Search - Todd Rundgren :: Anthology 1968-85

Todd Rundgren: The American Bowie

Mike B. | 06/01/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"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 interesting, but not of the same caliber. I make an exception for "The Individualist", which was truly excellent.



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".

"

Good compilation for its era, but get Utopia's, too

Bill Janowski | Elmhurst, IL USA | 09/29/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"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.

"