Search - Todd Rundgren :: Runt-the Ballad of Todd...

Todd Rundgren's Hari Kiri Stopgap.........

! Metamorpho ;) | Castle in Scotland | 02/06/2010

(5 out of 5 stars)

"People. As you know, your beloved Metamorpho spends a lot of time in his wine cellar looking for wine (of course) but also looking through my vast musical archive to give you the very best selections for spiritual growth. Yes. I realize that I am doing all this for free. Be glad. Because, if you were in Japan (where they know me as Meta-San ItchyKu) I command as much as $1,000 plus for a lecture or musical referral. I do admit for having a yen for money. Too bad I can't get back there often because I spend it all on wide-screen HD t.v.s,digital surround systems, and blu-ray players. I tell ya, the money flys out of my hands faster than a Toyota recall. Yes. I really should learn to put the brakes on.



I am sure all my fans remember my famous quote from long ago when I went to Mt. Fuji, with a bottle of Sake to write a review. "Why do you do that Meta-San ItchyKu"?, they asked. "Kore wa soko ni aru", I responded. And the rest, as samurai say, is history. ;)



So, here I am reviewing this excellent album/c.d. Runt: The Ballad of Todd Rundgren. My fans ask me why it took almost 40 years to get to it? Well, first off, Seers don't adhere to human timelines. And, the other thing is, that it takes awhile for Mt. Fuji frostbite to wear off. So sad. How rude.



But onwards to discuss Todd and this masterful proffering. This selection absolutely defies age. Plus, it's just a straight on lovely collection of tunes whose dynamics reveal a comfortable warmth of ballads and pop. It was made at a time whereby engineers weren't obsessed with digital, sterile, clinical producing. All the instruments sound real and not contrived in the least. Everything fits together like Seer's head in wizard cap (fooled you! You thought I was going to say hand in glove. How banal! Give me more credit than that!).



If you look at the cover, Todd is at the piano with a noose around his neck. Such a strange picture. What does it mean? To me, it's vulnerability. And the songs inside reflect that theme in so many ways. Not that it's morose. He's genius enough to balance this throughout. Some tunes are confessional, some are heartfelt, and the more pop influenced tunes convey sly humour. Listening to this in it's totality is one of the most satisying journeys you could make. Yes. It's that good.



I will hit on a few songs here to illustrate but they ALL are good. Todd conveys shades of emotions here, and none greater than on the balld "Wailing Wall". It is so beautiful, so lovely, that hearing it stirs deep emotion within the soul. The sadness of The Ballad (Denny and Jean) convey that extenuating circumstances sometimes ruin our inner feelings of love. Sad that other things take precedence in our lives and not the things that really matter. "Boat On the Charles" examines doing away with oneself because of a lost love. But, interesting here, because Todd offers a sprightly, loose melody, perfectly juxtaposed against the message. Brilliant!



Within the tracks, you get a sense of longing, of wanting life to be what it could be. The sense that it's not that way most of the time, reveals a humanity that we all feel. Todd affirms, on one of my favorite tracks "Chain Letter", that we take so much in life on a personal level. "Don't take yourself so seriously, there are precious things worth hating nowadays, and none of them are me". How true. But, what I'm really enamoured with is that the lyrics are written like he's talking to you. And, this selection, as many others, are in multiple ways, just like that. Personal, beautiful and encompassing the wide range of human emotion. The struggle that each of us must go through in life, and in love, is so fully realized with this album/c.d. So many gems make up this total gem. To go without it is a sin. Do so at your peril or risk your name being written into Metamorpho's heretic book. And, you all know who I give that to - don't you?



Now I must go and get back to Japan (money is tight now). Unfortunately, I had to change my plane in West Africa and all my belongings were stolen. I did wire a friend for money, but they have problems of their own. Stuck on an iceberg in the Pacific Northwest. Who ever said life was easy? I suppose we all have our own trials. But, Todd makes it a little easier.........



Another thoughtful and extremely generous review by - Meta-San ItchyKu











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