Reviews (page 7 of 7)
Sappy but some bangers. Too king didn’t finish
First bit sounds like every heartwarming family sitcom theme from the 80s. The Intro and studio bits are probably cool for behind the scenes but not my thing. Feels nostalgic if unrecognizable. Definitely prefer first half. Double albums are a slog.
boooooooo. boring.
Really cool how it gives you an auditory glimpse into the studio at various times. A handful of really cool moments and I really liked the production, especially if the drums. I think I knew Todd Rundgren’s name maybe, but I def knew “i just wanna bang on the drum all day” (which is not on this album. That song just makes me think of ads for cruise ships. Album was long but that’s okay. Some great moments and a few cringy moments.
This is extraordinary. I don't think i've ever heard this many boring songs in one go.
Nothing interesting here at all and stupidly long. Gets 2* as generally it's non-offensive and okay background music
Good, nothing too amazing
Boo....didn't like this and I like music from that generation. I feel like this snuck into the list for some ulterior reason.
Lange zit, met soms mooi werk en minder mooi werk.
Sorry Todd, ik kan sommige van je liedjes best waarderen, maar ga hier echt geen anderhalf uur van mijn leven aan besteden. Heb wel nog even doorgeskipt naar het laatste nummer, want daar stond de titel me wel van aan.
better than his next album, but not feeling it
Todd Rundgren will probably be my most-listened-to artist this year solely because of how many attempts it took me too get through this. Around three really solid songs....... but they're literally the first three of a slog of an album.
This was too long. 70s adult contemporary, precursor to yacht rock. A couple gems. That last song sure didn't age well.
I think this is positively poppy compared to the other album of his that we had? Not as interesting (although with a couple of highlights) and FAR TOO LONG! I don't think I've ever listened to an album much longer than an hour that couldn't have done with being a bit shorter, and at 89 minutes this one doesn't break that streak. The reward for getting to the end is an eye-opening closer called 'Slut', which is exactly as pleasant as you'd expect. It's a bit straight down the line, ballady, and not really good enough to excel in that genre. 2.5.
Jesus fucking christ, Todd.
Long as hell.
This reminds me too much of the easy listening QM radio stuff I had to listen to growing up.
Generic and pretty boring
Ugh, that was a struggle. My first contact with Todd Rundgren, hopefully the last one. I didn't like his vocal, and his music was, unfortunately, boring and outdated. Every song was basically a copy of each other bringing nothing interesting to the table. I couldn't make it through whole double album, so probably I missed a more interesting song, but at this point I will take my chances.
Genres: Rock, pop, R&B, psychedelia Formed: Philadelphia in 1967 (solo 1969) Run time: 25 songs, 1 hour, 28 min The third album by American musician Todd Rundgren, and his first double album. The least popular song has 176K plays, whilst the most popular is track 1, “I Saw The Light”, with over 76M plays on Spotify. The album seems to be very bland AOR (adult oriented rock). Boring! I’m all for long albums. I like value for money, but this is torturously long given the quality of material. Listen Again?: No My Rating: **
No thank you.
2.5 too long
70s adult contemporary album that is as uninteresting as it is long. 2/5
This is a lot... Of wasted time. There are actually a few moments of good stuff here. But there is much dad rock and studio fucking around that it gets buried. And I'm starting to understand why ppl don't like double albums. They are great when it's music you like, but painful when it's crap like this.
felt like i'd been listening to this for hours, checked and i was on track 2.
Shite
Viihdytti ja ilahdutti paikoin. Pituus tekee kyllä hallaa - vähempi määrä biisejä pitäisi erityisesti pastissimaiset biisit hauskempina. Yllättäviä juttuja ja taiten tehty. Ei silti anna kauheasti, vedä mukanaan
Paikoin nautinnollista, ja ennen kaikkea ei ärsyttävää (toisin kuin esim. Elvis Costello) Biisimateriaali on toki vähän B-laarista, enkä jää himoitsemaan sen kuulemista uudelleen, mutta pastisseina ja eri tyylilajeja mallintavina kappaleina nämä menettelevät.
I knew two songs and wasn’t all that impressed with the rest
Album starts great with I saw the light. A few other good tracks sprinkled but no where near enough to counter the the pretentious noises he made on the rest of the record.
