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Topic ClosedUtopia vs. Todd Rundgren solo???

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ghost_of_morphy View Drop Down
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Direct Link To This Post Topic: Utopia vs. Todd Rundgren solo???
    Posted: July 08 2007 at 15:28

Utopia had one prog album, one mostly prog album and one album that you could classify as prog if you were being exceptionally generous.

Todd Rundgren solo had one prog album, one mostly prog album and one album that you could classify as prog if you were being exceptionally generous.
 
Anybody want to take a stab at explaining how Todd Rundgren's Utopia gets listed on PA while Todd Rundgren doesn't get listed as a solo artist?
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 08 2007 at 16:48
Todd's addition as Prog Related would probably be a formality if someone was to step forward and offer to do the work.
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: September 08 2007 at 04:47
Very interesting point as I've always loved Todd's solo 70's work. I think you may have to weigh up his albums and ask yourself, which are prog, which are not?
 
His first 3 solo records are excellent, but to me are singer-songwriter. However Todd, A Wizard and Initiation are clearly experimental enough for inclusion here. (Wizard and Todd incidently I cant describe in word how good they are!)
 
I think the problem being here is that maybe he is just TOO diverse, and that's not a bad thing!
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: September 08 2007 at 10:11
I would enjoy seeing the Toddster added to PA.  He definitely has a prog spirit.
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: September 10 2007 at 19:59
Rundgren is one that might fit in crossover as it gets fleshed out in the weeks/months ahead. 
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: September 10 2007 at 20:08
Healer, for these ears is "experimental/progressive" art rock
Wizard is pure prog rock suites with exceptional production
Initiation has that weird instrumental side...  But then, so does Bowie "Heroes" and that even has Fripp!

I wonder what is the other Todd "prog" album?

Utopia, on the other hand, has the fantastic totally fusion/prog 1st album Utopia
then Another live has some moogy bits
Ra is quite filled with excessive time signature changes and the crazy "epic" Singrin (or whatever it is called)...

Aside from that, any other proggy Todd anyone can recall?

(Aside from Steve Hillage "L" that is, which is basically all of Utopia without Todd)
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: September 11 2007 at 03:46
For me, "A wizard, a true star" is his most prog solo album. The tracks fit together in a "Supper's ready" sort of way to make the whole. And of course we get "An LP's worth of tunes" in one song!
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: November 01 2007 at 05:37
Originally posted by Easy Livin Easy Livin wrote:

For me, "A wizard, a true star" is his most prog solo album. The tracks fit together in a "Supper's ready" sort of way to make the whole. And of course we get "An LP's worth of tunes" in one song!


of course "Lp's worth of tunes" is from "Todd" not from Wizard, and "todd" is even more deranged as "Wizard"
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: November 01 2007 at 06:22
I haven't checked elsewhere on the site , but reading here Rundgren is not long already here is frankly a big surprise. WRT to mainstream prog, I've always seen/heard Todd Rundgren's Utopia  (suggested elsewhere as 'Yes with guts') as probably the second US recording to dint the British hold on the genre (of course Touch being the first, and Kansas weren't spotted until 1976). Then the run of albums with and without Utopia through the 70's which certain conform to prog definitions  - although I have to build up courage to listen to side two of Initiation........
 
Back in the early 70's when Rundgren was being broken into the UK market, a lot of time was given to Something/Anything (while  for instance Wizard A True Star was ignored) - not for being a prog album, indeed nobody then ever equate the album with prog. It consisted of a series of  pop rock tunes (soul, blues, rock, ballads, etc.) well crafted and said to be completely Rundgren's own work, e.g. wrt playing the instruments. Therefore the comparisons were with the likes of Emitt Rhodes, who also recorded  as a one man band - and also Paul McCartney who did do a nearly truly solo album prior to forming Wings.


Edited by Dick Heath - November 01 2007 at 08:49
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: November 01 2007 at 06:51
^ Todd has been discussed within the Crossover team but I haven't heard any of his solo stuff to form an opinion.
What?
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: November 03 2007 at 23:12
we need to take care of that LOL
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: November 04 2007 at 01:20

The albums that I had in mind (in order of progginess) were Initiation, A Wizard, A True Star,  Todd, and A Capella.

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Direct Link To This Post Posted: November 04 2007 at 03:18
Originally posted by ghost_of_morphy ghost_of_morphy wrote:

The albums that I had in mind (in order of progginess) were Initiation, A Wizard, A True Star,  Todd, and A Capella.


I've got the first two solo albums you mentioned and the two prog Utopias.  Of the four Utopia is the best, followed by Ra, Initiation and then Wizard.

Isn't it cool that with all the prog artists that attempted to go commercial in late '70's/early '80's that a pop artist went prog in the early '70's? Big%20smile


Edited by Slartibartfast - November 04 2007 at 03:21
Released date are often when it it impacted you but recorded dates are when it really happened...

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Direct Link To This Post Posted: November 06 2007 at 12:06
Yep, that's a cool way of looking at it.
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: December 19 2007 at 16:14
wizard was probably his first full prog album (eventhough there are some soultunes on there), but prog was already hinted on earlier albums, like I'm in the clique whish is on Runt, there are freaky moments on something/anything as well
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