A Wizard, A True Star

I can imagine this album is a grower and it probably takes time to grow on you, but I managed to listen to it only twice, so three is perhaps bit unfair. As it stands, it's a 3/5 but I won't be surprised if this will be 4 or even 5/5 later on.

He's a bit eccentric, isn't he?

The album is objectively brilliant, weird in a good way. But to me it just sounds like a soundtrack to something bigger. Definitely will revisit but so far it didn’t click with me on the first listen.

I thought this album was a bit of a mess production wise, very busy and unfocused. The amount of genres on here hint at that. To the point where it kind of starts to drown out the quality of the songs. I still quite enjoyed it and thought it was decent, but I expected better based on Todd Rundgren's reputation and the previous album I listened to by him.

I thought this was going to be soft dad rock, but I was pleasantly surprised. Pretty psychedelic. It lack consistency to eb great, feels a bit cobbled together (even though the songs blend into each other). Didn't find it amazing, but it has interest and I appreciate the early electronics and many other influences.

This is a really interesting one. I had never heard this album at all and am only casually familiar with who Todd Rundgren even is so this was basically brand new territory for me. My first thought (oddly) - damn that's a fantastic sounding snare drum. I think it was quite apparent that he wrote, engineered, produced, and recorded this all himself. The flow of the album is really great, weird though it is. You can certainly hear some of his chemical influences here. It's not what I would call 'good music' but I don't hate it. I can't really pick out a specific song that I liked, it's not that kind of record. It's really just one long song. If you took any of it out of context it wouldn't really land right. I think it is a really interesting record and it does deserve a place on this list. Though I think it's likely to be a love it or hate it album, it kind of falls in the middle for me. I might play this one again, but I'd have to be in the right mindset. It's not one you can just throw on in the background, you kind of have to sit and listen or else it just washes over you and you miss the point. 3.25/5

Psychedelic and whimsical... It's fun, but not spectacular.

Album 84. A Wizard / A True Star (https://open.spotify.com/album/3vpVWxOR2W611w9lgAxWET?si=vOgBDXXwROurgS1IWSBu5Q) — Todd Rundgren (1973) This album feels like my day — complete schizo journey. I mean, it's great — I love psychedelic music. But it's hard to listen to. A Wizard / A True Star is such an experimental album, that first listeners were rats. There was so much acid in the album, that every listener must take a drug test after listening. The whole album is a trip. And I love to travel. And I'm crazy enough, I guess, so I'm good not to relisten to it for extra dose. But never say never 3/5 —————————————— No liked songs

Unique. ★★★

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.

Legit shocked, I thought I didn't like Todd Rundgren but this album (or the 3/4 that is psychedelic) is fantastic

I had no idea what to expect. I knew he wanted to bang on the drum all day, and that he produced XTC and later Bad Religion. This is a lot weirder than I expected. I actually admire the concept. I had a tough time getting through it though. It’s probably a 4 but I’m reducing it by 1 for being too long.

I really, really want to like this more, but I just can’t. It has some good moments, actually enjoyable ones, but that’s not enough for me. It’s kind of a good time listening to this, honestly. It’s really interesting. If I had been born at that time, I think I would’ve loved this compared to the mainstream of those days. That one song has no business being 10 minutes long, though. I’m sure of that much.

I felt like I was on a bad acid trip for some of the songs. Some were good but I just couldn’t get into it

Album No. 0120 on my list. Quite frankly, I had never heard of Todd Rundgren or any of his work before - this was a completely new thing for me. I found that "A Wizard, A True Star" was actually a solid album to me. I guess it will not become an all time favorite, but I liked it. It's both somewhat experimental and psychedelic yet also quite catchy, with some good pop-rock melodies. Some songs are merely just sketches, but that does not necessarily make them bad. I guess that this album could have become even better though with some additional, well, "consolidation" work - creating proper songs, condensing them, etc. But I guess the artist did want it to be released as it is, and there may have been good reasons for this at the time, e.g. showing of his experimental nature. I'll add "International Feel", "Does Anybody Love You", and "Just One Victory" to my playlist. Partly because I like them, partly because they represent the album well. 3/5 stars.

187/1001 Todd Rundgren - A Wizard, A True Star Heard before? ❎ Revisit? ❎ Whilst at times, it can be great, it's all too fleeting and instead goes for the weirder flourishes, which is a bit too much for my tastes.

A bit weird, but it was alright I guess.

não é ruim, mas tem momentos meio chatos pra caralho das ideia

ohh han mal welle something / anything? lose (weiss nümme wiso) aber bin gspannt ohh die erste 2 hemmer jz nödso gfalle aber tic tic fangt FUNNY ah AHH OK I SEE jaa pussy muss jz nöd daa im titel sii aber jo finds na funny aber 55 min vo dem stell ichmer ahstrengend vor WAAAS PSYCHEDELISCHI DROGE DAS GLAUB ICH JA NÖD flamingo hahahaha bin nanig malnide hälfti und es fangtmi schochli ah nerve zen archer hani recht cool gfunde just another onionhead so NAJA hahaha s medley passt iwie nöd so ganz is album? s isch echli zu normal hmm also am schluss ischs chli ahstrengend gsi isch es 2 oder es 3, han nöd würkli spass gha aber ah kreativität hets nöd gfehlt und drum hanis scho auno spannend gfunde, wenn au Z LANG

Really enjoyed it and think it’s great. But not a groundbreaker.

The pop and r&b/soul(?) is stellar.....but man, some of the "prog" stuff is OUT there.

Too many songs are clown like for my tastes. Not every whacked out idea that came in his head needed to be recorded. There is a lot of good stuff here, but he was unable to edit himself to a more conventional song structure. I have to judge the good with the bad.

It's different, it's interesting, it's experimental. I felt as though I'd been slapped in the face by his creativity.

Absolutely bonkers, for the most part. I'm going to need to give this few listens to work out what the heck happened, and to like it even more.

Had some enjoyable tracks but overall it was too experimental and not as good as other Rundgren stuff I’ve heard. Seems like he just really wanted to be Zappa and it didn’t work out.

A album worth listening from beggining to end. Really unique sound

I’m not sure what to make of this album. Most of it was okay but not an essential album or anything that shows a musical progression that I could ascertain.

Honestly shocked I haven't head this album before it feels like something my dad would love. I liked Dogfight Giggle even though it sounded more like happy guinea pigs.

Big points for weirdness. I'd bet good money that a lot of this emerged from use of psychedelics. Honestly I totally forgot about Todd between listening to Something/Anything in 15 months ago and today. Apparently I wasn't super wowed by that one, and this one is just barely a three-star.

Really weird album, but i enjoyed it. All over the place, but mostly coherent enough to be a really fun. Basically 3/5 because I can appreciate the originality but probably won’t listen again. Mostly as I think there are better wired albums - looking at you captain… But a few too many 1/5 or 2/5 songs like dogfight giggle making the album feel messy A tighter edit might have been better

Very of it's time 70's musical style - in the way of Hair, JC Superstar, but not my thing. Good production.

