Rundgren and Prog....

[aith01]

I've heard Something/Anything, Todd, and bits of A Wizard. I tried to like them, but I could only like individual songs, not the albums as a whole. "over-indulgent" is how someone else here descibed them, and I would say the same.

He is however an excellent producer.

You should really give his album Liars a try. It's just about perfect, whereas almost every other album of his has several moments of incoherence or inconsistency.

Still think he is a brilliant guy and is quite possibly my favorite musician/writer next to Tony Banks.

[3RDegree_Robert]

You should really give his album Liars a try. It's just about perfect, whereas almost every other album of his has several moments of incoherence or inconsistency.

Still think he is a brilliant guy and is quite possibly my favorite musician/writer next to Tony Banks.

Well put. 2 of the best right there. And LIARS is amazing. The best album he's put out in the last 25 years at least.

[bob_32_116]

You should really give his album Liars a try. It's just about perfect, whereas almost every other album of his has several moments of incoherence or inconsistency.

Still think he is a brilliant guy and is quite possibly my favorite musician/writer next to Tony Banks.

Funny you should say that, I'm listening right now to Strictly Inc.

[aith01]

Well put. 2 of the best right there. And LIARS is amazing. The best album he's put out in the last 25 years at least.

Definitely!

[aith01]

Funny you should say that, I'm listening right now to Strictly Inc.

Great choice! I think I'll go listen to that album today as well.

Now I'm trying to imagine what a Banks and Rundgren joint project would sound like. Probably impossible, but it could be interesting.

[progman1975]

Either of The Nazz records any good???

[JAMOOL]

Given the era and how young everyone was I think they're pretty good! The leadoff tracks - "Open My Eyes" and "Forget All About It" are both incredibe power pop gems, and there are other great tracks like "Meridian Leeward", "Under the Ice", and an early take on "Hello It's Me". Both are, IMO, better than the first TR album at least.

[Luckie]

Why not prog?
Wonder if Queen ever listened to Rundgren.

Probably, and definitely vice versa around the time of Ra & Oops! Wrong Planet, as Rundgren has admitted.

[Luckie]

The first Utopia album is also very good, maybe even better. It feels like Todd's first stab at a big-time prog rock album and while there are definitely some Yes/ELP influences there I think it holds up real well as its own thing.

His then-girlfriend Bebe Buell said that around that time - c.1972-74 - the first thing Todd would do when he got up in the morning was put Roundabout on the turntable! (I think Roundabout was arguably an influence on Communion With The Sun later, though. The first Utopia album owed more to Todd listening to Inner Mounting Flame, Birds Of Fire and Hymn Of The Seventh Galaxy. Which in turn reminds me of Todd's story of taking Brian Wilson with him to see Coryell and Eleventh House in concert, when Wilson gets up on stage uninvited, starts singing, while Coryell gamely tries to accompany him. An overexcited Wilson - "antsy" in Rundgren's words - is diplomatically led from the venue.)