A Wizard, A True Star

I got excited when I saw something I had never heard before from an artist I know. But this one didn’t hit home. I enjoyed the covers but even those weren’t the beats.

Interestingly weird, weirdly interesting.

I didn't hate this. Sounded kind of like a mix between Roxy Music and Elton John. I guess I know what Todd Rundgren sounds like now.

Todd in his “I like lsd” phase I think… definitely not the record that got major radio play….

Trippy. Some really surprising and interesting soundscapes. Would get a higher rating if I was stoned but alas I wasn't at time of lustening

This is really intense- a strange Prog Rock Opera come drugtrip all the vision of one man it seems. Well put together and produced- musically accomplished but quite disjointed to the point of unenjoyable.

Very different Todd. Interesting sounds that do not sound like his famous and familiar song, "Hello, it's me."

This album had some real highs and lows. "Dogfight Giggle" was a real low. That was one of the most horrendous noises that my ears have ever suffered through. Idk why he put that on the album. A high was that medley that he put close to the end of the album. In particular, the "Cool Jerk" part of the medley in 7/4 time was very enjoyable, and I could see myself listening to that track again. There were a lot of questionable choices made of this album, and some of them landed but many didn't.

ooh, a 2.5 but in a VERY mixed bag sorta way. basically every song had bits i adored, and bits that felt like someone was jamming needles in my skull. halfway through i was really feeling like it overstayed it's welcome but then i enjoyed the back half. wtf.

I mostly enjoyed this! I like weird chaotic mess sometimes. unfortunately i cannot stand the pretension here so. 3 stars instead of 4

Yeah. I liked parts of this. It’s all over the place though and just didn’t grab me. A bonkers psychedelic trip indeed but kind of disappointing

Kinda unhinged and almost, but not quite, fun. It just doesn't have any "meat" to it. Todd's has much better albums. I still appreciate the spirit of it. Best I can do is a 3, now get out of here.

A little psychedelic and experimental for the time. Not my style, but something to appreciate.

Interesting. But I don't really loke it.

Not my style. A couple of ok songs but wouldn't listen to again

This is like if ADHD made an album. First 20 or so minutes are racing from track to track, then it seems to jump genres, from prog to punky to soul, to... some other stuff... Still, I mostly enjoyed it but the frenetic approach made bits of it a struggle.

Very interesting album. Side 1 - 2/5, Side 2 is much better - 4/5. Favourite song(s): "Sometimes I Don't Know What to Feel", "Medley: I'm So Proud/ Ooh Baby Baby/ La La Means I Love You/ Cool Jerk" Overall 3.5/5

Much of this album seems to be self-indulgent experimentation, or contractual obligation work, or writer's block. None of these are bad per. But they are not the stuff masterpieces are made from. Bigger Rundgren fans than I probably appreciate this more, and it did have its enjoyable moments. Listened to this twice to get a better grip on it. It does go down a little easier the second time. Rather listen to Iron Maiden again, though. Sex, drugs, and Rock n Roll I guess? A reluctant 3 ⭐️⭐️⭐️

You do you

I think the album cover of A Wizard, A True Star pretty much nails the feel of most of the album. Many of the songs, especially in the first half, were pushing the boundary of "music" a bit too much for my enjoyment. But when the more standard pop songs showed up they did the trick. Lyrically Rundgren sometimes came off as a bit whiny, or maybe egocentric, but otherwise there's a lot of really genre-pushing stuff here. It's not an album that will find it's way back into the rotation for me any time soon, but it wasn't painful to listen to... for the most part. Highlight: Medley: I'm so Proud / Ooh Baby Baby / La La Means I Love You / Cool Jerk Lowlight: Dogfight Giggle Surprise Hit: Tic Tic Tic, It Wears Off

Um álbum ok, gostei da sonoridade mas definitivamente não é meu estilo.

I know some of the songs but definitely think his music covered by someone else is better.

I can see how people might say this is great.

Blind album, know the artist from the list. Wow what a trip of an album. Crazy cool parts, but i felt like my head was swirling. If this album was an acid trip, this is one where im happy, but im also laying in a corner drooling seeing shit. Like the album is cool, but parts of it made me feel very very strange.

bad length, cool album cover, I don't like the 70's sound, I might listen again. ez 3 zen archer

45/100 Based on this scale: 1 star - 0 to 19 2 stars - 20 to 39 3 stars - 40 to 59 4 stars - 60 to 79 5 stars - 80 to 100 I would have probably enjoyed this more years ago, but I no longer do acid. Interesting, but not likely to make me listen a second time.

Quite odd, not sure I get it

Thoughts before listening: Todd Rundgren is an enigma to me. He gets massive praise from music nerds and critics, but I don't recognize any of his songs on Spotify. I know he's in the rock n roll Hall of Fame and produced a lot of well known records, but when I have tried to listen to his music, it's just fine to me. Sounds like other 70s rock bands like Steely Dan. I do understand that he changed his sound a lot and I've seen where this album is labeled as experimental, so maybe the "hits" on Spotify aren't representative of his full discography. Anyway, I'm excited to try this album out. Review: So this sounds like Steely Dan meets Frank Zappa with some Beatles melodies thrown in as well. I think I like it, but its also a lot to take in on one listen. This is one of those albums where a lot of ideas show up but not always in the form of a fully fledged out song. There are bits and pieces of great melodies that are then abruptly ended for some weird avant garde art rock song...much like Frank Zappa. That makes for an interesting if not always fully enjoyable listen. There are some really good songs on here. International Feel, Zen Archer, Sometimes I Don't Know What to Feel, Is It My Name?, and Just One Victory are great tracks that I am glad to add to the playlist. A lot of the other songs are either sappy ballads or complete weirdo arty excursions that just aren't for me.

