Full list:
A Wizard, a True Star 619 Something/Anything? 548 Runt. The Ballad of Todd Rundgren 439 Todd 401 Hermit of Mink Hollow 381 Faithful 289 Runt 279 Healing 252 Initiation 158 A Cappella 132 The Ever Popular Tortured Artist Effect 122 Todd Rundgren's Utopia 104 Liars 97 Adventures in Utopia 93 Nearly Human 91 Nazz 87 Runddans 72 Nazz Nazz 64 Disco Jets 50 Swing to the Right 45 Oops! Wrong Planet 45 Live At Hammersmith Odeon ‘75 33 2nd Wind 28 With A Twist 25 POV 25 Utopia 24 Oblivion 24 Another Live 23 The Individualist 22
― Naive Teen Idol, Thursday, 25 March 2021 15:37 (three years ago) link
synergy — DJ Trouble is playing "Love Is the Answer" on WFMU right now.
― Motoroller Scampotron (WmC), Thursday, 25 March 2021 15:44 (three years ago) link
was I the only vote for The Individualist
― frogbs, Thursday, 25 March 2021 15:48 (three years ago) link
Todd should have saved the title 2nd Wind for his album of Billy Joel remakes.
― Halfway there but for you, Thursday, 25 March 2021 15:50 (three years ago) link
Lol
― The Ballad of Mel Cooley (James Redd and the Blecchs), Thursday, 25 March 2021 15:55 (three years ago) link
As the clock chimes 12, it is time to move on to tracks!
― Naive Teen Idol, Thursday, 25 March 2021 15:59 (three years ago) link
Part 1: Tracks21 ballots
#50 - 54 points - 5 votesTodd Rundgren - "Tiny Demons" - from Healing, 1981https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UXu2-l2RRcE
― Naive Teen Idol, Thursday, 25 March 2021 16:00 (three years ago) link
#49 - 55 points - 5 votesTodd Rundgren - "The Night the Carousel Burned Down" - from Something/Anything?, 1972
#48 - 59 points - 4 votesTodd Rundgren - "When the Shit Hits the Fan / Sunset Blvd." - from A Wizard, a True Star, 1973
I've always thought there was something radical about an established artist releasing an album (well, half an album) consisting of by-the-numbers cover versions. Like, no matter how experienced you are you can always gain something by attempting to see through somebody else's eyes. But yeah, maybe more fruitful to the artist than the listener.
As a musician and instructor, it seems like an incredible exercise. As a listener, I've never felt the need to revisit it. "Love of the Common Man" was my #1 track, though.
Voted for "When the Shit..." as well. Love that one.
And yeah, Wizard would def be my top album.
― Running Wild in the 21st Century (Sund4r), Thursday, 25 March 2021 16:04 (three years ago) link
Todd Rundgren - "When the Shit Hits the Fan / Sunset Blvd." - from A Wizard, a True Star, 1973
oh man this is way too low
― frogbs, Thursday, 25 March 2021 16:06 (three years ago) link
#47 - 59 points - 4 votesTodd Rundgren - "You Cried Wolf" - from Hermit of Mink Hollow, 1978
― Naive Teen Idol, Thursday, 25 March 2021 16:25 (three years ago) link
#46 - 63 points - 4 votesTodd Rundgren - "Time Heals" - from Healing, 1981
#45 - 63 points - 5 votes Todd Rundgren - "Hurting For You" - from Hermit of Mink Hollow, 1978
― Naive Teen Idol, Thursday, 25 March 2021 16:26 (three years ago) link
I adore "Hurting For You" -- I love the bgd vox on this ... the way they intermesh with the electric piano and dry drum sound is perfection.
― Naive Teen Idol, Thursday, 25 March 2021 16:28 (three years ago) link
#44 - 69 points - 5 votesTodd Rundgren - "Slut" - from Something/Anything?, 1972
― Naive Teen Idol, Thursday, 25 March 2021 16:33 (three years ago) link
(voters, please note the number of points this track got)
https://www.nj.com/resizer/eCiYsthFiNMY_GohuZuZ4DJHLZw=/450x0/smart/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/advancelocal/SZQUINZPTVG4TIXXAZINYXB6TY.jpeg
― Hmmmmm (jamiesummerz), Thursday, 25 March 2021 16:35 (three years ago) link
nice
― J. Sam, Thursday, 25 March 2021 16:42 (three years ago) link
time heals is so fucking classicSometimes I don’t know how to feel is MY JAMCarousel is fabulous, trippy
― brimstead, Thursday, 25 March 2021 16:47 (three years ago) link
lol wait it was When The Shit that placed. FUCKING CLASSIC!
It was near the bottom of my ballot. Hooky, rocking tune. Not sure if the lyrics should be read as misogynist/demeaning or pro-sex/anti-slut-shaming, or how it came off 50 years ago.xps
― Running Wild in the 21st Century (Sund4r), Thursday, 25 March 2021 16:47 (three years ago) link
spectacular synth solo in that one, it’s like the return of the flamingo from earlier
― brimstead, Thursday, 25 March 2021 16:48 (three years ago) link
(When the shit hits the fan)
I don’t even f/w the last side of SA these days
#43 - 70 points - 3 votesUtopia - "Crybaby" - from Oblivion, 1983
― Naive Teen Idol, Thursday, 25 March 2021 17:00 (three years ago) link
#42 - 73 points - 4 votesTodd Rundgren - "Is It My Name?" - from A Wizard, a True Star, 1973
#41 - 77 points - 6 votesTodd Rundgren - "All the Children Sing" - from Hermit of Mink Hollow, 1978
"All the Children Sing" and "Turn Me On" by the Tubes (form roughly the same period) have a great high-school-musical quality to them.
