A Wizard, A True Star

Weird and awesome!

Good

Okay would not listen again

Loucura esse álbum, psicodélico, conceitual, parece meio circo. Pior que eu achei interessante, mas não foi o suficiente pra eu curtir e ir atrás.

1/1

In 1972, Todd Rundgren released the album “A Wizard, A True Star”. What this review presupposes is, maybe he shouldn’t have?

What a strange album There are parts I absolutely loved, parts that made me want to yell in frustration, and parts that just dragged on and on and on. Overall, more here that I liked than disliked.

First listened on 29th April 2026. Favourite song is Tic Tic Tic, It Wears Off. Not his best album, but still good.

Chaotic to say the least. Best part about it was the side 2 medley of motown/soul renditions. It feels like Todd loved him some Todd.

Of course the REALLY pretentious Todd Rundgren album made this list.

Listened to this a bunch in the hopes I'd appreciate Rundgren more but always get bounced by its ratio of cool experimental shit versus the wacky stuff. At 53 minutes, it's a little too long and a little too wacky. Some good stuff on here but sandwiched between too much uncle stuff

Really weird until the last third.

This album is seriously all over the place! First half has way too much of a prog rock vibe for my taste. Then out of nowhere comes a long-ass R&B medley! Like, say what? Then back to rock. It’s quite a ride. I mean I think most people will like find at least one track they like, I found several, but I doubt I will ever choose to listen to the complete album again.

A Wizard, A True Star by Todd Rundgren was an album I’d never heard of before, so I had no idea what to expect going in. I was looking forward to discovering something completely new. This is a strange album. Considering it was released in 1973, it still feels remarkably modern and ahead of its time, although it definitely gets weird in places. That said, I really enjoyed it and will definitely listen to it again. It’s all over the place musically, jumping between different sounds and ideas, but somehow remains coherent enough to work as an album. In places, it really reminded me of The Four Seasons, particularly in some of the vocal harmonies and melodies. There wasn’t anything I thought was poor. Even at its strangest, everything felt worth hearing. Favourite tracks: “Zen Archer,” “Onionhead/Da Da Dali,” and I’m so proud. Least favourite tracks: Nothing, everything was worth a listen. Album artwork: Cool album cover

3.0

Apologies to Todd Rundgren, but I have confused him with Ted Nugent countless times. He's been eclipsed in my Western music/cultural/historical awareness, having been overwritten by the cranky, bowhunting Nugent (whereas Rundgren just wrote the brilliant Zen Archer for this album). And yet, they are nearly opposites. Rundgren's a progressive, avant-garde multi-instrumentalist while Nugent is a loud, far-right arena-rock traditionalist. Both were born in 1948 in rust belt/mid-atlantic blue collar cities — they are like shadow twins. Even though their orbits overlapped, I don't think there's documented evidence of them ever meeting (one could go down a black hole of invention and eventual psychosis spinning this into a full theory, but it's just the names). Anyway, I think hearing this record has helped me separate them more in my mind than anything else to date. I can get into this early baroque pop with psychedelic wizardry. And while I think the album could've benefited from removing the weakest moment from each side, I think it'd be more of a challenge than just saying it. It's a fantastic singular expression of a true star's radiant flux. I guess, in the end, we just need to listen to the music. In the case of this record, that's multiple times now. It rewards a relaxed, unhurried headphone listen and is interesting enough for me to return to. I may not be ready to assign it a full five-star rating, but it's close.

Pretty good. On a different day I could really get into this.

Zen archer wasn't a bad track. Felt like it was random for the sake of being random Borderline Unpleasant Glad he's got fans and must have done something right to be on this list but i don't know what that is Like listening to a manic episode

This guy rocks! What a musician and absolute legend. Really enjoyed this album.

Booring

I can’t. 1/5

Yeah!

A little dated

Grrrr circus music AND a Motown cover medley??

Why is Macaulay Culkin on the cover?

Maybe this is what my parents think of Mars Volta

not my type of album. does not bother me but also i feel i don't know how to appreciate it too much

Nick Drake + Harry Nilsson + T. Rex. A whimsical pioneer that pushes the boundaries of 70's rock and roll. A really fun listen.

Desperately trying here. Listening with open ears but it's not landing as "great" -- there is enough though to make it mildly compelling and not a complete washout. That said, there are some pretty rough -- or ruff? moments and I do not like songs with dogs except for Been Caught Stealing and Who Am I/What's My Name and that's only a human saying bow wow wow but I digress. It's ok and grateful for something new to consider.

Not for me really.

Un album muy psicodelico para mí gusto. Las canciones son buenas, pero las conecta de una manera extraña. Algunos beats son raros y no conectan con la siguiente canción de ninguna manera.

It’s been about 5 years since I had a bit of an LSD “phase,” and when I look back at things I thought and said around that time, I think, ha, I love my druggy ass self but I may have been a little carried away with some of that energy. I bring that up because I identify *so hard*, in the same way, with some of these pull quotes I’m seeing from Rundgren about his own psychedelic experiments and intentions with his music and art. 😂 Been there, man. This album is a wild ride and I’m here for all of it. I’ve realized my weak spot is when artists really *go for it* (Kate Bush’s The Dreaming for another one), and this is one of those albums. Awesome, I’ll be remembering and coming back to this one. Must-listen #389.

What a trip, this was clearly an album that Kevin Parker worked overtime to replicate. Shocked me how similar Tame’s early stuff is to this, down to the production.

They tried a lot on this album, and none of it worked and none of it was good

Overraskede positivt, kan godt høres igen. Tror, jeg kom til at høre en lang version, desværre.

Recognized a couple songs but overall not good

Seemed like a Yes or King Crimson album

Nope. Not at all an album I enjoyed. Not unlistenable, but I don't think there was a single track I genuinely went "Oh, that was good". In that weird space between prog rock and psychedelia that I just cannot enjoy.

This definitely wasn't bad, but I also can't imagine listening to it again. It was interesting if nothing else and there were a couple real jams in here like Le Feel Internationale. 6/10.

A fun album but with a bit overwhelming amount of material. This is an extensive psychedelic progressive pop rock album that not only is composed of 19 songs but also has a lot of different ideas, making this a rather chaotic experience and even quite hard to describe without missing anything. I find the most notable aspects of the record to be how catchy and charming it is. In particular, the charming trait not only comes from the happy pop sounding parts, but also from the energy of the complex progressive moments and the weird but very fun psychedelic sounds. The two mentioned traits are the fundamental features of the record, and can be found in the vast majority of the songs, but there are also some cuts that are more relaxed and slowed down or even sentimental. The best examples are the tracks from "Sometimes I Don't know What to Feel" to "I'm So Proud / Ooh Baby Baby / La La Means I Love You / Cool Jerk", as they have a similar taste to the piano rock sound (and also featuring such instrument), and the latter one being specially slow, as it basically counts as a romantic ballad until the "Cool Jerk" moment starts, which is frenetic progressive rock. However, as fun as this might be, I think it has too many songs, with ones being incredibly strong and others not so much. Not saying that there are bad ones (even though "Dogfight Giggle" could be considered as one, not having any music and being just barking), but having such amount makes the album as a whole less consistent.

Here was probably enough in this give it a higher rating, it was just all over the place

I liked Something/Anything, his album just before this one, but this didn't land so well with me. The album, as intended, merges into one, but there are no real highlights. Would be surprised if he had two albums on this list and I personally would have picked his other one!

