A Wizard, A True Star

This was definitely straddling the fine line that separates interesting and irritating. I liked the first few tracks but by the end I was ready for it to be over.

Umm no

Generic pop rock, not much to latch onto here

Difficult wanted to give up a few times

I don't know what this is supposed to be. Acid Rock, Prog, Punk, Funk? Not a fan.

Cover 6 Very rarely, when an artist does "everything" themselves, does it NOT end up being a clearly ego-driven, eye-rolling endeavor. Pretentious theatrics galore. A discovery of the synth, a shallow and simplistic utilization at that. There are sparks of genius here and there, moments of lucidity, but often one must be in a drug induced haze in order truly grasp anything from music (or any art) created in a drug induced haze. Pompous self-absorbed noise coupled with the occasional whisp of actual talent and skill. For the majority there's never any emotional connectedness. That's not what this album is about. And so, who cares. Whatever skill and talent it possesses is hard to differentiate from the absurdity. Is it wobbly and screeching on purpose or was he too out of it and just simply couldn't tell the difference? There are periods (especially during the 60s and 70s) where musicians seemed to be trying to impress each other with how esoteric and bizarre they could be. The more bizarre the more esoteric. But it's not really as esoteric as they thought. People did understand. They understood very clearly. It's not at all deep or remarkable. Going against the grain may have been the point but it's not like a political treatise or moral contemplation. It's sonic. That's it. It's about sound. It's not pop. It's different. That's all that matters here. And that's fine. But it's not good either. One man's treasure is another man's trash. Art is subjective, fine. At least aim for art. This is trash for trash's sake and then using "art is subjective" as an excuse.

This would deserve some of the String Band hate, if not for the Zen Archer

Some good songs but mostly forgettable

Prog rock is very hit or miss for me and this was more of a miss. Enjoyed a couple of songs but not my favorite overall.

Another unknown for me. OK tunes. OK album.

With a psychedelic sound steered heavily by progressive sounds, this felt like an attempt to evolve on the Beatles' and even the Beach Boys' formula up to this point. But I like progressive pop about as much as I like progressive rock. That is to say, not very much. And this was definitely sprinkled with tons of avant-garde in addition. Damn, this was a slog...and it wasn't even an hour long. But I guess bonus points for "Rock and Roll Pussy" being a low-key diss track about John Lennon?

Not a fan. Maybe this was precursor to electronic music but it sounds pretty full of itself, and full of deranged circus samples. Just meh.

It's 1973 and your mom orders the new Zappa album for you through TEMU and you get the next Todd Rungren instead. His last album was pop rock this is not quite pop rock but not Zappa either. There's points in this album where Rungren really seems out of his element but he seems to be enjoying making music. It has some high points

I've heard the name Todd Rundgren so much on my favorite local rock station, but I don't know that I could name a single song. Still can't. I don't really love this kind of 70s, falsetto, circus stuff very often, and don't here. T. Rex or Bowie this ain't. It's not, like, Steely Dan bad, but I don't much care for it. Highlights: The medley, which is passable covers of R&B songs that are enjoyable enough, but inferior to the originals. The beginning of "Is it my name?", which I had thought at first was the album flipping over to "Interstellar Overdrive," but which got worse when the vocals kicked in.

Pretty mid Very experimental

Never heard of this one. It's kind of weird and maybe experimental or something like that. I can see why I have not heard this before today, because it doesn't really appeal to me. I feel like this is some cutting edge stuff in the 70s that didn't really become anything. It's avant-garde I guess. Kind of nice in some places but didn't really hold my attention. Not terrible but not something I'm going to listen to again.

Very much psychedelic 70s rock. Not for me and couldn't finish listening to the album.

It’s not that I have no appetite for out-there freak rock, but this leans way too far into prog, a genre for which I have a very limited patience. Much of this veers into goofy circus territory to my ears. Even some of his more concise songs sound kind of dated and don’t really speak to me.

Moments I like. Experimental not so much

Weird. Interesting. Probably groundbreaking at the time. Still have no inclination to ever listen to again

Weird for the sake of being weird, a few good snippets mixed in here or there but usually sandwiches into other songs.

it's weird for weirdness sake at times but the seamless transitions between songs is something I wish more artists focused on. An album should be an experience, not a collection of songs. Just wish this execution was more enjoyable. Back half of album was better imo

Psychedelia definitely makes up a respectable chunk of my record collection. I like The Nazz, and, by extension, I don't mind Todd Rundgren - but something about this album just doesn't sit right with me. It's certainly psychedelic, but it's also all a bit silly - too random and proggy for my tastes, and a bit too pretentious. It is inventive and intriguing in fits and starts, but it has a clear "anti-song" agenda to its sprawling, single-free, 55-minute running time. Sadly, songs are, ultimately, what I listen to an album for.

It was just a bit too much to get into.

I can see why some would like this but just did nothing for me.

Felt like he tried way too hard to make a drug influenced masterpiece and it just turned into mash up of genres with no real core.

sprawling and with sufficient variety to just about hold my interest but its sounds are rooted in the decade of its creation and the whole sounds like all the other art rock, prog rock, rock opera cruft from that time. it doesn't generate any buzz or excitement, my steady heart hasn't skipped a beat. it's a 2.0 at best for me

Oh no - another Todd Rundgren album. This was even more hard work to get through than the last one. I know he must be a great musician but I found no merit or enjoyment in any of these songs.

Weird shit

Nope

Meh

56/1001 :: Todd Rundgren - A Wizard, A True Star Heard before? ❌ Would I revisit? ❌ Rating: 4 Fav Tracks: International Feel Listen before you die: No Do people actually like Todd Rundgren? I find it hard to believe they do. Maybe I’m wrong, but I’ve listened to Todd Rundgren before and it’s anther artist that I just don’t get. Not really sure why but either way I’m moving on…

Didn't appeal to my younger self and still the same opinion, a small bit proud of my teenage musical filtration system

2 - all over the place. Some super weird songs and then all of a sudden it’s sappy love ballads

Some Sparks of interesting ideas, but overall execution and productions are disappointing

δεν το άκουσα ολο

Pretty weird.