Heard it before?: No Enjoy it?: It’s not bad it’s just not my thing Favourite song: Track 13 - Black Maria
booooorrriiinnnggg what a opening track. what a perfect track. how on earth could he fill the rest of this interminable fucking record with such vacuous repetition
I was on a light dose of shrooms for this one. It was kinda nice to have the album get more psychedelic as the shrooms kicked in, but it definitely overstayed its welcome. This really didn't need to be an hour and a half long.
People in the 70s got laid to this? Yeesh.
First two songs are great (4 star) the rest is indulgent tosh(1 star).
This one was unfortunately just not for me. It was also much too long. I do really like the cover art though.
I've seen the name a million times, and on pressing play I kind of recognize the voice, but I can't say I know much about Todd Rundgren at all. I am, however, put off by 1 hr 29 mins as a runtime, which is quite frankly bonkers. He's got a good voice. People have been saying this gets weird, where's the weird man?! Okay, now things are getting weird! Maybe gone too far into bizarre. It's still going, and things haven't been that bad, to be honest. It's all a bit AOR middle of the road 70s soft-rock stuff, but then that is what it is. And that's that. Not terrible, but going by what else has been not terrible... 2 / 5 stars.
Too long
Not a big fan
st time listening. What am I missing here? I recognize "Hello It's Me" and that's it. This is an almost 90min slog of humdrum 70s pop rock with one uninteresting song after another. A half-day after listening, I can't say I recall a single melody, lyric, or chorus outside of the aforementioned "Hello It's Me." Perfectly fine and inoffensive background music, kind of like how the artwork functions akin to your grandma's wallpaper. Unless I hear something by Todd Rundgren that really blows me away, I'm skeptical about pursuing his works any further. Not a fan.
Once again, good for background listening, not my case for explicit listening.
"let's leave the studio chatter at the beginning of every song, that'll seem really cool!"
I want to become a physicist, discover time travel, and time travel back to 1972 and steal the lunch money of the guys who bought this album.
why so gd longgg
Not my cup of tea, na 3 nummers gestopt met luisteren.
Niet opmerkelijk, beetje saai zelfs
As I know of Todd Rundgren as the producer of Bat Out of Hell I had no real idea what to expect. Whatever I expected it wasn't this collection of random pop, influenced by the Beatles, Carole King and Randy Newman (Yes I know that this is anachronistic in part, but it is what it sounds like). Not really worth spending the time on - there are various tolerable songs and few that were just irritating, but way to many for too long with too little to say and almost no originality, As a producer Todd is good, as an artist - average to poor
We’ll crafted songs, but some are way too sappy. A lot of the songs seem to blend together, which makes sense since this album is ridiculously long. Bit of a slog.
This one a little tough for me to rate. It's just so long and I didn't really feel like going back to listen again. I can say, it was definitely diverse. Some mellow stuff, some weird stuff and some acid trip shit. Recognize a few songs from the radio, but they're the kinda songs I generally skip over. Anyway, liked Wolfman Jack, but nothing else really stood out except for Slut. Just because I am a slut for my wife. At least she pays well. Yo Luke, don't tell mom I said that. I'll give a 2-2.5. I mean nothing too adverse to me, but nothing that made me want to go back and do again
2 Had to piece this one out into two sittings and I’m really glad I did because I very much enjoyed this album. It’s not top 10 material or anything but I had a nice time listening. I was especially entertained by “Intro” which is decidedly not the intro to anything and is pretty funny. This leads me to my primary complaint which is that I don’t know what I’m supposed to take seriously. Is it all of it? None of it? If it’s only some how do I know which ones? Also it’s length. I don’t remember much about the Todd Rundgren album we had but I’m pretty sure I like this one more probably?
I'm not impressed. The only interesting part is that Todd Rundgren switched a lot between genres from song to song and you're not sure what to expect next. The overall experience is lackluster.