Songs were all over the place. Some I liked and others just sounded like he was experimenting!

Well this was certainly different. Reading the background was quite interesting - he didn't like being called the "male Carole King", started listening to Frank Zappa and took a load of psychedelic drugs, and we got something which we should probably have expected in those circumstances, I suppose. I admire him for being deliberately weird for the sake of weird and attempting to defy mainstream categorisation - "you want the obvious, you'll get the obvious", indeed. This was not the obvious Did I enjoy listening to it? Er, kinda?

2.5

This feels like a bunch of half-finished song ideas with a few full songs mixed in. Some of it’s not terrible, but some of it is.

I think I underestimated how much weird music there was in the 60's and 70's. This was fine but I don't need to listen again.

2.25 - Not bad. I could see that score going up with repeat listens.

Thoroughly interesting and musical.

It kept me interested

Have no intention of listening to Todd Rundgren again, won't relisten.

This is glorious. Batshit crazy, way over-ambitious and a delightfully splendid mess. If you're a fan of the Super Furry Animals (and you should be), you'll hear a lot of their fizzy psychedelic rush in here.

Quite experimental but nice

I enjoyed it a lot. Its very of the time and dont think it would hold up today but who cares ? It was a great listen

This was wild. Really enjoyed some of it, and thought some was quirky for quirky's sake. Still, this is possibly unlike anything I've heard and I quite like his voice. It gets a 4, for sure, but do I want to hear it again? That is where I'm unsure.

Todd is hard to top.

Allegedly the original inspiration for 'bedroom musicians', surely along with Mike Oldfield the same year, and making a real breakaway from his relatively melodic pop song approach of his first two albums. The fact that this was entirely his own work and he plays it all (it's on a much bigger scale than McCartney's debut album) is remarkable in itself but, despite all this, its clearly the result of a lot of psychedelic drugs and the album is quite a mishmash on first listening. I find moments of it quite melodically and harmonically satisfying, but other bits just a waste of vinyl and had that soul medley been omitted it would have been a better sounding two sides of vinyl as opposed to a compressed 56 minutes!

First of the list that's really surprised me and blown me away. Super cool

What a crazy, weird af album. Not a meat-and-potatoes listen by any means.

Think I like his early stuff more

This really could have gone either way but... I kinda liked it. I was telling my son about it and he asks "what genre" and the best answer I could come up with was "yes, exactly". There's stuff that sounds like Sgt Peppers, there's full on chaotic psychadelic, there's stuff that sounds like it's playing the main stage at vegas. All over the place, but it works.

Didn't love this- kind of Deep Purple adjacent early prog rock, but with some drifting into glam rock and avant-garde styles. Lots of mixtures of sounds and styles- it didnt always land. Overall- 2.5/5, not quite a 3

This was an alright one. A fair amount of the more manic songs kind of reminds me of glam-era Bowie and 70s Queen, just some of those seems stuff that Bowie and Queen would probably do. I read on Wikipedia - as it helps me understand some things about the album - that as the album goes on the more mellow it gets, and I'd say that's mostly the case. The album overall has quite a cohesive feel to it - which I feel the segueing between songs kind of implies that - even though there isn't a discernible theme. I think this might be an album I might come around to rather than one that I can tell is a 'good' or 'bad' one off the bat. I think I'm mostly impartial, not much of a definitive consensus with this one. It was definitely well thought-out, I can say that for sure. Highlight Song/s: "International Feel", "Tic Tic Tic It Wears Off", "Flamingo" and that long Soul Medley

I guess Todd Rundgren is just not for me. Didn’t enjoy at all.

Giving this a 3 becuase I want to like, but I'm not sure I understand what's going on with it. I think with more time maybe I would? Or not? Why are you confusing me, rocker Todd Rundgren!?!?

Too quirky for me.

Wanted to love it, but just couldn’t get there.

WAHOO WACKY ALBUMSSSS

Extremely shocked at how contemporary a lot of the songs on this album were. He would be belting out a typical 70s ballad and then a synthesizer and drum break would show up and make it sound like MGM or Tally Hall. Really great listen Highly recommend

Apparently Todd was experimenting with psychedelic drugs at the time of recording... no shit!

Really more of a 2.5 for me. I thought the middle songs were the best part of this one

if you get on board, you'll have more fun.

Seems like a concept album with an occasional circus tint kinda gives me some Pinball Wizard vibes. Some fun tracks throughout - listened through a couple times.

Wow, what a mess

The music was nice but his lyrics seems like “stream of consciousness” .

I really dig this. Apparently, Todd has been flying under my radar. Good use of psychedelic sounds, progressive and somehow poppy moments.

The flow from one song to the next. The instruments. Very dynamic sounds. I loved it!

fire

I like the nuttiness of this. Kind of get a weird tame impala-ness about it, especially the drums. Sounds like he recorded it in his bedroom

Bit all over the place Its good tho!

Short, odd, experimental songs running into one another. Not unpleasant. Not sure why its a thing either. Alright innit.

I liked the last Todd Rundgren album I heard, so I was jazzed to get into this. What ended up happening was I turned down my headphones to doubly make sure nobody could hear what I was listening to on my way home from work, because it was that embarrassing. This is never the result you want from music. I get weird, and I generally like weird. But this just sounded like a malfunctioning dude trying acid for the first time, in a bad way. When the shrill annoying wobbly sounds transferred to falsetto cries, I just couldn’t anymore. I listened all the way to the end like I do for all the albums here, hoping and praying for redemption. It never came.

#408/1001. Where has this album been all my life? I thought Todd was overrated, and probably have always heard wrong stuff from him. This is the shit. An album which won't be consumed away with one or two listens is often material for desert island discs. Even the B-side soul medley doesn't sound out of place, although it is something completely different than side A. Don't know about the star, but the psychedelic singer-songwriter wizard for sure is here. Well, actually I do know : 5 stars.

2.1 2x

Very good stuff! Like most 70s music, really enjoyed it.

I did not find this enjoyable

Didn't enjoy it.

I really resonate with dogfight giggle

Nice idea, but psychedelics are not my thing

I’m a big fan of Todd Rundgren’s music, yet I rarely actually listen to it. I can’t remember the last time I thought, “I’m in the mood for Todd.” That said, A Wizard, A True Star is a wonderfully weird and thoroughly enjoyable album.

What a loopy, trippy ride. Really fun

What an interesting album. I've definitely heard of this person before but I don't think I've heard any of this stuff. Definitely a your favorite artist's favorite artist type

I surprisingly really enjoyed this. It’s quite eclectic and had lots of soul influence but also very piano in an Elton John way, some psychedelic elements, a bit of rock sprinkled it.

Creative? Sure. Interesting? Sure. Good? No.

Not bad. A nice example of an artist having the freedom to experiment and not abusing it. Very quirky but still enjoyable as music. Can't say I've heard anything like it, but also not sure when I would put this on again.

progr. Rock, 1973 -> 2

- I've been a fan of this one for quite a while now. It's encouraging to see that so many who've discovered the record through this project are now fans as well. Todd was so ahead of the curve ..... -

Todd Rundgren, and this album in particular has been on the “I’ll check it out” list for what seems like forever. I honestly don’t know why I haven’t listened before doing this list! I enjoyed it. It’s quirky and adventurous, and so dense. Had I discovered this at the peak of my prog rock phase I have no doubt it would have become a firm favourite. Not sure how much I’d revisit it these days, but nonetheless I thought it was excellent. I don’t like his name though. I know, that’s a really dumb thing to say, and I know it’s a me thing. Also, the cover is one of the worst I’ve ever seen. I’m going 4 on this though.