I had a hard time finding a groove with this one. It’s kind of all over the place. A little Zappa, a little show tunes, opera, R&B …..not sure what to think other than I won’t be back. I won’t leave it in the basement since it is creative and a little interesting.

Psychedelic rambling for the first half and seemingly songs and tunes strung together to form some sort of concept album.

bunch of one-minute rubbish tracks mixed with pretty good songs

2/5

Endless solos and odd instrumentals. I didn't like the last Rundgren album we had and I did not like this either. Contemplated a 1 star first but it felt a bit too harsh. Settling for a weak 2.

Frustratingly annoying Best Song: International Feel Rating: 3/10 Stars: 2/5

Nope

Not my type of noice

Ugh another boring album, I am cursed today

A bit soft and slow for me.

Man this album was just all over the place. Just when I thought I liked it I would run into a stretch I really didn’t like and vice versa. 2.5

Long album, not really my vibe. Too music/psychedelic heavy for me.

I am generally a fan of sprawling ambitious weird albums, but I found precious little to like in this. It was mostly just irritating.

Well, I made it through one listen. This project has introduced me to a lot of prog rock. Some good. Some not so good. Most of this album sounds too much like insane show tunes to me. The last song Just One Victory was worth the struggle of getting through the earlier songs. But, full marks for creativity and doing his own thing and for a crazy cover that perfectly matches the crazy music.

Opel Mokka, HDH - Aalen, Deutschland. weird freakin shit.

Rating: 4/10 Starts off horrible and partially redeems itself but was still bad overall.

Psychedelic bullshit

Ome Todd, daar is 'ie weer. Hij heeft weer eens aan de verkeerde kikker gelikt voor hij de studio in dook, als ik de hoes en de Wiki-snippet mag geloven. Als het allemaal niet te ver doorslaat vind ik dat wel geinig hoor, maar de kans dat het zo'n album is dat vooral de maker zelf heel geniaal vind ligt op de loer. Dit album gaat een beetje over het randje voor mij. Te veel gekke geluidjes. Tussendoor zijn er wel wat krenten om uit de pap te vissen hoor, het is echt niet allemaal compleet verschrikkelijk, maar het is zo'n gedoe om bij die krenten te komen. Ik vind dat eerder storend dan geinig. En op het moment dat je het een beetje gezien hebt moet de kant B nog beginnen. Kant B is wel een stuk minder psychedelisch en experimenteel, maar ik vind het er daardoor ook weer niet helemaal bij passen. Of helemaal niet eigenlijk. Ik gaf Todd al een keer twee sterren en ik denk dat ik bij dit album eigenlijk op hetzelfde uit kom. Wat mij betreft geen heel geslaagd experiment. Ik snap gewoon niet zo goed hoe die gast albums samenstelt.

Some really cool synth moments, but that was about all that interested me on this.

What a hot mess. This, kids, is why you shouldn't use drugs. +1 for "Medley".

Overly weird for the sake of it. Ok when he sings like a norm

I’m not sure who it’s for? Like, I feel like there’s obviously a fandom for this but other than, like, and I mean this, Brad Linville, what is it? What a weirdo. 3 for the effort, 2 for the listen.

Pretty annoying, tbh.

I couldn’t connect with this and wouldn’t want to hear it again.

An abundance of ideas, a lack of editing or self control. Sonically ambitious but chaotic and scattered.

Some songs I was down with but mostly too psychedelic for me. This is not the Todd Rundgren I was familiar with

Don’t know why but when read the review was expecting to like this and well didn’t. The ‘chaotic ‘ start killed it for me stone dead. Should have paid attention to those liking it to Barrett’s Floyd whimsical nature. I can’t stand drug induced musically whimsy, shit I can’t stand non drug whimsical music shit. think there may be a good album in here but I have no intention to listing multiple times til I get it, I don’t care to get it. 2 Star.

If you ever need to explain 1973 to someone, play this.

When the production isn’t so smashed together into a colorful, hectic mess this album sounds okay. Particularly on the second half it’s decent, but the first half is just a struggle to get through. 3/10

As another reviewer said - exactly why I'm doing this project and I'm glad to have heard it. I'll be happy to never hear it again though.

Since learning the name Todd Rundgren a year ago I've developed a level of respect for the guy: for being a bit of a one-man band/production team; for experimenting with sounds and genres; for treating the album as an art form; for taking a chance on Sparks. But I just can't really connect with his music, beyond the occasional 'that's nice' moment. 2.5

Not giving that guy any stars

First half was strange and fun in places, but not consistently enough for me. Then the second half is okay, but feels all over the place with only half an album left to establish anything. I liked the more melodic parts, however nothing stuck with me.

I liked having listened to first half of this, like an immersive sound bath with all the layers of texture, some nice base and saxophone in places, lots of interesting percussion. I just can't imagine this being something you listen to all the time. The second was nice enough but nothing of note.

Did not click for me 2/5

Crazy first half. Weak side B.

There’s a real sense of journey to this record and I love its warm and open heart, but I can’t pretend I love everywhere that it takes me. It’s certainly interesting, and I can appreciate the freaky qualities which have garnered it a cult audience.

I decided, I don't like the guy. Gotta do more LSD for this one. I don't hate it for the most part, but it was pretty annoying at times. I remember liking Something/Anything a bit better than this :(

ok there are some interesting things here, but mainly not listenable as a finished music album

I didn't really like it; just yelling a portion of the time and the production was generally weird. 3/10.

It's kind of a lot... I could see it being cool. But it's all over the place, it's more like a random list of musical ideas than an album of songs. Just One Victory is pretty cool.

I had to check twice that this wasn't two albums. Liked to first half. Not so the second.

Psychedelic rock. First half of the album is all noise, dissonance, and weird sounds. Second half of the album is listenable.

Yeah, that's weird.

