Todd is God

The new Kate Bush single "King of the Mountain" was available via the internet in the United States and Canada yesterday, but UK and European fans have to wait until the end of the week or maybe even next week to get hold of the track (well legally at any rate, as i am sure it is available already on the p2p networks) - thank you EMI.

After 12 years, EMI has confirmed this week that Kate Bush's new album, a double-disc set titled Ariel, will be released on 7 November 2005. Can't wait.

There are some rumours going around that Todd will be joining Elliot Easton and keyboardist Greg Hawkes, to act as lead singer for a Cars reunion tour early next year. Easton and Hawkes have apparently asked Todd to stand in for bassist Ben Orr, who died in 2000, and Cars main man Ric Ocasek, who has expressed no interest in a reunion, but who doesn't object to the other band members going back out on thew road. Todd doing 'Best Friend's Girl' ? Well, it would certainly be interesting!

Gap will launch a series of TV commercials featuring eight singers looking hip in Gap jeans while singing a cover version of one of their personal favorite songs, Zap2it.com reports. Joss Stone, who replaced actress Sarah Jessica Parker as the retailer's It girl, will perform the Beach Boys' "God Only Knows." The other women are Alanis Morissette ("Crazy," Seal), Liz Phair ("Cheek to Cheek," Irving Berlin) and Michelle Williams of Destiny's Child ("Let's Stay Together," Al Green). Brandon Boyd of Incubus will sing Elvis Costello's "Alison" and be joined by John Legend ("Hello It's Me," Todd Rundgren) , Jason Mraz ("One Love," Bob Marley) and Keith Urban ("Most People I Know Think I'm Crazy," Billy Thorpe).

Apparently new hot artist - and latest saviour of soul music since the last one - John Legend covers Todd's 'Hello, It's Me' in his live set.

Todd is 57 today.

"a triumphant celebration of intelligent, contemporary, music delivered with a bold confidence" is how Mike Chapple describes the liverpool gig on the Liverpool Echo's website

Nice to read Martin Townsend in the Express on Sunday reviewing the London gig. He described the gig as "one of those gigs you wished could be televised for the whole nation to enjoy" and a "once-in-a-lifetime chance to hear two of rock's most original voices in harmony" In the words of the Eurythmics 'who am I to disagree'

Todd Rundgren has stepped in as support for the Hall & Oates tour in the US once he finishes his European Dates with Joe jackson and Ethel. Todd replaces Tears for Fears

Maybe the boys had been saving their best for the UK, or maybe that practice has helped but both the Gigs at Leicester DeMontford Hall (Fri 3rd), and London Hammersmith Apollo (Sun 5th) were pretty damn good. Sure, there were mistakes, but if I wanted to listen to perfect renditions of the songs I'd sit at home and play a CD. As in the earlier leg of the tour the role call was Ethel, Joe and then Todd. Ethel's brand of string quartet is perhaps not everyone's cup of tea, but these guys can play: - Todd Reynolds and Mary Rowell, violins; Ralph Farris, viola; and the rather sexy Dorothy Lawson, cello are a treat for real music lovers anywhere, playing a mixture of styles with equal verve and skill. I would happily pay just to see these guys in the future. Joe Jackson, who I must confess I lost interest in after his second album, delivered a well balanced set both nights between old 'classics' (stepping Out', 'Is she really going out with him', 'It'...

The Scotsman has an interview with Joe Jackson today ahead of Todd and Joe's Edinburgh date. Explaining the get together Jackson says: "We're both very eclectic, we've both been around for a few years now and done lots of different things. And we've both sometimes been ahead of our time, or at least that's how we'd like to see it!" The Guardian 's Dave Simpson gave the York gig 3/5 but said of Todd "Britons never really 'got' his brash Americana, and those that did must be bewildered to hear long-unaired classics like I Saw the Light tossed off on guitar." I not sure why anyone would be bewildered. Maybe it was just Dave. Or perhaps it was because Todd stopped playing midway through, to hail a bitter-sweet guitar chord. He does however rightly praise just how good Todd, Joe and Ethel sounded combined "By the time they've taken the Beatles' While My Guitar Gently Weeps to places it has never visited, this unlikely coll...

Todd & and man in front's head - London 5th June 2005

Todd, Joe and Ethel - London 5th June 2005

Todd, Joe Jackson and Ethel - London 5th June 2005

I have been a bit lax of late with Todd postings, but with just a day to go before the Leicester Gig, and then the London Gig on Sunday, expect a few more. Over on the TR Connection, the Bristol gig seem to have gone down pretty well, which is good. The feeling form the US leg had certainly been (in the words of Rick Springfield) 'reviews were mixed, the press was unkind'. Bring it on Todd (and Joe/Ethel)

The six-song CD of new and previously unreleased material by Teenage Fanclub, that was given away with Scotland on Sunday is coming popular on ebay and selling for up to £11 The disc featured songs from Teenage Fanclub's new (and as usual very good) album Man-Made plus material recorded at various stages over the past 14 years. Collectors were particularly interested in a cover version of Todd Rundgren's 'I Saw The Light', which was recorded for the movie of Buffy the Vampire Slayer but did not feature on the final soundtrack.

The Orlando Sentinel reviewed the first night of the Todd/Joe tour in Melbourne and said: "After a promising start, the evening moved from the pleasant to the awful. If Ethel and Jackson seemed a tad stiff, they looked positively charismatic compared with Rundgren's uneven performance. Although he delivered a nice acoustic show at House of Blues in recent memory, Rundgren looked unprepared on Wednesday, joking his way through a shoddy set like a schoolboy faking his way through a big presentation." "It has been a night of extraordinary musicality,'' he said, taking a seat behind the piano after a few lackluster songs on acoustic guitar. "But I'd like you to put that out of your minds.'' Indeed the general opinion all round seems to have been that Todd's performance was sloppy (including it seems Mr Rundgren himself to a degree.

The Liverpool Daily Post on Friday (15th) had an interview with Todd about the upcoming UK dates. Speaking about what we can expect in the set list Todd says:"Both Joe and I know we have to satisfy our respective audiences. There will be some new ones but we will showcase some of the older stuff although there"s no set list which we will be sticking to. "It"s fine for the first week of the show but there"s a drudgery that takes over when you know what"s gonna happen that takes the edge of your performance . You can go into auto pilot and lose the mood of the audience. "Plus," he adds drily. "There"s this myth that the so called customer is always right. You know, like, I"ve bought my ticket to hear that particular song so if I don"t hear it I want my f------ money back. I never commit myself to doing any one particular song in any show." What he will teasingly promise the Liverpool audience is that out of the top five ...

Tacoma News Tribune has this great piece on cars mentioning Sue Harp of Tacoma, who owns a 1999 Volkswagon Beetle, which is decorated as a tribute to Todd. Using album art, her husband, Gene Harp, applied the decal-like graphics to the car, and Todd autographed it too. Brilliant.

I decided on a whim over the weekend to purchase Aslyn - "Lemon Love" and I have to agree the review from Shane Harrison that there is indeed "plenty to admire" about this album which is a wonderfully enjoyable pop record which harks back to Todd, Jill Sobule, and Elton. There area couple of slightly ropey tunes but, all in all, a pleasing debut from a young lady who should have a long career ahead.