This was indeed something..but I would rather listen to anything..else
Not vibing with this one, guys.
pedo lyrics? VITUN HIPPI TIETENKI!!!!!!! rupee selittää jotai paskaa keskellä albumiin (turpa kiinni)Best blues ever written. Most people don't "get" him. I do. NO EN MINÄ... luulee tekevänsä jotain hullua... kuulostaa vaan tylsältä... VITUN HIPPIPASKAT PASKAT!!! TYKKÄÄ TÄSTÄ!!!!!!ok hold up hyvä biisi rn.... noh pari hyvää bluessia nostaa POHJAMUDISTA...mutta biisejä on 25 joten 1.5 hyvää eI RIITÄ älä laita blooppereita albumiin ette te ole ihmisiäq no annetan kaks... black maria
Fucking boring soft rock that went forever. 2/5.
This album feels very reminiscent of it's time. The earlier tracks sound familiar in some way but I found the whole album a struggle.
Rundgren is clearly very talented, and has (as his "Intro" hints) taken great care with this recording. But I have to say, the songs and the arrangements just don't appeal to me. It's "that 70s sound" again...a kind of perfectly crafted soft rock that has lots going on at once, but nothing to hook me in. 2.5 stars.
I was rally bored with this album. Very pleasant pop songs, in a soft rock style. Was this about the first album where the artist played all the instruments? Possibly so, which makes it a bit of a landmark with regards to what a single person could accomplish with a multitrack, and set a precedent for artists like Prince. Mind you, others were coming to the same discovery independently (Mike Oldfield must have been recording Tubular Bells almost simultaneously). But the songs and performances frankly bore me, and I suspect they did for Rundgren too, who started being much more experimental following this album. Even the heavier rock songs on this album are kind of bloodless. It reminds me of how Danny Sugarman in 'Wonderland Ave' complains about how the rock (largely) seemed to water down in the early 70s. This album is a case in point.
Needed sleeve notes. And editing down to a single album. And even then it's a 3.
no, nothing mate
The pop hits are effective but I don’t like this kind of music
That went downhill fast. I Saw the Light is a great song, but then it's just totally forgettable. Some Folks Is..... is quite a blast, but that's it.
Again, I think I like it? Not as impressive as the last one and way too long for me to make it all the way through. 2/5 because I lost interest before the end
Best Song: Breathless. Sad to say my favourite track on the album is the one in which he isn't singing. Worst Song: It Takes Two to Tango (This Is For The Girls). That chipper voice is really starting to grate on my by this point in the album, and the dated "boys are from Mars, women are from Venus" lyrical theme isn't helping. Overall: Seems like one happy little drug man's personal project to make an album he loves. I can't really begrudge him for that, because it really does sound like he's having fun. But Jesus, there's some weird shit in here. I'm forced to believe the man has no idea what a viking is. Not to mention a song called "intro" in the middle of the album that's just him fiddling with recording equipment? To paraphrase Hemingway: "Record inebriated, edit sober".
It was okay
noise
some tracks felt really modern but I don't feel anything special for the album overall
Too long and not very interesting
Certainly can hear how it influenced a lot of music, but just misses the mark for me.
I would be eating this up if I was a virgin looking for songs to burn onto a CD permanent-markered with the title "FUCK JAMS" I Went to the Mirror is pretty good though
Meh.
"Little Red Lights" is decent
not sure if this album was supposed to have 25 songs. Bit too much.
First few tracks are good but by the end this is actively annoying.
Well, this is the 2nd Todd Rundgren album on here, and like the first its a VERY long and VERY self-indulgent mess with supposed "funny" parts and very few tunes. General rule: if someone writes, produces and plays pretty much everything on a very long album, it's likely to be mostly poor as there is zero quality control. Between all of this and the other one there could have been a decent EP, nothing more.
An eclectic little mix of music. Some skits, one song I knew. But as soon as you see a song titled “Slut” it’s off the playlist and into the bin.
Pretty good, Spotify didn’t have the full double album though so I missed out on some of the songs, especially Hello, It’s Me
Most of this was pedestrian pop-rock. The spoken word interlude where he explains studio recording mistakes was odd and the slut-shaming song is just cringeworthy.
