Rundgren started his career as the guitarist in the band "Nazz" that fused psychedelic melodies, garage guitars with that power-pop feel. After 3 albums with Nazz and the eventual break-up, Rundgren went on to form "Utopia" whom he kept together for tenish or so years as a side project with only their 1973 debut being worthwhile, in my opinion, while tending to his solo career.
During his solo career, Rundgren released, in my opinion, albums that should be talked about more, like his two albums under the name "Runt" and his three big albums from "Something/Anything?" to his s/t "Todd" with special attention to "A Wizard, a True Star" which is an influence to artists like Tame Impala and Daft Punk! (not to undermine the rest of his catalog, but I feel like these albums are THE albums to check out if you're interested in his solo work).
He's also considered in some publications as one of the greatest producers to ever do it, producing albums like "Skylarking", the seminal NY Dolls self-titled, and "Bat out of Hell, to name a few.
All in all, a versatile career, not to mention that he's the pioneer of early use of the internet in music distribution, early music videos, and so on.
And yet, this man is not talked about as nearly as he should be. Why is that? I'm curious about your thoughts on Todd and the way he shaped music today, in all areas, from production to musicianship.
Hello It’s Me is on side 4, track 4… not track 1 as shown on AJLT. 😐
Anyone else hearing "Bang on the Drum All Day" after touchdowns in other stadiums... I just did. Am I too hurt about this? I am just on fire 🔥 flabbergasted. It's played at Lambeau since 1985! The disrespect 😤
Shaun Cassidy - Wasp: Cassidy's career was arguably already over when he tried to put out this new wave "reinvention" record, but his weirdass covers of David Bowie and Talking Heads songs with Todd Rundgren's Utopia as the backing band effectively sealed his fate. He would never put another album out again.
The Tubes - Love Bomb: Following their biggest hit album Outside Inside, lead singer Fee Waybill wanted to continue working with producer David Foster and his crew of session men while the rest of the band opted to employ Todd Rundgren, leading to Waybill striking out for a solo career. In the end, Capitol Records changed hands, both The Tubes and Waybill's solo career wound up being under-promoted as a result, and both of the resulting albums were critical and commercial failures that neither party ever recovered from.
12 Rods - Separation Anxieties: Already in a precarious position with their label, 12 Rods brought Todd Rundgren in as producer in the hopes of putting out something more polished. According to lead singer Ryan Olcott, Rundgren treated the project mostly with indifference, leading to an album that sounded like crap, underperformed commercially, and got a 2.0./10 from Pitchfork only four years after they'd gotten a coveted 10/10 (in a review that was almost immediately scrubbed from their website thereafter.) They got dropped by their label and had to tour the album without their drummer, who had quit during the recording sessions.
