Customer Reviews

Anthology 1968-85

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I got this CD set because I loved the songs "Hello it's me" and "I saw the Light". Typical pop fan of 70's music. What I got with this CD set was more than I had hoped.

After just 2 listens to the 2 CDs I was hooked. I fell in love with about 10 new songs I never heard before. I wont ramble on. What I will say is this..

GET THIS SET if you only know a couple of Todd's hits. I promise you will NOT be disappointed.

Only a Philadelphia-born artist could've made the music Todd Rundgren has the last 30 years. Whether solo, with his group Utopia or producing acts from Grand Funk to XTC, Todd is among few - perhaps the only artist - who reconciled the Beatles' sonic wizardry with the classic romanticism of Philadelphia/Chicago/Motown soul.

The proof lies in these two CDs. You can argue with song choices (Would've liked to hear his live soul medley from "Back To The Bars," or Nazz' "Hello It's Me," for example.) But what's here is fun and fascinating listening.

Rundgren wrote (and mostly self-recorded) empathetic songs about teen angst ("Be Nice To Me," the moving "Sometimes I Don't Know What To Feel,") relationship politics (the solo Top 5 "Hello It's Me" the majestic "Can We Still Be Friends"), minor rebellion ("All The Children Sing," 1983's overplayed "Bang On The Drum All Day") even a friend's, um, deflowering ("We Gotta Get You A Woman," features the lines "Woman who has been around/and who knows better than to let you down/let's hope there's still one left in this whole town...")

Todd delighted hardcore fans and confounded his record company with experiments like 1985's "A Capella" album or 1973's then remarkably long "A Wizard/A True Star." The good news for casual fans is that this collection gathers the songs Rundgren used to lure casual fans into his web (or, more fittingly now, Web site). Thus, "Anthology," plus the Utopia best-of and his greatest production hits on Rhino Records, serves as a wonderful introduction to an always intriguing artist. Highly recommended.

Rock chameleons come and go, but Todd Rundgren and David Bowie have outlasted them all. Both started with failed bands (though Nazz was somewhat successful), entered a phase of being singer/songwriters, went glam, recorded Philly soul and R&B, and produced other important acts (more on that later).

The main reason to buy a "best of" is when any given single album by an artist isn't representative enough of their output. Forced to name my favorite Todd outings, I'd have to choose the 2-disc "Todd" and his band Utopia's "Swing To The Right". But there's so much great stuff before and after! You'll hear a good cross-section of his work on this 2-CD set, and even more if you supplement it with Utopia's single-disc "Anthology". It's all here - gorgeous ballads, the radio pop hits, some psychedelia, and many guitar-driven rockers.

For me, Todd's golden era was the 12 years between 1970 and 1982. His band The Nazz had issued 3 albums prior to then, and they were good - but perhaps too indebted to their musical heroes The Yardbirds and The Who. It wasn't until "Runt" (1970) that Todd started to find his own voice. He's the most "soulful" of the 70's rock stars, frequently incorporating his Philly soul roots (and Motown influences) into his singing and his rock. As time went on, he'd alternate solo and Utopia releases. Early Utopia sounded a lot like Mahavishnu Orchestra. Todd's scorching guitar playing was very reminiscent of John McLaughlin. I like it, but prefer the second, more pop/rock/new wave version of the band featuring Roger Powell, Kasim Sulton, and John "Willie" Wilcox.

Favorite solo Todd (on which he often played all the instruments himself): "Runt", "Something/Anything?", "A Wizard/A True Star", "Todd", "Faithful", "Hermit Of Mink Hollow", and "Healing". Favorite Utopia: "Another Live" (early band), "Oops! Wrong Planet", "Adventures In Utopia", the Beatlesque "Deface The Music", "Swing To The Right", and "Utopia" (1982). Personally, I feel his efforts since then have been good, but less consistent track-for-track. As with later-period Bowie, however, there's always enough good stuff on them to make a purchase worthwhile. Favorites of the later years: "The Individualist" and "Liars".

I can't conclude a Todd review without mentioning his production career. Todd's produced great records over the years by a host of rock luminaries, including New York Dolls, Patti Smith, Meat Loaf, Badfinger, and XTC. That's another way he resembles Bowie, who did the same for Lou Reed, Iggy Pop, and Mott the Hoople. Both were also pioneers in the fields of music videos and computers, though Rundgren is much more technically involved than his British counterpart.

Todd Rundgren: a renaissance "man for all seasons".

This is a good place to start for Todd Rundgren/Utopia collectors.
It has most of the essential hits and key album tracks
that the casual listener would want.