I was rally bored with this album. Very pleasant pop songs, in a soft rock style. Was this about the first album where the artist played all the instruments? Possibly so, which makes it a bit of a landmark with regards to what a single person could accomplish with a multitrack, and set a precedent for artists like Prince. Mind you, others were coming to the same discovery independently (Mike Oldfield must have been recording Tubular Bells almost simultaneously). But the song sand performances frankly bore me, and I suspect they did for Rundgren too, who started being much more experimental following this album. Even the heavier rock songs on this album are kind of bloodless. It reminds me of how Danny Sugarman in 'Wonderland Ave' complains about how the rock (largely) seemed to water down in the early 70s. This album is a case in point.
Noise at times. Unremarkable, but not unpleasant.
Some of the songs were bangers and sounded like the 70s. Other songs were extra cringe and sounded like the 70s.
Starts off strong with some wonderful meta touches (the recording dialogue was amazing), but with the back half being live takes and demos the overall LP feels overstuffed and half-baked. Would be much stronger with most of the second half left on the cutting-room floor
Turns out there's a good reason why I haven't listened to this album before. Not that it's the worst I've listened to from this list (not by a wide margin), but it does reopen the question of "what are so many of the albums on this list doing on this list?" In other words, I find it hard to see what so special about this album.
I like yacht rock but this is too yacht rock for me.
Forgettable, moments I enjoyed
Boring
I LOVE this album artwork!! I have never heard of this guy Todd... Let's see if his tunes live up to his beaut 70s artwork. Ok wow I just found out he did this entire album by himself, that's very cool and kind of arrogant haha (he didn't think other musicians measured up) maybe if he'd included some other minds and inspiration into the mix it would have made this album less DULL. It's quite cheesy in a not very fun way... Wolfman Jack is a cool tune. I do think it's all missing that group feeling though, like Wolfman Jack is a fun song I like the beat and the melody, but it's weird to imagine him doing that all alone for some reason. I want to think of people all vibing off each other having a great time playing it. OMG this has so grown on me throughout, what an unusual experience. I love the game he introduces in that weird skit that breaks the flow, and now I feel like I understand what he's trying to do here a bit more.
Didn't feel much about this one. Some of it a bit twee
lame
20/01/22
Slick - can see how this set the platform for the next decade of rock
Something about "It Wouldn't Have Made Any Difference" stuck with me but the rest of this album felt so extra. Who does an hour and twenty in 1970 and expect it to be good? So many skips on this album and this fella reminded me of better rock singers.
This was by no means bad, but it needed to be shorter. Like much shorter, because after 45 minutes I said to myself “This is just gonna stay repetitive for another hour huh?” I listened to this while cleaning. That’s not a slight or a compliment.
No context except for triggering traumatic kid memories from hearing "Hello, It's Me" on the radio too much, the rest of the record came across as soothing yet cloying, like Pepto Bismol. I fast forwarded on many of the tracks to keep the aggravating nausea down. Vacuous yet soggy in a Margaritaville flow. This is what Ned Flanders would deem as heavy hardcore. I just didn't connect, except for getting pissed off. However, a little nudge upwards for the "Sounds of the Studio" game and the skits/banter, and "Slut" which would fit right in with the Rocky Horror soundtrack. Once I looked up the wiki I realized TR's list of lifetime highlights is a mile long; he's an influential musician, a progressive, tech-savvy innovator, and has lived a colorful life. Admire the artist, loathe the art.
I saw the light is OK
Meh
Surprised that I knew a few of these songs. But, all in all, not my thing.
Might as well be the white album
Todd Rundgren's third album is a double album - so it has double the normal amount of songs. It's primarily a pop album with Todd playing almost all of the instruments heard, which is impressive. This album is recognized as one of the best pop albums from the 70's, but it wasn't recognized until later in the 70's. I enjoyed listening to this older version of pop, but I don't normally like pop music.
I think I only listened to about half of this. Never really captured my attention. Not offensive. Seems like some of this would be up my ally but it just didn't hold me for whatever reason. Maybe too polished?
Dizzying album with no clear genre established. Can hear elements of Queen and early synth.
This had huge potential for a nice, peppy, feel good album. But the marathon it subjected me to, really soured me. Therefore reducing the enjoyment and therefore the rating.
doesnt sound bad but i couldnt get into it and it was super long. i liked sweeter memories.
