What do you think?
Rate this book
A Wizard a True Star: Todd Rundgren in the studio
“If you know what you want, I’ll get it for you. If you don’t know what you want, I’ll do it for you.” Few record producers possess the musical facility to back up such a bold promise, but in over forty-plus years behind the glass, Todd Rundgren has willed himself into becoming a not only a rock guitar virtuoso, an accomplished lead vocalist and vocal arranger and visionary keyboard player, not to mention a serviceable drummer.
But Rundgren’s greatest instrument of all is the recording studio itself. After learning his craft with Nazz, Rundgren engineered The Band’s Stage Fright album and soon became the producer of a string of noteworthy albums for Sparks, Grand Funk, The New York Dolls, Badfinger, Hall & Oates, Meat Loaf, Patti Smith Group, Cheap Trick, The Psychedelic Furs and XTC. Meanwhile, Rundgren played almost every instrument on his solo albums such as Something/Anything? , A Wizard A True Star , and Hermit Of Mink Hollow while collaborating on a series of albums by his band, Utopia.
A Wizard A True Todd Rundgren In The Studio is a fascinating and authoritative trip through the land of flickering red lights inhabited by a studio wizard – and true star – who has rarely enjoyed a proper victory lap along the many trails that he has blazed. Researched and written with the participation and cooperation of Rundgren himself, Myers also draws upon exclusive new interviews with Robbie Robertson, Patti Smith, XTC, Sparks, Daryl Hall and John Oates, Meat Loaf, Jim Steinman, Cheap Trick, Grand Funk, The Psychedelic Furs, The Tubes, Steve Hillage, all members of Rundgren’s legendary band, Utopia, and many other key Rundgren associates.
But Rundgren’s greatest instrument of all is the recording studio itself. After learning his craft with Nazz, Rundgren engineered The Band’s Stage Fright album and soon became the producer of a string of noteworthy albums for Sparks, Grand Funk, The New York Dolls, Badfinger, Hall & Oates, Meat Loaf, Patti Smith Group, Cheap Trick, The Psychedelic Furs and XTC. Meanwhile, Rundgren played almost every instrument on his solo albums such as Something/Anything? , A Wizard A True Star , and Hermit Of Mink Hollow while collaborating on a series of albums by his band, Utopia.
A Wizard A True Todd Rundgren In The Studio is a fascinating and authoritative trip through the land of flickering red lights inhabited by a studio wizard – and true star – who has rarely enjoyed a proper victory lap along the many trails that he has blazed. Researched and written with the participation and cooperation of Rundgren himself, Myers also draws upon exclusive new interviews with Robbie Robertson, Patti Smith, XTC, Sparks, Daryl Hall and John Oates, Meat Loaf, Jim Steinman, Cheap Trick, Grand Funk, The Psychedelic Furs, The Tubes, Steve Hillage, all members of Rundgren’s legendary band, Utopia, and many other key Rundgren associates.
- GenresMusicBiographyNonfiction
320 pages, Paperback
First published September 1, 2010
30 people are currently reading
195 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews
March 1, 2026
I’ve long been a devotee of Todd Rundgren, spending my youth scouring used record stores across the L.A./Hollywood area for any rare recordings of his, or those by his early band, the Nazz. Fortunately, Paul Myers' excellent biography focuses primarily on Todd's music, sidestepping the sensationalist gossip often found in rock star bios.
Todd's impact extends beyond his own music; he has produced iconic albums for a wide range of artists, including Badfinger, Meatloaf, The Band, XTC, Hall & Oates, Grand Funk, New York Dolls, Cheap Trick, and Psychedelic Furs, among many others. Given the diversity of these groups, I had initially planned to skim parts of the text, perhaps just looking too name-check. However, I became completely engrossed in every section. Although there is some technical studio jargon, the content is aimed at readers who want to appreciate Todd's studio genius and the wizardry he used to empower these groups to flourish.
Todd Rundgren, known for his eccentric personality, has a legendary reputation for clashing with artists over his streamlining methods. His sarcasm and occasional condescension were often a source of friction. However, musicians almost universally compliment the quality of his work, despite the tension. Interestingly, even with such a successful track record, most of these groups– assuming he was even available—did not choose to collaborate with him a second time.