A tremendously talented performer who was perhaps at his artistic peak here. But, man, a lot of this just seems self-indulgent. Not necessarily a Rundgren effort I feel like coming back to when I'm in the mood to hear him.

Every time I kinda get into a song, something pulls me out of it. Also not really a fan when he pulls the nostalgia act about half way through.

I appreciate the interesting and experimental nature of this album, but it didn’t move me as others in this general genre or era. Will give it another chance.

I like this man's noises. Going to follow his other stuff and could see myself rating it higher later too

Well... that was interesting. It had the random craziness of a Zappa album while still being mostly coherent. I liked that the album was essentially one piece that all flowed together despite how different each track could be from the next. Many tracks had the 60s/70s sound, but others ranged from something that felt like it came from the 80s (Sometimes I Don't Know What to Feel) to songs that sounded even more modern than that. It also had a 10+ minute medley segment of soul covers. So yeah, the album as a whole was quite a journey. Really, that's why it's a good addition to this list. It got me to hear something I probably never would have sought out otherwise. That said, I didn't find it all that great. There were a handful of songs I thought were good, a couple of which I liked a lot. He ended the album with two of the strongest tracks on it. While the rest were mostly fine, many felt incomplete or in need of some more planning. I think the album just felt a little lacking in execution of whatever it was intended to be. It was also kinda long, so it managed to be a bit tedious even though it was so diverse. I'm going to give this one props for the concept and format, but otherwise I think it sits firmly at OK. I do consider it a much better fit for this list than a number of other albums I've gotten here, so I'll bump it up a little for that too. I'll say it's worth listening to at least once. Not sure how likely I am to listen to it again, though. Overall: 2.7/5

A slightly confounding experience; there were aspects of this I greatly liked, and other aspects I found somewhat irritating. I generally liked side 1 more than side 2. Tic Tic Tic... was a highlight for me.

Not sure if it was spotify but the quality of the recording was rough

I think I recognise the name, but no idea why. I was expecting something weird, and there were bits that were a bit out there, but there were also some very generic sounding love songs here too. Makes it a bit tough to rate. Bits of it were pretty dull, but then something would change and all of a sudden I'd be thinking this is pretty decent. I think my favourite was "tic tic tic, it wears off" I'm going to say 3.5 as there's something there, but not sold

Equal parts 70's Yacht-Rock schmaltz, Zappa-esque weirdness, and guitar-driven Heavy Rock on par with early Queen.

Sufficiently weird.

We zijn het trippende Sesamstraat nog steeds niet helemaal uit, zo te horen. Met deze rare vogel in de rol van Pino vandaag. Maar wat verwacht je ook van de man die later nog 'Flappie' van Youp in het Engels zou uitvoeren. Om het helemaal ingewikkeld te maken, gaat hij op plaatkant 2 ineens normale muziek maken. Een ballad, een rocknummer. Dus hij kan het wel. Uiteindelijk merk ik dat ik nog redelijk mild ben voor deze Muppetmuziek, wellicht omdat je hoort dat er in dit geval wel enig talent aan ten grondslag ligt. Maar als we morgen ook nog een LSD-gebruikende Ieniemienie voor onze plaat krijgen, begin ik er wel een beetje klaar mee te raken.

Todd Rundgren is, net als op het eerdere album van hem, psychedelisch en experimenterend. Er komen aardig wat gekke geluiden langs, waardoor het soms een spacey sfeer krijgt. Maar ik vind het allemaal vooral weer lekker bombastisch. Gekke geluiden kunnen irriteren, maar ik vind het wel leuk gek, ik denk juist door dat bombastische. Of misschien gewoon omdat ik het vandaag aardig kan hebben. We worden de laatste weken niet rijkelijk bedeeld met goede muziek, dus het zou ook een gevalletje "in het land der blinden is eenoog koning" kunnen zijn, maar het andere album van Todd Rundgren vond ik ook (deels) best vermakelijk. Ik weet er nog te weinig van om goed te kunnen vergelijken. Ik vind 2x een 4 voor Todd iets teveel van het goede, dus deze keer deel ik een 3 uit. Maar het zou best kunnen dat ik het achteraf andersom had moeten doen. So be it.

Favorite Track: Just One Victory

местами красивый и запоминающийся, местами странный (и хорни), чувак хотел идиосинкразию сделать? получилось

This was a really frustrating album. Some songs have a real catchy vibe going, others are imitations of The Magical Mystery Tour (like many bands/musicians convinced themselves they could do in the late 60s/early 70s). Hadn't heard much of Todd Rundgren before but when I dug in and saw all of the hits he has it frustrated me more because it confirmed what he could do. Old album though, maybe he was still finding his footing.

6.3/10

En kuunnellut loppuun. Ihan ok musaa. 2,75/5.

Bro was tripping balls then came down halfway thru the album. Anyways certainly an album of all time.

Album psicodélico, que vale la pena escuchar. Me gusta su sonoridad, sin embargo no se lleva la nota máxima. 3/5.

Want to come back to this, but first impression is that musically, it's ill as hell. Not sure about some of the songwriting, which read as corny to me.

this was a lot but I miss when artists just took drugs and made art and didn’t care about if their songs can be tik tokked into oblivion really liked the medley song

makes me wanna do drugs

It's a fun listen if a wildly all-over-the-place one. He's having so much fun recording and producing!

Slick ride. 3/5

Fun 70’s album.

Truly enigmatic. Not sure what to make of it upon first listen, but I’m convinced this is a nut I have to crack. Next time I’m in the mood for a hazy, druggy 70s album, I will likely return to this as it’s a really fun time. 3.5/5

This album had some tracks i really liked. Some others not so much, overall a solid experience. 3/5

Kod ovog brata su halucinogeni odlično radili. U trenutku kad mi je nestalo interneta čujem da mi se zapravo, na čudan način, donekle sviđa i fali.

Very interesting album. Standout songs: International feel Zen archer When shit hits the fan

It was a bit all over the place, but fine.

It was interesting. I’m willing to bet that my rating would go up on repeat listens.

too rowdy for me

Funny album with the short diverse songs, making the experimentation tolerable. 3.4 stars

A perfect title: A Wizard high on drugs and weird and annoying and circus music. A True Star who makes awesome music and melodies with a nice voice. Can we have just the True Star?

It got better as it went on

Pretty cool. high 3/5

I'm glad that I got to listen to this album. I thought that Tod Rundgren was a popish musician. I was not going to give it a fair shake until I read that he decided to go more experimental after taking drugs. Normally an experimental album is an automatic 5 stars from me especially if it scratches all the itches I'm looking for. This one did not, still some pop on there and not totally a fuck you album but close.

Jännä konsepti levy. Paljon lyhyitä kappaleita niin musiikki on aika poukkoilevaa ja psykedeelistä, mutta se on osa levyn viehdätystä. On myös perinteisempiä pidempia kappaleita jotka tuo hiukan ehkä David Bowien mieleen. Mutta on kyllä mielenkiintoisen progista ja psykedeelistä poppia. Parhaat: Zen Archer, I Don't Want to Tie You Down, Just One Victory

It's an interesting album, very experimental but not complete weirdness like other albums can be, some parts couple be way more modern than the 70s. I wouldn't listen to this more however.