Tell me you have adhd without telling me. It'd a shame because there are some great moments on this record, but it's equal parts great, goofy nonsense and absolute wank. If you cut out all the shite it could be a very good album, but the wacky stuff gets in the way, and this becomes increasingly annoying. Maybe that's the point, but makes it very hard to rate this highly as a cohesive work.

Sorti en 1973, "A Wizard, A True Star" de Todd Rundgren n'est pas simplement un album ; c'est une déclaration, un kaléidoscope sonore qui a dynamité les conventions du rock progressif et de la pop psychédélique. Oeuvre d'une ambition folle, cet album est souvent cité comme le magnum opus de Todd Rundgren, ou du moins, son disque le plus audacieux et le plus déroutant. Il incarne à la perfection l'esprit d'un artiste total, un "sorcier", un "véritable artiste", qui refuse toute catégorisation et suit sa muse avec une détermination quasi mystique. Dès les premières notes de "International Feel", l'auditeur est happé dans un tourbillon de textures sonores, de changements de tempo abrupts et de mélodies insaisissables. La première face de l'album (pour les vinyles) est une suite ininterrompue de vignettes, passant d'éclats de génie pop à des expérimentations bruitistes, de ballades éthérées à des commentaires sociaux acerbes. Todd Rundgren, en véritable homme-orchestre, joue de presque tous les instruments, superpose les pistes avec une frénésie créatrice et manipule les sons du studio comme un peintre sa palette. Des titres comme "Tic Tic Tic, It Wears Off" ou "You Need Your Head" sont des fragments frénétiques, presque punk avant l'heure, tandis que "Never Never Land", reprise d'une comédie musicale, détonne par son innocence apparente au milieu de ce chaos organisé. "Zen Archer", avec ses arrangements luxuriants et sa mélodie planante, offre un rare moment de contemplation avant que l'auditeur ne soit à nouveau bousculé par des morceaux plus abrasifs comme "Rock & Roll Pussy", une critique à peine voilée de John Lennon et de son activisme jugé opportuniste par Rundgren. Ce qui frappe dans cette première partie, c'est la densité de l'information musicale. Chaque écoute révèle de nouvelles couches, de nouveaux détails cachés dans le mixage. C'est un disque qui exige une attention soutenue, qui défie les habitudes d'écoute passive. Certains y verront un excès d'auto-indulgence, une surcharge sensorielle, mais c'est précisément cette audace, cette volonté de repousser les limites du format album, qui en fait une oeuvre si fascinante. Todd Rundgren semble vouloir condenser l'intégralité de ses influences et de ses idées en un flux continu, une sorte de rêve éveillé musical. La production, assurée par Todd Rundgren lui-même, est un élément clé de l'identité de l'album. Il utilise le studio comme un instrument à part entière, expérimentant avec les effets, les panoramiques et les techniques d'enregistrement pour créer un paysage sonore tridimensionnel et immersif. L'influence du LSD, que Todd Rundgren a admis avoir consommé durant cette période, est palpable dans l'esthétique psychédélique et déstructurée de l'œuvre. La seconde face de "A Wizard, A True Star" marque un contraste notable, bien que toujours empreinte de l'éclectisme de son auteur. Elle s'ouvre sur des chansons plus conventionnelles dans leur structure, comme la magnifique ballade soul "Sometimes I Don't Know What to Feel". Ici, la voix de Todd Rundgren, capable de tendresse comme d'agressivité, se déploie avec une émotion palpable. Le point d'orgue de cette seconde face, et peut-être de l'album tout entier pour certains, est l'incroyable medley de classiques de la soul : "I'm So Proud / Ooh Baby Baby / La La Means I Love You / Cool Jerk". Durant plus de dix minutes, Todd Rundgren rend un hommage vibrant et personnel à ses idoles de la Motown et de la Philly Soul. Loin d'une simple imitation, il s'approprie ces standards avec une sincérité désarmante, démontrant sa profonde compréhension et son amour pour ce répertoire. Cette section ancre l'album dans une tradition musicale tout en soulignant la versatilité de son créateur. L'album se conclut par l'hymne "Just One Victory", un appel à l'unité et à la persévérance qui prend une résonance particulière après le voyage chaotique et exubérant qui l'a précédé. C'est une fin optimiste, presque triomphale, qui laisse l'auditeur à la fois épuisé et exalté. "A Wizard, A True Star" n'a pas été un succès commercial immédiat à sa sortie. Sa nature fragmentée et son refus du compromis ont déconcerté une partie du public et de la critique de l'époque. Cependant, son influence n'a cessé de croître au fil des décennies. Des artistes comme Prince, Trent Reznor de Nine Inch Nails, ou encore les Flaming Lips ont cité cet album comme une source d'inspiration majeure. Son approche décomplexée de la production, son mélange des genres et sa structure éclatée ont ouvert la voie à de nombreuses expérimentations dans le rock et la pop. Plus qu'un simple album, "A Wizard, A True Star" est une expérience. C'est l'oeuvre d'un artiste au sommet de sa créativité, libéré des contraintes commerciales, qui invite l'auditeur à un voyage imprévisible au coeur de sa vision musicale. Ce n'est peut-être pas l'album le plus accessible de Todd Rundgren, mais c'est sans conteste l'un des plus riches, des plus stimulants et, finalement, des plus gratifiants pour qui accepte de s'y perdre. Un disque qui, près d'un demi-siècle après sa sortie, continue de sonner comme une météorite tombée d'une autre galaxie, un testament à la puissance de l'imagination et à la quête incessante de l'inouï. Il demeure une pierre angulaire pour comprendre l'évolution de la musique populaire vers des formes plus libres et personnelles. Une véritable étoile dans le firmament du rock. Au final ce sera un 2 sur 5 car je ne suis pas rentré dans le délire de l'artiste.

I usually go for psychedelic music and really wanted to like this but too much of it just sounds like two or three radios playing at the same time. The one song that sounds a little like Bowie doesn’t really make up for it.