Massive fan of all of this. Experimental and alive and exciting

Unfortunately, I couldn't do anything with it; one star because it might be cool if you're on drugs (though I don't do drugs anymore, unfortunately).

Jazzy

He’s clearly an influence on some of my favorite artists. Why have I not been familiar with him until now?

Interesting & unusual but I wouldn't listen again

I love some in-your-face experimentalism (& I’m a sucker for albums flowing from one track to the next), but half of these songs just felt like they were off-kilter for the sake of being off-kilter. When these tracks were given a chance to grow (“Zen Archer”, “International Feel”, “When Shit Hits the Fan; Sunset Blvd.”), they metamorphosed into dynamic and rightfully idiosyncratic tunes. When left at the one-minute mark (“Rock and Roll Pussy”, “Dogfight Giggle”), however, they just felt like disparate, half-baked fragments of noise. Overall moments of brilliance marred by moments of “what the hell okay sure.” The parts I loved and the parts I hated ended up reaching a middling equilibrium by the end; a weak three feels good here, all said and done.

i expected something a lot better, and well mixed. but this sounds horrendous at times. chaotic in a bad way. idk, but even if i liked parts, there are other moments that are weird in a bad way

One of my favs of all time. Being under the influence of something is a must.

too all over the place for me

Didn't vibe with this one for whatever reason. A little too all over the place for me in the moment.

Ganz nettes Album. Konnte man sich gut anhören

schwer zu bewerten, viel durcheinander, aber auch nicht schlecht.

Weird

Мені дуже сподобалася сторона А. Класні мелодії, є хітові хуки. Вдале поєднання поп-музики з прогресів ходами. На стороні В це практично повністю перестає працювати. Починається щось дуже дивне з сильним перекосом в якийсь прогресів-поп-бурлеск. Хіба що остання пісня на альбомі трохи витягує її.

Десь 2.5 Не шарив такого чувака, але цей дивний про-поп(?) місцями аж занадто клоунський плюс альбом затягнутий сильно. Остання пісня сподобалась, але повертатись до цього альбому я не буду.

This is a mad album. I enjoyed it but can't see myself listening to it again

for sentimental reasons....

🌉

Very pleasant surprise, really enjoyed this

This is bonkers

Some weird shit rocking here

Thanks Frank for including this in Blonded. :) 5/5

I won't listen again but I liked the story he weaved with music. It was a trip and it was mostly a fun pleasant time.

Love the creativity and flow of this. It was a delightful journey through sound and something I'd like to revisit for a deeper dive. Side 1 was its own cool, trippy little world, and I really enjoyed everything on side 2. I was gonna go with a 4 and potentially up that to a 5 if I revisit it, but eff it, this is pretty great, so I'm just gonna 5 it from the jump.

I’m gonna need to try this one again. I had earbuds and an edible and listened straight through but it never really caught me.

4/10 Generally speaking I always appreciate offbeat music, especially when it's on this incredibly repetitive list. This album certainly can be considered offbeat. Unfortunately I think it's too long, not particularly cohesive, and some parts just don't sound pleasing to the ear. While I do think it belongs on the list for its iconoclasm, I don't really like it.

A Wizard, A True Star was certainly an interesting one. I should probably expect it to be because of the sheer number of styles because holy shit, that's a lot. The album starts off as this very ELO sounding album which makes sense as both ELO and Rundgren started their careers around the same time and those were the points where the album was most enjoyable and nearly all of the album. The one issue with this album is the parts where it is not doing ELO stuff and is instead trying to be so weird that it ends up being incomprehensible. All i'll say about this album is when it's good, it's really good but when it's bad, it's really bad. Best Song: Medley Worst Song: Rock & Roll Pussy

Not bad. Hadn't really listened to Rundgren, more fun than I was expecting, but not quite my jam

Viaje intergaláctico Letras un tanto abstractas (creo), pero de verdad que un viaje musical bien entretenido Me parece una especie de precursor de lo que MGMT entregó en su primer disco Instrumentalmente se siente potente Y la verdad que muy disfrutable, lo recomiendo especialmente para personas que tengan un oído que les gusta experimentar No hay ninguna canción a destacar al menos que piense en este momento, pero como álbum se siente que ninguna puede hacer falta 3.4

This was a wild journey. I felt like it was all over the place, some of it was pure 70s pop, some Motown, some electronic weirdness. I feel like if he would have cut out the wacky stuff this would be an all time classic

Unexpectedly enjoyed this.

Would either be really good or really terrifying while on psychedelics, which I am not so it was neither of those things (2/5)

Just Another Onionhead Sometimes I don’t Know What to Feel Is it My Name?

International Feel When The Shit Hits the Fan/Sunset Blvd Is It My Name

I have written before about psychedelic music and the fact that it doesn't really work for me. This album didn't change that. Its just to much strange stuff going on for me to get in to the vibe of the songs. Perhaps in a time on a different day this would hit hard but not today, tomorrow or even next week. But who knows in 10 years time.

Never consciously listened to this guy so was receptive to doing so. Don’t know if this is an insight to what he is all about but it just sounded like a mishmash of sound with no coherent structure. Granted because of this it might take a few plays to realise its potential but I’ve got 1089 albums (and counting) to get through here and I really don’t have the time. I only mention that becuse I have now clocked up 900 albums and didn’t realise this until this morning when I got the red dot bell. Also saw that my average rating had increased by 0.01. Which thanks to this album will probably fall back again. 2/5 22/6/26

No es de mi estilo

Pretty unusual. I'm not really sure if I like it or not. 2.5, rounding up to a 3 because I like the album art.

Number: 168 Date: 06/20/2026 Artist: Todd Rundgren Album: A Wizard, A True Star Year: 1973 Style: Experimental Psychedelic Rock Familiarity: Well-Versed (4) Rating: 4 Before: ======= I've listened to most of this album at least once before. I have You Need Your Head ranked number 2 out of 81 songs on my favorites of 1973; however, that's the only song form this album on that list. During: ======= Song Ratings ------------ 5s 1 4s 6 3s 11 2s 1 1s 0 After : ======= Interesting album, ahead of it's time imo, especially You Need Your Head. 3 my personal rating 5 suitability for this list 4 impact ----------------------------------------------- 4 composite rating

I won't do this justice by any means. Maybe the best album in the list so far that I hadn't already heard. Actually accomplishes what I wanted so many albums in the psychedelic/trippy/prog mash-mash to do, in part by not taking itself too seriously, by remembering that an album is made up of songs and not just grooves. Veers between the extremes of so abstract and so catchy with no pauses between to catch your breath. I'd give it a six if I could because it was on a whole other plane... made it hard for me to listen to anything else for a while. Looking forward to returning, discovering more, figuring it out. Like a lot of albums I ultimately loved, this one challenged me at first. A few songs in I texted my friend and said, "I think I've wandered into an album-length version of Fingertips by They Might Be Giants... no idea if it will work or not." But it got even weirder than that with excursions into things like the Cool Jerk. Anyway, still reeling, looking forward to what others have to say.

