| The
Review |
It is such a distinct pleasure for
me to be able to review this DVD. You see Todd Rundgren is
one of my all-time greatest music heroes. He is really the
one who inspired me most during my teen years as a musician,
songwriter and performer. He is, and always has been, a musical
genius in the truest sense of the word but sadly overlooked
by many. His music is ever-changing, yet still always signature
Todd. He is responsible for turning my head towards progressive
rock with the release of his "Wizard A True Star" LP and the
first Utopia tours which were absolutely legendary in their
depth and musical scope. Unfortunately because Todd took this
turn in his career after the emmensley successful "Something/Anything"
LP (which spawned his most famous hit singles) in 1972, many
people chose to have written him off because his music became
much to complex and self-indulgent after that for the average
joe. However, Todd doesn't always take himself too seriously.
He has had many light-hearted moments in his career such as
touring with Ringo Starr's All Star Band and producing many,
many, major acts. He is responsible for much of the success
of Meatloaf's "Bat Out Of Hell" (Utopia was the backing band
on most of the LP), XTC, The Psychedelic Furs, Patti Smith,
Grand Funk Railroad, The Tubes, Pursuit of Happiness, etc.,
etc. He was also responsible for being one of the very first
video pioneers pre-MTV and has always been at the fore-front
of the computer world.
In 2004 Todd released his first
complete CD in many years. He also played 98 percent of all
the intstruments and did all the vocals as well as the recording
and production. It was well worth the wait, because Todd had
completed another masterpiece. This CD is in my top ten CD's
of ALL TIME. The lyrics are some of the best ever written
by Todd and they convey the complex times we are living in
today as Todd trys to see the truth through the lies. Everything
from relationships to race, from the past to the future, from
God to the government, he basically covers the entire picture
with precise descriptions and magical melodies. He also covers
everything from pop to soul, from progressive rock to alternative
rock, from techno dance to simple melody, as he takes you
on a world tour of the inside of your head!
The concert begins with a "Prelude"
and then "Truth" and immediately conveys that this is going
to be a very special show. Todd then covers many of his most
recent songs mostly from the "Liars" CD with a few older ones
occasionally thrown in. There's a hilarious bluesy version
of "Born To Synthesize". "God Said" is a favorite track of
mine that he performs perfectly. "Flaw" is the most expresive
commentary on the current state of the male/female relationship
in the new century and explains why no one seems to stay together
and how absurd it all is. He ends the show by playing a silly
version of his greatest hit "Hello It's Me" for an encore
and the song "Just One Victory", a song which he always used
to close his shows with back in the 70s with Utopia (to remind
us that we are still waiting for our victory). The band is
extremely entertaining and Todd seems to be enjoying himself.
I saw this show at Ruth Eckerd Hall in Clearwater, Florida
during May of 2004, shortly before this was recorded, and
the show I saw was even better and more energetic than this
DVD. But at least he documented this moment in time and I
am forever grateful.
Thanks Todd! - Russ Bellinger April
2006
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