That’s interesting, never knew that but I am often surprised when I read about tracks they are on.
― The Ballad of Mel Cooley (James Redd and the Blecchs), Wednesday, 24 March 2021 19:40 (three years ago) link
They had been brought in to sing on some other tracks on the record, but when they overheard "Love My Way", they insisted it would be a hit and that they should sing on it.I've only heard the first Psychedelic Furs album and a compilation, I should hear this because I do enjoy their early stuff.
― Halfway there but for you, Wednesday, 24 March 2021 19:42 (three years ago) link
“Frederick” is perfection. A gorgeous song about stepping away from fame. Sandie Shaw’s cover from 1986 is a miracle, too.
― beamish13, Wednesday, 24 March 2021 19:43 (three years ago) link
That song and "Dancing Barefoot" are my favourite Patti Smith songs, over anything on Horses.
― Halfway there but for you, Wednesday, 24 March 2021 19:56 (three years ago) link
war babies is really good, top knotch H&O album
― brimstead, Wednesday, 24 March 2021 20:26 (three years ago) link
Agree -- it also doesn't really sound like anything else in their catalogue. Plus, the fact that it doesn't have any H&O classic singles on it almost makes it more interesting to me.
― Naive Teen Idol, Wednesday, 24 March 2021 20:50 (three years ago) link
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/0/05/NewYorkDollsNewYorkDolls.jpg #2 - 281 points - 9 votes - 1 first place voteNew York Dolls - New York Dolls (1973)
AND
― Naive Teen Idol, Wednesday, 24 March 2021 20:51 (three years ago) link
https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/912stHcx1wL._SS500_.jpg #1 - 666 points - 14 votes Paul Shaffer & the Party Boys of Rock 'N' Roll - The World's Most Dangerous Party (1993)
(cue someone saying that record is actually really good)
― Naive Teen Idol, Wednesday, 24 March 2021 20:52 (three years ago) link
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/0/0a/Xtcsl2.jpg #1 - 502 points - 14 votes - 7 first place votesXTC - Skylarking (1986)
Interesting that I was the only first place vote for The Dolls s/t.
― The Ballad of Mel Cooley (James Redd and the Blecchs), Wednesday, 24 March 2021 21:15 (three years ago) link
I like that record better than the Grand Funk Railroad album, but I feel he did more for them than the Dolls, so I ranked it higher in this list.
― Halfway there but for you, Wednesday, 24 March 2021 21:20 (three years ago) link
Full list of productions -- apologies as I didn't put the #1s in the spreadsheet but just belt-and-suspender'd counting them when putting together the results:
XTC - Skylarking 502New York Dolls - New York Dolls 281Psychedelic Furs - Forever Now 269Hall & Oates - War Babies 256Patti Smith Group - Wave 227Badfinger - Straight Up 225Meat Loaf - Bat Out of Hell 148Cheap Trick - Next Position Please 138Sparks/Halfnelson - Sparks/Halfnelson 119Steve Hillage - L 110The Band - Stage Fright 106Grand Funk Railroad - We're An American Band 104The Tubes - Remote Control 94The Pursuit of Happiness - Love Junk 59New York Dolls - Cause I Sez So 56Laura Nyro - Mother’s Spiritual 56Jill Sobule - Things Here Are Different 45Todd Rundgren - A Wizard/A True Star 40The Lords of the New Church - Killer Lords 33Bourgeois Tagg - Yoyo 33Utopia - Oblivion 30The Lords Of The New Church - Is Nothing Sacred? 28Badfinger - Ass 28Bad Religion - The New America 28Tom Robinson Band - TRB Two 26Utopia - Deface the Music 24The Pursuit of Happiness - One-Sided Story 22Shaun Cassidy - Wasp 22
― Naive Teen Idol, Wednesday, 24 March 2021 21:29 (three years ago) link
Who's up for some albums?
― Naive Teen Idol, Wednesday, 24 March 2021 21:30 (three years ago) link
Albums!