Toddy-boy noodles around in the studio and slaps it down onto tape, all for your benefit (?). After the excellent prog-pop opening track "International Feel", Todd dons his mad scientist cape and cooks up one warped song fragment after another, none of them worth anyone's time. After getting somewhat back on track halfway through, he then serves up a ten-minute medley of cover versions of R&B tunes for reasons that just ain't evident in the grooves. This hodgepodge of an album is worth a once-through to see if there's anything on here that rings your bell but otherwise I can't ever see myself wanting to give anything a secomd spin (except for the aforementioned "International Feel" ).

6/10 This album is so weird, and on one hand that makes me appreciate it more, because some songs were pretty enjoyable. On the other side of that coin this album is full of one minute songs that go from frantic, over the top song to frantic, over the top song. Switching from metal sounding songs to songs that could pass as modern day lo-fi. Like I said, it's weird.

All over the place, is probably the best way to describe this album. It’s so chaotic (especially the first half), really absurde and I feel like nothing makes sense, but I love it. I would imagine this is what a drug trip would feel like. Really cool electronic elements, very goofy, such an enjoyable listen. I’m tempted to give it five stars, but maybe that will happen with future listens. Favourite songs: International Feel; Tic Tic Tic, It Wears Off; Zen Archer; Sometimes I Don’t Know What To Feel; Medley

Fair play to Todd Rundgren, he plays every instrument on this, and it's therefore his absolute right to attempt to make every instrument the star of the show. However, it does then mean that it's all very OTT and a bit of a mess at times. The songs often have the cold-sick feel of musical theatre, and there's a general Queen-esque wally-ness about them. And yet it's not charmless - unlike the aforementioned Queen - and at times it's impressive. A mixed bag.

Ha ha! Didn't expect to see this one, I played it regularly at full blast for about 10 years and always enjoy slapping it on again. None of the songs are as strong as his radio hits but as one continuous play through it's like Forrest's mom's box of chocolate, and I've never met a bad chocolate.

This album is a good version of what it is but what it is I don't love. Good cohesion throughout though and a cool concept. I just experienced perhaps the best concert of my life tonight so this album kinda pales in comparison.

I was quite distracted listening to this one tbh. But it was good.

This was weird, but I have a lot of respect for this being so out of the box, and as an album, it worked. The songs do not work on their, accept for certain moments where the quirkiness turned into some pleasant art rock. But as a whole, this album works, its odd and not something I would listen to or return to often, but that doesn't take away from it standing on its own as an album. The album art, and name tie magnificently into what this album sounds like. I definitely think its worth a listen before biting the dust. 7/10 Favorite song: Zen Archer

This is one of those albums where you can find all the brilliance you want to find. It is wild, diverse, innovative, etc., but it is also tedious, indulgent, soulless. As the album finished, I was happy to concede all the good, but I also felt like it didn’t matter or mean enough to me to fold into any repeat pattern. I am confident that I am wrong, but will I take the time to figure out why this is so beloved? Perhaps,

Todd Rundgren’s A Wizard, a True Star feels like an acid trip if there ever was one — and that’s coming from someone who’s never taken acid. It’s every bit as bizarre as the album cover suggests. This is the kind of music that sounds like it should be blasting from a sketchy ride at a traveling carnival or state fair, the kind that looks like it was assembled overnight and inspected by nobody. You can almost hear the ride operator slowly leaning into the microphone: “Please keep your hands, arms, feet, and legs inside the ride vehicle at all times, and remain seated. Also, make sure you took your edible at least 25 minutes ago. Enjoy the ride.”

Proof positive that you should never let drugs perform a full album solo. There are small vignettes of straightforward music littered throughout this album, but those are few and far between. The back half is more digestible, but only because the drugs decided to do old soul songs. I had never really listened to Rundgren before deciding to tackle the list and this is yet another haphazard album from him.

Man is this the album that hooks me on todd rundgren? A psychedelic/glam rock gem of a record this it. Really kooky, catchy, generally fun. I know this guy is good based on reviews/acclaim but I've never really tried him out so glad this site finally got me around to him. Like the goofy/silliness of Harry Nilsson or McCartney's solo stuff but way trippier

It's not often that I audibly say "what the fuck" in the middle of an album... but this album got me there. It's so long. Why is it so catchy and so good and then so absolutely insane. I really felt like I was Alice in Wonderland. I went from meh to hate to love so quickly???? I feel like I was hypnotized by Todd. Is he a genius? Is he terrible? I'm not sure. But by the end of it I replayed the last song three times. And for that, three stars.

heerlijk, van de pot gerukt, van hier naar daar rennend plaatje

Nope. Tried and just can’t get into it. Glad it makes others happy but it’s just not for me.

I never knew what kind of music Todd Rundgren made but I thought that it was some loud hard rocking music. This is purely based on the PSA he made about hearing loss awareness. but after hearing this album I realized I was wrong. I’m not saying that it’s a bad album. It’s definitely an album that I didn’t expect. It’s definitely an album that makes you scratch your head and think. He really did put some thought into these compositions. It’s prog bedroom rock. A guy who had too many great ideas and decided to record them all. It worked on my of the songs. Again this is why I’m glad I am doing this project. I would have never listened to a atodd Rundgren album. I also wouldn’t have enjoyed it. Another interesting part of the album is the soul part. His soul covers are actually pretty good.

I used to work with an old guy who, any time music would come up, he would mention how much he loves Todd Rundgren. That’s a real type of Guy. At moments listening to this I thought “Oh no, am I going to age into a Todd Rundgren guy?” I don’t think I will, I found this mostly too gooby for me. But it’s more tasteful and fun than a lot of comparables. That counts for something (one bonus star, in this case).

The first disc is some of the worst music I’ve ever heard. Instant one-star. Fortunately the second disc resterez some dignity into the album, so I can reward it with two shining stars

Crazy. I had this album saved to a playlist of intended future listens: “albums for tomorrow.” Apparently, tomorrow never came. Because I had never heard this before. Not what I expected. At first, I almost thought the madness deserved a 5. I mean Todd’s lead - ins from one song to the next are… well they stopped me in my tracks. And the genre jumping. At first it was like a magician’s trick, almost done by sleight of hand. But then… the clunkiness really started to show. And the song roll wasn’t rolling so smoothly for me. I began to think the parodies were tired early 80’s high school musical humor. And then I remembered this came out in 73. He was forecasting. What craziness. It needs so much help with production AND editing. But it’s innovative af. I am torn. But I’m going higher with the weirdo’s. 4 Boolean: true, today AND tomorrow- but only one or the other

International Feel - 4.5/5 Never Never Land - 3.5/5 Tic Tic Tic It Wears Off - 4/5 You Need Your Head - 4/5 Rock and Roll Pussy - 3.5/5 Dogfight Giggle - 3/5 You Don't Have to Camp Around - 4/5 Flamingo - 4/5 Zen Archer - 4.5/5 Just Another Onionhead/Da Da Dali - 4/5 When the Shit Hits the Fan/Sunset Blvd - 4.5/5 Le Feel Internacionale - 4.5/5 Sometimes I Don't Know What to Feel - 4/5 Does Anybody Love You? - 4/5 Medley: I'm So Proud/Ooh Baby Baby/La La Means I Love You/Cool Jerk - 4/5 Hungry For Love - 3.5/5 I Don't Want to Tie You Down - 4/5 Is It My Name? - 4/5 Just One Victory - 4/5 I feel like this would have been a 5* album if I had taken acid beforehand. It's a fairly eclectic selection of songs and genres that flow well together, and the overall sounds seems like this was destined to either have been written on or listen to on some sort of psychedelic substance. Overall: 4/5 Favorites: International Feel, Zen Archer, When the Shit Hits the Fan/Sunset Blvd, Le Feel Internacionale

Todd Rundgren is an interesting guy. A proper enigma of a man, at least to me. This album is insane in all the right ways. The first half in particular, what a rollercoaster. It's very inconsistent, though, with plenty of moments that turn the album from engaging to slightly grating. I definitely need to explore his discography beyond the generator, I have a feeling it won't stop surprising me. Favourite track: International Feel

Niin outoa musiikkia. Huomaa että äijä on kokeillu huumeita. Levyn kansi kuvastaa levyä täydellisesti. Kaikki kappaleet sulautuvat toisiinsa ja jatkuvat yhtenäisinä aina seuraavaan. Medley on paras biisi. -Mitä tällä levyllä oikein tapahtuu? -Kaikkea.

