Music DVD/CD Review: Todd Rundgren Todd (Live)

In just about every way, Todd Rundgren owned the airwaves in the early '70s. There was the (basically solo) Something/Anything double album, followed by A Wizard, A True Star, then the double Todd LP. He was also a very in-demand producer, working wonders with Grand Funk on We’re An American Band and Shinin’ On, not to mention the classic debut of The New York Dolls. He also put Utopia together during this time.

In 2010 Rundgren assembled an all-star band for a special, first-time ever performance of the double Todd album in its entirety. He obviously took this show very seriously, as the cast of supporting players he assembled reflects. Just to mention a few well-known names, there is bassist Kasim Sulton, former Tubes member Prairie Prince on drums, and Greg Hawkes (of The Cars) as an additional keyboardist. Based on his playing, I should probably know more about guitarist Jesse Gress, but let me just say that the guy is really, really good.

Although “the hermit of Mink Hollow” was often misidentified as a native New Yorker, his hometown is Philadelphia, which is where this concert was recorded. The DVD opens up with Rundgren walking out in a weird Star Trek villain-inspired outfit to perform “How About A Little Fanfare?” and “I Think You Know.” He then loses the outfit and gets down to serious business by sitting at the keyboard for “The Spark of Life.” There are so many great tracks on this record that it is somewhat difficult to single any of them out for particular mention. But “A Dream Goes On Forever,” “The Last Ride,” and “Sons Of 1984” are fantastic examples of why this album (and performance) are so special.

Rundgren recorded such a wide variety of material that sometimes his love of Philly soul gets overlooked. The Todd LP expresses a lot of this in ways that may have been neglected by some at the time. It was a wild record, after all. For starters, just look at the cover. It features an extremely stoned-looking Rundgren sporting long, multi-colored hair in front of the ugliest brown background anyone could come up with. Then there is the music, which was all over the map.

Article Author: Greg Barbrick

Greg Barbrick is a Seattle native who was first published in 1988, in his hometown music magazine, The Rocket. Since then his work has appeared in print and online for numerous sources. He Googles himself so often that his mother told him it would make him go blind.
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