Todd is God

New York Times' review of the latest Ryan Adams album - 29 says "If the upbeat title song's resemblance to the Grateful Dead's ''Truckin' '' is too blatant, the conjuring of Todd Rundgren on ''Nightbirds,'' Neil Young on ''Strawberry Wine,'' and Paul Simon on ''Starlite Diner'' resonates as tender homage to artists who also made their mark in their 20's."

It's time for my Top 10 Albums of 2005. I had thought this was going to be quite straightforward, but then I realised that whilst there have been two albums that have stood out for me this year, there have also been a LOT that I have quite liked in one way or another. So, what are the final 10? Well, we'll kick off with my favourite two releases of the year by Robert Plant and Ryan Adams. Robert Plant and The Strange Sensation - Mighty Rearranger . Who would have thought that after all this time, Bob Veg would come up with a record this good? Not me, for one. This is seriously the best thing Plant has done since mid-period Zeppelin. There really isn't a duff track on this record - no filler at all. Ryan Adams and The Cardinals - Cold Roses . Ryan decided to release 4 albums this year. As it is with the third due out next week, he is only going to make it to 3, but still not a bad effort. Cold Roses was the first of the year's releases and is a wonderful double album cho...

Just love the version of When Doves Cry. So very TPOH.

Apologises. I have been a bit lax here recently. So much so I haven't even mentioned the confirmation of the Todd / Cars rumours. Seems Todd, Kasim and Prairie will be teaming up with Cars guitarist Elliot Easton and keyboardist Greg Hawkes, to become the 'New Cars' for a tour next summer and gasp a possible studio record. Original Cars singer/bassist Ben Orr died of Cancer in 2000; drummer David Robinson has retired, and Lead man and vocalist Rik Ocasek is too busy with other things. Hats off to the guy though, as he has given his full blessing to the new line-up> He has been quoted as giving the project the all clear with "I want Elliot and Greg to be happy." Think the chances of the New Cars making it to the UK are somewhat remote unless the tour is a HUGE success. BUt good luck to them.

Thanks to the TR Connection for the link to the Steve Earle/ Todd chin-wag on Earle's AirAmerica radio show 7th November.

Jam Music is reporting that the Pursuit of Happiness are back together to record two new tracks for a new 'best of' CD and maybe more.

The Dallas Moring News had an interview with NIN's Trent Reznor where he mentions Todd. "I remember Todd Rundgren called me and wanted me to do a CD-ROM back when they were this "cool" new platform. And I was like, 'Todd, I really respect you and you've been a huge influence, but CD-ROMs are just stupid.' "

The Art of Digital Music focuses primarily on creativity rather than flavor-of-the-week tools, which means it will stay relevant and useful for a long time to come. The authors interviewed a diverse collection of instrument makers, performers, sound designers, educators, game-music composers, visionaries, and software developers - BT, Thomas Dolby, Herbie Hancock, Mark Isham, Alan Parsons, Roger Powell, Todd Rundgren, and Don Was

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.

The latest issue of Mix mentions Todd. "Future Sonics founder/president Marty Garcia's work in the live sound biz started in 1979, when he opened regional sound company Crystal Sound, which would become Crystal-Taylor Sound. Garcia notes that client Todd Rundgren was getting great monitor sound in halls and theaters, but had problems in arena-sized venues; when Rundgren had to sing out over the roar of instruments onstage, vocal fatigue would follow. Crystal Sound's custom wedge-based monitor rig and console sounded so great to Rundgren that the artist bought it and brought Garcia on tour for the next five years to run it — while still developing custom-built transducers into ear pieces. Fast-forward to 1991: Garcia sold Crystal-Taylor Sound and founded Future Sonics. What's in the company's future? Products that will “blend in” with professional and consumer interests. Think MP3s and iPods."

Shane Harrison reviews the debut album from Aslyn - "Lemon Love" in Atlanta Journal-Constitution today (29 March 2005) saying that there is "plenty to admire" about album which packs in the influences, which "Depending on your chronological frame of reference, you'll hear traces of Elton John, Todd Rundgren, the Beatles, Lenny Kravitz or Nelly Furtado in these songs, most of them written by the fetchingly curly-haired Aslyn. And her sweet voice has just enough grit to give the tunes a touch of blue-eyed soul" Todd also got a mention in the New York Times (27th March 2005) - or at least in the letters page where David Vawter of Orchard Lake, Mich. responded to an article called 'Home sweet studio' by saying that "Without taking anything away from Bruce Springsteen's magnificent ''Nebraska,'' the precedent for a home studio providing the atmosphere for a young artist to find his or her sound was set back in 1972, whe...

Rick Reger has a review of the new Eels album - Blinking Lights and Other Revelations - in the Chicago Tribune (22March 2005) calling it the Eels "leanest, most retrained effort to date". He goes on to say "From the bleakly beautiful folk waltz of "I'm Going to Stop Pretending That I Didn't Break Your Heart" to the Todd Rundgren-ish piano ode "Ugly Love," the CD is a cornucopia of understated treasures"

The Elmira Star-Gazette (17 March 2005) had a Most overlooked artist by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame vote and came up with the following: - The Monkees Neil Diamond The Ventures The Sex Pistols Black Sabbath NRBQ The Hollies Todd Rundgren Alice Cooper Iggy & the Stooges

U2, the Pretenders, Buddy Guy, the O'Jays, and Percy Sledge, as well as touring business architect Frank Barsalona and Sire Records head Seymour Stein as non-performers were all inducted into the Rock n Roll Hallof Fame today. Hard to argue with any of them as far as I am concerned. But my one loyal reader J, asks me 'do you think Todd will ever get his rightful spot in the Rock 'n Roll Hall of Fame?' Last year Todd was asked the question and told the Scotsman that it was for guys who were dead or retired; and told the Australian Financial Review that if they put him in, the citation would say "If elected, will not serve". I have to say, if I am honest, I think the dead or retired route is the one that will probably take him in; but it would be good to see it happen before then.