A lot of talent and creative brilliance on display here, but the overall package is kind of a sloppy mess.

Rundgren has always been under my radar, but I do know he writes some pretty great pop songs. His depth of a songwriter is evident on A Wizard, A True Star with a varied range of songs and for the most part, enjoyable. I wouldn't consider this his best work, but it's a good effort and worth the listen.

Rundgren didn’t try hard enough to make this cohesive. The textures are lush and interesting, but they also make very little sense. The lyrics are pretty confusing and sung in a strangely un-catchy way. With some of the less substantial tracks removed and other shorter ones (such as Tic-Tic-Tic and Rock & Roll Pussy) more fully realised, this could’ve been a great double album. Unfortunately, I can’t give this more than 3 stars. The ideas have a great deal of potential that just doesn’t land properly. We instead get a decent-sounding but very swift-moving, hard-to-remember set of psychedelic rock tracks. There are definitely some highlights, including the I’m So Proud medley, Is It My Name?, and Sometimes I Don’t Know What to Feel.

Syret... 😄 Var egentlig fik nok, men det er lidt et commitment at skulle høre den med 56 minutter uden nogle egentlige "sangskifte"

There were a few songs that stood out to me and there were parts of songs that I enjoyed but then there were things thrown in like creepy laughing. I think I was too sober for this album.

Didn't feel right. Will listen again another day

Weird but interesting

I enjoyed the album but some of the songs seem to be unfinished demos, and I would have appreciated those more if they were longer than a minute or two

Noisy and cluttered David Bowie. Some songs create a nice chaotic mixture. Nice enough voice. Back half of album settles into a nice dream-pop explosion.

Really liked the synthy proggy parts. It lost me more on the romantic ballads and cheesy parts

The back half of this was more interesting than the first. The influences were all over the place but it was a pretty solid lesson

Noh. Ei tämä mun juttu ole. EI kuitenkaan ihan toivotonta.

I was shocked and had no idea that there was some off these crazy sick ass sounds. The first song international feel was amazing and the intro was just perfect. Not the biggest fan of dogfight giggle, a little too experimental for me. Also flamingo just didn’t have any words which was unfortunate because there were was such a good opportunity for some vocals. Sometimes I don’t know what to feel was also very well paced

International Feel Zen Archer

Pink Floyd on happy pills ;)

Decent but nothing to write home about

Made after his experimenting with psychedelics, and it definitely has that vibe. He intentionally avoided releasing any singles, making it a true album experience. I like the experiment, and it’s pretty listenable, meaning not exceedingly weird. This was a fun one.

It has some really good songs, but also a lot of weird ones. I guess it evens out as about average.

A pretty alright album. A very weird one too. Almost too weird at times. But overall, I liked it. I probably won’t go back to this album again in the near future, but I didn’t dislike it at all. 7/10 Top 3: 1. Zen Archer 2. International Feel 3. I’m So Proud / Ooh Baby Baby / La La Means I Love You / Cool Jerk

I’m not a huge Prog rock fan but this was a decent album

oddball kinda dug it

Chaotic. Not bad. Not as amazing as some of the reviews led me to hope for. Good though.

Interesting album. Kind of all over the place, but overall pretty good!

Interesting carney music

Solid proggy rock album.

ugh, prog rock, ick. I get that this is kinda funny and stylistically diverse, but it is (in the words of the Rolling Stone Album Guide 2004) "an endurance test of stylistic diversity, with just three fully realized songs ('Sometimes I Don't Know What to Feel,' 'International Feel,' and 'Just One Victory') stranded in the midst of so much half-baked sonic decoration." There are moments in here that I mildly enjoy, but the lack of focus and intent make it hard to love. I can understand that it was really inspiring to a lot of bedroom musicians who just wanted to sit in their home studios and make records pretty much by themselves (artists as diverse as Prince, Daft Punk, Tame Impala, Frank Ocean and a bunch of others), but I don't dig it myself. To paraphrase the Spacemen 3, Rundgren was taking drugs to make music to take drugs to. Maybe if I got _really_ baked, lit some candles, and listened to this through headphones, I could love it. But that ain't gonna happen, sorry. I do like it better than Something/Anything?, because it does, at least, have a sense of humour.

I guess I'm not a Todd Rundgren fan. This album once again feels like a product of it's time and probably best enjoyed under the influence. Fave track: Just One Victory.

pas mauvais du tout. Beau mélange de différentes sonorités. malheureusement, bcp déranger à job donc pas la meilleure écoute. 6.5/10

It's OK. A little bit up and down. Some of the musical instruments and/or arrangements left me puzzled.

