Customer Reviews

Nazz Nazz

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

 

 

In 1967 I was a high school sophomore frequenting Philly's musical haunts. My favorite local band, Woody's Truck Stop, featured a strange-looking kid with listless hair who could set a guitar on fire. Word spread that this quirky vunderkind, Todd Rundgren, was forming his own band, to be called Nazz. The debut was eagerly anticipated, especially because they were going to be opening for The Doors. That evening was enchanted; The Doors were new on the scene, and in fantastic form. Nazz came out with both barrels blazing; playing to a hometown crowd they just about shook the building apart. There was a lot of great music happening back then, and their debut album escaped me. However, I connected with Nazz Nazz, their second, and last. Frankly, I was amazed and delighted to discover it's available.

Nazz Nazz is a gem from beginning to end. The writing is consistently excellent, the singing is exceptionally good, and it features a slew of monsters. Forget All About It, Not Wrong Long, and especially, Under The Ice, deliver hard rock with polish and bite, totally satisfying. Gonna Cry Today and Letters Don't Count, (the latter is a treasure), showcase the sentimental Rundgren writing style that America would later come to love. Meridian Leeward is a hoot, and the episodic and mercurial A Beautiful Song is worth the price of the CD by itself. Swinging from heartbreaking, sincere yearning to blazing guitar seemingly about to explode, this wonderful song, or suite if you prefer, gives ample evidence of Rundgren's amazing abilities as a producer, abilities which provided him his most enduring success. As an artifact of an industry giant emerging from the pack, Nazz Nazz is fascinating, but it's really much better than that. Nazz Nazz stands on its own as a thoroughly masterful rock album, a pleasure then and a pleasure today.

After the shamefully ignored first album (Nazz), Todd Rundgren and crew reached (some would say over-reached) dazzling new heights on the aptly titled Nazz Nazz back in the summer of '69. Wearing his influences on his sleeve (Brian Wilson/Beatles/Burt Bacharach/Laura Nyro) Todd and the band crank out scorching rockers (Forget All About It, Under The Ice), heart-wrenching ballads (Gonna Cry Today, Letters Don't Count) and one over-indulgent epic (A Beautiful Song). Another collective yawn from record buyers meant the end of Nazz after only two albums. Todd went on to fame and fortune as a solo act, while remaining Nazz members cobbled together outtakes from this album and released them as Nazz III - a rather tepid ending to a great band with a brief but memorable career.

My favorite Nazz album. I listened to this a lot, always amazing. A great band. If you didn't ever live in the Phiadelphia area, maybe you wouldn't understand. A good collection of songs, preceeding the "concept" era. Heavy intellectalism, merging with good rock. Good musicians, good music. Got into many debates of which was better- this one, or the debut "Nazz".

lets see, what is there to say? The opening track.."forget all about it" really sets the stage. The guitar work smokes and the real surprise of it all is the deep meaning of the words. Rundgren rips my heart out of my chest; heals it , and puts it back in. He is the only artist who has EVER brought me to tears. Anybody can write a snappy hook to a song; but, only Todd Rundgren can make you get in touch with what matters. The song "letters dont count" really hits home. I have only heard him do one "Nazz" song in 25 years..."open my eyes" from the 1st Nazz album. I really wish he would do more of it. I need to close, so...do yourself and your head a favor and BUY THIS RECORDING

That's in reference to a Yardbird's song,(one of the only one's Jeff Beck ever sang), which was probably the first to use truly creative guitar feedback in a solo, as opposed to just howling or whistling psychedelic noise.
I've read a couple of times that, that was the song that inspired the name for the group. I suppose Todd was an admirer of Jeff Beck- hell, a lot of people still don't know it today, but so Jimi Hendrix was too, and was also inspired by Beck's innovations.
That said, Nazz Nazz also sounds as though it captures some of the energy and intensity of the early "Who". My personal favorite though is "A Beautiful Song". Only this song, (and "Birdman", by Macdonald and Giles), happen to be the only two songs I've ever played for a girlfriend that actually brought them to tears, because, in fact, they did find them to be "beautiful songs", indeed!
Overall, still lots of energy after lots of years!

I wouldn't be reviewing this album if that idiot hadn't made the remark that music from anywhere but England, Califirnia and NY somehow can't be good or relevant! I listen to alot of 60's music (to put it mildly), and this isn't my "favorite", but this is really good music! The opening cut is worth the price of admission. The 60's saw a burst of creativity that will never be matched, and groups like the the Nazz and others were making good music all over the world. I love the british bands, but to make the assinine statement that that was the only place hot music was coming from? How much music has that person actually listened to? Every individual has their own personal taste in music, and that's what keeps things interesting. Personally, I think if you like 60's pop/rock you will dig this album. The playing and song writing are top notch and it feels good when you listen to it. Give it a try. Finally, never dismiss anything just because of where it comes from. When you collect 60's music (and man, there's alot out there worth listening to!), you're in for unending pleasant suprises. If you're just starting on the 60's thing, the Nuggets collections are a pretty good place to start. Oh! And while I like the Beatles and the Stones, there's plenty of groups just as good (I don't think their earlier albums are as good as the Yardbirds, the Zombies, and some of their less popular contemporaries).

1969 and popular music from the UK is hot, music from Southern California is lukewarm, music from New York is buried underground, and anything from anywhere else (including Philadelphia) is inconsequential. Pop genius Todd Rundgren fronts Nazz, only he doesn't know that he's a genius, at least not yet. He's witty, crafty and precarious - but still a kid having a good time in a rock & roll band. The relevant question today is "Where did this Pop master, studio wizard and music video pioneer come from?" An excellent answer is Nazz Nazz.

The album is strictly a freshmen effort, but all the signs of musical creativity that would later come to fruition are here - loud and clear. Todd is writing exotic melodies (Gonna Cry Today), psychedelic rock with a hefty one-two punch (Under The Ice), twisting those knobs during post-production (check the vocals on `Meridian Leeward'), and doing edgy vocal harmonies (you may say "out of tune," I say "edgy" - see `Forget About Me'). The praiseworthy effort here are tracks 10 and 11. `Letters Don't Count' and `A Beautiful Song' combine to form an imaginative and marvelous "suite." `Letters' opens with a delectable vocal melody, then fades quietly with a "ringing bells" bridge into the roaring guitar work of `A Beautiful Song.' `A Beautiful Songs' sways gently back and forth from guitar rocker to symphonic crescendo, then fades into an alluring piano and vocal ballad. The "suite" is a bit rudimentary and confounding, but Todd's craftsmanship is beginning to blossom. And blossom he does.

Technical Note: Rhino's mastering is revealing. The sonics are excellent, but expect (during quieter passages) to hear tape hiss (track 2), machine motors (track 4), and pops and clicks (track 10). Where do the pops and clicks originate? Could this CD have been mastered from vinyl?

This was a favorite of mine when it first came out in the 70's, and it is still great today.

A great album, front and back. Kiddie Boy has the single greatest guitar note in recorded rock history, IMO.

I actually like this record better then their first. Stand out tracks "Forget about It" "Rain Rider" "Under the Ice." Band members are Todd Rundgren lead guitar Carson van Osten bass guitar Tom Mooney drums Stewkey vocals piano organ.