Short sketches of songs

nice album cover

This listen took me on a rollercoaster of emotions, from mild pleasure to sheer awkwardness. Not a repeat listen. Awesome cover, however.

High production value, lots of effort put into the music, but it doesn’t feel like a cohesive album. Todd Rundgren mixes and mashes different songs and styles together on this album, and while the songs individually are good, don’t give the album a sense of direction. 3/5

hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm i don't know. i enjoyed quite a lot of this but as a whole it's maybe just a little bit too wacky for repeated listening, for me. but it's really fun and i'm glad i heard it and i might come back to it one day.

2-3

Pretty wild sounding. I’d like to be on drugs with some headphones listening to this. Feel like the only way to properly enjoy it

So incredibly weird on my first listen but much more cohesive on the second playthrough. One of those that keeps getting better the more you listen. 3/5 for now but I could understand almost any rating 1-5 on any given day!

I feel like there is always someone in music circles trying to sell you on Todd Rundgren they way we were led to believe people in trenchcoats in big cities would try to sell you a watch. I don't hate watches, am kinda dazzled by their intricate mechanism sometimes, but I quit wearing them at the advent of cell phones, and feel a same "Impressive, but don't really need it" toward Todd Rundgren. I do love when he produces other people's records (XTC Skylarking, Patti Smith Wave, New York Dolls debut)

Super weird!

Like a combo of the Eno Rock Lps (which I love) and Zappa (which I do not love). I'll revisit him because I think he may have some material I would like but this was a bit uneven.

I haven't heard the previous album, but, from what I read, it seems it was quite mainstream so he made a conscious decision to take drugs and try to sound weirder. Sigh. I'm tempted to comment that men can be very self-indulgent, but I'd better not, so I'll just shake my head fondly and say: Oh, these artistic types! To be fair, he's not exactly the only one to go down that path, and some great art was born in just such a manner. Here, you can hear the "nice" 70s soft rock underlying everything, but the attempts at adding a psychedelic twist don't succeed in elevating that to anything memorable. You've sort of got your normal rock backing (either Billy Joel-ish or Beatles-esque, at different times) with weird shushing noises and some alto sax trying to pep it all up. And occasional "I sound like I'm a crazy man talking down a telephone" vocals. It's reasonably creative, but the songs aren't especially good to begin with in my opinion, and it doesn't become great art. There are decent moments, but I doubt I'll be listening again. PS ironically, I thought the least psychedelic passages were the best bits. Perhaps I should listen to the previous album.

The proggy psychedelic parts are good; the musical theatre parts are not.

If I had to review this in one word it would be
 Cacophony A bit of a tinny sounding mess in places (maybe my speakers? I think not), but tuneful in others. I do like an album where all the tracks merge into the next. So much more preferable to lazy fadeouts.

Sounds like somebody had unlimited studio time.

One of the strangest listening experiences I’ve had in a while. After releasing a classic power pop album, I didn’t expect his follow-up to be so experimental and anti-commercial. Not in love with it on a first listen, but it feels like it could be a GBV situation where its difficult moments are secretly its strengths.

Kinda all over the place. Early prog. Was ok.

70s psychrock. Inspired by drugs, like all of those albums. Multi-layered. Chaotic, experimental but still quite melodic. Bonkers.

Some interesting parts but drags

Kinda sounds like a guy heard the back end medley on Abbey Road and said "I can make an album of that".

Unusual album. I had to split it into two parts around track 10 as I didn't have time to listen it as a whole. Definitely a worthwhile listen, enjoyed it.

I'm iffy on it but overall think I like it Will I listen to again: 50%

Maybe I'll like it more on repeat listens but was pretty whelmed by it today. It felt like the weirder sibling of his previous album. Rating: 3.0

No, it doesn't make sense but that is the beauty of this record. It is parts easy listening, parts Weimar-era stomps, parts early computer game music, and parts drugs. When this album is good (like "Zen Archer" holy moly) then it is extraordinary; when this album is bad (like the syrupy "Medley"), then it's a real chore. It'll have to be a midway score but it's a great & interesting midway score.

Nothing on this album really stood out to me, but it was still an interesting listen. Todd Rundgren clearly had psychedelics on the brain when he made this, and you can hear that trippy influence all over the place. The album jumps around so much that it sometimes feels more like a sketchbook of ideas than a fully fleshed-out record. That said, the medley of 60s songs was pretty cool. It had a fun, nostalgic vibe and showed off Rundgren’s ability to reinterpret familiar material in his own style. Those moments gave the album some character and broke up the chaos in a good way. Overall, it is a mixed bag. I can respect the ambition and the psychedelic spirit behind it, but as a whole, it just did not grab me. Interesting in parts, forgettable in others.

Really solid effort with enough weirdness to be interesting but not to overshadow the rest

Cava album. Soms misschien iets te raar, maar dat is nu eenmaal normaal in de jaren 70. Tic Tic Tic, It Wears Off was wel een cool nummer. 2.9

Multiple songs that have random weird noises, and one that is just dogs barking. Otherwise the songs are really good, but I don't think that they are my favorite as they tend to use noises and sounds that I find less appealing. Definitely psychedelic music, but the genre isn't my favorite.

I had always thought that Todd Rundgren was an 80s rock guitarist and jobbing producer, but it turns out he has a lot of different strings to his bow, including a career that started in the 60s and this wildly ambitious self produced 1973 solo album on which he sings, programs the synths and plays just about everything. Musically this is prog with a sprinkling of 60s psychedelia and experimental electronica. Somehow he also managed to cram 56 minutes of music on to a single vinyl disc. Amazeballs.

It's a bit all over the place, going in all directions at once (for the time of the recording). Lots of psychedelic and progressive elements. Interesting for sure, but not coherent enough to want to listen to it again.

Mmm it’s kinda nice, the sounds are experimental. Liked it, but not at all

Interesting but unmemorable to me. Would probably like it more with more listens.

Whimsical pop

I want to bang your bum all day.

Fascinating album. I was not familiar with the artist, the album or the story. There are a few very skippable tracks, but the majority are well produced and well written.

the first half of this album pissed me off. zen archer carried fr 6.5/10

I can’t tell if I like Todd Rundgren or not. This record felt like someone distilled 70s AM Gold and fucked with it enough to make it rock-n-roll. Yeah it’s a weird one. I will say the Motown Covers medley was pretty fun.

Vibrant, psychedelic and experimental. Reminds me of some Beatles tracks at times. It has a very lofty, airy quality to it throughout the record. The harmonies and musicianship is really nice. This is a cool one.

I'm wondering how I could describe this musical style. My appreciation for it varies greatly from song to song.