Rockig (gitarrenlastig), bisschen funky, psychedelic, durcheinander

It was fine

One's reminded of the old joke about Oscars being awarded for the "best acting" not the "most acting." As much as there is to like, there's just too much to take in. For all that's fun and interesting, there's a lot that feels tossed-off or even thrown away. There are often dizzying and occasionally mesmerizing effects but a near overwhelming sense of excess. That’s TR, one supposes. It does come to grate after a time, one finds. Too many unworthy ideas are indulged and much noodling goes nowhere, leading to a circusy, nearly Fellini-esque feel. “Zen Archer” and “Sometimes I Don’t Know How I Feel” and “Just One Victory” are all strong, and the “Medley” is lovely – enough material to anchor a pretty great record and showing what TR can do when he plays it relatively straightforward; but then the jarring shift to “Cool Jerk” after the first three ballad-y parts of the “Medley” blowing the mood (and demonstrating in micro the record’s macro problems of excessive mood reversals. And isn't the whole record functionally a medley? One wonders whether TR fully trusts his material or pop music generally (a strange question to ask of a pop genius [especially one with a messiah complex) – why else keep throwing up more new stuff to try? That "you want the obvious/you'll get the obvious" seems insufficient justification. Even allowing for tortured artist effect, this is just show-offy and too much in the end.

Slightly odd: not sure how to feel about this one but let’s just say I didn’t hate it. I loved the way tracks flowed into one another but the music itself just felt strange. At points I was really digging it but then my interest would be lost pretty quickly. Just felt mediocre.

Another average album by Todd Rundgren, but at least this time I was able to sit through most of it. Entertaining at times, some interesting guitar passages and solos, but it's too much for me.

The song I'm proud of you helped me put together a bed by myself so it get a star for that, pretty weird in places otherwise though.

Ok I'm a bit torn here. Different and adventurous. Self indulgent and written on drugs. A difficult listen if not high. A 3 straight down the middle.

This was pretty entertaining.

3.5 - I was intrigued by the narrative of “70’s easy rock star tries LSD and starts making trippy music” given how underwhelming I found “Something/Anything.” I was really hoping to love this record. And it does start off strong, with an even mix of strange experimentation and pop songs that hit out of left field. In fact the first half is all quite interesting and inspired, from “International Feel” to the strange sonics of “Dogfight Giggle” to the trippy instrumentals on “Flamingos.” I hear whiffs of Pink Floyd throughout. But right around “Just Another Onionhead…” the pace and tone turn shriek-y and manic. The nadir for me is probably the atrocious 10-minute “Medley” and from there, it’s all fairly forgettable.

Initially was a 4 but it didnt stick. It got a bit much

This was a band/guy that I'd always wanted to listen to since I was familiar with them, but hadn't ever listened. Was listenable, but nothing Earth-shattering.

3,5

I’ve been meaning to listen to Todd Rundgren so this was cool. It was an interesting blend of genres: rock, glam rock, 80s-esque adult contemporary?? Some of it I didn’t mind, but most of it I wasn’t a fan of.

Fun and a lil goofy dad rock. I'm suspicious of anyone named Todd.

Mostly good/very good. One track I do not like and really doesn't fit with the album is the Medley. Other than that is is really enjoyable and interesting. 3.5/5 Standouts: Sometimes I Don't Know What To Feel, Just One Victory, I Don't Want to Tie You Down Others (There are quite a few other good songs): International Feel, Never Never Land, Tic Tic Tic it Wears Off, You Need Your Head, You Don't Have to Camp Around, Zen Archer, Just Another Onion Dead; Da da Dali, When the Shit hits the Fan; Sunset Blvd,

This rock is certainly prog

Bizarre and sometimes brilliant

Slightly disappointed after such glowing reviews by many critics. Clearly an accomplished musician and producer, but only a few songs are particularly strong (the later medley certainly). More creative control and filtering please!

Interesting album, wish I had more time to listen to it

Fíla upphafslagið mjög vel, hitt rennur svolítið saman en er ekki leiðinlegt.

This 1973 album sounds like cutting edge weird/groovy from 1990. “You Need Your Head” especially. Reminds me of when Zappa gives just a passing thought to sounding good in addition to being weird/frantic.

I’m trying to catch up - this was interesting album minus the gay comments in “Is It My Name?”.

Still find it hard to believe that people got laid to this.

I liked this album, although it faded a bit in the second half. Definite stream-of-consciousness type vibe to it, lending well to the psychedelia. Wavering between a 3 or 4 star rating but as mentioned I think the weaker second half loses the extra star for me

Liked it slightly more than I was expecting.

Psychedelia without the burden of trying to be cool. The keyboards sound good and I liked "Sometimes I Don't Know What to Feel" which reminded me of a plainspoken, angsty Brian Wilson song like I Just Wasn't Made for These Times. The tone of the whole album had me wondering if this guy is trying to be serious or not but there was a single lyric that made everything clear: "My voice goes so high you would think I was gay / But I play my guitar in such a man-cock way" Amazing.

C'est psychedelique, ca demande une réécoute probablemtn pour l'Apprécier à ca juste valeur pour voir toute les nuances etc. Des fois pour ce genre d'album, cil faut vraiemen être dans le mood et dans la bonne situation. Beaucoup de chanson pour un run time quand meme correct, ca fait beaucoup d'écoute et de concentration. je vais réécouté mais je suis convaincu que c'est bon. 3.75

First time hearing this one. First impression: Weird collection of ok music. Some songs sound like Queen. Favorite Tracks: Sometimes I Don't Know, I Don't Wanna Tie You Down, Just One Victory Least Favorite: Medley 3.0

Don't know how to feel

Pop progresivo, psicodelia. Ni fu ni fa.