Author Paul Myers, brother of comedian/actor Michael Myers and host of The Record Store Day Podcast, keeps the book's pace brisk with short, focused chapters. This structure effectively showcases the breadth of Todd's talent in managing so many diverse artistic visions.
A wealth of enjoyment awaits, even for those already most familiar with Todd's work.
Todd's impact extends beyond his own music; he has produced iconic albums for a wide range of artists, including Badfinger, Meatloaf, The Band, XTC, Hall & Oates, Grand Funk, New York Dolls, Cheap Trick, and Psychedelic Furs, among many others. Given the diversity of these groups, I had initially planned to skim parts of the text, perhaps just looking too name-check. However, I became completely engrossed in every section. Although there is some technical studio jargon, the content is aimed at readers who want to appreciate Todd's studio genius and the wizardry he used to empower these groups to flourish.
Todd Rundgren, known for his eccentric personality, has a legendary reputation for clashing with artists over his streamlining methods. His sarcasm and occasional condescension were often a source of friction. However, musicians almost universally compliment the quality of his work, despite the tension. Interestingly, even with such a successful track record, most of these groups– assuming he was even available—did not choose to collaborate with him a second time.
Author Paul Myers, brother of comedian/actor Michael Myers and host of The Record Store Day Podcast, keeps the book's pace brisk with short, focused chapters. This structure effectively showcases the breadth of Todd's talent in managing so many diverse artistic visions.
A wealth of enjoyment awaits, even for those already most familiar with Todd's work.
August 28, 2017
i've been reading this book for almost two years while drinking bourbon apple ciders and purchasing every todd rundgren record ever made so i'm gonna go ahead and call this the most expensive and enjoyable book i have ever read
July 11, 2019
One of the more interesting artist bios I've read as the subject is so fascinating and so influential. Before the digital age there were only a handful who could truly do it all - produce, play any instrument, sing, write, arrange, etc.. and Rundgren and Prince were probably the most well known and talented. A return to Rundgren's bright optimistic sounds is a return to a serene nostalgia.
March 11, 2013
I read this book for an interview that I'm conducting with Rundgren for Rock Cellar Magazine on Friday, December 15, 2013. I've always avoided reading about him in the past, mainly because his music is so magical, varied, and mysterious. I tend not the like the "Behind-the-Scenes" sections of DVDs. I like the process of creation to be a mystery so that I can think about it for myself.
But I'm extremely happy that I read this book. Myers did his research and, in the process, interviewed all the right people. Besides the genius himself, he interviewed members of The Band, New York Dolls, Patti Smith - really all of the people whom Rundgren produced over the years.
As a Patti Smith fan, I learned that she and Rundgren met in 1970, back before both of them were making their best music. I also learned that Smith reviewed Runt: The Ballad of Todd Rundgren and A Wizard, A True Star in her own, poetic way.
I also learned incredible facts about the recording process of Rundgren's best albums. Runt; Runt: The Ballad of Todd Rundgren; Something/Anything?; A Wizard, a True Star; and Hermit of Mink Hollow are some of the best records ever made, and it was cool to see how Todd put them together.
Myers gets another point for not writing a traditional biography but for focusing on the music.
I'll close by saying that Rundgren reminds me of Brian Wilson, not only for his abilities as a musician, songwriter, and producer, but for his sense of humor. Perhaps Rundgren has remained primarily underground musician because he shares Brian's willingness to experiment AND his sense of humor. Isn't A Wizard his SMiLE? Isn't Something/Anything? his Pet Sounds.
I can't wait to listen to Laura Nyro.
But I'm extremely happy that I read this book. Myers did his research and, in the process, interviewed all the right people. Besides the genius himself, he interviewed members of The Band, New York Dolls, Patti Smith - really all of the people whom Rundgren produced over the years.
As a Patti Smith fan, I learned that she and Rundgren met in 1970, back before both of them were making their best music. I also learned that Smith reviewed Runt: The Ballad of Todd Rundgren and A Wizard, A True Star in her own, poetic way.