Todd Rundgren is the rare prog rock (or at least prog rock adjacent) guy who without a pretentiousness problem. Much less "ooh, look at me" and more "hey, check this out". I mean, it's still awful to listen to, but I feel like he's probably a good dude.

Mostly abrasive and annoying.

this love letter to himself was way too long of an album, havent listened to todd rundgren outside of the few hits he had though

It’s like if Frank Zappa did a ton of psychedelic drugs. Fucks.

No private session used for Spotify. Todd Rundgren is a dude whose name I have heard more than I have heard his music. This album is interesting and had to define, but it's evident that is what is was going for..so yay? Its got rock, soul, show tunes and more! I can't think of a mood that would fit such an eclectic mix where I would listen to it again, so I probably won't to it again.

I wasn’t looking forward to this as I remember the last Todd Rundgren album we had to listen to: “Something / Anything?” Was an odd mix of a good tune or two, and some mawkish pop songs stuck in amongst skits and a sort of prog rock “atmosphere,” if not the musicality. Reading about this one though, I perked up a bit as he apparently started taking lots of drugs and went full psychedelic. Which he does. It’s a big more in the Gong area, but there’s something about his music I don’t like. It’s still sort of show-tune-y and cheesy. Anyway, an interesting listen but I don’t intend to listen to it again.

Really not sure what to make of this!

Very fun, but I don't feel the need to come back to it

What a strange fever dream. Seems like a precursor to a lot of music I like, though.

Sometimes I question the validity of some of these albums to be classified as a must listen...

#148/1001 🇺🇸 You shouldn't judge a book by its cover, so I should ignore the album cover, the fact that this record was released in 1973 and its 19 tracks long. Well i've listened to it and i'm sure that there is a decent record in here somewhere but i found it a bit overwhelming. Just way too much going on. The whole medley of songs concept and mixing one track into another was just a bit too much for my brain. There is also a special place in "music" hell for Dogfight Giggle. Dogshite. Best Tracks: Zen Archer

This album needs to come with a prescription of lithium. It felt like the musical version of those Schuylkill notes people are finding in packages of food. I couldn't deal with it, even though I finished it. I hope that Todd made other music that made sense to people other than him. My rating: 1/5

this is ok - some good songs

This is a whole lot of nothing. So many songs, so few memorable moments. Experimental, but not in a good way. The medley was fun, but they were all covers with not much added to the originals.

'Just keep an open mind / & then suddenly you'll find / Never Never Land.' W/ Something/Anything?, the jury was very much in for me - Rundgren had what it took to make a sophisticated pop record, one that boasted complex melodies but real songs, as Stevie Wonder is wont to do. The jury is also in for me w/ A Wizard, A True Star, but unfortunately it's not a positive note. I don't mind concepts, but mostly dislike conceptual; I'd go for experiments, but I'm happy to omit experimental. In other words, give me a record that explores & pushes the frontiers, not one that begins so conspicuously on the fringes. 'You want the obvious / You'll get the obvious.' This is an okay to bad psychedelic prog album, & covering Smokey does Todd no favors.

Дольф Лундгрен психанул и записал демонов своих

Once you've passed the first song you're good ! Very experimental and also quite confusing. At the same time there are some very cool stuff in it, feeling the 70's vibe and some psychedelic touch and Hendrix inspiration. Unfortunately, its hard to find a mood where to listen to this album. I will revisit this in the future

Eclectic, creative and diverse. Shame I just didn't really like any of the songs. Couldn't get into it.

I like quirky, eccentric music so, in theory I should enjoy this. However, it strays towards novelty territory too often to be enjoyable.

Exceptional a favourite of mine

This was okay music, but it has some weird stuff happening in it. Some weird funny lyrics too like onion head. Not sure I want to hear it again because of how bizarre I found it, but I'm hindsight it was kind of a funny hour

a lot to unpack.

Not my style 1.5

this is true adhd type music. ultimate mind boggling eye opening weird genre blending shit that sucks me into it from the first note. im loving it. 5/5

Ohhh, now this was interesting. This is a true album that needs to be listened to as an album, in full, from start to finish. I’d heard Rundgren’s other feature here which wasn’t particularly memorable, but this was something different. It was psychedelic, progressive, experimental, and most importantly: interesting. The opening track International Feel set the scene perfectly. And Dogfight Giggle was a pure WTF moment. I loved it. If you enjoyed this, I recommend a difficult-to-find Australian album called The Boy From The Stars by Jim Keays.

4.0

This is a slightly schizophrenic offering in which it is easy to guess that the writer may have been influenced by haluconegenic substances. The album veers through a number of styles across its nearly sixty minute length. I can see how this may have influenced a number of people and how some people think it may have influenced things like Purple Rain. It isn’t;t however necessarily that listenable in some places. Great as a historical document but it won’t necessarily make it to my regular playlist

Epic album. Reading about how much drugs he was doing at the time makes absolute sense. Some filler here and there, but definitely shifted my opinion of Todd Rundgren.

This one is weird. I listened to most of it but didn’t finish it.

I was already familiar with one or two albums by Todd Rundgren, one of which was Something/Anything from the same year as this one, but this album was noticeably more experimental and production heavy. I was seriously impressed with the production on most of the songs; it sounds like it could've been a 2020 remaster. The album was formatted in a way that especially rewards attention, because the average length of the songs was short, and there were many ideas and styles. Like I said, he leaned into the production and electronic elements which contrasted well with his major scale-centric 70s pop ballad kind of composition he favors. Kind of sounds like David Bowie but better?

I'm gonna write this review like Rundgren made this album (disjointed stream of consciousness) stranger than anticipated almost feels like a novelty record ironic, that he's now also well-known as a producer (because it feels like he NEEDED a producer, for this one) don't love his singing his 2 biggest hits ("Hello, It's Me" and "I Saw the Light") are good -- but they're not on this album was he trying for a magnum opus? (if so, epic fail?) a lot going on, but didn't seem to add up to a whole lot (disjointed), and didn't make me want to listen to it again in terms of how much i like it, probably a 2 - but maybe a 3 for creativity, and trying to do something new/ambitious? medley is ok, but i prefer the originals (another white guy singing black guys' songs not as well as the originals) the last song, Just One Victory, is I think the only one I recognized (occasionally played on the radio), and probably the best song I wonder if we'll get his album "Something/Anything" (which is supposedly his best)? Rating: I think I have to go with (a high) 2.

seems to merit relistening. It's got that free flowing creativity of the 70s, for better and worse. But it also sounds remarkably modern at times. The term bedroom pop should be invoked here Inspired by psychedelics, and it is a trip. Sometimes annoying, sometimes beautiful

I'm getting flashbacks to Duck Stab - this is just a weird acid trip mess of...what is even going on. Except unlike the sheer balls of producing nonsense on the scale of Duck Stab, this is trying too hard and it's just kinda...why. Commit to the bit or go home. Don't half arse it.