I like the producer angle this guy has, it seems he has been quite influential on that basis to people like Prince, Bjork and Daft Punk. So I rate him for that, but musically this album is a bit boring. A bit too easy listening for me. 5/10
Skjønner at mange "gæmmliser" har lagt sin elsk på Todd Rundgren. Jeg er nok for ung til å skjønne dette. I Saw the Light er jo en grei og fin sommerlåt da, pluss for den.
i already knew this, but i really just don't care for todd rundgren.
Bit much
Wel lekker begin van het album, einde wat minder
Not my jam, but hey it fills the time.
Ich hab’s probiert. Leider packt mich auch hier kein Song, geschweige denn das überlange Doppelalbum.
Sweet sound of pop salads... A bit sickly sweet. And... misogynist early manosphere entitled lyrics. Nah.
Ass
I saw it in my peripheral vision. Thank god, something familiar. Something to tether myself to in this sea of mediocre adult contemporary schlock. No matter it is still 17 songs away, I can do this. Wait...oh no...this isn't what I expected. Noooooooo! If there was a spare star to penalize Mr. Rundgren I would have. Alas, the scale has a hard lower bound and this album had been firmly entrenched there for 19 songs already.
Gear: HEDD Audio HEDDphone Two Artwork: ️🌹🌹🟪 Production (2015 Remix): 📈👂😖 Music: 🧐🤦♀️🙅♀️ Rating: 🥀/5
70er-Jahre-„Nicht-Meins“
This was very bland. Peripherally aware of his name, don’t know any of the songs here. I read about how groundbreaking he was on this album but I just can’t find it. And it doesn’t even have the benefit of nostalgia to me.
Hated it. First DNF - just soppy love ballads, don't understand what people get from it. Two discs of the same song... just really not great.
So generic and boring. Way too many songs on this album
/Nothing
I really hate this. Like, a lot. I’m not sure if it deserves a 1 star or a 2 star rating, but I know I’m mad that I had to listen to it, so fuck this album.
Started with the best song then just got worse and kept on going and going
Here's my simple rule for 1 ratings. Would I ever, ever sit down and listen to this album again? If the answer is no, if I couldn't get through the whole album, if I am bored to tears, or if I'm just generally confused - it's a 1. This is a 1. I made it to Torch Song.
Bro you gotta cut it out with the double album shit. I ain't listening to 90 minutes of 70s ballads. For those of you curious why I'm bashing this with a 1/5, I'm pissy today, and the book's review of this album has set me on a war path against the practice of music critique once again. The book nominates this album as the pinnacle of Todd Rundgren's career, not just as a musician, but as a producer. Given that this album dropped in '72, I deem that judgment sorely myopic; deluded, even. By my estimation, this was the ninth album Todd had his hands on in either one of those respects, and has touched countless more since then. Exemplifying this album as the summit of his accomplishments not only belittles his subsequent FIVE DECADES spent in music, it signals that his output over the following years cannot match the purported "quality" of this release. Sonny boy, you fell victim to one of the classic blunders! Your confirmation bias fails to consider literally anything else in Rundgren's discography as performer or producer, and explain why/how this album eclipses his other work. I ain't buying what you're selling. A more deserving entry - Love Junk by The Pursuit of Happiness. Rundgren produced this. It goes way harder - more musical pressure in half the duration, and better lyrics to boot. Getting reeeeeaaaaaallllllyyyy tired of the critical echo chamber I've discovered along this journey.
