It's been a while since I've done a Todd Rundgren post on a Monday. This time, I was inspired by trawling through the library in search of inspiration. I kept stumbling over these odd tracks that I hadn't heard in some time, as well some songs that some of you may not have heard at all. Let's see if you enjoy these as much as I did.
NOT TONIGHT- THE NEW CARS
If you look up "ill-fated" in the dictionary, you will find a picture of The New Cars. The idea was ridiculous, no matter how much of a fan you might be of those involved--Todd Rundgren and Kasim Sulton replacing Ric Ocasek and the late Benjamin Orr for a tour, that had more cancellations than performances. Still, this first single is a killer.
SOMEDAY WE'LL KNOW- HALL, OATES & RUNDGREN
Written by Gregg Alexander, who was the New Radicals, and whose only record was full of the essence of Todd Rundgren, "Someday We'll Know" is another tune that should have been a hit. This version here is performed by Hall & Oates with Todd Rundgren. All involved deliver in spades.
WEAKNESS- CITY WINERY, 4/17/09
A song from Todd's 2008 release "Arena." Met with mixed feelings at the start, this record has gotten better with each listen, and this song in particular ranks among the best of Todd's career. This video was shot by me incidentally, which is why I chose to include this version. A+ performance, with B- audio and video. Sorry, but I never professed to be Michael Ritchie.
AFTERLIFE
2005's critically acclaimed "Liars" sits atop of my all-time list of Rundgren albums. I know some who can't get beyond the electronics to notice the strength of the songwriting and Rundgren's vocals, which are some of his strongest to date. Most of the time, I do prefer something organic. Real drums over drum machines anyday. But "Liars" worked for me on every level. "God Said" and "Living" are the two I gravitate to most often, but this beautiful ballad got me this weekend.
PRETENDING TO CARE- 2005
"Today I am your chariot horse. Tomorrow I'm your albatross."
JEEZ!
Ballads don't come more gorgeous than this, and this version, recorded live, 20 years after the original was for "A Cappella," could be definitive.
JUST ONE VICTORY- 1978
The "Utopian National Anthem" from a 1978 performance in Cleveland, I believe. Someone recently said on these pages, "If you can hear them sing, 'We may be losing now, but we can't stop trying,' without the hair on the back of your neck standing on end, you are officially not human." That's sort of how I feel about this. Heard the studio version from "A Wizard/A True Star" earlier this week while sitting in a friend's car, and it was like hearing it the very first time.
THE WANT OF A NAIL- PRESS RELEASE
A great song and a great video. Joyous, energetic and triumphant. Also includes one of my very favorite exchanges:
Interviewer: What do you have to say about this auspicious occasion?
Bobby Womack: Very suspicious
(Well, it's funnier in the video.)
I think you'll be feeling this one.
5 comments:
Great choices, and some stuff I hadn't seen before - thanks. You know I'm with you on Liars, not just one of Todd's best but one of the best records in any genre, in the past decade. At least.
Nobody else can make synthetic drums sound so organic.
Arena is growing on me as well, except for that AC/DC exercise. There's a band I never, ever got.
But - sooner or later some sports team is gonna discover "Mountaintop" and it'll be everywhere.
Interesting that all of those guitars were recorded using amplifier modeling software - no amps involved. I was doing a session a couple of weeks back at this state-of-the-art studio, and asked the producer if he was offered that option and he scoffed..."we use amps..." And I thought, not for long, buddy. Those sounds are too good.
keep it warm another great tune from the new cars
Ah, SO cool... I really love that video to "Want Of A Nail." I have 2 boys (7 and 2) and was blasting "Nearly Human" to them the other day telling them how great it is, and this video brings it home in a different way. They're asleep now but we'll watch it with them tomorrow!
I AM PROBABLY THE ONLY "TODD RUNDGREN" FAN WHO CANNOT ANALIZE SONGS, PRODUCTIONS, PERFORMANCES, ALBUMS, YEARS GONE BY, BAND MEMBERS.........ON&ON&ON. SINCE "NAZZ" (MAYBE A BIT EARLIER) TO ME WHETHER ITS 40 YRS.OLD OR RECENT....EVERYTIME I HEAR "TODD" IT SOUNDS NEW AND TAKES ME TO A SPECIAL EUPHORIC PLACE,EVEN AFTER ALL OF THIS I STILL CANNOT FIGURE OUT WHERE HE SENDS ME !!!!!!! KEEP ON KEEPIN ON.
Love that new cars thang. Also the hall & oates. Hell, i love 'em all, but those were new to me. Good stuff, my friend, thanks.
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