J'ai aimé le côté excessif et le complet engagement de la part de l'artiste.

Finally, someone who admits they made their album while under the influence of psychedelic drugs. Thank you, Todd Rundgren. My only exposure to Todd Rundgren before now was his song "Bang the Drum All Day." Our local adult contemporary station used to play it every Friday at 5:00, and I would tune in religiously every week to listen to it. This album was... different than that. I liked a lot of the instrumentation on this album, and I enjoyed that each song flowed right into the next. The first four songs were really great, and had me hooked, but after that, the album pretty much lost me until "Is It My Name?", which was my favorite track. I appreciate what Todd Rundgren was trying to do here, but the album just didn't feel cohesive. Even with songs transitioning one right into the other, it felt kind of all over the place, without anything holding the album together as a whole. Overall, this was a good album, but not a great album, but I'd be willing to listen to more of Todd Rundgren's catalog.

veri cool

7/10

It was fine, really enjoyed some songs.

A Wizard/A True Star is a decent 70's psych rock/pop album. It feels very experimental in it's composition, with many short sharp pieces, with many of them seamlessly transitioning to the next, along with a couple of much more epically sounding and long tracks. After hearing this album it was no surprise that Todd was experimenting with drugs whilst creating this album. There is nothing that I have heard in more contemporary music that is likened to the late 60s/70s psychedelia rock/pop sound. Best: Sometimes I Don't Know What To Feel Worst: Is It My Name?

Overall, I liked it. Some weird ones but some really good ones, too.

3.5

long album

Interesante, me gustó bastante pero despues de la mitad del album, me gusta lo experimental de los primeros temas, pero a veces es demasiado

Meh

I was expecting more because "Hello? It's Me" from Something / Anything? is a great song, but they can't be considered on par with each other. I actually don't think this experimentation campaign was poorly executed. There were some tracks that tickled my toes, especially towards the end, but it wasn't there for me collectively.

Yeah I mean, it's not horrible, but it's not great, realistic rating is a 2.5. It just kinda seems like alice in wonderland but as music and with creepier wizard people. There were some things I liked, some including the creepy wizard parts. The production was probably the best part, idk, nothing really to write home about, easily forgettable.

True rating is a 3.5, gonna need to listen to this one a few more times but I liked it the first couple listens. Some weird shit but I liked it. Tic Tic Tic, It Wears Off was really cool and caught me by surprise. I liked the second half of the album more than the first half. Did you like this album? Or are you just another onionhead?

The production on this is incredible. I was eager to see who produced this and it was him! The fact that this guy basically made this album on his own is quite an achievement. With a better singing voice and less repitive tracks, this coulda been a 4. I liked it a lot tho. Surpised me. Swept me off my feet, you could say. Apparently, the vocals were all added after the beats were completed, which makes sense because there’s definitely a disconnect between the two when listening. The beats are great and the vocals feel somewhat forced at points, as if covering a Ferrari in a new coat of paint. I consider The Delfonics one of the greatest singing groups of all time, so I was happy to hear La La Means I Love You sneak in there, which he covered really well.

There’s some interesting material here, but as others have said I think you need to be high on acid to really get it. The album is redeemed by the long mashup medley which is probably his finest work

Un peu délire bien quand t’es poco poco bourré

I kind of liked some of this, and kind of hated other parts of this. I might need to revisit?

This started super strong. I liked the first few tracks a lot. Then it went a bit off the rails. Fewer songs, all with with more oomph would have been better.

I really wanted to enjoy this as there are a few TR songs I like. But this was a bit of a self-indulgent slog. I wanted to give a 2 but I'm awarding an extra mark for effort.

To say that early Todd Rundgren is NOT my thing would be a gross understatement.

Masse gøye lyda

aight

Seems like an album about a pervy 70s star

Long as hell, pretty good tho

I am usually not super into ambitious solo albums. This certainly is one. Weirdly, my favorite parts were the R&B sections, “Medley; I’m So Proud…” was a welcome reprieve from the genre-hopping of the rest of the album. The guy is obviously some kind of genius, but I didn’t find myself wanting to know any more about him.

I think I like it? 3/5

Out of all the '70s rock parodies that I've listened to, this one (or at least the first half of it) is my favourite. It sounds like David Bowie but crazier. It's a shame the second half is a soul-infused mess. I don't think the entire second disc is even necessary. With chaotic outburst-y sounds like this, it's safer when it's short. Like a joke, it gets worse over time.

This album is all over the place. Transitioning from traditional song structure to sound collages. It's a lot. Cool to be turned on to something like this from the 1970s. It's got a bit too much of a prog-rock feel to it for me. But pretty fun and interesting record.

De esas cosas que te hacen preguntarte ¿qué diablos acabo de oír? Mezcla de géneros, de sonidos, de intensidades e intenciones, pero al final no supe a dónde iba. Tiene pedacitos de mérito y le alcanza para la 3era estrella muy a fuerzas.