But for those who'd want to dig deeper(or already have,
like me), it's still enough to whet your appetite.

I would've liked to see some of the 'Faithful' cover
versions (especially the note-for-note 'Good Vibrations')
appear here, but that's a minor complaint.

With just four songs representing it here,the truly essential Todd Rundgren album "Something/Anything" is simply not given its due. Unfortunately, there really are no other worthwhile Rundgren anthologies out there, so what you may want to do is purchase this anthology and supplement it by buying individual albums with the bigger concentrations of Todd's best work. I would argue that 1974's "Todd" also deserved more tracks included, especially the "Sidewalk Cafe/Izzat Love?" suite (sweet!).

One nice aspect to this album is Todd's tongue-in-cheek bio, some decent notes, and all lyrics included in the insert. Including "Open My Eyes" was also a smart move, so this is set is certainly not a bad one by any means, and as noted, it's the best available.

Considering that most CD anthologies hold around 75 minutes of music per disc, this one clocks in rather short at about 105 or so minutes total for two discs. There WAS a European anthology which had fourteen more tracks, but it is no longer available new or used (so don't bother to look for it--I tried through four different Amazon Marketplace Merchants). So we are stuck with this strong but incomplete anthology; there really is nothing better available, so buy it and a few other Todd favorites to supplement.

I don't ever see the point in lengthy reviews. I'm not a professional reviewer, just a true fan. That being said, this is a great collection from an extremely talented man.
Buy it, and you won't be disappointed.

I'm a big fan of 70's era Todd Rundgren and this cd got it right as an excellent sampler of Todd's finer works. If you do not own all of his records, you cannot go wrong with this 2 cd set. It lays out his songs in chronological order starting with Nazz and ending with his weaker 80's materials. It is obvious his peak of creativity, both in songwriting and in musicianship, was achieved in the 1970s.

"Something/Anything", "A Wizard a True Star" and 'Hermit of Mink Hollow" are vastly superior to this because each album acts as a very strong artistic achievement (as opposed to just a collection of compiled songs) but this "best of collection" takes the logical cuts from the albums. A strongly feel that the 70's songs are incompareably better to what he was doing in the 80's but I can't fault an inclusion from all of his works. Realistically, all of "Something/Anything" and 'Hermit" deserve placement on a greatest hits.

His less accessible 70's era albums, the self indulgent "Initiation", baffling "Faithful" (because one side is made up of covers) and wildly uneven "Todd" have their definite best songs pulled from the works.

When you listen to Todd Rundgren, in a greatest hits/compliation context, his artistic achievement is so evident that it saddens me, as a music fan, to not see him more highly regarded and in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. To the naive music listener, Todd Rundgren is merely thought of as this relic, "Hello it's me", one hit wonder which could not be any further from the truth. He's no fringe artists but rather a giant influence in "power pop", "pop" and "progressive" music, an incredible musician and vital 70's and 80's producer.

When he ironically titled and album, "A Wizard, A True Star," Todd Rundgren may or may not have known how prophetic it would be. As a singer, songwriter, one man band, band leader, producer and techno-wiz, he has certainly achieved status as one of rock's great renaissance men. And as the 27 songs on this collection prove, his recorded legacy is truly that of a star.

Rundgren has been a cult artist for so long that he discovered early on that he had free reign to try any style he wanted. Granted, the early songs show a strong Beatles orientation as well as the confessional singer songwriter mode. The Nazz single "Open My Eyes" does show an early Rundgren trait; that of the musical mimic. He was soon mixing rock, soul ("Be Nice To Me"), perfect pop ("Hello It's Me") and the almost effortlessly flawless ballads he created on a regular basis ("It Wouldn't Have Made Any Difference"). And that's just disc one.

The next 15 years is on disc two, and finds Rundgren getting even more idiosyncratic. While the two songs from "Healing" are the single "Time Heals" and the ballad "Compassion," the bulk of the album is almost meditative new age. The album "A Capella" was nothing but Todd. His voice (however heavily manipulated) without any instruments. All while he still covered his rock bases; his last major 'hit' "Bang The Drum All Day" is here.

While his broad recording career will likely have this collection falling short for enthusiasts, Todd's Anthology is as good a starting point as you can find for one of America's great musical visionaries.

Had Todd's Anthology way back in LP album form (have no idea what ever happened to it). Purchased it cassette form (still have that).

Now I have the cd. Sounds better than ever before.

A true musical genius. Take a blow get a ZyR voduski and snapple lemonade and let the music cover you up. PowerPLUS from the 70's and 80's. Tight lyrics and pop masterpiece arangements. go todd go.