1.4 This is what they probably played in the post office as the soft rock offering, that made mailmen go crazy and start shooting people
Side 1: "a bouquet of ear-catching melodies" — sappy, 2-stars Side 2: “the cerebral side" — painful, 1-star Side 3: “the kid gets heavy" — decent, 3-stars Side 4: "Baby Needs a New Pair of Snakeskin Boots (A Pop Operetta)" — obnoxious, 2-stars Overall average: 2-stars Double LP: minus 1 star Net result: 1-star
Very nice
El primer tercio de disco es la sintonia de "Los Problemas Crecen". El segundo hay algo salvable rollo Black Maria y la ultima hay alguna cosilla que si tuviera un MPC igual me creia The Alchemist. No lo volvera a escuchar a no ser que me ponga a hacer bases de Hip Hop
É unha verdadeira lástima que o prezo da fabricación dos vinilos non estivese bastante máis elevado en 1972 e tivese impedido que isto vise a luz como disco dobre para nos evitar semellante TURRA. Hai algunha idea interesante e cancións chulas, pero noventa minutos dun tipo xogando ao guitar hero, a compoñer melodías non aptas para diabéticos e, en xeral, a reproducir todos os putos males do rock dos 70 enterran o conxunto. Ocórrenseme 1.001 e 10.001 discos ca incluír nun libro de historia da música contemporánea antes ca este
The albums that have come up this week have been challenging. I'm feeling a bit jaded! Too many songs on this record, only 1 or 2 of them any good. Self indulgent, 3 sides too many. 1 star
I could watch a game of football (soccer to my US friends) instead of listening to this. Guess what I chose? 1/5 10/1/26
This was just not it for me.
Wuss rock. Way too long.
Wuss rock was invented in 1972
Not for me. 1/5
Intro and Breathless were. Interesting but the rest of the album i was struggling to connect to or find much joy with… Creative band but not grabbing my attention really at all.
Should be illegal to stretch something this boring into the length of a feature film
2 decent songs the rest of the album was a slog
Say something/anything about this album? I'd rather not. 1/5
Perhaps a new low
I wasn’t sure what to expect from this, but while ‘I Saw the Light’ isn’t my sort of thing i did enjoy it. Unfortunately my tolerance for that sort of thing is the odd song on the radio so i cant say the same of ‘It wouldn’t have made any difference’ and whilst ‘wolfman jack’ varies the style i think the problem is the vocals. By track 5 I’m already desperate for the album to end and there’s still a ridiculous 20 more tracks to go. And why given the length of the album do we need the entirety pointless’Intro’ (see also overture) and dont get me started on ‘Breathless’. i do not like plinky plonk 70s keyboards! ‘song of the Viking’ just made me wish the Vikings would put an end to this absolute divel. ‘Piss Aaron’ is just purile snd the least said about the final track the better
Mixed feelings with this. After two first songs I was going to give up. After about eight I still was really willing to give up on this. After that this over sized album stayed as background music and for some moments I realized that this sound almost nice.
Sounds like some generic pop rock from the early 70's. Wasn't impressed with anything. Vocals. Instrumentation. Its an hour and a half long - way too long for a very vanilla album. They must have also been impressed with new sound effects and synths at the time period, as a bunch is just thrown in to this album for no good reason it seems. Maybe that's why it's so long, they were experiment with absolutely everything. Editing goes a long way. I am sure if I was coming of age when this was released, I may have some nostalgia, or even if I had heard this when I was coming of age, I would have maybe had some fond memories of this. And hour and a half long.. goodness. It isn't terribly produced or anything of that nature. Sound quality is fine. Just long and very average in my opinion.
Long and boring. No memorable songs.
I can't really find much to redeem this double album. It might have been better if it was edited down to a single LP, rather than a double. The "sameness" of the tunes really got to me, and left me thinking if I was listening to rejects of 70s TV themes.
This is just not a genre I like. The music was terrible to me, and this album was way too long.
Boring and generic, not my speed. 1/5 stars
I really hated this album
Prior to this I have never heard of Todd, and I could have happily gone on that way, based on this album. The songs on the first side are nice enough, with tunes such as It Wouldn’t Have Made A Difference (a stand out track), sounding like a Bee Gees cut prior to their disco pivot. The album is designed as four sides, but once the spoken word Intro started, and he described a game to play, I found myself completely removed from the record. After that I listened to a few of the more well known tracks, which were underwhelming. Couldn’t finish, not for me…
Not much worked for me, which is unfortunate given the 90 minute runtime.
Todd Rundgren has the distinguished talent of making an absurdely long album where every song sucks, but sucks in a completely unique way.
This was a slog. A very long record full of self-indulgent studio wankery. Get this out of there.
Not my cup of Tea
This went from OK to bad to very bad over the course of way too long. 1.5
Couldn't even finish it. Not my thing.