3.5 Jackie from That 70s Show probably listened to this. When it wasn’t making weird noises it was almost a Zeppelin/Queen crossover with a touch of the Doors. Mostly engaging and it’s catchy enough for me find worth listening to again. Though at times it sounded like a guy who got a new keyboard and is playing with all of the settings. Some of the songs reminded me a lot of the music from the Treehouse of Horror Level (7) from Simpsons Hit & Run which made me happy to hear. Pretty average 70s Psych/Prog rock that’s alright with me. Favorites: Rock and Roll Pussy, Zen Archer, Just Another Onionhead; Da Da Dali, When the Shit Hits the Fan; Sunset Blvd, Just One Victory

This album art is giving me impossibly high hopes. I don't know this album or what is on it. Let's see what happens. This is fun and there's a lot going on here. When our kids were small and they'd get into a very serious mood and they'd be in and out of the room and carrying stuff in and out and building something, my wife and I would say "they're so busy." Todd is very busy here. This doesn't all hold together for me - it doesn't feel like there's something running through all of it outside of ambition or enthusiasm, but it's pretty much all fine craftsmanship. There are no songs that really pull me in, but it's not grating either. So it's background. The covers are strange - they sound... almost exactly like the originals? To the point where I had to say to myself "Are these the originals?" I don't know how to feel about that. I feel like if you're going to cover something, you gotta give it something of your own, otherwise what's the point? But anyway. Fine background for me.

A 3 star experience for me, but in a good way mostly. I don’t know where to even begin to describe this thing, but when he dips into the soulfulness of the very back end of the record I am here for him. Quite liked the opening track, too. There’s a LOT on here and I couldn’t pick out a standout moment other than the ones mentioned if you paid me to. But I didn’t really mind any of it and it’s hard not to be impressed by the vision of it all. Who’s the modern Todd Rundgren? That artwork - and some of the others I saw - make me think this dude would have cleaned up in the indie circles of the past decade.

Overstuffed with too many ideas and just too much going on. Awfully fun, but ultimately the center does not hold.

Crazy varied album with some very interesting high points together with some decided vanilla 70s prog.

a lunatic / a psychonaut

Enjoyable lo-fi album with a clear influence on indie artists down the line, but a bit too much filler

Now I know what Todd Rundgren's brain on drugs sounds like. Interesting but uneven. 3 stars.

A chaotic mess, but occasionally brilliant

This was a musical rollercoaster...but I think I liked it!! A bit weird and out-there, a bit 60s ballads, a bit 70s rock. It was chaotic, but definitely organized chaos and the album actually has really good flow.

Mostly forgettable, some good, some bad, mostly mediocre.

This didn't grab me. Maybe at the time it was important...

Now I know where Foxygen got some of their ideas

This was so weird but I kinda liked it

Kind of style exercise

Very trippy, though the short tracks take some getting used to, each one is pretty distinct, leading to a cool "tapas" kinda experience rather than a full meal.

Achei chatinho

Pop psicodélico.

I don't know where to begin. This album is crazy.

Yeah, a bit hippy dippy for my taste. Not bad though.

Ayoye!! Jamais entendu parler du dude mais c'était pas plate ça! Je sprint pas chercher le vinyle mais j'ai eu du fun, pas reposant par bout mais la prod est touffue, il se passe des affaires, un peu zappa, un peu beach boys, ça m'a gardé intéressé jusqu'à la fin. Pas certain que je vais le réécouter souvent mais c'est le genre de découverte/expérience que j'espérais avec cette liste

Es brutalmente dispar, recuerdo algunas canciones tras escucharlo una vez, pero sobre todo el medley, es increible Una fumada endefinitiva

Drugs

This looks like it could be weird. 70s prog? Ok yeah early prog rock, not too bad but also not fantastic. Was a shame I listened to it at 6:30am, before the mushies kicked in. 3/5.

Interesting, compelling and surprisingly listenable - enjoyed this one and it merits more listens - nice discovery

Nuts and good and annoying in places

Rundgren packs a lot into his songs. A lot of the tracks are little over one minute. At one point they would have felt like unfinished demos, but a one minute track fits right in with the modern world of streaming. As does Rundgren never sticking with one genre - sometimes even in one track. He's just having fun and creating an action-packed album in the process.

Was quite surprised by this one. It was experimental and weird but in a way that was interesting enough to keep it going. Wouldn't return to the album though.

Never fully got into this record, but it is a solid 70s rock album.

Very seventies sounding. Not bad, but it didn't particularly grab me either.

I've never taken recreational drugs, but based on this album it sounds like it would be fun. It's the sound of a man having a lovely time making weird music, seemingly doing whatever he felt like from one moment to the next. The result is enjoyable chaos. 3.5/5.

Some songs are ok.

There's a category in my mind for this kind of album. An album you have to be a musician to appreciate and I'm no musician.

Tell me you have ADHD without telling me you have ADHD. Todd: This album.

Strange psycho rock

Fux

A bit wacky but listenable. Sadly not a patch on “I Saw the Light in your Eyes” otherwise it would have scored higher

Not my personal fave album but it's TR 🤷🏻‍♀️

Experimentellt, rockigt, roligt och tokigt! A-sidan består mest av korta låtar på 1-2 minuter som flyter ihop i varandra, med undantag för albumets bästa låtföljd Flamingo -> Zen Archer. Flamingo är för övrigt samplad i Frank Oceans låt Solo. Mängden låtar gör att vissa blir lättare att glömma bort, men en efterhängande känsla av lekfullt kaos finns ändå. B-sidan innehåller bland annat ett 10 minuters medley där Rundgren sjunger fyra av sina favoritsoullåtar, vilket är KUL, ju. Annars är B-sidans bästa spår Sometimes I Don't Know What to Feel, Does Anybody Love You?, samt avslutningsspåret Just One Victory. Ibland lite spretigt sound, men annars ett bra psykadeliadoftande album! Albumomslaget är för övrigt 5/5. Bästa låt: Zen Archer.