All over the place and anxiety inducing. Sounded like a well trained musician had a blast in a fun house studio and made a bunch of short tunes of every sound he could imagine. If he were my friend, it would be cool.....he is not.

just not hitting the mark. sounding weird for the sake of being weird.

Das Album wurde im eigenen Studio von Todd Rundgren, den Secret Sound Studios in New York, aufgenommen. Rundgren ist US-amerikanischer Musiker, Produzent und Multiinstrumentalist. Das Werk zählt zu seinen experimentelleren Veröffentlichungen und bewegt sich stilistisch zwischen Psychedelic Rock, Progressive Rock und Soul. Typisch für das Album sind abrupte Übergänge zwischen den Tracks sowie ein hoher Anteil an Studioeffekten und mehrspurigen Overdubs. Besonders auffällig ist das Medley „Soul Medley“, das mehrere Soulklassiker interpretiert, sowie die Tracks „International Feel“ und „Just One Victory“, die bei Fans als repräsentativ gelten. Das Album verlangt Aufmerksamkeit, belohnt aber mit einem vielseitigen und eigenständigen Hörerlebnis, das Rundgrens kreative Bandbreite deutlich macht.

This sucks, it sounds like circus music. It’s like The Beatles but annoying and bad

This wasn’t for me

A pretty frustrating album. There are nice little moments throughout this, but many of the songs are too short to have a sustained period of enjoyable listening.

Okay but not for me

could not get into it i know its good but not for me

Well this was such an interesting album, I knew who Todd Rundgren was but I don't think I could tell you a song by him and this album the whole time I was listening to it lol seemed like some trippy ass thing you'd listen to while high as fuck! Lol go figure when I was reading about the album it was made while he trying all sorts of new drugs lol

näää

Nah.

Some decent songs. Some songs that sound like Ross in his experimental keyboard era.

What the hell, this scared me a bit. I actually had to pause my streak because I can't get past that Dogfight Giggle track. I appreciate the art, but no thanks. Still better structurally than Alien Lanes though. If there's a 2.5 I'll give it 2.5.

2

It's a work of art, mostly because it makes you question your sanity. If this was a painting, it would be one of the abstract variety, which comes with a bunch of snobbish critics looking down on you for not getting it. Interesting for sure. Enjoyable? Eeeh.

Got some cool noisy noises !!

I guess this would have been considered cutting edge back in 1973. But this is just really weird. Some decent musicianship....but beyond that....this is just off.

Songs I like, I loved, the others, did not like at all

Your a wizard, Toddy. 4/10

This was rough

The medley of covers almost saved this (by which I mean a 3). But I think the rest of it was bad enough.

Sometimes psychedelics are good for music, but not this time. It's just weird.

That was not great...

It is a mess

Listened Before? N Todd isn't really my cup of tea. Lots happening here - I get that he's a pioneer and this is art rock but it didn't really resonate with me. Bowie-esque but not enough to get me into it. I do like the short-form songs though. Added to Library? N Songs added to playlist: Never Never Land (because it reminds me of Metallica, a band I do like).

Imaginative album that explores surrealistic themes such as the Wizard of Oz, Salvador Dali paintings, Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland, but I'm not sure much of it lands beyond anything more than the odd curiosity. The best thing about this album is the album cover painting. Props to Arthur Wood. Favorites: "International Feel", "Tic Tic Tic It Wears Off", "Is It My Name?", and "Just One Victory"

Just so self indulgent. I feel he wanted a Jeff Lynn thing, but he ain't him.

Well that was...something. It had its moments, but too frequently it was just plain annoying.

I liked 'I Don't Want To Tie You Down' and 'Sometimes I Don't Know What To Feel', but mostly listening to this I DID know what to feel: irritation. Maybe just in the wrong frame of mind today to appreciate it.

This isn't the worst, but again not my taste. I'd say it's a 2.5, but I can't lean into it. 2/5

beatles pop esq

He claimed this album was how music should be made…this is not how music should be made.

I like Todd Rundgren, but this was a little out there for me

This album was all over the map. A compendium of different styles and musings that just did not come together for me. There were some good songs, but not something I could ever sit down and experience or enjoy.

Definitely unique

Honey, get the shotgun! It's the psychedelic clowns again!! By the end I was enjoying some of it, the first half is tough though. I'll call it a 2.5

I don't know how to explain it, it just was super weird to me tbh.

2.1

This album gives Jared Leto performing bad Steely Dan 5/10 Fav tracks - You need your head, Is it my name?

'Rundgren became uncomfortable when these descriptions also came to include "the male Carole King"' and decided to take a fuckload of drugs and say 'yes I like Zappa do you guys think I could be like him?' Yes, Zappa was 'werid', but I don't think he was ever as offensive as whatever the fuck Dogfight Giggle was. There are some parts here that shine but there are some real low points here especially the transition from Zen Archer to Just Another Onionhead / Da Da Dali which really doused the enjoyment that I was beginning to develop. The album is overly long, some of the decisions here in terms of instrumentation, mood, transition are outright weird and jarring. This is a fun novelty but I don't see myself returning to this. I have to pay respect to the album for being influential to artists I really like (Tame Impala and Ariel Pink) but I cannot lie, those guys did the whole 'write, perform and produce' thing a lot better. I can't deny Rundgren's talent as a producer, writer and a musician. He's worked on albums that I love and his pop music is top notch but this album feels like his version of Wish You Were Here 'I was acclaimed so now I'm lashing out' but this is certainly not WYWH. Highlights: You Need Your Head, Zen Archer, Sometimes I Don't Know What to Feel, Just One Victory

Maybe I was in a bad mood, but this did not do it for me. Has some stuff I like, I think the last song is pretty good, but overall I found it pretty offputting. If you enjoyed/were intrigued by this, id recommend early Of Montreal, like specifically The Gay Parade. Now that I’ve heard this, the influence is really obvious, but I think that band’s frontman has the charisma that this guy lacks

Don't get it sorry. Does that make me a philistine?

