Faithful

Todd Rundgren | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 25, 1990)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Rhino
• ASIN: B0000032P5
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #117,396 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Remastered U.K. reissue of Rundgren's 1976 album, complete with the original cover art & all of the original tracks intact. 12 tracks, including the gems 'The Verb 'To Love'' and 'Love Of The Common Man', plus his top 40 cover of the Beach Boys' 'Good Vib --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant on MANY levels!, March 11, 2005

By 

Eric J. Hradecky "ehradecky" (Rockford, IL United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Faithful (Audio CD)

Rundgren was on a roll like no other Rocker throughout the entire 70's! While he is still, in my opinion, very relevent in 21st Century music, Something/Anything, Wizard, Todd, Faithful and Hermit (his solo recordings circa 1972/1978)ALL are Five Star records!

The name of this record is a Double Entendre. Most obvious is the reference relating to side one in which Rundgren presents us with an entire side of spot on covers. And again I think there are two meanings here...1) Rundgren pays homage to the music and musicians that have infulenced him and his music and, 2) Todd once again getting to flex his musical muscle and show everyone on the planet, "He don't need no stinkin' band mates!" No producer, Recording Engineer and probably even janitor too!LOL

The second meaning of Faithful, at least for me, is a reference to the tone of the songs on side two. In my opinion "Love of the Common Man," "Cliche" and "The Verb To Love" are three of Rundgren's strongest, and must beautiful, odes to Love. Commitment, FAITHFULness being the cornerstone of Love. Almost THIRTY years later I still CAN NOT listen to "Love of the Common Man" just once. Godd, the guitar riffs, the vocals, the MESSAGE... While Todd mastered the perfect Power Pop tune on "S/A" I think THIS song in all of Todd's canon is my favorite!

While I'm going to stick with my 5 Star rating, I think this record would have been better, NOT without the covers, but WITH more originals. I just wish that Rundgren could have given us a full LP's Worth of (original) Tunes. Because as Wonderful as the covers are, the Todd penned songs are Some of the VERY BEST this master of Rock & Roll ever created!

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Jekyl and Hyde, August 3, 2001

By 

T. Dickinson "tim_bo" (Stockbridge, GA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Faithful (Audio CD)

My view is pretty much the same as the last reviewer...what was side 2 of the original LP gets 5 stars all the way while side 1 is a head scratcher.

The originals on side 2 are some of Rundgren's best, and this was Todd's return to the eclectic pop-rock of "Something/Anything" after an extended period of progressive experimentation. Highlights include the hard rocking "Black and White", the perfect pop of "Love of the Common Man" and "Cliche", the lush soul ballad "The Verb To Love", and the humor and killer lead guitar of "Hamburger Hell".

The covers are sort of a novelty, interesting the first time around but afterwards something that you rarely return to. Perhaps this was Todd's wry response to his record company's request to "give them some hits". ;-) A very slight update to the last review - not that it matters much - is that Todd doesn't clone the original vocals and backing on "If 6 was 9" while he does on all of the others. However, the arrangement remains the same.

So while the covers - though mildly fascinating - bring the rating down, the originals are worth the price of admission alone. There's good reason why the majority of them became mainstays in Rundgren's live sets. If you're a Todd fan, you can't miss this one (can you miss any?)...but if you're just beginning to explore Rundgren's music, for his pop-rock side start with "Something/Anything" and "Hermit of Mink Hollow" before coming here.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A faithful representation of the artists' range and talent, April 5, 1999

By 

Lisa Richards Hone ([e-mail]) (Virginia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Faithful (Audio CD)

Todd Rundgren's album, Faithful, offers a brief introduction to some of the artist's most cogent, but less familiar original work. While the cover tunes are fine performances, it's his original work on this album that earns the stars. "Cliche" and "Love of the Common Man" illustrate Todd's mastery of the pop genre, while "Black and White" takes the listener down to the heavy metal end of the spectrum. "The verb,"to Love" showcases the artist's soul roots and esoteric leanings. "Boogies" sounds like a whacked-out Broadway theme song for fast-food employees. However, the golden track on this album -- worth two stars alone in my book -- is the brief but spectacular "When I Pray." Layers of syncopated rhythms, the gospel-inspired lead vocal, Caribbean ju-ju man squeaks, and a joyous, tribal Todd-clone chorus juxtapose an anxiety-laden lyric with a result that still sounds fresh some twenty years after the artist laid each track by hand. "Faithful" offers a highly distilled essence of Todd Rundgren's enduring qualities: an incredible voice, highly capable and versatile musicianship, an intelligent message, and flawless production.