I like some it a lot, but some of it was fucking annoying

This album was not Todd’s strongest. He reached pretty far out of his comfort zone for some songs, and while it’s good to experiment he should’ve left some of these tracks behind. 6/10

I asked ChatGPT to write my review: Todd Rundgren’s A Wizard, A True Star is one of those albums that feels like it’s daring you to keep up with it. It’s packed with ideas—sometimes brilliant, sometimes baffling—and while that makes it an interesting listen, it doesn’t always make it a satisfying one. The record bounces all over the place stylistically, jumping from prog-rock flourishes to soul covers to psychedelic experiments, often within a matter of minutes. That unpredictability can be fun in small doses, but over the course of the whole album, it starts to feel more like chaos than genius. There are definitely moments where Rundgren’s talent shines through—tracks like “International Feel” really capture his knack for melody and production—but a lot of the songs feel more like sketches than fully formed pieces. It’s the kind of record that hardcore fans might appreciate for its ambition, but it’s hard to recommend as a go-to listen. You get the sense that Rundgren was more interested in throwing everything at the wall than in making a cohesive album, and the end result is uneven. Overall, it’s fascinating but frustrating—worth checking out once for its sheer audacity, but not something that begs repeat listens. A solid 3 out of 5.

For the first couple of tracks, I wasn’t so sure about if I’d like this album. However, as it continued, I found it growing on me more and more. It’s like other pop rock of its time, except it somehow sounds prettier. The composition generally stays interesting, and the vocals are lovely. The second half is definitely the better half as far as I’m concerned, but overall this was pretty good.

Very fun, some parts were too weird for me though

Someone had fun in the studio! I'm pretty sure drugs were involved as well. So it's a reach. He was trying for something, I'm not sure what he was trying for but I appreciate the experience. You do need to be in the mindset for experimental music before sitting down with it. I realized I had skipped this because I got it on a day I needed to get things done and I'm glad I waited for a day when I had time to catch up on some albums. It's an adventure for sure. Some songs are really fun and work well, others you can see what he was going for but come out a disjointed wall of noise. Worth a listen unless you hate it when an artist tries something different.

It’s as if Frank Zappa and Salvador Dali decided to make a record with Rundgren turning all the knobs in a hallucinogenic drug fantasy world. Just a weird listen overall. And while the creativity here is pretty amazing and should be recognized, it’s not something I’ll return to.

This was all over the place. Hated parts of it, sort of enjoyed other parts.

What a wild listen. At times this felt very mainstream friendly. Other times it was just weird. But it did kind of work for me. Giving it a 3.5 for creativity and musicianship. Rounding down because I’ll probably never listen to it again.

Per Wikipedia: The sound and structure of Wizard was heavily informed by Rundgren's hallucinogenic experiences... you don't say??? Was thinking this album would be a bit too out there to enjoy, but ended up liking it. Yea, some parts were a little ridiculous but as a whole it was an enjoyable listen. 3.25/5

A wizard indeed . . . of music that doesn't hold up all that well.

Inventive - always something to listen out for. Didn't like a lot of it, wavered far too much down the psychedelia arm for my tastes but respect the effort.

Very psychadelic album for sure, which is hinted by the cover art. It was a bit of a mixed bag for me. It started off with a quite cool intro for 'International Feel'. Generally I think my favourite track was 'Sometimes I don't know what to feel', but the tracks really took turn between being decent and complete circus music. Overall I think it was alright, but no cigar. Weak 3.

Ok, right off the bat: Song 1 sounds like a sloppy Beatles. It’s catchy and a good starting song Song 2 blends in with international Feel which is something that I like. It’s the small things people. This song is not good. It has spacey keyboard over a love song basically. Song 3 Tic tic tic starts off cool. Let’s keep this going .ok well….I don’t know what to say. It’s odd. It’s a jumbled crashing of sounds with sort of yelling vocals, dueling vocals to be exact. Oh, scratch that. Those were 2 different songs. Song 5 keeps that tradition of sound king like a low rate Beatles knockoff. Low rate might be too insulting as I still find this good. Song 6 it really is what the song title says. Dog fighting…..and giggling. Song 7 bowiesque. It could be the theme song for a dramady in the 80’s Flamingo is song 8 if you’re still following . Sort of a Zappa thing going on Zen Archer? Pass Song 10 another Bowie type song. A bad one Man, this album is really a tough one for me. It has everything it needs to be a 4 star but as the album goes on it really makes me second guess that. The shit song is a big sounding song, like a song that would be used in a celebration but it still is lacking power to it. The next song, the French named one, I can’t really explain it. Most of these songs lack that last little something that would have me remember them over and over again. It’s the same pattern for the remainder of the songs. They are decent but lack something.

Could swear that I’ve done this album already. Anyway. Endearingly eccentric. Almost.

This is a weird ass album. Todd was running away from the mainstream with lots of drugs. However, there were several ditties I really liked and it had a lot of short tracks to keep it interesting. Top Tracks: "When the Shit Hits the Fan," "Tic Tic Tic, It Wears Off," "You Need Your Head"

--International Feel...we already gettin' weird --Never Never Land...staying weird --Tic Tic Tic, It Wears Off...funky instrumental --You Need Your Head...crazy cacophony --Rock & Roll Pussy...What is happening? --Dogfight Giggle....could the next track be an actual song, Todd? --You Don't Have to Camp Around...treacly --Flamingo...jesus, time to come down, Todd --Zen Archer...this music was made for somebody, it's not made for me but somebody --Just Another Onionhead...there are interesting sounds happening but where are the actual songs?! --When the Shit Hits the Fan...an actual song! It's good! --Le Feel Internacionale...a reprise --Sometimes I Don't Know What to Feel...Showing that Mr. Rundgren has very good pop sensibilities. I appreciate the psychedelic experimentation but he should stick with what he's good at --Does Anybody Love You...twee bullshit --Medley...I'm not sure why it's on here but it's good --Hungry for Love...shrug --I Don't Want to Tie You Down...schmaltz --Is It My Name?...this one rocks --Just One Victory...another good one. Nice bass groove

Its interesting and I respect the big swing taken here. It does make sense as a whole album how things flow together but I don't think I'll be doing a lot of repeat listens. This is the kind of music for someone who will say "did you hear what they did there with the major 9th". For 1972 it just makes me want to go listen to Big Star

This was jam packed with ideas and fizzed with originality. It sounds 25 years ahead of its time and i can see why he inspired so many musicians. However it needed a good editor and some discipline to elevate it into a great album.

You can tell he put a lot of work into it. The results just aren't too exciting?

Started out not really liking all the wacky psychedelic sounds that hit my ears, but the deeper into the album I listened, the more I liked it. Not likely something I'll spend much time with going forward, but it was an interesting listen.

Not bad

Didn’t really enjoy this one. Some Ok sounds but overall not my taste. On the three side of a 2.5.

Better than Coldplay

Heard a lot of things that I heard in a lot of other songs in the years since this came out. I think this album is pretty heavily sampled or at least homage. It was pretty good we'll give it another listen another time

Beatlesque

It's an interesting album, there are a few places where it really shines, it's creative and eclectic, although it feels like small random pieces of music instead of a cohesive whole. Personal faves: "Just One Victory", "Sometimes I Don't Know What To Feel" and "Does Anybody Love You". I will probably come back to it a few times, and it probably needs a few more litsens, but it's a bit too dated at times. Also sometimes i felt genuine cringe especially at ""There is cause and effect/There's a reason I'm so erect" and "Rock and Roll Pussy"

Unexpectedly nostalgic yet undeniably strange, it is giving a theatrical musical vibe by blending multiple genres into an entertaining experience. With most tracks lasting just around a minute, it unfolds like a series of fast-changing scenes.

