 (twenty years ago) link
― stockholm cindy (Jody Beth Rosen), Wednesday, 7 April 2004 00:21 (twenty years ago) link
― Ned Raggett (Ned), Wednesday, 7 April 2004 00:41 (twenty years ago) link
― fizzcaraldo (Justin M), Wednesday, 7 April 2004 01:11 (twenty years ago) link
― jim wentworth (wench), Wednesday, 7 April 2004 03:57 (twenty years ago) link
My brother is a big Rundgren fan, and rates this as close to his best work, and impossibly better than the last release, "One True Voice" (??), which he feels seemed a dry run and a bit of a mess, TR just playing around with the technology etc.
"Soul Brother", is, okay, probably the weakest track on the album; though it is still reasonably tolerable and doesn't massively detract from the mood. It cannot detract in the final analysis from the brilliance, and heartfelt clarity of the overall album. Like Rickie Lee Jones and John Cale, it seems he has been galvanised into producing such impassioned work by the current disasters of the world. This could hardly have been made in 1996-99...
― Tom May (Tom May), Friday, 9 April 2004 14:30 (twenty years ago) link
Re-listening these last few days, I'm still struck by it. Like every great Todd record, its flaws (not fatal, but "Soul Brother", "Mammon" and the title track are among them) actually enhance the sense that creativity overflows from the man. And "Afterlife", "God Says", "Truth" and "Past" are still among his best ever.
― Naive Teen Idol (Naive Teen Idol), Saturday, 5 November 2005 17:55 (eighteen years ago) link
Many years later, what that guy said.
― Naive Teen Idol, Wednesday, 19 January 2011 05:37 (thirteen years ago) link
idk why I slept on this record but it's really quite nice isn't it? sort of a Healing Part 2, not to mention almost certainly the best record he's done since then. are the ones after this any good??
― frogbs, Monday, 17 September 2018 13:20 (five years ago) link
ok, I'll answer my own question: no. though State may be close.
all the clearly fake instrumentation fits in with the concept of the album, I think. that probably wasn't intentional, but since all the tracks are about deception to some degree the fact that it kinda sounds like Far Side Virtual is actually pretty cool. probably could've been mastered better though. digital drums have this sibilance to them that the drum machines he's used in the past don't.
imo the album is solid - maybe has too many weird tracks next to each other in the first half but once you get to stuff like Past and Afterlife it really sounds like he's as good as ever. God Said reminds me of the best moments on Healing. the issue is that it's just too long. I actually don't know what songs I'd cut, but a lot of them could have lost a minute or so.
probably no real demand for it but it could really use a re-press. I think it's a Top 5 Todd album
― frogbs, Tuesday, 21 June 2022 04:08 (one year ago) link
Coming up on 20 years. As S/A-era Todd would say, "Yikes!"
― henry s, Tuesday, 21 June 2022 12:21 (one year ago) link