A Wizard A True Star Music Cd

Wizards - A Wizard A True Star

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A Wizard, A True Star      Artist : Todd Rundgren      List Price : $9.98 USD        Your Price : $8.99 USD      ProductGroup: Music      Release Date : 1990-10-25      Studio : Rhino / Wea      Label : Rhino / Wea      Avg. Customer Rating : (57 reviews)

Reviews Customer Reviews for A Wizard A True Star      (4.5 stars) A TODD RUNDGREN MASTERPIECE ! (it may take a while to actually "get it", and some listeners never will)      Rating:      It will probably surprise most of my Amazon friends to know that I owned three Todd Rundgren albums (Something/Anything?, A Wizard, A True Star, and Todd) while I was still in my teenage years. It's true, and I listened to A Wizard, A True Star more than the others. Without going into comparisions, Wizard represented Todd Rundgren's jump from recording albums that primarily featured pop masterpieces (Hello, It's Me, I Saw The Light) into the world of progressive rock experimentalism and musically diverse albums that still featured a fair sampling of his irresistible pop/rock/soul style. Don't misread "pop" to mean conventional. Todd is anything but conventional. Todd Rundgren is a Philadelphia area born singer/songwriter, musician, and record producer. Many of his albums are self-produced efforts where Todd plays all of the instruments and provides all of the vocal tracks. He has produced albums by other artists such as Grand Funk Railroad, The New York Dolls, Hall & Oates, Meat Loaf, Patti Smith, The Band, XTC, The Psychedelic Furs, Cheap Trick, and Bad Religon. He's a widely respected and multi-talented musician's musician and producer. A Wizard, A True Star (1973) is a colorful and complex masterpiece, but it might be impossible for some folks to actually understand why. In fact, it's sometimes hard to tell when Todd is putting you on, and when he is serious. Spiritual themes of world harmony, human compassion, and universal understanding run through many of the songs on Todd's albums and are prevalent here as well. Sound effects are all over the place and multi-track layers of psychedelic instrumental pieces play throughout. A Wizard, A True Star is divided into two sections. A Wizard includes more experimental electronica and silliness, while A True Star has more traditional pop, rock, and soul music. A sweet version of Never Never Land from Peter Pan and a sentimental Motown medley (I'm So Proud/Ooh Baby Baby/La La Means I Love You/Cool Jerk) sound surprisingly good, and Sometimes I Don't Know What To Feel is an undeniable, if somewhat paranoid, pop masterpiece. Sometimes I don't know what to feel Everything I thought I knew starts to look so unreal There's a ringing in my head that keeps me awake at night Sometimes I don't know what is right There are some brilliant moments on A Wizard, A True Star, mostly when Todd goes into his pop mode, but with Rick Derringer helping Rundgren provide the lead electric guitar work on the album, there are some fantastic rocking and jazz-fusion moments as well. Todd has an ear for pleasant bittersweet melodies, a penchant for idealistic themes, and a hopelessly fragile voice. This guy could evoke sympathy from a rabid honey badger! The theme oriented International Feel and Just One Victory are great songs that feature Todd's talents in a most effective way, mixing rock, magically sweet pop, and Todd's longing, yet optimistic, vocals. Does Anybody Love You? and I Don't Want To Tie You Down are pleasant and satisfying pop gems. You Need Your Head, Rock And Roll Pussy, and Is It My Name? are wild and heavy rocking electric guitar exercises in controlled Todd madness. A Wizard, A True Star may seem like a cluttered and confusing psychedelic electronic pop/rock mess the first time you hear it, and to be honest, that's all this ever will be to a lot of listeners (that's why I knocked off 1/2 star), but there is much more to this work than that. Todd Rundgren's talent, artistry and genius are everywhere on this album, and Todd's intermittent silliness aside, if you "get it" this affecting masterpiece can be an infinite musical journey into a magical and thought provoking world of color, texture, humor, longing, love and hope for the future.     Customer Reviews for A Wizard A True Star Cd      A Wizard, A Truly Great Album      Rating:      In the grand tradition of Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Heart's Club Band, Todd Rundgren weaves a trippy, wavy musical moo moo dress. I like the album for it's originality. I enjoy the way Todd (we're on a first name basis... NOT!) reinvents many different musical styles. As a fan of novelty songs and broadway musicals, I found this album entertaining for it's silliness and wit. Expect an aural fruit salad, and you won't be disappointed. Editorial Reviews for A Wizard A True Star Audio Cd      Album Description      Digitally remastered reissue of his 1973 album for Bearsville. Contains the original cover art & all 19 of the cuts that first graced it, including the hit 'Sometimes I Don't KnowWhat To Feel'. 1999 release.