2 - This was just too weird for me. Just chaotic and and incoherent

Prog rock. Some good songs in here but mostly boring.

This was a weird one. I don't want to compare it, but I had a Todd Rundgren album previously and gave that a single star because I found it boring and overly long. This album cuts down then length by 35 minutes so that's a good start. This album also is a lot more interesting with more ideas, so that's another tick. It's still not hugely interesting though. The odd decent bit pops up here and there. Apparently Todd was experimenting with psychedelic drugs at the time and moved away from tradiontal pop song structures and you can absolutely hear that. Unfortunately, for me, it sounds a little bit like he took his narcotic of choice, wrote and recorded a track whilst still high, it ended up on the album without listening to it with sober ears. The album is a little all over the place and not in a good way. It just didn't quite grab me like I hoped it would.

Kinda weird

boh, da mal di testa

Undecided about this one, maybe off is heard it when younger with different influences I might have been able to appreciate it

Feel like this could have been good but it constantly sounds fuzzy.

2/5

was sure glad when that ended

Not for me

Pretty cool, definitely deserves another listen. Didn't really stick

I guess not for me. This album really helps me appreciate focus. There are probably lots of great ideas in there but I am having a hard time recognizing a single one of them. I am left very unmoved and confused at the same time.

Not sure on this shite. Fucking druggies

Dit was voor die tijd vast revolutionair, maar niet mijn stijl. Te cabaret-achtig. Veel gekke geluidjes, synths.

This album..... Is fucked. Todd admits to having done a shit ton of psychadelics while recording this album, which makes sense. The album released no singles because Todd designed it as 19 songs that are each like 2 mins long and all run together. He didn't want to break the songs up. He wanted the whole album to be listened to instead of just singles. Because of this, and the fact that this album is so experimental, and a huge change from his previous album which I've reviewed on here already (Something/Anything?), this album did really poorly. I looked it up.... The album prior to this I gave a 4 to. It kinda sounded like the Eagles crossed with Jefferson Airplane. Good easy listening with hints of psychadelic rock. I even mention in my notes that after that album he got really into psychadelic aspects of music.... I'll fucking say he did. Man this album is weird. Not sure why some idiot decided to include this album on this list....I am nowhere near high enough for this. It isnt terrible, but it's super weird. This album is just the incoherent ramblings of a man too fucked up on psychadelics to know what the hell he is doing. Even the album cover screams DRUGS!!!!! This album does kind of come around after the song Does Anybody Love You?, but it is a bit too little too late. The song Is It My Name? has some hilariously fucked lyrics. Some examples include: "there is cause and effect There is a reason I'm so erect" "my voice goes so high you would think I was gay But I play my guitar in such a Man-cock way"....... Wtf does that mean, lol Favourite songs: Is It My Name?, Hungry For Love, Medley: I'm So Proud/Ooh Baby Baby/La La Means I Love You/Cool Jerk, Just One Victory Least favourite songs: Dogfight Giggle 2/5

Weird. Way weirder than I thought it was gonna be.

Not my thing.

Ist mir zu psychedelisch!

These songs were short-by the time I was ready to skip it-it was over!

I like some todd Rundgren stuff, but this is a little too crazy, even for me. Interesting sounds, but not that enjoyable.

Lemppari: Sometimes I don't know what to feel Vähiten lemppari: Just another onion head

It’s sort of OK but not an album that I would buy

Very experimental and, I'm sure, very influential for its time. It's just that, for me, it's also very unlistenable. 2/5

It’s better than Something/Anything?, but that’s a really low bar. It does have some interesting moments, especially “International Feel” which sounds like it would fit right in on a Tame Impala album. But after that, the album generally trends downward with increasingly cacophonous vignettes followed by cheesy 70s soft rock/pop. I read that this album was produced after (during?) Rundgren’s experimentation with psychedelics, but it just seems like he wasn’t on the good stuff.

Rundgren and Zappa tried to out-weird each other in the 70’s. In my opinion, Frank came out on top, in terms of both talent and success. There are a few TR songs I do like, so I’ll go 2 here. That’s generous, as this album is most definitely rubbish.

All the worst parts of Frank Zappa, Harry Nilsson, and Flaming Lips. But pretty cool.

Starts interest. Gets weird (You Need your Head). Dogfight Giggle... umm. This album is just some kind of weird experiment.

This album was all over the place. Super Manic in the beginning but then settled down. The soul medley was pretty cool. I like Zen Archer the most. There were pieces I liked, but in the end I found myself wishing it were over.

Horrible operetta prog pop. Respect the will to create, dislike the creation.

A worse Rufus Wainwright

This was irritatingly kooky for me. Like relentlessly quirky. I found it hard to handle and too long

I'm torn. I enjoy the freedom he's allowed himself but I didn't find that he ever found a groove.

too chaotic for me, not sure I'd even go to the trouble of taking acid to enjoy this. Credit for the musicianship but it does fell like a "look how well I can play everything" set rather than an album of songs. I'd rather listen to king gizzard & the lizard wizard for my eclectic prog rock experiences.

A lot was awful, some was ok. That’s about the best it got. I suppose it can be filed as an album that needs to be listened to under the influence of hallucinogenics to be enjoyed. I don’t so I won’t.

Just weird. Where are the truly great albums?

Back half of the album was better than the front. It was tolerable, but just. I don't think I'd listen to it again.

Seems more like a haphazard collection of sounds, rather than actual music. I didn't hate, as I did the 1-star ratings I give out, but there wasn't anything to like either.

Just not my style. A poor man's David Bowie.

It was a bit different and not in a good way

I tried to like it but just couldn’t

Best Song: Sometimes I Don't Know What to Feel. He's got a really great chorus here. I might like an album full of tracks like this. Worst Song: Dogfight Giggle. I don't care if this doesn't constitute a song, it doesn't belong on this album. It sounds like utter shit, it's a weird turn to take immediately after unique awful "Rock & Roll Pussy". Irredeemable. Overall: A strange album in that there are these occasional glimpses of decent pop-rock songs, but they're hidden under piles of weird, directionless blips of noise. Listening to this, I get the feeling that the artist had a particular idea of what they wanted to do with this album, but that I simultaneously have no idea what that idea might be.