I also learned incredible facts about the recording process of Rundgren's best albums. Runt; Runt: The Ballad of Todd Rundgren; Something/Anything?; A Wizard, a True Star; and Hermit of Mink Hollow are some of the best records ever made, and it was cool to see how Todd put them together.
Myers gets another point for not writing a traditional biography but for focusing on the music.
I'll close by saying that Rundgren reminds me of Brian Wilson, not only for his abilities as a musician, songwriter, and producer, but for his sense of humor. Perhaps Rundgren has remained primarily underground musician because he shares Brian's willingness to experiment AND his sense of humor. Isn't A Wizard his SMiLE? Isn't Something/Anything? his Pet Sounds.
I can't wait to listen to Laura Nyro.
December 31, 2018
when i started this book, i had only a vague idea of who todd rundgren is. now i'm going to have to pick through his discography and get to know this ridiculously prolific and talented musician.
December 7, 2010
Now here is a rock book that needed to be written. In a world of rock book publishing, where oft times a bunch of books written by a bunch of hacks are rushed to market to take advantage of a breaking new artist, Myers’ look at the producer life of Todd Rundgren, “A Wizard, A True Star”, is a credibly premised and historically appropriate subject on which to base a volume.
Known throughout music circles as a complex, multi-pronged talent – a bandleader, multi-instrumentailist, producer and engineer – Rundgren has often been misunderstood despite his work that is at once edgy yet commercial, techie yet organic, and poppy while rockin’. In short, Rundgren is perhaps the best swiss army knife in rock’n'roll.
Myers’ look, while focusing on the production work, reveals the arc of the man through a career that spans him dumping his first label band (the Nazz), to becoming the staff engineer at Bearsville Records (where he hooked up with the Band’s Robbie Robertson to get hired to record their third album “Stage Fright,”) to his seminal work producing such name acts as the New York Dolls, Hall and Oates, Cheap Trick, and Patti Smith.
What comes across are two primary things. One, that Runt (as he named his first solo album) is often brought in when a band is in need of a transformative album (XTC, the P. Furs, Grand Funk) and, secondly, that as much of an outside thinker as he clearly is, the man can be a curmudgeon to work with. Given his creativity and rapid access to his veritable bag of tricks, its hard to argue with the approach. The fact that he keeps his tech button active is another big plus.
As the rock era fades from view, most of its big stories have now been covered to death. For Myers’ to first identify and then actually assemble this one is exactly what makes this book important and a job well done.
Known throughout music circles as a complex, multi-pronged talent – a bandleader, multi-instrumentailist, producer and engineer – Rundgren has often been misunderstood despite his work that is at once edgy yet commercial, techie yet organic, and poppy while rockin’. In short, Rundgren is perhaps the best swiss army knife in rock’n'roll.
Myers’ look, while focusing on the production work, reveals the arc of the man through a career that spans him dumping his first label band (the Nazz), to becoming the staff engineer at Bearsville Records (where he hooked up with the Band’s Robbie Robertson to get hired to record their third album “Stage Fright,”) to his seminal work producing such name acts as the New York Dolls, Hall and Oates, Cheap Trick, and Patti Smith.
What comes across are two primary things. One, that Runt (as he named his first solo album) is often brought in when a band is in need of a transformative album (XTC, the P. Furs, Grand Funk) and, secondly, that as much of an outside thinker as he clearly is, the man can be a curmudgeon to work with. Given his creativity and rapid access to his veritable bag of tricks, its hard to argue with the approach. The fact that he keeps his tech button active is another big plus.
As the rock era fades from view, most of its big stories have now been covered to death. For Myers’ to first identify and then actually assemble this one is exactly what makes this book important and a job well done.