Weird. Definitely has been mined for some great hip hop samples though. Don't listen on youtube with ads.

7/10 very experimental and dreamy

reallly weird. i’ve heard some of his mother music is good. but don’t love this album!

Cooles album

As Stu said, definitely not boring. Felt very experimental, I liked some parts, did not like others (the entire onionhead song, for example).

At time of writing this review I had only listened to the full album of 19 tracks once. I can tell though, it’ll need more than one listen to appreciate the sounds and music in each one. There is enjoyment to be had but it will take time to put all the pieces together. I read that Todd Rundgren intended for this album to be listened to in its entirety from start to finish. I can appreciate this as each track does build on the previous. I’ve also concluded that this is a story of two parts...the first is one of, at times, crazy good times while the second settles into a more reflective life of funk, pop and soulful vocals while including beautiful lyrics such as.. “I don’t want a thing to mar this ever, the picture that we make; the balance of our minds together, the perfect give and take.” This half is also where I found the most enjoyment. I’ll definitely come back to this album and give it the attention it deserves. 3 Stars!

The name screams "prog-rock"... let's find out.... Haha it was confirmed after the first note. Rock n Roll pussy. A colourful clusterfuck.

Pretty weird stuff. Almost good.

A ratos más guitarrero, en otras más templado. Buena voz. Buenos acompañamientos

70s, David Bowie vibes. Nostalgic. Syntetizers

Good, not great - but useful to have heard

Una bogeria de disc d'un dels grans fundadors del rock progress. Fresc, lliure i imprevisible. Les cançons es van encadenant les unes amb les altres, barrejant versions amb originals. El conjunt és complex i té uns quants altibaixos, però les intencions i la llibertat de la proposta acaben decantant favorablement la balança.

I'm still not 100% on how I feel about this one, but it was by no stretch bad

wasn't great and wasn't bad.

Coolness. But a measured taste.

interesting

This album blended songs together so seamlessly it was hard to tell where one track finished, and another began.

What the funk?

interessante mas meio confuso

odd and interesting

No nyt on progea. Välillä (aika usein) homma lähtee vähän (ihan täysin) lapasesta, mutta pidin varsinkin levyn rauhallisemmista osuuksista (osuuksista missä oli musiikkia).

Fav Song: Sometimes I Don't Know What to Feel

Felt like he was trying to be like frank zappa. Trying a little too hard to be weird. Musically ok but nothing life changing. Will try again another day

Zappa plus ELO. Cool!

Definitely sounded like a trip, and reading up on the background, he was spot on with his work.

false

3.5-4

I don’t recall a Wizard. Interesting take on borderline genre bending but nothing blew me away

Full-on space wizard stuff. Schizophrenic at times. A fun listen, but it does drag on a bit near the end. The medleys are super nice, and I appreciate that it gets noisy occasionally. Favorite tracks: "Zen Archer", "You Need Your Head", "Medley: I'm So Proud"

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.

Weird

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.

Some weird shit rocking here

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.

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

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

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" ).

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

Really not sure what to make of this!

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

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.

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

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.

What did i just listen to

trying a little too hard to be weird.

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.

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

2 sterne

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

An album that really makes you question

LSD trip 😵‍💫

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

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.

Can't say I enjoyed this.

a little odd, not too bad but not my thing

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.

..

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

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

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.

A lot better than his other album but could have done without the animal noises

I just found this muddled and annoying. Cool album cover though

There’s a lot, a very lot going on during Todd’s drug infused, experimental, progressive rock flight plan / album making it a valid entry to The 1001 Must Hear List. It’s weird , it’s long, had to listen to it twice to make sure I didn’t miss anything. Musicianship is solid through out. A flurry of brilliance from Zen Archer through Onionhead/Da Da Dali to When the Shit Hits the Fan/Sunset Blvd. I would say I enjoyed both listens, the second time was better. (2.5*s) I think his album Something/Anything? Will also make the list.

Certainly a trippy album. The use of drugs heavily apparent in its creation with tracks like "Dogfight Giggle." Rundgren works like a Wizard on this release but I can see why half his audience dropped out. I found it good through "Zen Archer" but it began to lose me with the medleys and I was pretty gone by side B. Hoping for an earlier one from Todd to compare to this one...a little pre/post drug influence. 2.38 true stars.

