So I decided to do a little focus on one particular aspect of his life/work
https://theshfl.com/guide/todd-rundgren-producer
― Ned Raggett, Monday, 31 October 2022 17:06 (one year ago) link
Ace finally put out a decent single-disc comp of his productions, but omitted Meat Loaf (probably licensing issues) and skipped over Remote Control for a track on the Tubes' markedly inferior Love Bomb LP, but otherwise covers most of his best work.
― henry s, Monday, 31 October 2022 17:16 (one year ago) link
Nice, and appropriate -- yeah I'm not surprised they couldn't get a hold of anything from Bat
― Ned Raggett, Monday, 31 October 2022 17:19 (one year ago) link
^^Which is a little weird because Rhino got "All Revved Up..." for their Todd production comp from the early '90s.
― an icon of a worried-looking, long-haired, bespectacled man (C. Grisso/McCain), Monday, 31 October 2022 17:26 (one year ago) link
Different era, major label muscle, I can see it.
― Ned Raggett, Monday, 31 October 2022 17:29 (one year ago) link
Re: complaining about Todd’s production work
Per their autobiography, Bad Religion did not enjoy working with him. They also thought his home studio in Hawaii was run down
― beamish13, Tuesday, 1 November 2022 14:13 (one year ago) link
there was some 90s band who essentially accused Todd of ruining the band. can't remember who they were though. I do think it's true that Todd's instincts were very good in the 70s and some of the 80s - he was apparently the only one who saw any potential in Sparks - but once music making turned more digital and meticulous I think he lost his touch. I mean just listen to his studio albums from the last 30 years.
― frogbs, Tuesday, 1 November 2022 14:26 (one year ago) link
xpost Yeah there was a Graffin quote from Paul Myers's book expressing said sentiments, but also adding that he found the experience worthwhile in the end and that he and Rundgren have been friends for a while now. I can buy that.
― Ned Raggett, Tuesday, 1 November 2022 15:07 (one year ago) link
nice interview here
https://relix.com/articles/detail/todd-rundgren-on-his-space-force-bowies-space-oddity-the-mythology-of-vinyl-and-the-moral-imperative-of-music/
kinda funny for him to talk about inner groove distortion on vinyl here - I think if you have a good stylus you won't hear it much, but my 70s Todd records, which pile an insane amount of music on a single side, are still affected. so to me it's like Shaq going "yeah basketball is a great sport, but they should get rid of free throws..."
― frogbs, Friday, 2 December 2022 21:09 (one year ago) link
For the first two minutes, beautiful Todd soundalike from Stephen Stills' first Manassas album:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LCdDBCCmC2k
Someone was clearly paying attention.
(I like the last minute fine, but Stills stops being Todd and turns back into Stills.)
― clemenza, Saturday, 17 December 2022 19:53 (one year ago) link
I get a lot out of the Manassas album, but it's telling that this song and "It Doesn't Matter" are the highlights and also the only two co-written and sung by Chris Hillman.
― Halfway there but for you, Sunday, 18 December 2022 19:57 (one year ago) link
I got onto it when I watched this CSN&Y documentary a few weeks ago, where they spoke of it as a masterpiece--so I ordered it and Stills' first solo record. I've only played it once; I like it better than the solo LP is about all I can say so far. "Both of Us" is definitely my favourite. I've got to say it again: I can't believe how much it sounds like Rundgren, especially the very beginning (where I guess it's Hillman singing).
― clemenza, Sunday, 18 December 2022 20:12 (one year ago) link
Yeah, Hillman sings the first verse, Stills the second, and they harmonize the rest.
― an icon of a worried-looking, long-haired, bespectacled man (C. Grisso/McCain), Sunday, 18 December 2022 22:59 (one year ago) link
that part in licorice pizza where you hear the todd rundgren radio ad is the closest i've come to experiencing asmr— haulin’ boss crude (@bosscrood) December 15, 2022
― an icon of a worried-looking, long-haired, bespectacled man (C. Grisso/McCain), Sunday, 18 December 2022 23:02 (one year ago) link
I always think “Both of Us” is going to turn into “The Loner” — “time is a wasting…” is quite like “nothing can free him…”
― Chuck_Tatum, Sunday, 18 December 2022 23:53 (one year ago) link
https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2023/01/02/todd-rundgren-renaissance-rocker
He took out a vape pen and drew on it. “As a matter of fact, I have a vanity line of cannabis coming out. It’s called Hello It’s Weed.”
― j.o.h.n. in evanston (john. a resident of chicago.), Friday, 30 December 2022 03:00 (one year ago) link
https://i.ibb.co/NssGJTL/ezgif-1-78f6334692.jpg
― birdistheword, Friday, 30 December 2022 03:25 (one year ago) link
legit
― frogbs, Friday, 30 December 2022 03:30 (one year ago) link
Lionel Ritchie announcement in 3, 2, 1,
― nickn, Friday, 30 December 2022 08:49 (one year ago) link
What would Lionel Ritchie call his vanity line?
― birdistheword, Friday, 30 December 2022 17:54 (one year ago) link
hello, is it weed that you’re looking for?