I was bored with this mediocrity after 4 songs, so I gave up on it. Then I checked the reviews from listeners, some of which indicated it changes as it runs along. So I skipped around, and, sure, there's some variation musically. But it still feels empty and soulless, and none of them could hold my attention long enough to stick with it. It didn't help that several songs have at least 30 seconds of jabbering that should've been cut. Y'all have fun with it though.
This could have been a solid little pop rock album, nothing special but just a good enough album to listen to. But no, it could never be that easy. It just *had* to be an hour and a half didn't it? The sad thing is that the actual music is perfectly ok, it just doesn't need to be so damn long.
I really wasn't in a mood for yacht rock so didn't give this one a fair shake, only got a few songs in. I'll give it another try if I ever go back through all these a second time
you motherfuckers get out of my face
Really really bad - cheesy 70s rubbish
LESS IS MORE. This shouldn't have been a double-length album. It made me angrier the further into it I got.
Too hippy-ish and slow for me. Turned it off about 4 songs in. Listen again: no Purchase for my collection: no Favourite Song: none
Todd Rundgren is a great musician, but god damn this was an infuriating listen. Waaaay too long with waaaay too many gimmicks along the way.
- viel zu lang für das, was es bietet - vieles ging mir leider auf den Sack, war oft davor zu skippen oder sogar abzubrechen
What is it with 70s double albums? Interminably self-indulgent nonsense is not something I need or want to hear before I die.
Boring.
1 stern
Couldn't make it through this one--a pity, since I really like A Wizard/A True Star. This was unbearably cheesy yacht rock, for the 1970s dental waiting room. I got most of the way through and listened to the first 5-10 seconds of the last 5 songs.
One song does not an album make. This makes elevator music sound like heavy metal.
You get given your randomly selected album of the day, you read a little bit about it and you see those two words no one wants to see: 'Double album'. It must be hard enough to write a 45 minute long album that is consistently great and stands the test of time. But to write one that's over 80 minutes in length? I'm sure it's been done but this certainly isn't one of them. Each side is something a bit different. Side one is mainly pop music, side two turns slightly more psychedelic. Sides three and four are more rock focused. Quite a cool thing to do but overall there's nothing that grabs me and makes me want to listen to the whole thing again. For an album that's an hour and a half long you want it to be worth it, and this just isn't. Potentially a solid three if you cut the album in half and keep the best tracks. But the odd decent track here and there doesn't save this from the lowest rating I can give I'm afraid.
Boring
This album was a real struggle - must be the blandest piece of music on this list. Some years ago the generator generated A Wizard / A True Star, his other famous album, which was apparently 3 stars for me. Did some backtracking and believe that that album might indeed be the better album.
This record really was all over the place... it had a handful of ok songs spread out over the different sides, but mostly it is either mediocre or garbage. This is simply not acceptable for such a long record in my opinion. Better to make it tight and short than to have much material with a few decent songs. There were some wit around, but I can't really see myself recommending this to anyone.
Would have made an okay single album, if you like smooth Seventies rock (I Saw The Light is a nice tune, albeit I was disappointed it wasn't a Hank Williams cover). But this just gets messier and messier, and way too indulgent. I lost the thread of this after 'Intro', and it feels like Todd did a bit too.
1+ Stars (3/15)
I assume this ended at some point... Needs a Mr Steinman and Mr Loaf to carry this kind of thing off.
Mais um psicodélico que começa bem e depois acaba virando uma passagem enrolada e chata.
This album felt like an eternity! I know very little about this dude's music. So little so that the first song "I Saw the Light" I've always just assumed it was Carole King, or Carley Simon or Anne Murray. All I knew was he did that 'I don't wanna work I just wanna bang on my drum all day' song. (Not for me) And that Liv Tyler thought he was her dad until she was 11. I hope this is the only album of his on this list.
Starts out fine enough two stars but hits 1 around "I WENT TO THE MIRROR" where it's just random keyboard clumps and muttering. I quit there with over half the album to go.
So bad
Shite
This 1h30 thing felt so bland and uninspired. What the hell happened there? Who would want to listen to that for 1h30 straight?
Crap
boring like it felt like time was moving slower and i was trapped listening to this just desperately wanting to do something else but I signed up for this
A couple of marginal hits in the mix, but the rest is aimless. Barely enough decent material for a single album much less the double release.
