Sometimes I Don't Know What to Poll: ILM Artist Poll #107 - Todd Rundgren - RESULTS

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/f/f3/Rundgren_wizard.png
#1 - 619 points - 17 votes - 8 first place votes
Todd Rundgren - A Wizard, a True Star (1973)

Interestingly, AWATS was also the only record to make all 17 ballots that were submitted.

Full list:

A Wizard, a True Star 619
Something/Anything? 548
Runt. The Ballad of Todd Rundgren 439
Todd 401
Hermit of Mink Hollow 381
Faithful 289
Runt 279
Healing 252
Initiation 158
A Cappella 132
The Ever Popular Tortured Artist Effect 122
Todd Rundgren's Utopia 104
Liars 97
Adventures in Utopia 93
Nearly Human 91
Nazz 87
Runddans 72
Nazz Nazz 64
Disco Jets 50
Swing to the Right 45
Oops! Wrong Planet 45
Live At Hammersmith Odeon ‘75 33
2nd Wind 28
With A Twist 25
POV 25
Utopia 24
Oblivion 24
Another Live 23
The Individualist 22

synergy — DJ Trouble is playing "Love Is the Answer" on WFMU right now.

was I the only vote for The Individualist

Todd should have saved the title 2nd Wind for his album of Billy Joel remakes.

Lol

As the clock chimes 12, it is time to move on to tracks!

Part 1: Tracks
21 ballots

#50 - 54 points - 5 votes
Todd Rundgren - "Tiny Demons" - from Healing, 1981
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UXu2-l2RRcE

#49 - 55 points - 5 votes
Todd Rundgren - "The Night the Carousel Burned Down" - from Something/Anything?, 1972

#48 - 59 points - 4 votes
Todd Rundgren - "When the Shit Hits the Fan / Sunset Blvd." - from  A Wizard, a True Star, 1973

I've always thought there was something radical about an established artist releasing an album (well, half an album) consisting of by-the-numbers cover versions. Like, no matter how experienced you are you can always gain something by attempting to see through somebody else's eyes. But yeah, maybe more fruitful to the artist than the listener.

As a musician and instructor, it seems like an incredible exercise. As a listener, I've never felt the need to revisit it. "Love of the Common Man" was my #1 track, though.

Voted for "When the Shit..." as well. Love that one.

And yeah, Wizard would def be my top album.

Todd Rundgren - "When the Shit Hits the Fan / Sunset Blvd." - from A Wizard, a True Star, 1973

oh man this is way too low

#47 - 59 points - 4 votes
Todd Rundgren - "You Cried Wolf" - from Hermit of Mink Hollow, 1978

#46 - 63 points - 4 votes
Todd Rundgren - "Time Heals" - from Healing, 1981

#45 - 63 points - 5 votes 
Todd Rundgren - "Hurting For You" - from Hermit of Mink Hollow, 1978

I adore "Hurting For You" -- I love the bgd vox on this ... the way they intermesh with the electric piano and dry drum sound is perfection.

#44 - 69 points - 5 votes
Todd Rundgren - "Slut" - from Something/Anything?, 1972

(voters, please note the number of points this track got)

https://www.nj.com/resizer/eCiYsthFiNMY_GohuZuZ4DJHLZw=/450x0/smart/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/advancelocal/SZQUINZPTVG4TIXXAZINYXB6TY.jpeg

nice

time heals is so fucking classic
Sometimes I don’t know how to feel is MY JAM
Carousel is fabulous, trippy

lol wait it was When The Shit that placed. FUCKING CLASSIC!

It was near the bottom of my ballot. Hooky, rocking tune. Not sure if the lyrics should be read as misogynist/demeaning or pro-sex/anti-slut-shaming, or how it came off 50 years ago.xps

spectacular synth solo in that one, it’s like the return of the flamingo from earlier

(When the shit hits the fan)

I don’t even f/w the last side of SA these days

#43 - 70 points - 3 votes
Utopia - "Crybaby" - from Oblivion, 1983

#42 - 73 points - 4 votes
Todd Rundgren - "Is It My Name?" - from  A Wizard, a True Star, 1973

#41 - 77 points - 6 votes
Todd Rundgren - "All the Children Sing" - from Hermit of Mink Hollow, 1978

"All the Children Sing" and "Turn Me On" by the Tubes (form roughly the same period) have a great high-school-musical quality to them.

I didn't vote for "Is It My Name?" but the rawness of tracks like that on AWATS is a big draw to that record. Hammersmith Odeon '75 is really the closest he ever came to that sound again.

Two from my list in this in this first 10, but these are all fine except "Crybaby".

Speaking of rawness, the opening riff of "Heavy Metal Kids" predicted "Cat Scratch Fever" a few years ahead of time.

Yeah, in 13/4 time.

love "Is It My Name?" but I'm a bit confused what it's about. is he saying nobody's gonna love a dude named "Todd"?

I regard the song as a parody of male sexual bravado, like a man's name is his least attractive feature.

ok yeah I just read the lyrics

it's such a great song but I think the production style kinda kills it, the ending in particular always makes me think my speakers are blown

#40 - 82 points - 5 votes
Todd Rundgren - "Marlene" - from Something/Anything?, 1972

#39 - 82 points - 7 votes
Todd Rundgren - "Drive" - from The Ever Popular Tortured Artist Effect, 1983

#38 - 84 points - 3 votes
Todd Rundgren - "God Said" - from Liars, 2004

I love the fact that Edward James Olmos (from Miami Vice) is on the backing vocals for "Slut"

He really stood and delivered that vocal.

I think Todd Rundgren is an uncool name - it’s down there with Zombies’ drummer Hugh Grundy as least attractive rock star name

I honestly didn't think anyone would have voted for "crybaby" but me… it is the first song by this guy I was aware of… via the video on MTV, although when I watch the one now on YT, where an old man is found by a horrified youthful utopian society a la Logan's Run, I seem to remember a performance version where you really get a load of Wilcox's kit… I don't expect everyone to respond to his naked gambit for mid 80s AOR airplay, but it pushes all my 13 year old buttons… I have only been able to find a live version w? no audio, would love to see a version from that era, it obv is hard to sing that high note when the band fools you into thinking they're gonna modulate but then go back to the original chorus chord pattern…and when you talk about him being a vocal arranger? This is that shit, just as exciting as Mutt lange… on the other hand, you can see Utopia doing "You Cried Wolf" quite easily…

Wasn't there some thread about toxic masculinity in which "Is it my Name" was mentioned? absurd, in that he is parodying attitudes as such here…

Assuming Open My Eyes from 1968 makes it, he’s going to have songs from a 36 year span in his top 40, which is pretty impressive.

God Said getting 84 points but only 3 votes kinda implies a lot of people haven't heard Liars yet

I didn't take much notice of "drive" until around 2012, when it occurred to me that was one of the last times he could really sing with that kind of herculean sweep…and I like that whole record in that it seems like he had discovered Prince by that time and the Linn drum programming shows it…he apparently was like "fuck this, I'm not trying hard for my last record for fuckin' Bearsville" but I really like it…

"Hideaway" was my introduction to TR as a kid -- that video of him in the John Lennon glasses haunts my dreams still. But I never liked the song.

BTW, I was partly torn on whether to embed a lot of YT videos. I decided on including a few, but not many. As much as I like them, I like these poll results threads to be evergreen -- and all the broken links tend to bum me out when I go back to them. But if folks want to add theirs, be my guest.

(I mention this because we are talking about EPTAE)