― aphoristical, Wednesday, 24 March 2021 21:38 (three years ago) link
*raises hand*
― The Ballad of Mel Cooley (James Redd and the Blecchs), Wednesday, 24 March 2021 21:42 (three years ago) link
Ok, quickly, before we pivot to that -- a word that Skylarking ...
Like a lot of voters, Skylarking was my #1 but it also kind of reminds me that Todd's production "style" isn't really a style (nothing else in his catalogue really sounds like it) so much as an approach. He clearly goes in to these sessions with the goal of getting the record done -- you can see why he was in high demand as a producer for so long: he got records finished on time and on budget. He had a knack for getting bands on the charts who hadn't gotten there before or in a very long time -- Psych Furs, XTC, Meat Loaf, maybe even Badfinger, who didn't really have a solid record start-to-finish until Straight Up. It doesn't always work -- clearly, he couldn't get Laura Nyro to work quickly and as much as I like the Cheap Trick record he did (including "Heaven's Falling" which he wrote), the album stiffed.
But in general, Todd pushed artists to do something a little different than they had done to that point. Not only does that seem to run counter to the whole "just get the record done on time" mandate he was under, but from what I can tell, even when it created a little tension in the studio, it resulted in a better record that the artist tended to look back fondly on. And it allowed him to work with an incredibly diverse collection of talent that almost defies categorization.
Anyway, that's Todd's legacy as a producer in my book -- and yet another reason I love him, even when he's producing records by artists I don't care for.
― Naive Teen Idol, Wednesday, 24 March 2021 21:48 (three years ago) link
(ABOUT Skylarking, that is ...)
― Naive Teen Idol, Wednesday, 24 March 2021 21:49 (three years ago) link
Ok, onto albums!
Part 2: Albums17 ballots
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/f/fd/Swing_To_The_Right.jpg #20 - 45 points - 2 votesUtopia - Swing to the Right (1982)
https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/61iMR12CloL._SX522_.jpg#19 - 50 points - 2 votesUtopia - Disco Jets (rec. 1976, rel. 2012)
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/6/60/Nazz_Nazz.jpg#18 - 64 points - 2 votes - 1 first place voteNazz - Nazz Nazz (1969)
― Naive Teen Idol, Wednesday, 24 March 2021 21:50 (three years ago) link
Haven't heard any of these three! I'll comment later tonight.
― Halfway there but for you, Wednesday, 24 March 2021 21:55 (three years ago) link
Glad I helped #20 and #19 to chart. Politics and goofing around. Always room for a bit of both.
― Jeff W, Wednesday, 24 March 2021 22:00 (three years ago) link
wow wonder who voted Nazz Nazz #1
I completely forgot about that Disco Jets album but it's pretty entertaining. definitely one of those 'way better than it looks' sorta albums
― frogbs, Wednesday, 24 March 2021 22:07 (three years ago) link
Swing to the Right is solid!
― brimstead, Wednesday, 24 March 2021 22:08 (three years ago) link
https://media.pitchfork.com/photos/5929ad0f9d034d5c69bf42d9/1:1/w_320/76185d18.jpg#17 - 72 points - 3 votesTodd Rundgren/Emil Nikolaisen/Hans-Peter Lindstrøm - Runddans (2015)
― Naive Teen Idol, Wednesday, 24 March 2021 22:12 (three years ago) link
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/7/7c/Nazz_%28Nazz_album_-_cover_art%29.png#16 - 87 points - 3 votesNazz - Nazz (1968)
https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/91KrePNESOL._SX522_.jpg#15 - 91 points - 3 votes - 1 first place voteTodd Rundgren - Nearly Human (1989)
I figured Nearly Human might be higher - it might be my favourite 1980s Rundgren album. Parallel Lines is very good.
― aphoristical, Wednesday, 24 March 2021 22:22 (three years ago) link
Runddans probably one that would be higher if anyone heard it. it kind of got buried behind Global, which was much less interesting.
― frogbs, Wednesday, 24 March 2021 22:24 (three years ago) link
I expected to vote for Runddans but when I went back to it I found it to be pretty unfocused. I couldn’t argue it’s better than the best of Todd’s 70s and 80s output. There was a marvellous remix EP that the label spun off Runddans featuring The Boredoms’ EYE, Tim Gane & Sean O’Hagan, and Erol Alkan - but it didn’t feel right voting for any of those in Tracks either: a step too far removed from Todd.