The 70s produced some of the greatest music ever made. Todd Rundgren was there, too.
carino all'inizio,stile pop rock opera, stavo tra il 2 e 3. Do uno perché estremamente lungo e a fine ascolto ero tediato all'inverosimile
Not sure why likes this stuff? Continental Europe?
C'est beaucoup mais beaucoup trop long. J'ai enduré 45min de cet album double et je voulais presque mourir tout le long. C'est ennuyeux à mourir.
Self indulgent crap, it's hard enough to make a good 40min album let alone a 90min one. Slogged through 5 tracks to see another 20+ to come and felt miserable.
Speaking of albums that feel like they go on forever
This album is the reason why punk had to happen. So pretentious. Ugh.
I like only his hits. Otherwise, not my cup of tea.
Boring as fuck.
Probably a 2 star album but losing a point for being so long. Nothing really of note here and this goes on for 90 MINUTES??? Definitely not worth your while. Spinal Tap is only 82 minutes. Watch Spinal Tap instead 👍🏾
Wat een saaie bende zeg! Ik zie nu pas dat ik deze belege plaat van deze lapzwans al gedraaid had zelfs. Totaal geen indruk gemaakt.
Far too long, far too not good. Very little quality to write home about, all the hallmarks of a bad album.
So dull…so long…
Not sure why, but this album kinda gave me the creeps. 2/5.
No-one needs 1 hour 27 minutes of this. Stop it Todd.
So what's 25 track double album basically? One of substance 2 or 3 others the 2 singles are OK. Little red lights is great and some folks are wider than me is a notable track.
So many great albums came out in the 1970s... but this is not one of those. In fact, if you were to take all that was bad about 70s rock - the cheesy soft ballads, the "blue-eyed" soul, the unnecessary saxophones - and distill it into one album, it would be this album. This album smells like stale tobacco and cracked jukebox buttons.
Cheesy kutnummers
Repetitive soft rock
awful and obsolete.
It starts pleasant enough, then it gets a little weird, then it overstays its welcome.
The album was long. All over the place, inconsistent and not good. It is probably better than a one but not much.
Didn’t enjoy this at all. Except the “Intro” song was interesting
Ok side 1 is kinda bullshit. Side two is a more Steely Dan vibe, just without the goove. It's like someone put music of the era and put it in a blender and then portioned it back out. The really banal hooks are what kill me, see "Saving Grace". Black Maria sucks. This album sucks and it will not leave. This part 4 is like souless Billy Joel and that is saying something.
1.5 Our previous Rundgren album, A Wizard/A True Star, was a fun musical journey through the audible equivalent of an LSD trip. This one is a bit more of a musical marathon, where you’re out of breath and ready for the finish line by the end. I’m really glad he decided to get a bit more experimental with his follow-up, as this one just feels like safe pop song after lame soft rock song… after safe pop song after lame soft rock song after safe pop song after lame soft rock song. Really don’t think this needed to be 25 tracks, and I think the fact that not one jumped out to me makes it seem like Rundgren was going for quantity over quality. I guess I’ll give him kudos for playing almost all of the instrument tracks on the album, but still, it doesn’t make the listening any more interesting to me. Since I didn’t outright hate any tracks in particular, I was feeling a strong 2 at first, but I ultimately decided to deduct a half point for runtime, as that would most likely deter me from listening again in the future.
I am a fan of Todd and seen him a few times, I just don't like this album. Sounds like he fell in love for the first time and wanted to sing about it
You suck and this sucks. It drove me up a wall. Stupid double albums.
Not my speed at all.
2/18/23
Got about 3 songs in and had to abandon it. Nothing about it captured my imagination or stirred emotion. The sound of unsweetened rice pudding with cloves in it. Spyak.
1.5
I saw the light está OK, el resto es una mierda.
I didn't care for this. Not my taste in music at all.
Not into it
This guy again. Probably not as bad as his drugs are so interesting album but not good either.
I'm so mad I got distracted and let this play for an hour. Corny shit. "Intro" was pretty funny.
Cannot rate this - wouldn’t listen again
Terrible. I'm not sure how this made the list. I could only make it half way through.
This really sucks