Archive for todd rundgren

Random Fifteen

Posted in Music with tags , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on December 28, 2013 by David McInerny

Shuffle. Let the chips fall as they may. Have I ever done this? Over 50,000 songs on the overloaded, overworked hard drive in the basement, connected to an Apple TV upstairs and driven through a Marantz processor and blown through a pair of ENERGY tower speakers.

There, however my control ends. I’ve decided to call up the entire music library this afternoon and press “shuffle.” Will the ensuing tunes represent my musical soul? Or will the closet bands of my misspent youth come forth? It will only be revealed when I push “play.” Here are the chips, fallen as they might…

  1. Plynth (Water Down the Drain) – Jeff Beck Group – Beck-Ola (1969)
  2. The Last Ride – Todd Rundgren – Back to the Bars (1978)
  3. Worried Life Blues – BB King/Eric Clapton – Riding with the King (2000)
  4. Los Angelenos – Billy Joel – Streetlife Serenade (1974)
  5. Holiday – Scorpions – Lovedrive (1979)
  6. I Forgot That Love Existed – Van Morrison – Poetic Champions Compose (1987)
  7. We Are Glass – Gary Numan – Telekon (1980)
  8. The Thrill Of It All – Roxy Music – Country Life (1974)
  9. Violin Concerto in D – Johannes Brahms – Chicago Symphony Orchestra (1993)
  10. There’s A Light That Never Goes Out – Morrissey – Live at Earl’s Court (2005)
  11. Contrapuntcus #14 (incomplete) – J.S. Bach – Art of the Fugue
  12. Cold, Rain and Snow – Ratdog – Live, Chicago (2008)
  13. I Don’t Know – Ozzy Osbourne – Blizzard of Ozz (1980)
  14. The Same Situation – Joni Mitchell – Court and Spark (1974)
  15. 999 – Keith Richards – Main Offender (1992)Image

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My Top 10 All-Time Favorite Concerts (so far)

Posted in Music, Travel with tags , , , , , , , , , on September 10, 2012 by David McInerny

No preamble necessary:

1. BOSTON, March 28, 1979, Notre Dame, IN – My second concert. Boston played their first two albums straight through – without a flaw.

2. PETER GABRIEL, November 20, 1982, Ann Arbor, MI – Peter sang his encore, “Biko,” on his back being passed hand over hand by the audience.

3. R.E.M., September 29, 1989, Notre Dame, IN – Michael Stipe was able to face the audience and sing, unlike when I saw them in 1982.

4. TODD RUNDGREN, April 16, 1992, Chicago, IL – Todd played with his new “band,” a Mac computer – pretty revolutionary for the time.

5. RADIOHEAD, August 1, 2001, Chicago, IL – The first of many shows for me, this one on the shore of Lake Michigan.

6. DAVID BOWIE, August 8, 2002, Chicago, IL – Bowie played most of Low on this tour, as well as the new and excellent Heathen album.

7. ROBERT PLANT, November 25, 2005, Munich, Germany – Told the kids they would grow up proud that they saw this show. They are.

8. MORRISSEY, May 23, 2007, Kansas City, MO – Front row thanks to my neighbor, Jenn. He’s one talented kook.

9. ROLLING STONES, August 26, 2007, London, England – Flew to see the show, then flew home. Their final concert? Hope not.

10. THE DEAD, May 10, 2009, San Jose, CA – Last show of a run I followed that summer. Three and a-half hours of ecstasy.

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Todd Rundgren – Faithful

Posted in Music with tags , , , , , , , on August 15, 2012 by David McInerny

When Todd Rundgren left the band Nazz to embark on a solo career, he moved with all the confidence of a seasoned artist. He immediately established himself as both a creative songwriter and producer, sometimes even deciding to play all the instruments and synthesizers on an album. His 1972 classic, Something/Anything? was his first great early work that showcased the multiple styles and instruments he was mastering, culminating with the hits “Hello, It’s Me,” and “I Saw The Light.”

Todd’s genius comes out in full flower on 1976’s Faithful. It’s a tale of two sides, the first side being a set of jaw-dropping covers – not just covers, but brilliant attempts to “faithfully” sound exactly like the original artists. Rundgren covers The Yardbirds, The Beach Boys, The Beatles (twice), Bob Dylan, and Jimi Hendrix. He pulls off the effort so well that these are not novelty songs, rather they allow Rundgren to show how good an artist he really is. His rendition of “Good Vibrations” could be played on the radio, and I sincerely doubt anyone would doubt it was The Beach Boys.

Side two is no slouch. In fact, Todd seems to be determined to show the listener that he is a great songwriter as well, and he succeeds. Mixing styles from ballads, reggae, anthems, and straight-ahead rock, this is a tight set of well-crafted songs that have held up solidly over the years. Todd uses members of his side-band, Utopia, to play on the album, and their three years of playing together makes this a great effort. If “Hello, It’s Me” is a favorite or yours, try “Love Of The Common Man” or “Cliche” from this disc. “Black And White” is one of my favorite Rundgren rockers.

He has never stopped innovating. In a 1992 concert he walked out on stage and said, “Let me introduce you to the band,” and placed a laptop on a stool. He has invited fans to critique songs in progress on his website. He has toured playing nothing but Robert Johnson blues classics. Todd Rundgren is still cranking out very good music, touring regularly, and getting involved in interesting projects like playing as a member of The Cars and joining Ringo Starr’s touring band this summer. If he comes to town, check him out. And definitely check out his catalogue of very fine albums.

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