It can be fun to rip through a handful of 1-2 experimental songs but after a handful you kinda wonder what it the album is going for. The disjointed nature is fun for a bit, but the effect only lasts so long. After about half the album any enjoyment has devolved to a relatively uninteresting mess. Later in the album there is a medley of classic hits that only further add to the confusion as none of the versions from Todd are anything notable. I often see Todd Rundgren show up as a contributor or influence on other classic rock acts, so he is clearly a renowned musician. I get why A Wizard, A True Star could be held in high regard from indie rock acts that like the free flow nature of the way he arranged everything, but I'm not sure it makes for a great listen in a vacuum. You can do a lot worse elsewhere on the list as it wasn't a punishment to get through, but I also believe this isn't one that I really needed to listen before I die. I guess heavy use of psychedelic drugs and the way Todd largely self-performed and produced the album makes it a bit of an impressive endeavor but overall without context its just another skippable 70s album to me. 1.64 stars

Eh

Maybe its just the amount of this type of music that i've been listening to from the list the past couple of weeks, but oof. Relative to the other albums from this era, it did not age well and the mix sounds extremely outdated (possibly since it was self done), while others from this era have held up. I did not like this album overall, it was at times grating noise and the screeching and yelling/screeching just weren't doing it for me. Pros: The end of Le Feel Internacionale was a great way to wrap up the medley that was the first 12 songs on the album. Some of the tracks were cool, but to be honest I didn't save a single song off this album and probably won't be listening to it again. Best Songs- Zen Archer (Specifically the Sax Solo) Flamingo- Why does this sound like it could've inspired a Legend of Zelda town theme I mostly preferred the second part of the album over the first. The first 7-9 songs had me ready to give it a one but the back half brought me begrudgingly up to a two. I think that this album probably needs some sort of insobriety to fully appreciate and understand, but alas, I listened to it fully sober and it was not for me.

A begrudging second star, if only because I likely expected worse.

Meh. Average voice, not nearly as edgy as the song titles would lead you to believe

The cover of Oooh Baby Baby saves this album from the pit of despair.

International Feel

Unmemorable

It took me a long time to settle into this album. I really didn't like the first half, and only started enjoying it until the second to last song. It's probably closer to a 3, but I'm going to round down to a 2 today.

pretty shite

Exactly the sort of hazy meandering psychedelia which punk rock needed to come in and blow away. And for that we should be extremely grateful.

There might be more to get out of this album if I were on the same drugs as when they were recorded. I truly enjoyed the music. The early flow from track to track to establish the feeling of being on a journey, as were the unexpected musical and stylistic changes that created speed bumps in the road. Where I was most thrown off was the transition into covers. All were well done, but I changed gears enough to forget the rest of the album. I doubt that was the intent.

When this came up, the first thing I did was check the track listing for I Saw The Light, really like that song, but alas I did not find it. I didn’t have much in expectation but this album felt like a somewhat over indulgent, and sadly bloated album. It’s almost wonderfully weird in places, perhaps reaching the levels of say, Cardiacs or Tom Waits, but it’s not really my thing. There are moments, songs even, that I enjoyed, and I almost applaud the indulgence but sorry Todd, this ain’t for me.

He's got some other good tracks, but none are on this album.

This is quite a strange album. It starts off as more of an artistic installation style performance piece. To the extent that I wouldn't 100% have classed it as music. Eight tracks of between 1:02 and 2:50 duration. All with their own little point but they seem to run into each other. All quite off kilter and not quite melodic. Like little crazy jingles for shops right on the edge of sanity. It all come to crescendo with "Zen Archer" a more song like track with arrow sound effects throughout. Then the album seems to start all over again with "Le Feel International" but this time turns into a a mixture of an Andrew Gold-esq Yacht Rock/Yes style Prog Rock mash up. I don't know if I like it or not. (2.000)

Niet echt spraakmakend

Meh...

WTF?

This album was Todd’s homage to non other than Len Houmous from Houmous & Chutney. 2.1 9/19 Zen Archer

He’s a genius in his own right, but my god my head was scrambled. I can see where the drugs came into the mix, we’ve all got weird with music, but to create like this as well. Fair play. Again a lot of it is so smart and well put together and then on the flip side mind blowing and I’m not too sure if it’s in a good or bad way. To pull a song called rock and roll pussy off as well. Fair play. Don’t know if it just screams parody to me. I wanted to like it more than I did. But just feel like it was so intense in the first listen and it didn’t draw me to want to go again. I am going to give his other stuff a go though.

I just don’t know what to feel … Well how do I feel , like I’ve been mind fucked several times by this album lol God I’ve really had a good listen and a think to this one and In my opinion it’s just a clutter of farrrr too many styles of music for me The opening songs international feel and never never land had a nice melody and tempo to it almost sort of Jeff lynn ELO inspired and then from that point onwards it descended into chaos There were too many loopy noises In the background for my liking , space ships , Cazoos out of tune trumpets , which just made it too experimental and uneasy to listen to These little 1 minute segues made no sense and made the ballad songs such as I just don’t know what to feel , don’t let me tie you down , feel flat and not uplifting Even though those were actually my favourite moments from the album I feel like he was onto a winner with the standard traditional songwriting elements he had on this but the rest was just a hornets nest of different genres and sounds Todd rungren though got to hand it to him he’s a unique musician who has made some great records in past very multi talented but won’t be revisiting this one anytime soon

I really wanted to. I couldn't.

A good and interesting album!

2,1 Highlights: Never Never Land, Sometimes I Don't Know What To Feel

I REALLY wanted to like this - but it was too erratic for me to lock in.

Attention deficit hyperactivity dogfight giggle Mislabelled sample pack / Boosh episode All makes sense when you realise he was off his nut whilst writing.

Cacophonous and dissonant junk with some musicality mixed in. Sorry Todd.

Hints of good music but just wierd and noisy

I thought I liked Todd Rundgren.