His bio has very hyperbolic language, but I predict a three. IDK. I don't remember enjoying this, and I can't tell if I even finished the album bc of computer glitches, but here we are.

You know that feeling like when you're at a freaky circus show and its too hot and humid in the tent and you're running out of air and getting increasingly anxious and they keep bringing out more clowns with basoons and chimps doing a one man band and then somebody starts doing gnarly sax solos and shredding fuzz guitar hard panning the delay effects and now its time for the tiger taming and the elephant parade and you've eaten more cotton candy than should be allowed and are really thirsty but the only thing there is is warm monster energy drink, and the key changes and tempo picks up and the trapeze artists are going nuts flipping around, and all you want is deep gulp of fresh air, but now its time for a soft-rock Isley Brothers tribute and you're bouncing on a trampoline for some reason and getting way too high and there are more clowns and more sax solos bouncing up with you and there's nowhere to land, but it's ok because there some Grays coming to beam you up into the spaceship from that one Boston album cover?

I have no idea what to make of this. Too experimental/psychedelic for me. Album was a drag. 2*

Not for me

I liked a couple of the tracks: International Feel and Sometimes I Don't Know What To Feel. But the album also had several crazy tracks like Dogfight Giggle and Da Da Dali which ultimately brought down the album for me.

If you take the transcendent euphoria out of the psychedelic experience, and just try to recreate the visuals or auditor experience... it's kind of an annoying nightmare. The second half (Melody and beyond) is better, but still doesn't redeem it.

Not the worst but also just weird and not great.

What in the acid trip did I just listen to?

Good but not as good as the album cover.

I’ll be honest, I wasn’t expecting the IRA to get a shout out on this. Mental album

ho fatto davvero tanta, troppa fatica.

This is pretty out there, not necessarily in a bad way, but not something I need to listen to again.

Quirky, but not for me

I wanted to like it and I liked that a lot of things were happening, but at the same time nothing really sticked.

A few great songs here and there, the Flamingo/Zen Archer/Onionhead is particularly nice. Otherwise, it's still too long-winded and there's too many fillers along the way. I can't tell why it's on this list... It's a very usual 70s album, you know.

One or two good ones, but mostly just weird.

It feels like an old recording of some album recorded on a very bad cassette has been digitally restored. It's really hard to listen but i i liked just one of it all. This album is very strange. When I listen to it, I always want to hear ordinary music, but I hear the wrong thing, namely detuned music. It's confusing. Maybe it's this style but I didn't like it, 2/5

# Playlist track - Zen Archer # Notes - I'm always conflicted by this super experimental albums. - I can kind of sense that there is something in there. It was the 70s. Everything about it is unexpected and weird. This takes some real skill to do. - At the same time, you can't just listen to this thing once and go on about your day. It's just annoying. I might try to come back to it eventually and might revisit the score.

Deeply boring

it's all right

Middle of the road Prog rock. Some memorable tracks. Some...

Not for me

2.5. Not terrible but I won’t be reaching for another round

In a desperate attempt to create something cool and interesting, Rundgren may have created the most boring album I’ve ever heard. A combination of psychedelic rock and soul. At times it sounded like The Who as circus performers. 4.5/10

Weird album, but I couldn't get into it. Some songs are great, it's just that the complete picture is a complete mess.

This has a lot of "wrapped up in my own world" energy. I don't really hear any cohesive vision just someone madly hopping around between ideas they've soaked up from elsewhere. I can also hear the influence this has had on a lot of other stuff I don't like.

This guy is turning out to be one of my lease "vibed-with" artist of all time

Eh

Too long. Meh.

I’m familiar with Todd Rundgren’s hits, of course. And I own his 1997 compilation album that contains 16 songs. Nothing from this album makes either set list. I guess it’s art, but it leaves me cold. Wikipedia notes this album resulted from Rundgen’s “experimentation with psychedelic drugs”. Yeah I can see (or rather hear) that, and it makes me especially happy that I never experimented with psychedelic drugs. Side 2 is a little more musical, but still lacking. The high point of the album is a 10 minute medley of soul songs, which only makes me want to play the originals. In short, I did not enjoy this album at all. I was looking forward to it based on my knowledge of his popular songs…. But what a disappointment. I won’t be listening to this again. 2/5

Enjoyed some of this, quite conceptual in parts

not for me

What a weird mix of an album. Noise collages with generic 70s stuff. Could occasionally get into it.

Not my

Strange, not liked at first glance

Musical acid trip

Definitely would be better if I engaged in some substances, but there are some solid songs mixed in.

Bullshit. Derivative.

El rock alternativo de Todd Rundgrend se transforma en una buena parte de este disco en art-rock flotando sobre un cierto aire post-psicodélico. Tras un arranque sorprendente con "International Feel", se suceden una serie de canciones cortas, de poco más de un minuto, donde reina un cierto caos sonoro, hasta llegar a otra de las canciones más apreciadas del álbum, "Zen Archer". El disco cierra con "Just One Victory", un himno en el que es hay que esforzar el oído para apreciar su conmovedora melodía. En "A Wizard, A True Star" reina la discordancia, convirtiéndolo en un disco que tiende a perturbar.

The best part about "A Wizard, A True Star" is the production trick of all the tracks transitioning into one another. The worst part is the music. The entire album sounds like the Beatles invited over a bunch of the bands they inspired, they all got fucked up on mushrooms and LSD, and recorded an hour long jam session. Which is basically what happened, except no one was there but Todd Rundgren. I was fooled into thinking I'd like this early by "Tic, Tic, Tic..." into "You Need Your Head," but it kust kept falling off from there. Chops and musical talent be damned, I can't stand his shrieking style of singing, and in general this was just an obnoxious slog of a listen.

oh man this is so goofy. the songs are only like a minute long, which is good when you've got something like 'dogfight giggle' which just sounds like its title. sometimes campy, like an 80's movie soundtrack concept album. Whten the Shit Hits the Fan/Sunset Bvld. is a good proggy epic and Le Feel Internacionale is a great guitar workout.

