Somehow "The Individualist" is a record I've never gotten to know really well. I think it's because I bought a second-hand copy that didn't have the cover on it - just a CD in a case for a dollar or something - which made it feel more anonymous, without even a song listing. Of course, I could see the song list in iTunes etc etc but I tended to let the CD sit there when I'd grab some to listen to on the road, etc.
I'm one of those Rundgren fans you chastise from time to time. I loved the Nazz and his early records, and I hung in there through a few disappointments until Nearly Human 1989, which I liked but didn't love. I have tried a few newer ones on your recommendation, but nothing wowed me. Today I listened to The Individualist, and I I really enjoyed it. Maybe a few too many repeated-too-many-times vocal lines, but overall an excellent record. Oh, and also, Life of Contradiction comes mighty close to Equal Rights in the best of reggae category. As always, thanks.
I don't think I "chastise" Rundgren fans specifically. Even as a Todd devotee, I will be the first one to point out his crap. The fans I chastise are those who dismiss entire catalogues after a certain point without having listened to a single note. You know, the "I stopped listening after 'Something/Anything?" crowd.
I know it's not Rundgren fans, but Rundgren, Springsteen, and Bowie come to mind as artists you have maintained a much more open mind towards than most listeners. I'm at least partly that dismissive listener, but I'm trying. :-)
Somehow "The Individualist" is a record I've never gotten to know really well. I think it's because I bought a second-hand copy that didn't have the cover on it - just a CD in a case for a dollar or something - which made it feel more anonymous, without even a song listing. Of course, I could see the song list in iTunes etc etc but I tended to let the CD sit there when I'd grab some to listen to on the road, etc.
ReplyDeleteI'm one of those Rundgren fans you chastise from time to time. I loved the Nazz and his early records, and I hung in there through a few disappointments until Nearly Human 1989, which I liked but didn't love. I have tried a few newer ones on your recommendation, but nothing wowed me. Today I listened to The Individualist, and I I really enjoyed it. Maybe a few too many repeated-too-many-times vocal lines, but overall an excellent record.
ReplyDeleteOh, and also, Life of Contradiction comes mighty close to Equal Rights in the best of reggae category. As always, thanks.
I don't think I "chastise" Rundgren fans specifically. Even as a Todd devotee, I will be the first one to point out his crap. The fans I chastise are those who dismiss entire catalogues after a certain point without having listened to a single note. You know, the "I stopped listening after 'Something/Anything?" crowd.
DeleteI know it's not Rundgren fans, but Rundgren, Springsteen, and Bowie come to mind as artists you have maintained a much more open mind towards than most listeners. I'm at least partly that dismissive listener, but I'm trying. :-)
DeleteI was under the impression that TR-1 was Todd doing hip hop. I need to give that record a chance I see.
ReplyDeleteThere is some ill-advised rapping on "The Individualist" but not as much as on the TR-I album before it, "No World Order."
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