August 7, 2022
This book has taken me a few years to finish. Not because it lacks in any way, but because it focuses on the technical aspect of Rundgren's career (which is why I picked it up). Being a fan of A Wizard, A True Star, an album, truly ahead of its time, as well as my fascination with producers, I felt this was a perfect read to fill in the details glossed over in so many rock biographies and to answer questions I have about what it takes to produce a record. (Spoiler Alert: It's not just inching nobs up and down on the board! I'm kidding...) This book is packed with technical information as well as studio anecdotes of the albums he's produced from artists from Sparks to The Band. This is definitely not Keith Richards' Life but perfect for us rock enthusiasts who want to go beyond the sex and the drugs and get more into the rock n' roll.
May 16, 2011
This is really astoundingly well done. Great for Rundgren fans and the amount of depth on his production work outside of his own albums (Meatloaf, Psychedelic Furs, Hall & Oates) is really great. This book really is "everything you've ever wanted to know about Todd Rundgren" and then some!
October 31, 2018
Great read for music lovers, even if not a Todd-Fan.
So much information , great interviews with people who were there, including Todd. Longtime fan learned much more about the man and his music!
So much information , great interviews with people who were there, including Todd. Longtime fan learned much more about the man and his music!
March 17, 2024
Well done!
Out of all my friends and family members, perhaps one or maybe two of them would be interested in this book about Todd Rundgren in the studio. You have to be a real studio recording nerd, maybe a real Todd fan to begin to understand what it was that Todd did so uniquely well in producing, engineering and/or performing his material. So, I’m a nerd and a Todd Rundgren fan and I found this book to be fascinating and enlightening!
Out of all my friends and family members, perhaps one or maybe two of them would be interested in this book about Todd Rundgren in the studio. You have to be a real studio recording nerd, maybe a real Todd fan to begin to understand what it was that Todd did so uniquely well in producing, engineering and/or performing his material. So, I’m a nerd and a Todd Rundgren fan and I found this book to be fascinating and enlightening!
September 13, 2021
Excellent for fans who follow Todd Rundgren's work, and the extra details for producers in music (especially DIY, lo-fi types) make it well worth the read. This is a guy who celebrated the "whatever it is, it can be done with enough creativity" ethos, and it's infectious.
November 9, 2021
Todd is so fascinating I can barely stand it. What a treasure this book is
July 27, 2024
The best musical-overview bios send you back to the albums to hear things you missed. A couple of factual or continuity errors, but still solid.
July 10, 2019
Rundgren’s a bit of a chode and his output is scattershot, but as a producer he’s gifted and weird, which makes this book a fun resource for recording enthusiasts.
October 2, 2021
Very solid; basically all you could want on the subject, short of track-by-track rundowns of every release. Coverage of every major production work, a bewildering array of interviews with notables to back it up, tons of anecdotes, full cooperation and copious verbal input by the man himself. I say "on the subject" meaning "Todd Rundgren as a musician and producer"- this is a professional rather than a personal biography, and Rundgren's personal life is only ever touched on when it affects his work. Which, honestly, is preferable to a sleazy tell-all sort of biography. There's as much or more text in this book covering Todd's production work for other artists as there is covering his own (and Utopia's) albums, which is actually a major strength- Rundgren's production work has such breadth and importance, in addition to being so important to his artistic development in his own work, that this integrated approach to his career strengthens both the parts about his own music, and the parts about his work on others'. Detail does drop off near the end, and the last 20 years of his career up to publication (1991-2010) get a single chapter; but Myers fairly makes the point that the "producer era" of rock music is kind of over, and it'd be less interesting to read about a guy tooling around in Logic to make his own records than it is to read anecdotes about the crucible that big classic works of the 70s and 80s emerged from.
4 stars instead of 5, though, because as solid as this book is, it's not quite revelatory. Todd remains sort of elusive as an artist, despite all the detail crammed into this book. He's clearly brilliant, but perhaps too impatient to stay in any one place long enough to be widely hailed for his work there. The interviewees almost uniformly regard Rundgren as a genius, sometimes verging on the breathless adulation you find in typical music journalism stuff. Recurrent features that emerge in this account of his production work are his skill at vocal arrangement in particular, and his frequently unsatisfactory mixing work (probably resulting from his impatience with mixing and his preference to mix things very trebly so they sound good on the radio). It's equally clear, though, that he can be aloof, sarcastic, socially inept, and can occasionally come across as arrogant. He's honest and humble about the practicalities of his own work, but cagey about how much you can actually learn about him from his music.