Not bed, just that into it. Some songs rocked pretty good for sure. Somewhat pleasantly surprised.

Crazy.

I think I'm learning that I'm not a big Rundgren fan. But his genius can't be denied, nor can the beautiful weirdness. 3.7

very enjoyable to listen to, but doesn’t really leave an impression, though it’s not what makes music good.

I'm going with 3 stars, because this was very easy to listen to. But I'm not going with more than 3 stars, because this was probably too far along the spectrum to pop than I would have liked. There was a constant feeling that something was slightly superficial about the entire experience, like someone having fun in the production studio, rather than composing something musically interesting.

Good! Love the first few songs, but it's an album that drags in places. 3.5/5. Highlights: Tic Tic Tic International Feel

This album was very groovy but also very weird and eccentric. I feel like it’s one of those albums that you need to listen to multiple times because it has many layers. I enjoyed this listen and would pick it up again!

this one's a little weird, definitely very 70s. Not the worst but probably wouldn't reach for it on my own.

Incredibly frenetic, and it works more than it doesnt.

I appreciate it, but I don't quite "get" it.

Wild and fun, even if doesn't always land. Will need to revisit.

Properly strsnge psychedelia with a soul ending. A bit incoherent for me (or at least i couldn’t keep up with it) but some fantastic sounds and plenty of ideas.

This is a rock-opera style album much like The Wall, Tommy, pretty much begging to be made into a musical or movie. The songs flow into each other, with most of them just around a minute or minute and a half. Definitely that "classic rock" sound throughout the album with a little bit of experimentation to keep things interesting. Not a bad album, but not a great one either in my opinion. The album art is fun though....looks like what they used to help train AI.

Beetje rommelige muziek en gekke geluidjes. Alles bij elkaar zitten er ook wel weer leuke deuntjes bij.

Interesting..

the original weirdcore

why were white guys in the 1970s literally addicted to making carnival music. was this their version of healing their inner child? fav track: zen archer

alright that was fine i guess. not that interesting to me and some of the experimental stuff was like whatever so idk no strong feelings

A very odd album but pretty good. My favorite track was "Sometimes I Don't Know What To Feel." Overall, it kinda felt middle of the road, so it's getting a three. Worth at least a listen though.

It was okay, very experimental at times 3/5

I found this a bit out there, particularly when compared to his later work which is much more straightforward and poppy. I liked the Nazz and Utopia decently well when I was a kid. I thought his later solo work was a bit saccharine. I had never heard this particular record, and actually, liked it more than his later solo work. It feels a bit like a record from 1967 with better production values LOL and clearly a lot of psychedelic drug use.

Hauskaa ja vituttavaa musiikkia

Not really exceptional

3.5 really. I need to listen to more Todd rundgren

70’s rock

Early 70’s soft rock. Maybe even yacht rock

Whacky, I like it

solid album, needs a relisten, was t a fan of skip tracks

A mad album. At times I was listening and thinking this is a real 70s album, but at times it was music that you could quite imagine being made now with someone like Andre 3000. That said, all of it has clearly been made under the influence of copious amount of psychedelics.

Especially enjoyed parts of this, but the interspersed audio assault was unexpected (see Dogfight Giggle) and perhaps too experimental for our test. Interesting, but not an album we will be regularly reaching for.

I really like the cover art and knew I was going to be in for a Psychedelic time. I do love how the first song transitions into the next one, and the next one... It's so interesting how short most of the songs are. I think this might be an album where I need to listen to it twice because of how fast the songs go. I'd say I really like this album, the production quality is up there. The change from just another onionhead into Da Da Dali made me dislike the song sadly. This album also kinda reminds me of the artist Jack Stauber. He also kinda sounds like Hall abd Oats. It has some replay value but It would feel kinda weird to listen to the songs on this album out of order. All around a really interesting album experience. My favorite song from this album is Rock and Roll Pussy.

I liked it. A bit experimental i think.

Very weird album, quite an interesting listen.

Kind of a weird album, with a lot of psychedelic influence. It’s okay. 2.5/5 Probably won’t listen again

This album was a wild ride. I heard so many splashes of other artists during the run time. There was some Chicago, some Elton John, some Beatles, and a bunch of other bands that either influenced or were influenced by this album. I don’t know that every song worked for me, but the flow was there. The choice of having no singles makes sense when you hear how much the songs blend together. I might take another listen someday, but all in all I’m not upset this was on the list.

Expansive, varied, sometimes proggy, a bit of soul, occasionally just weird. Pushing boundaries but not sure to where or what end.

I think, if I was in the right headspace, that I may have enjoyed this album more than I did. But it was a little too weird for me. It was fine, but I don’t see playing it again.

A couple of very good songs and lots of fillers

🤷‍♂️

Teach me your ways, Dr. Spaceman

Had heard the name before but couldn't have told you want kind of music he played -- and maybe still can't. Whatever I expected it wasn't that! Didn't love it, didn't hate it, had its moments. Feels like a 3.

An interesting, maybe slightly overlong word album. A fun listen, but not one that compels me to revisit often.

Overall this was pretty interesting, I'm not sure I was a big enough fan to ever listen to it again though.

International Feel 3.7 Never Never Land 3.2 Tic Tic Tic It Wears Off 3.3 You Need Your Head 3.3 Rock and Roll Pussy 3.4 Dogfight Giggle 2.2 You Don't Have to Camp Around 3 Flamingo 2.8 Zen Archer 2.4 Just Another Onionhead; Da Da Dali 2.5 When the Shit Hits the Fan; Sunset Blvd 3.4 Le Feel Internacionale 2.4 Sometimes I Don't Know What to Feel 3.5 Does Anybody Love You? 2.8 Medley: Im So Proud: Ooh Baby Baby: La La Means I Love You: Cool Jerk 3.4 Hungry for Love 3 I Don't Want to Tie You Down 3 Is It My Name? 3.2 Just One Victory 3.2 Score: 3.036842105

The second album here was much better than the too weird first album.

For when you've heard everything, and want to hear it all again, within a short 50 minute span.

Weird but okay I guess??? Didn't really do anything cool but also wasn't super offensive

This is like if Zappa was a little less annoying and a little less talented.

I appreciate that Rundgren got away from his pop roots on this. Can't say it's a tremendous landmark of an album but it is a worthwhile stop as a scenic viewpoint on the musical highway.

A little weird and out there (psychedelic), though the long "Medley.." was fun at times.

This album was apparently Rundgren's first after the discovery of psychedelic drugs, and I can completely believe that. It's also apparently one that was made, produced, played and edited by one man, and I can totally believe that too. It's all over the place thematically, genre wise, tempo wise, and smacks of someone who didn't have a fresh set of eyes/ears suggesting edits and improvements. You've clearly had a blast making this, Todd, but I don't think it stands out as an actually good album.

Second part more my thing

I truly don't know how I feel about this album.

It's a 3.5. Off the wall, weird, surprisingly good.

Fun to listen to, probably when stoned or on drugs

Bizarre and outright horrible to listen to in parts. Worth a listen.