The Bristol Evening Post has an interview with the wonderful Jill Sobule who is in the UK for a handfull of gigs to promote new album 'Victorious Underdog' and both Todd and Joe get mentioned Her first album [Things here are different'] was a critical success but this was not reflected in commercial sales. "I think on that first album I hadn't really developed properly. I didn't really know who I was. It was a strange album. It was produced by Todd Rundgren. Todd's a great guy but he's crazy and he doesn't have many of the social graces. "I mean, like it was the first time I had ever been in a studio and I would sing my first track and over the speaker you would hear 'Alright, that was adequate, let's move on to the next song'. "So then I decided for my second record that Joe Jackson was going to produce me and that never came out." I have mentioned this before, but 'Things here are Different' is a wonderful recor...

Good news folks, the Joe Jackson/Todd Rundgren tour is hiting UK shores in May. The first set will consist of a 20 minute solo acoustic performance by string quartet Ethel , followed by 45-60 minute solo acoustic set performed by Joe Jackson, followed by a 45-60 minute set by Todd Rundgren. Finally, Todd and Joe will perform together with the string quartet backing them up for an extended encore. Was worried that after last year, we may not see Todd back here for a while, so this is good news, and with the promise of a more 'best of' selection of material may please some of those people who just moaned constantly about last years Liars tour set.

Today's Philadelphia Inquirer has a review of the the eponymous debut CD from A Girl Called Eddy , the nom de pop of Jersey Shore native and former Philly resident Erin Moran. "these 11 songs - highlighted by the heartbreaking ballad "Kathleen" and the windswept relationship postpartum "Tears All Over Town" - recall artists of that era, such as Dusty Springfield and Todd Rundgren, while echoing contemporaries Beth Orton and Aimee Mann" Sounds like someone that's worth checking out .

According to the Hollywood Reporter Todd Rundgren has signed a wide-ranging three-year agreement with Sanctuary Group that covers the full spectrum of his creative talents as musician, producer, songwriter and technology consultant. Under the terms of the pact, Rundgren will give at least one new studio solo album to Sanctuary; that project likely will be released in fourth-quarter 2006 or early 2007. He also is licensing 13 previous solo album and sets by his band Utopia to the company. There also will be multiple live DVD/CD projects. The first two will be devoted to a spring acoustic tour to be co-headlined by Joe Jackson and a 30th anniversary Utopia tour (!) next year.

From Billboard 2 Feb Former Pavement frontman Stephen Malkmus will release his third solo album May 24 via Matador. The 11-track "Face the Truth" includes the track "It Kills," a live version of which was recorded with his backing band, the Jicks, and released last fall on Matador's "At Fifteen" compilation. "I did more of it myself, a little bit like the old Pavement records," Malkmus told Billboard.com last September. "Because the studio was in my basement, I took the helm. I pretty much engineered it myself; punching in with my toe, Todd Rundgren-style."

DONNIE MOORHOUSE of the 'Republican' (Springfield, MA) listed his favourite CD's by local artists in 'Live Wire Awards honor top local CDs ' (6 Jan) Included was: "Michael Ferry "Ferry Tales" - With production from Jerry Marotta (Hall and Oates, Elvis Costello) and Ferry's introspective songwriting, this acoustic offering is a treasure. Includes a cover of Todd Rundgren's "The Wheel." Available at cdbaby.com"

From Construction News (3 Feb) "Oslo, Norway: Plumber Todd Rundgren, 44, has been charged with secretly filming his neighbours when they were using the toilet and in the shower.Rundgren told police he had filmed his neighbours through their bathroom windows by mistake, saying his intention was to film the sunset." How could I NOT share this piece of information!

Todd Rundgren's - 'Liars' is one of a host of albums set to be released on dualdisc . Following an impressive debut over Christmas more than 25 additional titles on DualDisc, an exciting new double-sided music entertainment product that combines audio and video content on a single disc, are set to be released: - The first side of every DualDisc containing a full audio album, and the second (DVD side) providing the same album in enhanced sound (such as 5.1 Surround Sound), along with such multimedia features as music videos, documentary footage, photo galleries, web links, and so on, DualDisc was created to bring the fan even closer to the creative artistic process. DualDisc will add an exciting new dimension to the consumer's musical experience. One disc, two experiences.

The St Petersburg Times (23 January) has an interview with Amy Grant where when asked what music she was into growing up says " Jethro Tull's Thick as a Brick was my favourite record for a long time. I loved Todd Rundgren ..." Incidentally, if you don't own Grant's 1988 album 'Lead me On' - why not?!? And saying you're not religious or christian is not an excuse, because neither am I. A classic of singer songwriter girlie folk pop/rock.