Todd (album)
Encyclopedia
Todd is a double album
by Todd Rundgren
, released in February 1974. It was an expansion of his experimentation on A Wizard, A True Star
. It showed his growing interest in the synthesizer, and its ability to expand the textures of rock music. Much of the album is intensely experimental. However, it is not without its share of pop songs. Todd also tinkers with the synth-heavy progressive sound he would take further with his later band Utopia
. First issues of this LP included a lyrics poster that had the names of 10,000 fans who had sent in the postcard included in A Wizard, A True Star
.
Release of the album, originally conceived as but too long for a single disc, was delayed by a vinyl shortage. This was further compounded by reluctance from the record label, Bearsville, to release a new album when his song "Hello It's Me
" from Something/Anything?
remained strong on the singles charts.
Other lore from Todd is the battle with Rundgren over the label's desire to release the song "Izzat Love?" as a single. The artist insisted the song was indicative of a music style he no longer wished to pursue, and won under threat to never record again should the song be released.
"Lord Chancellor's Nightmare" is a cover of a Gilbert & Sullivan song from their 1882 opera "Iolanthe
".
In September 2010, Rundgren performed his Todd and Healing albums live for the first time in Akron, Ohio, followed by concerts in Muskegon MI, Indianapolis IN, St. Louis MO, Glenside PA, and Morristown NJ. A large LED display and lasers were on display throughout the shows with Rundgren and the band dressed in extravagant costumes. Rundgren's band consisted of Jesse Gress, Greg Hawkes
, Prairie Prince, Bobby Strickland, and Kasim Sulton.
Singles - Billboard
Double album
A double album is an audio album which spans two units of the primary medium in which it is sold, typically records and compact discs....
by Todd Rundgren
Todd Rundgren
Todd Harry Rundgren is an American multi-instrumentalist, songwriter and record producer. Hailed in the early stage of his career as a new pop-wunderkind, supported by the certified gold solo double LP Something/Anything? in 1972, Todd Rundgren's career has produced a diverse range of recordings...
, released in February 1974. It was an expansion of his experimentation on A Wizard, A True Star
A Wizard, a True Star
A Wizard, a True Star is a progressive rock recording by Todd Rundgren, released in 1973.The album, and especially the first side of the vinyl recording, is an extended medley after the fashion of the Beatles' late recordings; brief songs segue into one another, and the lyrics are frequently...
. It showed his growing interest in the synthesizer, and its ability to expand the textures of rock music. Much of the album is intensely experimental. However, it is not without its share of pop songs. Todd also tinkers with the synth-heavy progressive sound he would take further with his later band Utopia
Utopia (rock band)
Utopia was an American progressive rock band, led by Todd Rundgren that toured and recorded from 1973 to 1986.-History:The first two albums, Todd Rundgren's Utopia and Another Live featured lengthy, complex and highly arranged progressive rock pieces, performed by a six-piece multi-instrumentalist...
. First issues of this LP included a lyrics poster that had the names of 10,000 fans who had sent in the postcard included in A Wizard, A True Star
A Wizard, a True Star
A Wizard, a True Star is a progressive rock recording by Todd Rundgren, released in 1973.The album, and especially the first side of the vinyl recording, is an extended medley after the fashion of the Beatles' late recordings; brief songs segue into one another, and the lyrics are frequently...
.
Release of the album, originally conceived as but too long for a single disc, was delayed by a vinyl shortage. This was further compounded by reluctance from the record label, Bearsville, to release a new album when his song "Hello It's Me
Hello It's Me
"Hello It's Me" is a Billboard #5 hit song composed by Todd Rundgren that has been recorded numerous times, and would become Rundgren's best-known song.- Background :...
" from Something/Anything?
Something/Anything?
Something/Anything?, released in 1972, is Todd Rundgren's third solo album. It peaked at #29 on the Billboard 200 and was certified gold three years after its release, and remains the singer-songwriter's best-selling album...
remained strong on the singles charts.
Other lore from Todd is the battle with Rundgren over the label's desire to release the song "Izzat Love?" as a single. The artist insisted the song was indicative of a music style he no longer wished to pursue, and won under threat to never record again should the song be released.
"Lord Chancellor's Nightmare" is a cover of a Gilbert & Sullivan song from their 1882 opera "Iolanthe
Iolanthe
Iolanthe; or, The Peer and the Peri is a comic opera with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert. It is one of the Savoy operas and is the seventh collaboration of the fourteen between Gilbert and Sullivan....
".
In September 2010, Rundgren performed his Todd and Healing albums live for the first time in Akron, Ohio, followed by concerts in Muskegon MI, Indianapolis IN, St. Louis MO, Glenside PA, and Morristown NJ. A large LED display and lasers were on display throughout the shows with Rundgren and the band dressed in extravagant costumes. Rundgren's band consisted of Jesse Gress, Greg Hawkes
Greg Hawkes
Greg Hawkes is a musician best known as the keyboardist for the Rock band The Cars.Hawkes, a native of Fulton, Maryland, attended Atholton High School where he played in a band called Teeth. He then attended Berklee College of Music for two years, majoring in composition and flute...
, Prairie Prince, Bobby Strickland, and Kasim Sulton.