― Jeff W, Wednesday, 24 March 2021 22:26 (three years ago) link
that's part of the charm imo - it's like an updated and more interesting version of "A Treatise on Cosmic Fire". it's only got a few real memorable bits (the "put your arms around me" part, the wanked-up guitar solo, and that glitched out phone conversation) but I always have a blast listening to it
― frogbs, Wednesday, 24 March 2021 22:41 (three years ago) link
Co-sign. I loved Runndans -- in particular how after, like, 12 or 13 minutes, just as it achieves this cosmic perfection with the ecstatic guitar solo he throws the thing into a blender and chops it up to smithereens before moving on to something else. It's like this perfect metaphor for his career.
― Naive Teen Idol, Wednesday, 24 March 2021 23:10 (three years ago) link
https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/31V6BREYPBL.jpg#14 - 93 points - 4 votes Utopia - Adventures in Utopia (1979)
― Naive Teen Idol, Wednesday, 24 March 2021 23:11 (three years ago) link
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/c/ca/Toddrundgren_liars.jpg#13 - 97 points - 3 votes Todd Rundgren - Liars (2004)
https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/71QuHlagT9L._SX522_.jpg #12 - 104 points - 4 votesTodd Rundgren's Utopia - Todd Rundgren's Utopia (1974)
I am on record about Liars -- it was my #2, which felt right to me as I really like probably all but two of the tracks on it (and enjoy those fine anyway). I also think it is easily the best of his Todd-in-a-Box all computer productions.
― Naive Teen Idol, Wednesday, 24 March 2021 23:13 (three years ago) link
Adventures is, like, the polar opposite of Runddans - it couldn’t be more focused, even if that focus is on airplay and arena tours. Comfort food from first to last.
Voted for TR’s Utopia as well. At one point, every song was on the long list for my Tracks ballot, although I rowed back in the end.
― Jeff W, Wednesday, 24 March 2021 23:49 (three years ago) link
Adventures in Utopia was supposedly the soundtrack to an imaginary TV show -- Kasim Sulton said they were thinking of having a cartoon series and that Todd had a script he'd written he was pitching to people, with them as computer scientists and "fabulous gadgets."
― Naive Teen Idol, Thursday, 25 March 2021 00:03 (three years ago) link
https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51qjcVauQkL.jpg #11 - 122 points - 5 votesTodd Rundgren - The Ever Popular Tortured Artist Effect (1983)
― Naive Teen Idol, Thursday, 25 March 2021 00:12 (three years ago) link
https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/41iTox0bq2L.jpg #10 - 132 points - 5 votesTodd Rundgren - A Cappella (1985)
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/4/48/Initiation_todd_rundgren.jpg #9 - 158 points - 6 votesTodd Rundgren - Initiation (1975)
Initiation 2 lowww
― J. Sam, Thursday, 25 March 2021 00:14 (three years ago) link
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/7/70/Healing_todd_rundgren.jpg#8 - 252 points - 9 votes Todd Rundgren - Healing (1981)
― Naive Teen Idol, Thursday, 25 March 2021 00:34 (three years ago) link
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/2/23/Rundgren_Runt_Cover.jpg#7 - 279 points - 10 votes Runt - Runt (1970)
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/0/0c/Faithful_todd.jpg #6 - 289 points - 12 votesTodd Rundgren - Faithful (1976)
It just hit me that we're doing a top 20 albums countdown for a single artist.
― Running Wild in the 21st Century (Sund4r), Thursday, 25 March 2021 00:43 (three years ago) link
(Only did a tracks ballot myself. I am a comparative dilettante.)
― Running Wild in the 21st Century (Sund4r), Thursday, 25 March 2021 00:44 (three years ago) link
https://www.uncut.co.uk/reviews/xtc-skylarking-705/
― Tapioca Tumbril (James Redd and the Blecchs), Sunday, 23 January 2022 14:31 (two years ago) link