This book's failure to pin Todd down isn't really a knock on it, I think, so much as a testament to Rundgren's elusiveness and difficulty as an artist. Very possibly, the definitive book on his life and work will never be written, and maybe can never be written; and the best way to know the man and his work will just be by listening to his music. If that's the case, though, this book will remain as an indispensable companion to his oeuvre.
4 stars instead of 5, though, because as solid as this book is, it's not quite revelatory. Todd remains sort of elusive as an artist, despite all the detail crammed into this book. He's clearly brilliant, but perhaps too impatient to stay in any one place long enough to be widely hailed for his work there. The interviewees almost uniformly regard Rundgren as a genius, sometimes verging on the breathless adulation you find in typical music journalism stuff. Recurrent features that emerge in this account of his production work are his skill at vocal arrangement in particular, and his frequently unsatisfactory mixing work (probably resulting from his impatience with mixing and his preference to mix things very trebly so they sound good on the radio). It's equally clear, though, that he can be aloof, sarcastic, socially inept, and can occasionally come across as arrogant. He's honest and humble about the practicalities of his own work, but cagey about how much you can actually learn about him from his music.
This book's failure to pin Todd down isn't really a knock on it, I think, so much as a testament to Rundgren's elusiveness and difficulty as an artist. Very possibly, the definitive book on his life and work will never be written, and maybe can never be written; and the best way to know the man and his work will just be by listening to his music. If that's the case, though, this book will remain as an indispensable companion to his oeuvre.
November 20, 2010
Full of anecdotes and intimate details from the recording sessions of not just Todd's albums, but those of Patti Smith (Wave), XTC (Skylarking), Meat Loaf (Bat Out Of Hell), Steve Hillage (L), Cheap Trick (Next Position Please), The Psychedelic Furs (Forever Now), among others. Fans of any of these artists will find something interesting here. The Patti Smith chapter in particular was really beautiful.
A must-read for Todd fans, as Todd contributes his voice freely and frequently to the narrative, the book will also interest studio nerds - those of you who get excited reading the list of names of microphones and guitars. At times the details felt a bit overwhelming and not necessarily fitting to the story (an appendix might have suited these details better), but certainly this was part of the whole "no stone unturned" nature of this history of Todd's studio career. And I couldn't stop quoting factoids out loud to anyone willing to listen: "Did you know that Edward James Olmos sang backing vocals on Rundgren's 'Slut'?" "Wow, did you know that the motorcycle noise on 'Bat Out Of Hell' is just a guitar?" "Yo dog, did you know that Randy Jackson played bass on Nearly Human? And that Pixar did the cover?" etc.
(On an entirely personal note: there is nothing stranger than flipping through the index in a book about one of your favorite artists and seeing the name of a kid you sang a duet with on "Food Glorious Food" when you were 9 years old.)
A must-read for Todd fans, as Todd contributes his voice freely and frequently to the narrative, the book will also interest studio nerds - those of you who get excited reading the list of names of microphones and guitars. At times the details felt a bit overwhelming and not necessarily fitting to the story (an appendix might have suited these details better), but certainly this was part of the whole "no stone unturned" nature of this history of Todd's studio career. And I couldn't stop quoting factoids out loud to anyone willing to listen: "Did you know that Edward James Olmos sang backing vocals on Rundgren's 'Slut'?" "Wow, did you know that the motorcycle noise on 'Bat Out Of Hell' is just a guitar?" "Yo dog, did you know that Randy Jackson played bass on Nearly Human? And that Pixar did the cover?" etc.
(On an entirely personal note: there is nothing stranger than flipping through the index in a book about one of your favorite artists and seeing the name of a kid you sang a duet with on "Food Glorious Food" when you were 9 years old.)
March 18, 2016
Fantastic book. Incredible wealth of info about Rundgren's productions and work habits at Utopia Sound and various other studio's.