Está raro, me estresó

2.5 Sorry Todd, I respect ya but not really for me. Dont like psychedelic rock much at all and over half of this album is that. When he gets more into his singer/songwriter vibe towards the end of the album, I really liked that! Like five great songs in a row to finish strong! Just wish that was more of the album.

With all of rundgrens talent this was weird. Reading his bio was worth the second star

Un disco del 73 siempre es una oportunidad interesante. No ha sido agradable. Muchos ruiditos, un disco muy largo y sin una canción memorable. Lo siento mucho.

Different

Pas convaincue 🫠

Todd võttis seeni ja sattus väga halvale tripile. Mõni üksik lugu on kuulatav. Üldiselt aga on plaat liiga eksperimentaalne ja miljon mõtet korraga jama. Halvasti mixitud pealekauba. 1.8/5

Meh

Lo he escuchado de fondo y aunque me ha parecido agradable no me ha llamado a guardar ninguna canción como favorita. Me ha recordado a las cosa más estilo opereta o musical de los Queen.

Sorry to those that think this is some sort of masterpiece, but for me it alternates between wimpiness and annoyance. The production is pretty good for 1973, but the songs just don't do it for me. "Zen Archer" is probably the highlight. 2.5 stars.

What a strange listen! So many weird things going on, I liked the back half better. The medley was fun, but I don't think I'll dive into this one ever again. 2/5 stars.

I dunno even what half of this is.

Never heard it before. I tolerated it well up at first, a bit trippy but fine ("Dogfight Giggle" was maybe a bit over the top). Part way through "Zen Archer" I realized I was no longer having a good time, and "Just Another Onionhead" cemented the negativity a little more firmly. At this point I realized I needed to stop taking the album so seriously, and so I powered through the rest of the album without caring. I do not plan on doing this again any time soon.

Meh

this just confused me most of the time. when it didn’t, it was good!

Fairly interesting and unique but couldn't get into it

Yep, not working for me.

It's nonsense, but didn't burn my eardrums so gains a bit of credit

Gear: ZiiGaat x Hangout.Audio Odyssey 2 Artwork: 🍄🌟🎨 Production (2015 Remaster): 📈👂😖 Music: 🎭💥🤯 Rating: 🧙‍♂️🧙‍♂️(🧙‍♂️)/5

5/10 - interesting album, a very trippy and psychedelic album

Was interested in this. Probably need to listen a few more times. Found it odd that Rundgren has so many songs I know but none from this album. 2.75

Feels too experimental to be considered a best of album. It was interesting but wouldn’t say it was good…

This was a level of trippy/random that could only be achieved with psychedelics. There were parts that were reasonably enjoyable but peppered with a lot of choices that were strange for the sake of it. One of those where you admire the guy for sticking to his one track drug fuelled intentions but you don't listen to it again.

I didn't know what to make of that. I wanted to like it, but I'm not sure I did.

What a strange album, and not in a good way

Found this album a bit weird (shock). It starts off in a haze of whimsical psychedelia that goes on for some time, which on the whole is grating and feels a bit forced, if experimental and interesting on some level. It then transitions on the back end of the album into something more conventional that is (to my ears) not all that interesting. Both parts probably equally not up my alley but for very different reasons. Props to the audacity of some of the early songs though, Giggling Dogs was batshit.

The positive side is that if he was trying capture the sound of a pretentious artist who has been experimenting with psychedelics, he has absolutely nailed it. Generally I didn't find this album convincing at all. A mixture of sickly sweet and uninspiring fluff and a load of formless noise. I am fully aware that others would accuse some of my favourite bands of the same faults. It could be called "Progressive" but its not prog-rock, instead its more prog-beige pop. What it ultimately comes down to, is a matter of personal connection plus an assessment of the artistic depth or sophistication. One man's weird nonsense is another's artistic expression, unfortunately this one sits in the latter camp.

Not enough of his bangers. Greatest Hits will do.

Overblown, overproduced twaddle. It scraped a second star mainly for the slight redemption of the soul selection at the end

I know that Todd Rundgren is one of most influential producers of our time. However, I’ve always found his own music is to self-grandiose for my liking.

Muy metalero e intenso para lo que estaba buscando el día que lo escuché

I found this album in parts weird and boring.

I love this guy, but this is not his best album. Groundbreaking I guess, but indulgent. Not a good listen.

nah.

Too weird, too long, too boring.

Het album biedt van alles. De ene minuut is het ronduit belachelijk, de andere minuut is vrij interessant en smaakt naar meer. Maar we krijgen niet meer. Het zijn met name flarden van nummers. Ik kijk vooruit en zie gelukkig ook een nummer van 10 minuten. O nee...Dat is een medley... En als er dan uiteindelijk toch wat nummers afgemaakt zijn, zijn dat weer de saaiste delen van het album. Todd, maak je nummers eerst maar eens af, voordat je ze bij elkaar raapt...

Based on the Wikipedia synopsis, I fully expected to loathe this album. Long, psychedelic, experimental, poorly received by the public - all the hallmarks of a bad time. So my expectations were super low going in, and I was pleasantly surprised to find out that it was merely kind of boring

Couldn't do it

Maso

There are some good bits and pieces here, but overall it is just too much rambling, disjointed stoner music. 2 stars or D+.

Very weird, in my experience a mix of a bit weird but really good music, and then something more like penis music in between. Cool but not my thing

I just don't really like Todd Rundgren that much