Decent fun and experimentation

cool-ish stuff

It sounds psychedelic and strange at the same time. But not in a good way.

I wanted to hate this but then Zen Archer came on and so now it's a 3

This guy has been prolific. I found the collection to be noisy and scattered feeling, a bit frantic. I have liked a few of his more frequently played popular tunes in the past but this album was a no go for me.

First half was too heavy on the psychedelic tangents, second half made me like it.

Omg this sounds weird at first tapi kesononya enak² aja kok

I liked this way more than I thought I would. All over the place, but some great songs.

Typical 70s rock.

favs: flamingo sometimes i don’t know what to feel does anybody love you? i’m so proud / ooh baby baby / la la means i love you / cool jerk just one victory rating 1.3/5

This was an absolute revelation to me, especially after not enjoying the other Todd Rundgren I've had on the list. Todd had more creative ideas on this album than some artists have in their career, and whilst I understand the "more is more" approach isn't for everyone, the production is absolutely stellar. I had to look up the producer, and was amazed to read that Rundgren produced, and largely performed, the album himself - amazing!

What did i just listen to

There’s famous French chefs who despite their Michelin stars who are famous for really simple dishes like mashed potato based on the best ingredients used well. This album is the direct opposite of this which is every possible musical ingredient ever often in the same song. When it’s a bit more honed like the soul medley it works very well. Can’t fault his ambition though

International Feel - 5/5 Never Never Land - 3/5 Tic Tic Tic It Wears Off - 5/5 You Need Your Head - 2/5 Rock and Roll Pussy - 3/5 Dogfight Giggle - no rating You Don't Have to Camp Around - 4/5 Flamingo - 3/5 Zen Archer - 5/5 Just Another Onionhead / Da da Dali - 4/5 When the Shit Hits the Fan / Sunset Blvd - 5/5 Le Feel Internacionale - 5/5 Sometimes I Don't Know What to Feel - 5/5 Does Anybody Love You? - 4/5 Medley: I'm So Proud / Ooh Baby Baby / La La Means I Love You / Cool Jerk - 5/5 Hungry for Love - 4/5 I Don't Want to Tie You Down - 4/5 Is It My Name? - 4/5 Just One Victory - 4/5 Average score: 4.1/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ i was not prepared for this weird of a listen, but i kinda liked this one quite a bit! it's very trippy and psychadelic sounding (which makes a lot of sense considering this is a 70s album). while many tracks make for a strange listening experience, it's not so off-putting like an album from Frank Zappa or The Residents would be (though i do notice similarities to Zappa particularly) i listened to Something / Anything? a year ago i believe, and i gave it a decent score (though not as high as this one). perhaps Todd Rundgren's music is finally clicking? i'll have to go back and reassess any tracks i previously didn't care for to see how i feel now

Hats off for trying to do a lot in this album it really feels like multiple different albums into one - I like the first part with all the short songs that sound like one song the best

Overall, it's cleary obvious that there was too much acid in the game during recording, although the album has some good moments

What a different sounding album than the other one I listened to ny him on this list. Kind of nice to hear the progression from the other album as this one comes just after. It sure is wild and eclectic and makes me wonder how this album ended up on this list. I guess it was different times back then and maybe with less choices, so more opportunities for repeated listens, people were able to zone in on the creativity of this album. I really dig the progressive and experimental sound of this album and although almost an hour long it really flew by. I can’t believe it was pressed on a single LP! No more albums by him on this list so I’ll have to make some time to explore his discography as I’m very curious to know what other places he went to with his music.

Pretty good stuff. Really interesting and dynamic.

trying a little too hard to be weird.

Very odd. I liked it. Like Zappa but good.

4.5

Just no.

This was awful. I genuinely could not have told you where one track ended and another began for most of this. There was a moment around track 13 or 14 where my interest was briefly piqued… then it was quickly lost again.

I'm about a third of the way into this project and so far there have been a lot of really weird albums, but mainly difficult-weird. This was oddly accessible-weird. There were parts that made me think of Harry Nilsson or Elton John or The Beatles and then there were other parts that sounded like they might have been created by someone from another planet. There were also ducks quacking, dogs growling, creepy laughter and someone twanging a ruler resting on a desk. "There is cause and effect There's a reason I'm so erect" Fuckin hell, Todd. After being reminded that this was the second Todd Rundgren album we'd been exposed to on this list, a fact I had completely forgotten, I went back to check my previous review. I basically said it would have got a higher mark if there was less of it.... Yeah, that. It's actually a 2.5, but for the sheer balls of the man and because the layering and production on a lot these tracks is absolutely top notch: 3/5

This album was a bizarre journey. I was first getting some experimental Frank Zappa vibes which I was pretty on board for. Through the middle of the album it felt like things started to skew toward more of a musical vibe which started to loose me. By the end It felt like full on 70's pop. I am not sure if there is some level of parody or if this is meant to be taken at face value. It's obvious Todd Rundgren has some very serious skill as a songwriter, musician and producer, I just cant really wrap my head around how it's being applied to this album.

This album feels like some weird midpoint between Frank Zappa, the Who, Queen, and David Bowie. It’s psychedelic and experimental, but there’s some very 70s pop forward moments and it somehow seamlessly flows into soul music without missing a beat before it returns to proggy hard rock. Seriously eclectic mix of influences on this album and yet it somehow all works.

Even if it is an uneven, imperfect album, and I won't listen to many of it parts on their own, it is a commendable experiment and a pop-psychedelic pre-postmodern trip. Favourite: Side one – "The International Feel (in 8)"

HOLY. SHIT. I am genuinely awestruck at this album in a way I have only been a scant few times in my life. I have heard of Rundgren before, but the fact that I haven’t heard of “A Wizard, A True Star” before is insulting. Not only towards society as a whole for not considering this as a rock masterpiece, but to me, for the fact that I have claimed to be a “music nerd” who hasn’t listened to this. Truly, this is everything I ask for in music. It’s catchy, without ever sacrificing artistic merit. It’s technically impressive in composition and play, but still emotional and fun enough to turn it from just being proggy guitar wankery (as was the style of the time.) It’s gut-bustingly funny at times, but knows when to be sincere. It’s chaotic and diverse in sound, yet every decision Rundgren makes has it’s own twisted logic, that just *click*s into place when it happens (“Yeah man, follow up that diss track against John Lennon with a weird synth experiment! That’ll show him!”) The production is epic, nearly cosmic in scale, yet it’s still so obvious that it’s all being made by one guy on drugs with a pretty low budget. Apparently, this came out on the same day as Pink Floyd’s “Dark Side of the Moon”, and got clobbered by it in sales, predictably. And I do mean predictably; it gets nowhere near the levels of insanity and chaos this album does, which obviously appeals more to a mainstream audience. While DSotM is obviously a great album, having listened to both of it and “A Wizard, A True Star” one after the other, as a rock fan would’ve back in that faithful day of March 2nd, 1973, it’s hard for me to say that AW,ATS doesn’t blow it out of the water in most regards. Is it recency bias or just my personal tastes, I’d say it’s partially so. But still, this record is truly something that you’ve never heard before, and will probably not hear after. I would recommend this to everyone with working ears. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m gonna have to listen to the entire Todd Rundgren discography now, and that’s gonna take a long fucking time.