Omöjligt att få grepp om detta trots att jag lyssnat ett gäng gånger. Otroligt spretigt.

A bit dated. Sounds like 70's music and not particularly good music...

Þetta var allt í lagi en mér fannst þetta samt svolítið tilgerðarlegt og það er ólíklegt að ég spili þetta aftur. Afskaplega auðgleymanlegt allt saman. Ekkert meira um það að segja. Ekki lélegt en samt ekki neitt.

"Lesser reliance to straightforward pop songs", powered by "psychedelic drugs". What a trip.

Nope

Parts of this are fine and then other parts are just strange.

It was okay. end of album better than weird beginning

Didn't like it a lot

I had no drugs at hand….

I guess he's a good musician, but his music is not my thing.'70s, multiple personality, carnivalesque.

Progressive pop. Es como un musical. No me aporta nada.

Did not love it. Pretty weird.

Didn't think I'd appreciate this, I was right.

What a strange, trippy musical Journey into Rundgren’s artistic soul. The album starts off really weird and then finally settles down during the later half with more traditional sounds from the 70’s. It was definitely an interesting experience.

I do like a few tunes by Todd Rundgren and always have. This album wasn't a favorite.

I haven't listened to much by Todd, and certainly not this. The wiki write-up was ticking all the right boxes, Beach Boys Smile era style production, experimentation, alienation of half his fan base to make something he wanted to make. But it didn't do it for me unfortunately, I don't know why, maybe caught me on the wrong day.

I had made myself a sort of scale with this five star system. I figure that any "normal" album should be at least a three. And over that would have to earn a bit more credit. However, under that and the album would have to have fundamental flaws that I couldn't get past. Todd Rundgren is definitely a good music producer. I think musically he might be just a bit to experimental. If I rate this three stars someone might say "OK, than rather normal then?" But it is not... really normal at all. It is, at its core, a little too weird.

för många skämtlåtar på en minut. skulle göra mer aktuell musik, så jag kanske skulle vilja att Mr paska. mr paskakikkare... starstadium kraschar idag.. på rekordets svans. Jag var redan två dussin före och trasslade i helvete, ändå var jag före och jag skruvade till slutet sometimes i dont know what to feel

I was fairly certain I would hate this. And I'm not saying that I didn't *end up* hating it. But the first half of the album ... I kind of liked. Some parts of it I like a lot. Weird instrumentation, harshness, odd cuts, tonal shifts. It was fun. But I hated the medley of soul covers and all the songs that followed it, except maybe "Just One Victory". A three would be generous here. I'll give it a two.

I didn't dislike this as much as I expected to and a couple of tracks were fairly likeable.

Dogfight Giggle made me want to die The rest of the album wasn't as bad but it wasn't great I Don't Know What to Feel is the only song I remember kindof liking

The album cover is fitting. The guy had a lot of ideas and decided that all of them were good. I admire his self-esteem. It was just too much clutter for my taste. 2.0

Side 2 should have been the lead off. Then the experimental, frenetic, unfocused mess of side 1 would have made slightly more sense. Probably worth listening to for the ambition and influence, but the production is better than the music. 2.8

very diverse

Wiggles and squirming Weirdly poppy but not catchy Bouncing off the walls

Cool moments, you can tell why there were influential to so many bands like MGMT

Weird, but I liked it more than I've liked other experimental albums. Flamingo was a surprise song I'll add to a playlist or two. 2/5

Not for me

Hmmm

Not my style

Not my jam. The album cover was cool. It was trippy but not in a way I loved. Weird. But I think that’s what they’re going for

Not my thing

This album sounded a bit like a bad trip. I was out on it at first but, after a few listens, there were some spots I somewhat enjoyed. Overall not really my vibe.

Not a fan. Possibly drugs would help me enjoy it but not going to happen sober.

Mieluummin kuuntelisin kunnin rehellistä soulia. Ihan hassunhauskoja sanoituksia tosin välillä, mikä piristi. En inhoa, en todellakaan pidä oikein minään.

Velho näyttää, miten nuotti asetetaan nuotin ja sointu soinnun perään, ja miten homma välillä hajoaa smoothisti kasaan. Mutta miksei hän vain tehnyt levyä? On tässä siihen rahkeet.

Ei oikeastaan yhtään hyvää biisiä koko levyllä ja osa vielä ärsyttäviäkin.

Eipä ollu erikoinen

2/5

I'm giving this an extra star because there were moments that I enjoyed, but overall each song got to a point that I had to skip it. Get this one outta here!

eh... it's alright.

PHASER. I'm glad this exists but it's not for me.

Lite småhemligt är det allt.

Sam likes Todd Rungren, but I find it is either too light and fluffy or else madly prog-rock, almost avante garde.

There were some weird parts that were cool, I guess, but I didn’t get much out of this one

Definitivamente o álbum de número 1001

Very different to the kind of music I am used to but found some enjoyment from Zen Archer and Never Never Land

Meh

Never heard of this guy before. Weird and different, but cohesive and it kinda works. You can tell this dude was having fun making this music which is a plus. Sounds like he was just testing new sounds on some acid. Pretty cool experience listening. Glad I listened, this was probably ground breaking in 1973. Probably wouldn't listen again. Personal Favorites: Zen Archer

Old Matt Mercer lookin ass International Feel - okay. psych rock again. very brash (2/5) Never Never Land - gospel time woo. (2/5 the dreamy sound is warpled too much for me) Tic Tic Tic, It Wears Off - ska/retro jackbox version of Mario 64 soundtrack mixed with the sims. (5/5) You Need Your Head - I'm being screamed at by the Talking Heads. (1/5) Rock & Roll Pussy - i'm sorry, rock and roll what (3/5 okay) Dogfight giggle is where i stop the format what the fuck is this. Undertale???? oh thank god. i don't think i like cruise ship white dad soul rock.