It just mind boggling how many groups Todd produced. Also on top of that all the great albums he produced solo and with his group Utopia. How is he not in the Rock n' Roll Hall Of Fame? My favorite chapters were Xtc and the Meat Loaf chapters. Great stuff, Meat loaf wanted Todd to make it sound more like Motown. Todd tells him to sit down, it's not that type of record. Especially great was the production on the Psych Furs Love My Way. Todd brings in Flo & Eddie to sing backup and the Furs go nuts that Todd is bringing in these hippies! Until they find out that Flo & Eddie had worked with T Rex and Zappa. What is really illuminating is the fact that across the board all these musicians were in awe of Todd. Pretty much everyone agreed on how huge his talent was and how his arranging and producing helped make their records that much better. In fact Dave Gregory of Xtc claimed that Todd saved their careers. Just great stuff, I only wish there were more books like this out in the world.
It just mind boggling how many groups Todd produced. Also on top of that all the great albums he produced solo and with his group Utopia. How is he not in the Rock n' Roll Hall Of Fame? My favorite chapters were Xtc and the Meat Loaf chapters. Great stuff, Meat loaf wanted Todd to make it sound more like Motown. Todd tells him to sit down, it's not that type of record. Especially great was the production on the Psych Furs Love My Way. Todd brings in Flo & Eddie to sing backup and the Furs go nuts that Todd is bringing in these hippies! Until they find out that Flo & Eddie had worked with T Rex and Zappa. What is really illuminating is the fact that across the board all these musicians were in awe of Todd. Pretty much everyone agreed on how huge his talent was and how his arranging and producing helped make their records that much better. In fact Dave Gregory of Xtc claimed that Todd saved their careers. Just great stuff, I only wish there were more books like this out in the world.
April 13, 2012
Todd = fearless! Good read, although I could have stood more detail on the XTC Skylarking chapter, and
most of the sections after that just felt a little lightweight. To be expected, as the author indicated
that his focus was the earlier formative years, the later chapters just felt a little rushed. I have
My own theories, but one question that repeatedly comes up, despite his incredible talent and
success producing many groups, why do all but a handful never work with him again?
One haunting note that was news to me was the section on Lennon's death and his killer's
obsession with Rundgren and his work - allegedly a mere coin flip decided which of the two
men would be his intended victim.
An entertaining read, definitely serves its purpose of exposing many talents of Rundren about
which I had no idea.
most of the sections after that just felt a little lightweight. To be expected, as the author indicated
that his focus was the earlier formative years, the later chapters just felt a little rushed. I have
My own theories, but one question that repeatedly comes up, despite his incredible talent and
success producing many groups, why do all but a handful never work with him again?
One haunting note that was news to me was the section on Lennon's death and his killer's
obsession with Rundgren and his work - allegedly a mere coin flip decided which of the two
men would be his intended victim.
An entertaining read, definitely serves its purpose of exposing many talents of Rundren about
which I had no idea.
July 21, 2016
This is a well-written, well-researched book that chronicles the career of one of my all-time favorite musicians, Todd Rundgren. I own almost every recording which Rundgren put out as a solo artist or as a member of a band (Nazz in his youth, Utopia later). I also have many albums that he produced, including big albums by the Band, Meat Loaf and XTC.
This book is not a biography as it barely covers Rundgren's personal life. The book focuses on the making of his own albums and those he produced for others, in chronological order.
This is a great book for close followers of Todd Rundgren. I don't think it would hold the interest of a non-fan.
You learn things about Todd Rundgren that I always suspected, that he is a bit of a recluse, despite all the collaboration he has done throughout his career. And his style in the studio is pretty dictatorial, "my way or the highway".
This book is not a biography as it barely covers Rundgren's personal life. The book focuses on the making of his own albums and those he produced for others, in chronological order.
This is a great book for close followers of Todd Rundgren. I don't think it would hold the interest of a non-fan.
You learn things about Todd Rundgren that I always suspected, that he is a bit of a recluse, despite all the collaboration he has done throughout his career. And his style in the studio is pretty dictatorial, "my way or the highway".