Side one
- "How About a Little Fanfare?" (1:03)
- "I Think You Know" (3:04)
- "The Spark of Life" (6:23)
- "An Elpee's Worth of Toons" (2:09)
- "A Dream Goes On Forever" (2:21)
- "Lord Chancellor's Nightmare Song" (W.S. Gilbert, Arthur SullivanGilbert and SullivanGilbert and Sullivan refers to the Victorian-era theatrical partnership of the librettist W. S. Gilbert and the composer Arthur Sullivan . The two men collaborated on fourteen comic operas between 1871 and 1896, of which H.M.S...
) (3:32)
Side two
- "Drunken Blue Rooster" (3:00)
- "The Last Ride" (4:48)
- "Everybody's Going to Heaven / King Kong Reggae" (6:38)
Side three
- "No. 1 Lowest Common Denominator" (5:12)
- "Useless Begging" (3:40)
- "Sidewalk Cafe" (2:15)
- "Izzat Love?" (1:55)
- "Heavy Metal Kids" (4:16)
Side four
- "In and Out the Chakras We Go (Formerly: Shaft Goes to Outer Space)" (5:47)
- "Don't You Ever Learn?" (6:04)
- "Sons of 1984" (4:34)
Personnel
- Michael BreckerMichael BreckerMichael Leonard Brecker was an American jazz saxophonist and composer. Acknowledged as "a quiet, gentle musician widely regarded as the most influential tenor saxophonist since John Coltrane," he has been awarded 15 Grammy Awards as both performer and composer and was inducted into Down Beat Jazz...
– hornHorn (instrument)The horn is a brass instrument consisting of about of tubing wrapped into a coil with a flared bell. A musician who plays the horn is called a horn player ....
, saxophoneSaxophoneThe saxophone is a conical-bore transposing musical instrument that is a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax in 1846... - Randy BreckerRandy BreckerRandal "Randy" Brecker is an American trumpeter and flugelhornist. He is a highly sought after performer in the genres of jazz, rock, and R&B, and has performed or recorded with Stanley Turrentine, Billy Cobham, Bruce Springsteen, Lou Reed, Sandip Burman, Charles Mingus, Blood, Sweat & Tears,...
– horn, saxophone, trumpetTrumpetThe trumpet is the musical instrument with the highest register in the brass family. Trumpets are among the oldest musical instruments, dating back to at least 1500 BCE. They are played by blowing air through closed lips, producing a "buzzing" sound which starts a standing wave vibration in the air... - Kevin Ellman – drums, percussionPercussion instrumentA percussion instrument is any object which produces a sound when hit with an implement or when it is shaken, rubbed, scraped, or otherwise acted upon in a way that sets the object into vibration...
- Bill Gelber – bassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
- Wells Kelly – drums
- Mark "Moogy" KlingmanMoogy KlingmanMark "Moogy" Klingman was an American musician and songwriter. He was a founding member of Todd Rundgren's musical team Utopia, and later became a solo recording artist, bandleader and songwriter...
– keyboardsKeyboard instrumentA keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
, organOrgan (music)The organ , is a keyboard instrument of one or more divisions, each played with its own keyboard operated either with the hands or with the feet. The organ is a relatively old musical instrument in the Western musical tradition, dating from the time of Ctesibius of Alexandria who is credited with...
, piano, electric pianoElectric pianoAn electric piano is an electric musical instrument.Electric pianos produce sounds mechanically and the sounds are turned into electrical signals by pickups. Unlike a synthesizer, the electric piano is not an electronic instrument, but electro-mechanical. The earliest electric pianos were invented... - John Miller – bass
- Chris Parker – drums
- Peter Ponzol – soprano sax
- Barry Rogers – tromboneTromboneThe trombone is a musical instrument in the brass family. Like all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player’s vibrating lips cause the air column inside the instrument to vibrate...
- Todd RundgrenTodd RundgrenTodd Harry Rundgren is an American multi-instrumentalist, songwriter and record producer. Hailed in the early stage of his career as a new pop-wunderkind, supported by the certified gold solo double LP Something/Anything? in 1972, Todd Rundgren's career has produced a diverse range of recordings...
– guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
s, vocals, keyboards, synthesizers, bass, drums, drum machine, percussion, other instruments - Ralph SchuckettRalph SchuckettRalph Schuckett is an American keyboardist, songwriter, record producer and TV/film composer. He played with Clear Light 1966-68, The Peanut Butter Conspiracy 1968 to 1970, Jo Mama 1969-72, Carole King 1969-1972, Lou Reed 1972-73, Todd Rundgren and Utopia 1972-75, and, as a studio musician in...
– bass, clavinetClavinetA Clavinet is an electrically amplified keyboard instrument manufactured by the Hohner company. It is essentially an electronically amplified clavichord, analogous to an electric guitar. Its distinctive bright staccato sound has appeared particularly in funk, disco, rock, and reggae songs.Various...
, organ - John Siegler – bass, celloCelloThe cello is a bowed string instrument with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is a member of the violin family of musical instruments, which also includes the violin, viola, and double bass. Old forms of the instrument in the Baroque era are baryton and viol .A person who plays a cello is...
Credits
- Steve Hammonds – project coordinator
- Paul Lester – sleeve notes
- Alen MacWeeney – cover photo, photography
- Andrew Pearce – mastering
- Sarah Southin – design
Charts
Album - Billboard| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1974 | The Billboard 200 | 54 |
Singles - Billboard
| Year | Single | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1974 | "A Dream Goes on Forever" | The Billboard Hot 100 | 69 |