The only good bit was the soul compilation.

Stand out is 'Does Anybody Love You?'

I only know “Hello, It’s Me” from Todd, so this album was a surprise. I prefer the Hello, It’s Me Todd.

Meh

Strange, but interesting. Really 2.5 stars in my book.

Interesting. Not for me

If this is the soundtrack to a trip - as I understand Lundgren intended- it just reminds me why I never want to go on one. Meanwhile, after skipping through most of this album beyond the first few tracks, I enjoyed catching up on the Nineh Cherry album I missed. (Thanks for your positive reviews, guys!)

I'm meh about Todd Rundgren, this album is fine and so is most of his discography

Dit was me net iets te chaotisch.

Didn't get it. Haven't had enough drugs for this.

this is a VERY schizophrenic album. all over the place, and not in a good way. not sure what the hell i just listened to, but i do know this… i won’t do it again. not for me.

Gross. Every time it started sounding ok, it went dopey.

That's pretty cool art. Interesting music. It's pretty unique. I like how the end of each song bleeds into the next like it's one continuous track. It is a bit experimental and a bit unorganized, chaotic. Zen Archer is the first track that sounds like an actual song. lol Okay I really like Medley: I'm So Proud/ Ooh Baby Baby/ La La Means I Love You/ Cool Jerk. It super pretty. I hearted it. meh, it was alright. There were a few good songs but nothing I'd revisit.

Well this is really weird. I'm not really with this. The cover definitely reflects in the music. Like he's just dropped a load of acid and is exploring this mad world via weird ditties and sounds.. But then there's some genuine songs in there in the second half that work well, particularly the more soulful ones found on the likes of 'Medley'. I kind of appreciate that he's done something interesting, and I admire the variation, but too much of it is just weird, and there's not enough to latch onto.

I appreciate the creativity, but the music not so much. Somewhere in the middle between Zappa and Supertramp. Very 70s. It's all over the place. So it's not all bad. Production is so so. Favorite song: Tic tic tic

One hit wonder releases LP ... without the hit single.

unbelievable crap, like some circus music, then switched to soul

This was an eccentric album. The only good part of the album is when he did covers of other songs in Medley. The other songs are not good. I will round up to a two.

Way too weird, just making sounds on half the tracks

I struggle with Todd. Some good stuff in here but I think it’s outweighed by the bad, just slightly.

A bit weird

- Well at least this one isn't an hour and a half - I think I'm just not that into this guy - Some bold sounding stuff on here, a different vibe from the other album

- Some weird shit going on in the middle of this album - Todd keeps it interesting for sure

What a bizarre album. It’s a tale of two halves, with the second half being much better than the first and nearly redeeming it. Overall, not my jam.

can describe this only as neurotic. video game ass-music sometimes, then a regular song. not bad though! best tracks: zen archer, international feel, I'm so proud / ooh baby baby

This is a most bizarre listening experience. It's like a child was let loose in the recording studio and said "look dad, I can make records too!" then proceeded to go HAM on all the instruments while shouting stream of consciousness lyrics into a mic. I like weird and oddball things, but I think this one is just a bit too far left of strange for my liking.

I'm not against psychedelic rock (some of my best friends etc), but this is too much.

Progressive pop. Es como un musical. No me aporta nada.

Liked it more than I expected, until about track 5 where it just seemed to derail and go a bit too psychedelic.

2,5

That's a hard pass for me, man. I get that this inspired a lot of subsequent artists but it's just an utter mess. There's not a complete musical thought on the whole album. It's just a schizoid, drug-addled, frantic mess that's mostly (but, to be fair, not entirely) unenjoyable.

Up until today, the only Rundgren song I could name was "Bang the Drum All Day," which I quite enjoy. But if this album is any indication, I suspect that "Bang the Drum..." is a bit of an outlier in his catalogue. There's no denying that this album has artistic value, but the fact that my favorite part was the medley covering '60s R&B/soul songs sums up my feelings pretty well. This isn't for me.

This was like a bad mix of Supertramp & Frank Zappa. Maybe we'll hear some of his other work because I like him as a vocalist, but this was a loss for me.

There is an awful lot going on in A Wizard, A True Star, quite hard to define it by a single number but given I liked some, didn't like some and the rest was somewhere in the middle, it's 2.5/5.

couldn't wait for this one to be over. didn't hate it, could appreaciate it vrey much, I think it's truly interesting and cohesive, but just not my cuppa tea.

I don't want to work I want to bang on the drum all day I don't want to play I just want to bang on the drum all day Ever since I was a tiny boy I don't want no candy I don't need no toy I took a stick and an old coffee can I bang on that thing 'til I got blisters on my hand because I don't want to work I want to bang on the drum all day (yes I do) I don't want to play I just want to bang on the drum all day (that's right) Now if that song was on this album, I’d give it more consideration. Instead, at its best it’s a 3, at its worst it’s a 1. Plus I hate creepy wizard bands. People that listened to this played Dungeons and Dragons in their basement. 2 stars.

Todd is quite scattered on this album, dabbling in (too) many genres. The beginning is hard to take. It gets more melodic later, but still, who decides to throw a 10-minute medley of 60s soul hits onto a 56-minute album, especially after what has preceded it? A drug induced concept album that seemed like a good idea at the time.

A very psychedelic album a pretty much to the point to where it’s too much. I’ve heard songs from Rundgren before but these were nothing like the ones I like. Don’t think I’d revisit this one as I’m not dropping acid or drinking shroom tea all that often. 3.9/10

A Wizard did a zig zag shit on me wheetabix!

I'm glad that this exists, and that it's on this list, but I'm not sure I'd listen to it again

A bit too long, which is surprising and amusing because almost every song is like a minute or two long. But something about the project dragged a bit for me.

Sadly, I heard cacaphony...