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Related: Culture Forums, Support ForumsTurning the big 7-0 today, Todd Rundgren
Hat tip, http://www.thisdayinrock.com/
What a great producer, among so many other things. He produced Badfinger's Straight Up and the New York Dolls' first album. Ooh, and those albums he and Utopia cranked out.
I've been "working" today, so I didn't get to this 'til now.
Big salute to Todd. He is so great.
Also: Kris Kristofferon? He turns 82 today.
Todd Harry Rundgren (born June 22, 1948) is an American multi-instrumentalist, singer, songwriter, and record producer who has performed a diverse range of styles as a solo artist and as a member of the band Utopia. He is characterized for his sophisticated and often-unorthodox music, flamboyant stage outfits, and his later experiments with interactive entertainment. He also produced innovative music videos, pioneered forms of multimedia, and was an early adopter and promoter of various computer technologies, such as using the Internet as a means of music distribution in the late 1990s.
A native of Philadelphia, Rundgren began his professional career in the mid 1960s, forming the psychedelic band Nazz in 1967. Two years later, he left Nazz to pursue a solo career and immediately scored his first US top 40 hit with "We Gotta Get You a Woman" (1970). His best-known songs include "Hello It's Me" and "I Saw the Light" from Something/Anything? (1972), which have heavy rotation on classic rock radio stations, and the 1983 single "Bang the Drum All Day", which is featured in many sports arenas, commercials and movie trailers. Although lesser known, "Couldn't I Just Tell You" (1972) was influential to many artists in the power pop genre. His 1973 album A Wizard, a True Star remains an influence on later generations of "bedroom" musicians.
From the Nazz era:
Later, live:
This album is great:
From another one of my favorite albums:
From the album "Todd":
Also from that album, this one is dedicated to "Donald":
The best pop tune of all time:
virgogal
(10,178 posts)argyl
(3,064 posts)Upthevibe
(8,053 posts)I posted another one of my favorites of his:
smirkymonkey
(63,221 posts)I really like his work, but he's one of those people who has always been in the background for me. I love his songs when I hear them, but I have never really followed him. He is definitely underrated.
Ohiogal
(32,006 posts)I really think he was ahead of his time.
GREAT stuff.
cwydro
(51,308 posts)Memories.
Damn, didnt there used to be a weed smoking emoji?
hermetic
(8,310 posts)You understand that old saying when you see him live. He would make direct eye contact with practically every female in the audience. It was very electric. That's why we threw flowers at him at the end, and would carry bouquets of roses up to the stage. Ah, the good old days.
zanana1
(6,122 posts)It's one of my favorite songs. I think just about everybody can relate to it.
Dread Pirate Roberts
(1,896 posts)I could probably scrape together a bowl or two from inside the cover fold.