Album Of The Week - "Todd"

I decided to do this, only because there is such a vast repertoire of music and favorite albums in my head (and collection), that I wanted to share some with you. Perhaps, some of you have already heard these records and others will have not. No music samples, no streaming, no downloads, just commentary of some of the greatest albums ever recorded in the 20th century.

So why Todd Rundgren's Todd? I don't know exactly why. Maybe because I had just recently uploaded the new Japan SHM CD version to my Mac and iPod, thereby "rediscovering" Todd for the umpteenth time. Maybe because it's just such a damn good album.

This 1974 gem of a Rock double album, was the third in something of a "trilogy" that began with his 1972 album Something/Anything and sandwiched in between was 1973's A Wizard A True Star (which I will gladly offer up sometime in the future).

These final 2 albums in the trilogy were easily influenced by Todd's drug intake at the time. While he may not have been a true dope addict, his experimentation with LSD resulted in a seismic shift in most of his song writing and his production as well, over the span of 4 years. The Pop/Rock strain of Something/Anything gave way to the 60 minute psychedelic medley of songs on A Wizard A True Star. For Todd, it almost seemed like he dedicated a fine balance between the 2 styles for this third album.

The (potential) Top 40 Pop/Rock songwriting showed up on songs like "A Dream Goes On Forever" and "The Last Ride" while the quirky acid tinged Pop/Rock showed through on tracks like "I Think You Know", "King Kong Reggae", "An Elpee Worth Of Toons", "Useless Begging". Rundgren's guitar shines best on the Hendrix inspired "Number One Lowest Common Denominator", which resides as one of my favorite Todd Rundgren songs and an essential song for any young budding guitar player. "Heavy Metal Kids" is a total rocker of a song from Rundgren with enough ascerbicity in the lyrics to inspire anyone to punch the next person they see. Just like on A Wizard..., Todd also delivers on the synthesized nuggets that start the album and seam it between the more serious songs. Musical oddities like "How About A Little Fanfare", "Drunken Blue Rooster" (with nicely treated piano), "Sidewalk Cafe", "Lord Chancellor's Nightmare Song" and "In & Out Of The Chakras We Go".

The best part was the very cool poster that originally came with the album consisting of fans' names that were mailed in on a postcard from the previous album. All the names were lined up and darkened in spots on white paper to create an image of the Todd album cover image. On the poster's flipside were all the lyrics.

I could listen to that album all day when it first came out. I still do on regular occasion. The emotive responses that I have noticed from listening to this record over the years have always made me think. The music ellicits varied responses at times - soothing and relaxing enough to sing along, while at times letting me divulge my senses in my own post-psychedelic haze. Try listening to "Number One Lowest Common Denominator" on the headphones sometime and let Todd's guitar speak to you.

While it may not be Todd Rundgren's "Best" album, it certainly has showcases his broad styles as a Rock songwriter, arranger, producer, guitarist, player and singer. It is also a double album testament to his steady output of recordings during that 4 to 5 year period (6 albums). 4/5