― the late great, Friday, 30 December 2022 17:59 (one year ago) link
probably better name for a delivery service
― the late great, Friday, 30 December 2022 18:00 (one year ago) link
LMAO, I'm sold
― birdistheword, Friday, 30 December 2022 18:19 (one year ago) link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RQkG8K9tbe0#OneThread
― A Kestrel for a Neve (James Redd and the Blecchs), Saturday, 31 December 2022 21:51 (one year ago) link
Quite a few good Todd interview clips on Make Weird Music channel, which has a ton of prog content and recommendations for bands I've never heard ofhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RRTDlnjVM1o
― Robert Adam Gilmour, Saturday, 11 March 2023 22:38 (one year ago) link
Well worth a look around the channel
― Robert Adam Gilmour, Saturday, 11 March 2023 23:02 (one year ago) link
“It was late…last night”
― calstars, Sunday, 12 March 2023 01:11 (one year ago) link
Were you feeling something wasn't quite right?
― clemenza, Sunday, 12 March 2023 02:18 (one year ago) link
Something to Fall Back On is his best song imo. Could have been a great quasi-Motown stomper in any age.
― you can see me from westbury white horse, Sunday, 12 March 2023 09:20 (one year ago) link
Wolfman Jack has a classic-era Motown vibe as well.
― henry s, Sunday, 12 March 2023 15:14 (one year ago) link
I love the mid 80s “tough guy” production and performance of “want of a nail”
― calstars, Sunday, 12 March 2023 17:07 (one year ago) link
Do you rate it so highly because of or in spite of the a cappella arrangement?
― Halfway there but for you, Monday, 13 March 2023 15:36 (one year ago) link
Mostly in spite - it would hold up incredibly well even if it had (for a 1985 analogy) I'm Your Man-type production as it's such a strong song. That said, the production still gives it crucial peripheral strangeness (e.g. the way the Witch Doctor-y 'do-do-do's sound so sampled and assembled, like someone gently going glissando on a keyboard, or the way the beat 'feels' like beatboxing but clearly is something more indeterminate).
― you can see me from westbury white horse, Thursday, 16 March 2023 11:11 (one year ago) link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zaF4m4T8x6c
― Bulky Pee Pants (Tom D.), Friday, 12 January 2024 15:55 (four months ago) link
this was the first song my dad taught me to play on piano, it's always gonna be special to me. could never do the fast part at the end though!!
― frogbs, Friday, 12 January 2024 16:08 (four months ago) link
Written by request of Patti Smith, who wanted him to do a song about his Scandinavian background.
― Halfway there but for you, Friday, 12 January 2024 16:23 (four months ago) link
https://open.spotify.com/track/0tufiRu3Ij4sEaLvlqt9Bb?si=wU-t3E_5THS0BbmJWf9ShQ&context=spotify%3Aalbum%3A7pguPd8sT14AhOcbrnksHn?
― calstars, Thursday, 14 March 2024 20:16 (two months ago) link
(21st c schizoid man cover)
― calstars, Thursday, 14 March 2024 20:17 (two months ago) link
Don't know why I let Healing sit in collection for so long before listening to it, I'm loving it
― Robert Adam Gilmour, Thursday, 14 March 2024 23:49 (two months ago) link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7rcPhyVZL8w
― an icon of a worried-looking, long-haired, bespectacled man (C. Grisso/McCain), Friday, 15 March 2024 00:10 (two months ago) link
found a copy of Faithful today, listening to it now and uhhh what is the point of Side 1? just an ego exercise? I mean I'm impressed. was Todd the first person to record cover songs designed to be indistinguishable from the original?
― frogbs, Friday, 29 March 2024 18:06 (one month ago) link
I've never bothered playing side 1 again, but side 2 has some pretty good songs.
― birdistheword, Friday, 29 March 2024 19:34 (one month ago) link
wiki:
Rundgren explained the motivation of the first side as treating rock music like European classical music, where a piece is performed over and over again in essentially the same way.
― budo jeru, Friday, 29 March 2024 19:37 (one month ago) link
Not one of his brighter ideas.
― The Prime of the Ancient Minister (Tom D.), Friday, 29 March 2024 19:38 (one month ago) link
I don't think that's actually true of European classical music either though
― frogbs, Friday, 29 March 2024 19:43 (one month ago) link
But well ahead of the curve in some respects, considering the fairly recent trend of bands faithfully covering their own songs in order to circumvent copyright issues and garner a bit more streaming revenue.
― henry s, Friday, 29 March 2024 19:44 (one month ago) link
well it would be if these bands were hiring Todd Rundgren to record identical covers of their songs
― frogbs, Friday, 29 March 2024 19:47 (one month ago) link
That happened all the time in the 70s anyway. Not by the likes of Todd Rundgren though, more Freddie & the Dreamers.
― The Prime of the Ancient Minister (Tom D.), Friday, 29 March 2024 19:48 (one month ago) link
the yardbirds cover completely fucking rules come on
― brimstead, Friday, 29 March 2024 19:53 (one month ago) link
about as much as the original does yeah
― frogbs, Friday, 29 March 2024 19:55 (one month ago) link