No. 183 Really weird album, but really enjoyed it. All over the place, but still coherent enough to be a really fun experience.

I tried, but I do not enjoy this. This plays like a series of musicial snippets (think of all those times you've heard artists claim they have "hundreds of songs on tape lying around somewhere") that were strung together into an incoherent whole.

9/10

definitely more experimental than his previous albums something/anything. which that one is my favorite so it’s hard to compare since they are so different but I think for it coming out in 1972 it stands on its own in that aspect

Trippy stuff. Not exactly what I expected. I feel like bands like the Flaming Lips probably gave this one a listen or three.

This is what your parents meant by stay away from drugs. Wild ride. Technically interesting, but incoherent and jumbled as music

It's a proper album, in that all the songs flow together well. It's not great music to listen to, though the longer this album went on, the more I liked it.

No…

Good, quite different. More electronic

Con razón García te ama, Rundgren

Kinda eccentric. Interesting, unique interludes. Quite boppy vocals - Mika vibes. Circus-like in places. A bit epic in parts. I like 'Sometimes I don't know what to feel' - reminds me of his more famous track 'I saw the light'. 'I'm so proud' is a really beautiful track - the medley that this track is part of kinda saves the album and amps it up in terms of rating. Some quite iconic-sounding 70s tracks towards the back end of the album.

I spun this one thrice and now my brain hurts. In a good way, though.. It's all over the place and it's entertaining. A musical mood swing.. one minute you're dancing, next you're crying, then you're questioning your life choices. But hey, at least it never gets boring. Spins: 3 Playlist Additions - International Feel - Zen Archer - Hungry for Love - Just One Victory

Amazed that this is rated so low on this site. The first 26 minutes are one of the most amazing suites of noises, melodies, singing, and playing I've ever heard in rock. Experimenting with, according to him, "DMT, mescaline, psilocybin, and possibly LSD" and God knows what else, as well as using a homemade studio and an unorthodox setup, Rundgren came up with something truly maddening, truly marvelous. I was listening to this first part with my jaw dropped the whole time. The second part is more polished and similar to his early stuff—fine, passable rock music with big R&B and soul influences. But what he truly wanted to do was "The International Feel (in 8)", and I can see why. It's truly unique and an important album in the development of bedroom and lo-fi music. Please listen to this with your headphones. The mids, the weird sounds, the dynamics—it's totally nuts and fun. Feeling generous, so I'm giving this 4 stars.

New artist for me and loved this. So many different sounds but felt really cohesive.

Quite a mix of styles here. Some proggy stuff and some soul. You get the idea of why Rundgren is such a well known producer. Nothing stands out but there’s great musicianship throughout the album and everything sounds great

Too stressful to listen to - so many ear-aching sounds, seems very random in the first listen.

2 sterne

Some weird ass stuff in here. 3/5.

More pretentious than the other Todd Rundgren album. Also more interesting, but I didn't like it quite as much

So many genres attached, and for good reason! This has SO MUCH GOING ON! Great time!

I will always admire any artist who blatantly disregard commercial success in order to release the music they want. With song titles like 'Rock & Roll Pussy' and 'Just Another Onionhead', Rundgren must of had the suits both confused and furious when he turned in this oddity of an album to be released. Rundgren was making enough money producing music that if didn't matter to him if his albums sold well. Nevertheless the album is still a schizophrenic and psychedelic experience that I'm very happy to have discovered. Rundgren sounds like he has tried to make his own version of the medley on Abbey Road. I'm reminded of Beach Boys and The Beatles when I listen to this and it has a similar sense of humour that you can find on most Frank Zappa albums. The album is undoubtedly a bit of a mess, with Rundgren pushing how much music you can fit on a single LP. Maybe someone could have told Todd to cut a few tracks as the quirkiness wears thin by the time the album and the audio quality does suffer on the vinyl release due to the how much music they stuffed onto the grooves, but Rundgren doesn't strike me as a man who likes to be told what to do based on the story of the making of this album and the music featured on it!

Finally a Todd Rundgren album worth hearing!

This album is such a fantastic record, so dreamy and with a great cohesive sound. It almost feels like a one big song, with some differences, some more classic moments, other more experimental ones. All through a very psychedelic and eclectic atmosphere. The medley is not the best thing off the album, for sure, but I love how all the small songs/fragments flow so well, and it's such a pleasant track, with some pretty beautiful instrumentals (I've loved listening to a flute, even though it appears just for a few seconds, and the more bluesy end with those organs is such an uplifting, energetic and great addition to the track). And it's great to find some longer songs in an album so full of short tracks, which, on the other hand, blend into each other so nicely. So, this album is pretty impressive, so experimental at the same time as pretty classic too. And it's so wonderful to find so many influences and genres here, from rock and soul to more electronic things and even progressive rock touches. It's completely an amazing piece of art.

Started off decent enough but lyrically it just didn’t work for me

2,9/5

I know nothing about this guy, but I know DMT was involved

A very weird album that for me is all over the place, and kind of circusy / soft rock. Highlights: "Le Feel Internacionale"

took me about 20 years to “get “ this , but it’s a solid five eventually.

?!?!?!

Exactly the kind of bollocks I love. Bonus points also for Todd stepping up as a Dad to Liv Tyler when Steven Tyler failed to.

A lot of noise

An album that really makes you question

Not even going to listen to this American MAGA shit. Fuck off trumpy.

Waar gaat dit album naar toe?

LSD trip 😵‍💫

what a wonderful weird album this is

This was not what I was expecting. It sounded like a circus music concept album. No, thank you.

Es un disco interesante, pero no imprescindible. Creo que Todd estaba suficientemente representado con un disco.

No me gusto.

Fantastic journey. So catchy and bizarre, like if Frank Zappa actually did do drugs. I love it. Rundgren seems to be just woefully underappreciated nowadays, should be hearing his name more

Not my vibe. Too stressful.

Some great songs like however would not return many times: You don't have to camp around // Le feel international // Medley: I'm so proud / Ooh Baby Baby

Chanfle, no lo pude ni terminar....

Это было достаточно забываемо странно

Приятный, по-хорошему чудной альбом, где психоделика не тягучая, а светлая и воздушная. Но нужно больше вслушиваться, при прослушивании фоном многие детали упускаются

Охуенно. Вот это я понимаю музыка. Не душно, весело, с приколами, трули артси. Так и должно быть.

Свистоперделки, мои свистоперделочки ❤️❤️❤️

эмоции вызвал скорее положительные, но нет хитов, нет хуков запоминающихся, потому 3.5

Definitely weird and not exactly to my tastes. Some songs grabbed me, like 'I'm So Proud'. But there was not much here for me to grab on to.

Sounds like he thought this was creative. Just sounds like a trip to me.

Muy bueno de verdad suena como una exploración del autor y en verdad me parece algo fresco a lo que escucho. Me gusta como en su canto parecía dejarse llevar de vez en cuando. No le pongo 5 por que simplemente no todas me maravillaron

This is SO weird but I like it

Can't say I enjoyed this.