Классная обложка, но не мое

Bowie-esque style. Nice voice. Quite talented artist. Not precisely my jam but listenable.. 3/5

Interesting and creative, but not necessarily my taste.

Heel gaaf gemaakt, maar niet echt mijn ding.

nice

Todd Rundgren seems like the kind of genius who can write hit songs in his sleep and so instead he makes wild and manic prog-pop albums like this because it’s more interesting to him. I certainly wasn’t bored but I don’t think I’ll revisit this. The soul medley on Side B is great and makes me think that Rundgren probably listens to Motown in his spare time. I’d love to hear an album of him just writing pop tunes without overthinking it. The second half of the album delivered on that more than the first. 2.5

Interesting listen, it feels like a slew of stimulation being thrown at my ears all at once. There's ideas packed into every corner of this record and doesn't really leave any room to breathe but I didn't really find myself annoyed by that. My only wish is that there was a few more stripped down moments where I could appreciate the balance of harmony and melody without being escorted to another room after only a few seconds, only to then be escorted to another room immediately after, and then into another room right as I was starting to understand things. I was definitely surprised by the second half of the album which felt slightly less manic. Mirroring the constant moving and shuffling of the first half, I myself didn't really land on one opinion on whether or not I liked or disliked how the album felt split like this. It really made for an interesting listen all around. Fitting album cover, it matches the sound very well!

I enjoyed this a lot!

Kova

bizarre experiments that serve as a pretty interesting base

This was fun and weird and I kinda liked it. Rating: 3

A messy messy album. I commend the vast array of musical styles that went into this. While I think it's generally disjointed and chaotic, this album was certainly cutting edge. 3/5

Artiste inconnu. La musique est variée, originale et ... barrée (Dogfight Giggle, évitable). Avec des morceaux courts, des instrumentaux (Tic Tic Tic It Wears Off - harmonie originale), des chorus intéressants (Zen Archer) sur les morceaux plus longs. J'aime moins la seconde face, moins originale, plus répétitive. Il aurait dû s'arrêter à la première partie ... => 3/5

Interesting. 3.5 stars

Gets a bit goofy but rundgren has been really enjoyable on this album tour

SO WEIRD! I like it.

Very fun!!

Todd Rundgren’s *A Wizard, A True Star* is often heralded as a landmark in electronic music and progressive rock. Known for pushing boundaries, Rundgren dives deep into sonic experimentation and complex arrangements in this 1973 album, which blends genres with a fearless, almost otherworldly approach. For experimental rock fans, *A Wizard, A True Star* is nothing short of a kaleidoscopic journey that bridges rock, soul, and synthesizer-laden psychedelia, full of quick transitions, bizarre soundscapes, and playful tonal shifts. While Rundgren’s innovation and technical prowess are unmistakable, the album's dizzying pace and eccentricity may not resonate with every listener. There’s a lot to admire in his bold choices; he skillfully layers sounds and injects unexpected twists throughout. However, this very ambition might be challenging for those who enjoy a more straightforward structure in their music. Tracks like “International Feel” and “When the Shit Hits the Fan/Sunset Blvd” showcase Rundgren’s fearless creativity but can also feel overwhelming, making it a bit hard to settle into any one groove. Ultimately, while *A Wizard, A True Star* may not be a personal favorite, Rundgren’s ingenuity and influence on electronic music are undeniable. His work here has clearly paved the way for countless artists who explore the fringes of genre and form, and even if it’s not quite for everyone, it's clear why Rundgren is celebrated as a pioneer.

Pleasantly weird but actually quite forgettable

This album is pretty out there. I like Todd Rundgren but this is certainly not my favorite album of his.

For someone whose production is so ahead of its time, this album just felt very dated. It felt like ELO, but trying too hard. The songs were short, but I am still scratching my head at that medley. It just felt so... odd to do. At least he has a sense of humor, considering some of the titles of the songs he had. It just... felt kinda meh. I was not overly impressed, yet he was the one who produced one of XTC's greatest albums. There were some decent songs, but just not enough to say "yeah, I have to listen to more of this." Top tracks: "International Fame," "Is It My Name," "Sometimes I Don't Know What To Feel," "When the S**t Hits The Fan: Sunset Blvd"

Kind of surprised I didn't get his previous double album, for which he is most known for (other than Bang the Drum All Day) and on which he played all the instruments (on sides one-three). I'll bet that one is still coming. This album is...complicated. It's not terrible, but its defining feature is that it embraces its weirdness and instrumental or audio imperfections. So you have to be cool with all of that. Or love it. I am mostly indifferent. At times some big poppy sounds, at times some spastic je ne sais quoi.

It was ok I suppose. Didn’t offend the ears too much, but didn’t connect with the brainium.

Some very interesting sounds. It seems really underrated. Nice transitions between tracks. Some fun tracks and also some weird ones. A really interesting journey I was taken on. You Need Your Head Just Another Onionhead / Da Da Dali

Another one I had never heard of, and pleasantly surprised. Difficult to describe the album, it is a sort of an eclectic mix of psychedelic/prog pop nonsense and surely ahead of its time. Not much to tap your feet to but far from dull.

Bit of a wacky one, this. Gotta say I enjoyed it though.

# 344 : Loved the Cool album art straight away, Iconic in itself! They've done a pretty decent job, kind of cool, never heard this guy before and it made me sit up and take notice, but blends into like one long song. What is meant by "has since been recognized for its influence on later generations of bedroom musicians?..." All up a good record worth a second listen. Favourite track : Is It My Name

This was a truly bizarre listening experience. Sometimes I felt like I was listening to a Tom Waits record, but with a completely opposite voice. Other times I just wanted the noise to end, and it was really hard to keep listening through some of the tracks. My dog even got up and left the room during one particularly punishing song and I really didn't blame him. The good songs were like seriously good, and I really liked them, but the bad ones were so bad, and the rest just kinda mediocre, so overall I didn't come away from the experience with a very positive feeling. Three stars.

ooh interesting! i think my score could go up with further listens 3.5

Un album un peu étrange qui n'est pas 100% dans mmon registre, mais dont j'admire le risque pris et l'avant-gardisme. À réessayer. 7/10

Psykedelisk rock, poppet, soulet, til tider ret lækkert

Todd Rundgren reminds of of Trent Reznor. Completely different musical styles but primarily one man production machines; iconoclasts that just want to do what they want to do. There are a few very good songs here that demonstrate Rundgren's skill as a songwriter. There's also a bunch of stuff that's just a bit too esoteric for me. This isn't good enough to be a 3 or also not bad enough for a 2, so I'll give it the benefit of the doubt.

Honestly the best word I can use to describe this is Zany. Todd Rundgren is one of a kind, even if I don’t love what he does.

This was quite cool I think. Although it came out in 1972 and felt quite 70s I thought some of it sounded quite modern and the production was great. Nothing excellent but definitely interesting. Also the album title is fantastic.

only heard 'i saw the light' by him on ozark the tv show, great song and scene btw his voice is great, found the second half better than the first one, last track is very good, but the first few songs were a bit too weird for me.