― henry s, Thursday, 25 March 2021 17:03 (three years ago) link
I didn't vote for "Is It My Name?" but the rawness of tracks like that on AWATS is a big draw to that record. Hammersmith Odeon '75 is really the closest he ever came to that sound again.
― Naive Teen Idol, Thursday, 25 March 2021 17:07 (three years ago) link
Two from my list in this in this first 10, but these are all fine except "Crybaby".
― Halfway there but for you, Thursday, 25 March 2021 17:12 (three years ago) link
Speaking of rawness, the opening riff of "Heavy Metal Kids" predicted "Cat Scratch Fever" a few years ahead of time.
― henry s, Thursday, 25 March 2021 17:13 (three years ago) link
Yeah, in 13/4 time.
― Halfway there but for you, Thursday, 25 March 2021 17:27 (three years ago) link
love "Is It My Name?" but I'm a bit confused what it's about. is he saying nobody's gonna love a dude named "Todd"?
― frogbs, Thursday, 25 March 2021 17:29 (three years ago) link
I regard the song as a parody of male sexual bravado, like a man's name is his least attractive feature.
― Halfway there but for you, Thursday, 25 March 2021 17:46 (three years ago) link
ok yeah I just read the lyrics
it's such a great song but I think the production style kinda kills it, the ending in particular always makes me think my speakers are blown
― frogbs, Thursday, 25 March 2021 17:55 (three years ago) link
#40 - 82 points - 5 votesTodd Rundgren - "Marlene" - from Something/Anything?, 1972
― Naive Teen Idol, Thursday, 25 March 2021 17:56 (three years ago) link
#39 - 82 points - 7 votesTodd Rundgren - "Drive" - from The Ever Popular Tortured Artist Effect, 1983
#38 - 84 points - 3 votesTodd Rundgren - "God Said" - from Liars, 2004
― Naive Teen Idol, Thursday, 25 March 2021 17:57 (three years ago) link
I love the fact that Edward James Olmos (from Miami Vice) is on the backing vocals for "Slut"
― enochroot, Thursday, 25 March 2021 18:01 (three years ago) link
He really stood and delivered that vocal.
― Naive Teen Idol, Thursday, 25 March 2021 18:03 (three years ago) link
I think Todd Rundgren is an uncool name - it’s down there with Zombies’ drummer Hugh Grundy as least attractive rock star name
― aphoristical, Thursday, 25 March 2021 18:03 (three years ago) link
I honestly didn't think anyone would have voted for "crybaby" but me… it is the first song by this guy I was aware of… via the video on MTV, although when I watch the one now on YT, where an old man is found by a horrified youthful utopian society a la Logan's Run, I seem to remember a performance version where you really get a load of Wilcox's kit… I don't expect everyone to respond to his naked gambit for mid 80s AOR airplay, but it pushes all my 13 year old buttons… I have only been able to find a live version w? no audio, would love to see a version from that era, it obv is hard to sing that high note when the band fools you into thinking they're gonna modulate but then go back to the original chorus chord pattern…and when you talk about him being a vocal arranger? This is that shit, just as exciting as Mutt lange… on the other hand, you can see Utopia doing "You Cried Wolf" quite easily…
Wasn't there some thread about toxic masculinity in which "Is it my Name" was mentioned? absurd, in that he is parodying attitudes as such here…
― veronica moser, Thursday, 25 March 2021 18:07 (three years ago) link
Assuming Open My Eyes from 1968 makes it, he’s going to have songs from a 36 year span in his top 40, which is pretty impressive.
― aphoristical, Thursday, 25 March 2021 18:09 (three years ago) link
God Said getting 84 points but only 3 votes kinda implies a lot of people haven't heard Liars yet
― frogbs, Thursday, 25 March 2021 18:09 (three years ago) link
I didn't take much notice of "drive" until around 2012, when it occurred to me that was one of the last times he could really sing with that kind of herculean sweep…and I like that whole record in that it seems like he had discovered Prince by that time and the Linn drum programming shows it…he apparently was like "fuck this, I'm not trying hard for my last record for fuckin' Bearsville" but I really like it…
― veronica moser, Thursday, 25 March 2021 18:12 (three years ago) link
"Hideaway" was my introduction to TR as a kid -- that video of him in the John Lennon glasses haunts my dreams still. But I never liked the song.
BTW, I was partly torn on whether to embed a lot of YT videos. I decided on including a few, but not many. As much as I like them, I like these poll results threads to be evergreen -- and all the broken links tend to bum me out when I go back to them. But if folks want to add theirs, be my guest.
― Naive Teen Idol, Thursday, 25 March 2021 18:20 (three years ago) link
(I mention this because we are talking about EPTAE)
― Naive Teen Idol, Thursday, 25 March 2021 18:21 (three years ago) link
#37 - 84 points - 4 votesTodd Rundgren - "I Don't Want to Tie You Down" - from A Wizard, a True Star, 1973
― Naive Teen Idol, Thursday, 25 March 2021 18:22 (three years ago) link
real underrated tune on that LP is "I Don't Want to Tie You Down" which has some pretty weird astral synth going off in the background, makes it sound like the walls are moving or something― frogbs, Wednesday, March 17, 2021 11:19 PM (one week ago)
― frogbs, Wednesday, March 17, 2021 11:19 PM (one week ago)
― Naive Teen Idol, Thursday, 25 March 2021 18:23 (three years ago) link