#240: Todd Rundgren - A Wizard, a True Star (1973)

Zack: I read Wikipedia the day before listening to the album because I was bored and it’s like a billion degrees and I didn’t want to do anything else that might mean moving away from the fan. So I came into this album thinking it would be some sort of experimental version of The Beatles, sort of like Frank Zappa. And, in some places, it was. But in others, it sounded more like mid-to-late career Pink Floyd, which is impressive since it actually pre-dates mid-to-late era Pink Floyd. The most notable thing about this album is how short most of the songs are. That’s a problem I’ve run into with quite a few punk albums, because you look up and all of a sudden you’re 5 songs further in than you thought you were and you have to go back and figure out what songs you liked and didn’t. It wasn’t even that all the songs sounded the same – that’s actually very far from the truth. It was that all these different noises blended together very well, but in a way that was cohesive enough that actual changes in song were easily confused for just twists and turns in the melody of one song in particular. I want to go back and listen to this again under a set of circumstances that doesn’t involve having to formulate an opinion that I can write about because I think I’ll enjoy it more like that. For now, all I can really say is that it seemed to me to be something you have to listen all the way through. Picking just a few tracks here or there won’t give you the right idea of what it’s all about.

Favorite Tracks: Zen Archer; Rock and Roll Pussy; Just One Victory

Emily: As I listened to this album through my commutes to and from work today, I made sure to listen closely. Zack told me that the tracks tend to blend together since many are super short, and sometimes I tend to zone out while I'm multitasking during an album listen. The commute environment, while not always ideal by its tendency towards ambient noise that is way louder and more unpleasant than ambiance should be, worked really nicely today to eliminate any distractions so that I stayed intently focused on A Wizard, a True Star. It's kind of hard to evaluate the album on a song-by-song basis. Most of them on their own aren't spectacular; some are pretty lame in fact. However, when put together, it all makes sense. They flow into each other one by one, though not as one sound. Each is distinct, pulling from genres as diverse as psychedelic, progressive, early '60s pop, and soul. They fit together like a kaleidoscope, different and distorted and sometimes weird, but all making up the same picture. Only a nonstop listen will do this album justice, and I highly recommend that you do so.

Favorite Tracks: Zen Archer; When the Shit Hits the Fan/Sunset Blvd; I Don't Want to Tie You Down