This guy is fucking weird. And only sorta in a cool way.

I don't know allot going on here it maybe needs a second listen but it was just weird and kinda long

Didn’t care for side 1, kinda weird composition; side 2 - pretty good.

¿Saben qué? Estaba listo para darle dos estrellas porque aquí no está Can't We Still Be Friends y porque el primer lado es muy caótico para mi gusto, pero en eso llega el lado B y junto con él un par de buenas canciones que de inmediato ingresaron en mi lista de lo mejor de los 70. No sé qué estaba fumando TR cuando compuso y grabó este disco, pero debe haber estado muy bueno.

Utterly mad. Fun, but not my fave.

There were good moments. It was… interesting.

Someone did acid for the first time Creative Kinda a wild history to this one

Rodd Tundgren. I can tell right away that this was an influence on Jack White. This is a bit dynamic, isn't it?

This is all over the place! Psychedelic at times, experimental at others. Includes a foray into soul. No idea what to expect next. You Need Your Head into Rock & Roll Pussy were the closest moments to really loving this release, but they alone were just not enough.

Well, it's special isn't it. Reminds me of Neil from the young ones. Definitely unique.

Album 532 of 1001 Todd Rundgren - A Wizard, A True Star Rating : 3.5 / 5 Not my favorite from him, by far, but still a decent listen. I could probably listen again and give a little more attention to it.

Well, it gets some points for creativity and originality. I can’t say it was too boring or generic. Still, for the most part, I didn’t enjoy this too much; it just didn’t click, though there some bright spots. An interesting experience, at least.

Never listened to this album before. It was an interesting and eclectic mix of songs. Several of them I liked very much and some I did not. To be fair I gave it back-to-back listens. I liked it better the second time around, maybe a couple more times might raise its star count, for now, I'm going to say 3 stars.

He is neither a wizard nor a true star

I can imagine this being influential, but I found it a bit too difficult to listen to. Some stand out tracks and moments though. 3.5

Neat, not bad.

A Weirdo, A True Psycho This is some proper psychedelic nonsense it reminds me of ummagumma. Anyways what do I know I'm just another onionhead.

Zen archer is pretty good, but fuck this cunt is ugly

Bit odd, don’t think I finished tbh let’s say 3

Drugs, lots of drugs.

I really struggled to decide what to rate this album but I settled with a 3 Words also cannot express how much I disliked Dogfight Giggle…

I love a couple of his songs, but this one just did not land for me.

While I can appreciate the work that was done here, there are big chunks of this that don’t do it for me. There are bits I really like, but not as much. You can definitely see the influence this had on other artists (Queen?). It’s creative and different, very well made. But the psychedelic bits are lost on me. This is probably fabulous on LSD. Sometimes I Don’t Know, Does Anybody Love and the Medley are very good. He’s gotta be a monster at a karaoke bar. 3/5

77% Best: International Feel, Zen Archer, Just Another Onionhead/Da Da Dali, When the Shit Hits the Fan/Sunset Blvd., La Feel Internacional, Sometimes I Don't Know What to Feel, Medley, Hungry for Love, Is It My Name?, Just One Victory Must-Hear? Side 2 yes, Side 1 no

This was...strange. Kind of cool, kind of annoying. At least it wasn't the same old boring 70s crap.

3.5.5

An interesting album. Blown away that this was made in the 70s. Sounded like a 2000s hipster indie album sometimes. Lots of short tracks

I listened to this album. I don't think I appreciated it enough because I don't remember it at all, but I did like that most of the songs were only a minute or so long. Efficient

Not what I expected from rundgren. Ok. A little too easy listening for my taste

Truly an epic record, lots going on here with many different musical stylings that shift without a moment's notice. It was a good listen but kind of exhausting, it'll be a little while before I can revisit and pick out more details.

Despite the lack of focus throughout the album, there are enough good songs to make it work. Not going to change my life, but it was alright.

How he followed up his 90 min snooze fest with this absolutely bonkers effort 1 year later it's beyond me. Really enjoyed it 😂 (apart from the stupid medley)

Enjoyed this

3.5/5

3 songs in, this has the markings of a conceptual rock opera. Songs bleed from one to the next, taking individual form, but flowing nonetheless conceptually. Tic Tic Tic -> You Need Your Head are the first standouts to me. Trippy ass vocals on display with some really solid pop-rock songwriting and interesting effects. Feels well-ahead of its time. You Need Your Head in particular rips. Quickly wrapping up this review so I can reboot my system.... On a first pass with this mainly in the background I'm a soft 3. Not huge into operatic rock in the general sense, but I did enjoy a lot of individual sections. Much of this, however, I wasn't really able to sink my teeth or soul into.

Dog fight giggle seemed like a very crucial part of this album...Overall it wasn't a bad listen. Todd is obviously very interesting guy from some weird aspects of this album. 3 stars

I respect the ambition a lot, it felt like a space opera, one continuous album. Not one you pick individual songs from, but they all flow together

Kind of good and kind of extremely annoying

Adoro quando una canzone fluisce perfettamente dentro quella successiva. A parte quello non ho nulla da dire

60/100 Can't get a lot more 70s than this. I like a lot of the experimental elements here but the first half has some real lows. Overall a good album that could've been great

An enjoyable bit of classic rock injected with a bit of psychadelia and prog

weird album, liked it decently well, probably won't come back to it though.

Better than the other one, but still not so good of an album. I don't get the hype around this guy.

Listened to this while playing Glass Road solo. I lost...again. I liked aspects of this...I thought I was going to be in for an exciting ride given the first few tracks...but it kind of got more normal as the album progressed. I could hear the influence this had on more recent artists (at one point it sounded like Of Montreal.) I didn't love it, didn't hate it.

i think on a different day it may hit better. I liked the weirdness of it but need to revisit on a day where im more open to it.

Good songwriter and performer. Easy to listen and relate. This is not his best work, but pretty darn good.

2.5 Back half of the album was better than the start. Im starting to think Im missing out on not doing a bunch of drugs

This album is all over the place, yet also seems so focused. Such a large range of different genres that flow seamlessly between each other. Although, the lack of faith to one specific style can leave the listener feeling as if they’ve listened to a compilation album (“I’m So Proud / Ooh Baby Baby / La La Means I Love You / Cool Jerk”) rather than a studio album. His vocals are impressive, though comical at times, especially when jumping suddenly into his falsetto. I enjoyed listening to the whole thing. 3/5

2.75

I got Something/Anything a few weeks ago, and hated it. Naturally I wasn't expecting much from this, but was very pleasantly surprised. Its a very strange, all over the place kind of album with so many changes of style and tempo (sometimes within a single track) that I ended up with whiplash. There is quite a lot of horrible smooth jazz / yacht rock shittiness, and the amount of saxophone confirms that there is one single rock track in history where the presence of a sax has improved the song. Having said that, there is enough on this album that I enjoyed that it rates significantly higher than Something/Anything - it's not a four star, there's just too much crap for that, but it's a very high three

I read that Rundgren was experimenting with psychedelics while writing this album. Yea, no shit. It’s a really impressive piece of work and I respect Rundgren for what he did here. Perhaps I would have enjoyed more had I been on psychedelics but I really did enjoy a good amount of it, particularly the second half. I don’t know if I’ll return but this was impressive. 3.5 stars

Easy to listen to but didn’t blow me away

Revisit this

Todd Rundgren has before you a great example of the wonders of psychedelics. Rife with the instrumentation and free for all that can only be written by someone convinced that his audience will be salivating on every note played. Psychedelic music needs a backing. It's a texture but not the shape of the music. Grateful dead was more folk. Jimi Hendrix had soul and jazz, Pink Floyd had progressive Rock. The shape of Todd's music is pop rock, to me, the exact type of Pop Rock that David Bowie made, but with a psychadelic texture. Does it work? Eh. I'll say I don't think many people have tried it since. It was unique but I think too specific of a flavor. Sort of the ham and banana of music. It felt worthwhile to listen to but it just never found itself over its 55 minute run time. And Todd, I can guarantee no one is getting erect over your name, it's Todd Rundgren, perhaps the least arousing name I've ever heard.