Todd writes some good tunes, but he's also kind of a maniac? This album gives off weird vibes, especially on side one. I like a lot of the songs that have enough time to breathe, but could do without a lot of the little snippets. I'll gladly keep "International Feel," "Sometimes I Don't Know What to Feel," and the medley of soul covers in the rotation, but I could do without the rest.

Interesting album that manages to do a lot for only being a single LP. While I appreciate the boundary pushing from the A side, I could only get so invested in what amounted to a lot of experimental work that didn't land enough for me. The B side has a much more traditional structure that I enjoyed a lot more, and made the overall listening experience very satisfying and diverse

a little odd, not too bad but not my thing

A fun mix of catchy and weird. Is Todd Rundgren a non-asshole Frank Zappa? Settle down. I can say that. I’m an asshole too.

I think I liked this more than the other Todd Rundgren. I will have to go back and relisten to both now. Man, I hate homework! Thanks a lot, list

I was surprised by this one! I always wrote Todd Rundgren off, but this was pretty great.

Rv

The Good: Magic! The Bad: Expecting something more interesting then a rabbit out of a hat kind of magic… The Ugly: … Yes… I really really really have no idea what I am supposed to think about this album. I know why. I just don’t know if there is going to come a time when this album just all of a sudden clicks with me. The production is solid. The musicianship is great. Just don’t know what to think… call me stumped. And here is the weirdest thing of all… I am going to rate this album 4* Why? Because I know that one day I am going to need this album… as a concept album, this thing is not bad at all. It’s just that I had Neill Young the other day, and previously I had some other kind of odd ball thing… so I was kind of looking forward to an awesome album that just instantly blows you away… Something like Paradise Theater by Styx, that is NOT on the list… by the by… 4* as I want to hear this again… several times...

Weird album, very psychedelic and different for 70’s pop/rock. 3/5 because I can appreciate the originality but probably won’t listen again.

..

Intereresting ...

New record for time between my most recent listen of an album for enjoyment and the generator giving me that same album: 11 hours. This is a lovely, trippy experience, a brain dump that wanders all over the place. I adore it. A Wizard, A True ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Holy shit. Countless musicians over the decades have tried to capture aurally a psychedelic experience. This dude absolutely nailed the assignment. This is an acid trip on tape. The disorientation, the euphoria, the panic, the moments of terror, the bizarreness, the humour, the ridiculousness and profundity and beauty of it all, this album manages to capture it and serve it to the listener in one continuous stream. What a trip. On top of all that there is some exquisite song writing in here too. Wow. This album is incredible.

I did not need to hear that before I died...

Jako ga volim! Iako ima meni dražih albuma, uživala sam slušati. Neobično, duboko, kljavice boli glava. Skužila sam koliko ga volim kad sam primijetila da su moderni bendovi koje volim influenced njime, poput Triptides. 4/5, 7/10

Very psychedelic with a lot of synth stuff. I can't say that it was bad but I didn't enjoy it much either.

This started out like a rock album then halfway through turned into an Motown cover album

There are some things I like here, but a lot of junk too. It ekes out three stars from me.

This is right up my alley. Quirky, proggy, well produced. Great find

p300. 1973. 2 stars. A prime example of early 70s wankage. Yes, he's talented as both a songwriter and musician, but this is all over the place - far too much filler and just plain weirdness.

Feels weirde but homish at the same time The track flamingo kinda reminds me of a studio ghibli production idk why I like this album 5/5

There are records which stretch the idea of what an album can be, and then there is A Wizard, A True Star, which appears to have found the idea of an album unattended in a corridor and drawn all over it. This is batshit. Todd Rundgren had already demonstrated that he could write proper songs, arrange them beautifully and make records which behaved themselves. Here, he seems to have discovered that there was nobody actually in charge of the recording studio and decided not to report the oversight. Ideas arrive faster than they can possibly be accommodated. Songs turn into fragments, fragments mutate into other songs, noises appear for no obvious reason, genres are picked up and discarded, and genuinely lovely melodies occasionally swim into view before Rundgren becomes interested in something else. It can resemble someone changing radio stations while simultaneously rewiring the radio. The obvious criticism is self-indulgence. It certainly contains enough material to support the charge. But after a while I began to wonder whether that slightly misses the point. The abundance isn’t an unfortunate side effect of the record. The abundance is the record. Rundgren seems interested in how many things pop music might be allowed to do if nobody insists that it choose one of them. Psychedelia, soul, music hall, electronic noise, elaborate harmony, cheap jokes and straightforward pop melody are all apparently equal citizens. The transitions can be absurd, but there’s usually enough musical intelligence underneath them to prevent the whole thing simply becoming a box of studio tricks tipped down the stairs. It also has something I don’t always associate with supposedly difficult early-70s records: a sense of fun. There’s no great slab of prog solemnity here, no air of BEHOLD WHAT THE SPLICING BLOCK HAS ENABLED. Rundgren’s cleverness is frequently silly, brightly coloured and almost cartoonish. Even when the album is showing off, it often seems amused by the fact that it is showing off. That probably helps explain why Prince’s name keeps appearing around discussions of Rundgren. I don’t particularly hear A Wizard, A True Star as a blueprint for Prince’s music so much as a blueprint for a possibility: one person can write the songs, play the instruments, manipulate the studio, ignore genre etiquette and construct an entire private pop universe without waiting for somebody else’s permission. That permission may be the most important thing here. My other discovery was that Liz likes it. This surprised me rather more than the album did. I’m supposed to be the left-field member of this partnership. She looks entirely capable of chairing a respectable committee while I’m the one expected to arrive waving some obscure cultural oddity about. Then she casually revealed that she first heard A Wizard, A True Star in the sixth-form common room. Of course she did. That matters, because she didn’t encounter this as a historically significant album that critics subsequently told her was important. She heard it when this kind of experimentation was part of the present tense. I’m hearing decades of descendants in it; she heard the thing itself arriving. And perhaps that is the most difficult part of judging it now. So much of what was once astonishing studio freedom has subsequently entered the bloodstream of pop music. We’ve had half a century of artists using the studio as an instrument, jumping between styles and treating albums as constructed worlds. It is difficult to unhear everything that came afterwards. Even so, this still feels unruly. My verdict is that it’s a very good record, sometimes a brilliant one, and also an exhausting one. I admire it more than I love it. There are stretches where Rundgren’s refusal to edit himself is exhilarating and others where I find myself wishing somebody would gently remove a few toys from the room. I can absolutely see why it matters, and I can hear why people became obsessed with it, but I don’t think I’m going to become one of them. What wins me over is that the excess feels purposeful. This isn’t a great songwriter temporarily losing the run of himself. The loss of proportion is the artistic decision. A Wizard, A True Star sounds like Todd Rundgren discovering that there is no adult supervision in the recording studio. I’m glad nobody came to collect him.

One of THE great prog/psych records.

First Listen; 4; There is a lot going on here, and it's a lot of fun. In general, the vocals, lyrics, and eccentric instrumentation reminds me of Brian Wilson. I like the synth leads and warbly effects used throughout. There's tracks that are good and stand on their own, but I enjoyed this as a whole ven more. It moves between discrnible, catchy melodies and weird freak-outs. Feels plenty kitchy and too-sweet in some places, but the quirkiness keeps it in balance and prevents it from sounding boring. Favorite Track: Just Another Onionhead/ Da Da Dali

Could not finish this, too weird and just noise.

2.5