Happy to have gotten this after Something/Anything? because now I have an idea of what Carole King might have been doing if she was on drugs. Enjoyed all 63 seconds of You Don't Have to Camp Around and most everything after Sometimes I Don't Know What to Feel, but the rest was all over the place. Offsets to a 3.

Weird

Pop progresivo, psicodelia. Ni fu ni fa.

Allt í læ bara. Sýrutrip. Nokkur góð lög sem gripu mig alveg, Sometimes I don't know what to feel er fallegt. Todd er samt flottur og á alvöru kviðmága. Liv Tyler var rangfeðruð dóttir Todd og hét Liv Rundgren til 11 ára aldurs. Gaurinn er ennþá að og er m.a. að halda tónleika í dag 15. maí. Töffari.

Love the cover. The album is sprawling and a bit disjointed. I didn’t dislike it and it has the flow of a proper curated album. But it didn’t really hit any connective tissue for me. I like ‘flamingo’ as that just seemed a bit mad. But I’m not sure I could recognise or remember any other song.

There was a lot to digest here. I'm not sure I loved how schizophrenic the album seemed, but at the same time I admired his ambition. There's no Tame Impala w/o this record. The first tune, Zen Archer, and the last two were my favorites. I didn't care for the medley of covers. I feel like this one might require a few listens to get into all the nuances. So my 3 is more of a tentative score than how I expect to feel about it down the road. I will definitely be revisiting this, though.

Not the Rundgren I’m used to. Clearly it was the LSD talking. His sound still shines through here and there but I like my Todd more straightforward

In Something/Anything?, Rundgren churned out 25 unique ideas that touched base on every idea in his head of how he could manipulate pop music. And in this follow-up, Rundgren is influenced by psychedelics to create something even more chaotic. Much less accessible and incoherent, these tracks can be a lot to take in. But it's once again an amazing demonstration of how a talented songwriter can break conventions while having access to the best technology. The first side, "The International Feel", is a huge medley full of chaos as he bounces from one idea to the next. - The intro track hypes up the adventure. - "Never Never Land" and "Tic Tic Tic It Wears Off" are wacky and light. - "You Need Your Head" and "Rock & Roll Pussy" are just pure disorder. - "Dogfight Giggle" is some musique concrete nonsense. - "You Don't Have to Camp Around" is a change of direction to something calmer and wacky but forgettable. - "Flamingo" is decent as space rock and fits with the theme. It's a nice interlude before we get more accessible songs. - "Zen Archer" is our first coherent standalone track. Fantastic track, which evolves by the second. - Another cut transition to "Just Another Onionhead". Wacky and a bit fun. - "When the Shit Hits the Fan" is another track I like. It feels complete and satisfying without coming as too exhausting. Interesting ideas, sure. But exhausting, dated, sharp, and is based on novelty that doesn't survive re-listens. If I were tripping, then sure, it might be fun, since the short track lengths should keep me engaged long enough. But the side overall just feels like an exercise, and I could see why it was so influential to modern artists. But it's not enjoyable for casual listening or much replayability. The 2nd side is much more accessible and coherent. - "Sometimes I Don't Know What to Feel" is another incredible complete song. - "Does Anyone Love You" is an ok interlude that I don't care for much. - The Soul Medley was really pleasant to listen to. - At this point, I'm always too tired to continue. The remaining songs are always all over the place with different energy and styles and even production quality, which makes them very hard to compare. The things they have in common is Rundgren's singing vocals and the space synths, both of which get too repetitive and tiring after so long. It's an incredible effort by Rundgren and one that I appreciate for his innovation and skillset. But it's not a very enjoyable listen, especially due to its hour-long length and chaos. There's a lot to learn here, but only a few tracks worth sharing and revisiting.

That was a strange listen but ok

No es su mejor disco (Something/Anything de un año antes) ni de lejos el mejor disco del espectacular 1973: Dark side of the moon, Catch a fire, Raw power, Band on the run, New York dolls, Aladdin sane, Berlin, Let´s get it on, For Your Pleasure, Call me, Innervisions, GP, Houses of the holy, Quadrophenia, Selling England by the Pound, Goodbye Yellow Brick Road (y Don't Shoot Me, I'm Only the Piano Player), Killing Me Softly... De este disco la mejor canción es Zen Archer, una golosina que se abre al final con una instrumentación fascinante. Sin embargo, a pesar de tener grandes momentos (la inicial International Feel es una declaración de intenciones, Sometimes I Don't Know What To Feel, el clásico Just One Victory, Never never land del musical Peter Pan...) el disco es disperso y complicado de escuchar pues tiene demasiados cambios de ritmo, estilo y de todo incluso dentro de las propias canciones (un Medley dentro del medley, versiones por doquier, desvaríos como R&R Pussy...) Macca lo resolvió mucho mejor y estuvo más inspirado ese año en su Band on the run por ejemplo. A pesar de ello, hay que escuhar a Todd una vez en la vida, ya sea con este o con el anterior disco. Setentero en todos los aspectos desde la portada, hasta la última nota.

I think I made this same album once on a bender but unlike Todd, I forgot to hit record.

Kinda Psychedelic. Love it

3.5

Very interesting prog rock/psychedelic rock with a hint of glam rock, too. It was a bit too varied, too much, too weird at my first listen but I can see if I listened to it a couple of times more I'd give it a 4, because musically he is great.

Like an insane, pompous, prog opera. Some tracks that actually felt like songs as it went on and none of the sonics were unpleasant.

Dom mindre psykotiska bitarna är fyror men det är rätt mycket instrumentalt och knepigt. En trea får det bli

When I started listening to this album, I thought, wow this is what schizophrenia sounds like. And then I read about the album where they are saying Todd Rundgren experimented with drugs before and during the making of this album. And you can hear that. It's not bad, there are some interesting takes and songs. The more accessible part is the B-side for sure. I might dig into the rest of his albums.

this album was fun and interesting keeping me intrigued with very different individual short tracks, some tracks were really pretty and some were just fun to listen to, i’m interested in what this guy makes and i’d be interested to see more from him, ill be re listening to this album soon, some tracks fell a bit boring 7/10