November 30, 2010
A very well sourced book tracing Todd Rundgren's career, looking primarily at his work as a producer. This is a great mix of pure storytelling and informational writing which gives a full portrait of just how talented Mr. Rundgren is and the role he played in some of the best records of the past four decades. While I bought the book to find out more about some of my favorite artists (Sparks, XTC and others), I found that I was very compelled by the stories behind Todd's work with artists such as Meatloaf and Patti Smith. Myers mixes in an overview of Todd's own recording career and some technical and personal details, to create a very complete, but not typical, biography.
February 18, 2012
It was great to take stock on Rundgren's body of work both as producer and musician. Each chapter focuses on a different project compiled and quoting interviews by musicians, engineers and the man himself. While not strictly a bio, it includes in passing key incidents without letting this get in the way of the books intention, to document Todd in the studio and the development of his craft, which has proved to be anything but predictable musically. He's one of the few that have been able to carve out a life in an industry where safe, boring music is the unfortunate outcome. It would have been great to read each chapter and listen to the record, that is for another day.
April 1, 2013
Always thought Todd Rundgren's musicality surpassed those around him especially after listening to A Capella. However this book chronicles not only his personal career but how he changed the careers of bands like The NY Dolls, Grand Funk Railroad, Cheap Trick, XTC and helped close out Patti Smith's career with her final album. The book is chock full of technical details in mixing and recording as well as sharing details of his evolution from analog to digital. If you are a fan of music and the work of Rundgren, this is a great read to fill in any gaps you may have about him as an artist & producer.
March 7, 2014
Interesting look at the vast and varied musical and production career of a great artist. Unlike many books in this genre, the author wasn't afraid to include negative quotes about Rundgren, which, taken together with the many positive quotes and "genius" attributions that seem to come from even TR's detractors, gives the reader a fuller picture of this fascinating and challenging person. I also enjoyed the deep dive into the technical aspects of some of his productions, which enabled the reader to plot a course through several decades of technological advancement in the music industry. Todd Rundgren has seemingly used almost every method of recording sound, save for wax cylinder.
July 15, 2015
Todd is and was a renaissance man. He was always looking to the next thing, and sometimes his judgment looks flawed in retrospect. But his successes are among the greatest in rock history.
This book details both his greatest production hits as well as his personal musical highlights, both solo and with Utopia. Some attention is spent on his less than stellar attempts, but no one can accuse him of playing it safe (well, maybe Round Two with the Tubes and New York Dolls, but I'm nitpicking).
I recommend this book to anyone who appreciates rock music history. A great in-depth look from the perspective of those that were there when it happened.
This book details both his greatest production hits as well as his personal musical highlights, both solo and with Utopia. Some attention is spent on his less than stellar attempts, but no one can accuse him of playing it safe (well, maybe Round Two with the Tubes and New York Dolls, but I'm nitpicking).
I recommend this book to anyone who appreciates rock music history. A great in-depth look from the perspective of those that were there when it happened.
May 16, 2011
This might be a bit dry for anyone who isn't a Todd-head, but those who are will find a trove of information and trivia. I read this book next to my laptop, queuing up songs on YouTube and my iPod as they were described, allowing for a wonderfully interactive reading/listening experience. I return this to the bookshelf more convinced than ever of Todd's eccentric, frustrating, singular brilliance.
March 27, 2013
A definite read for any TR fan! It gives a lot of history of his recording career and his production career of other bands' albums, and this added bonus is interesting to read because it explains much of the production process which I knew very little about.
It also covers the ups and downs of his career and the inspiration behind some of his songs and albums. However, it is not really a full biography but an audiography of one of rock's most misunderstood and over-looked (true) stars!
It also covers the ups and downs of his career and the inspiration behind some of his songs and albums. However, it is not really a full biography but an audiography of one of rock's most misunderstood and over-looked (true) stars!
Read
December 7, 2014Excellent read
Enormously informative, the author clearly spent a lot of time conducting primary interviews with most of the key people mentioned in the book. He includes just enough behind-the-scenes detail to create a fascinating look at the creative genius of Todd Rundgren in the studio. Having read this book I am now motivated not only to listen to more of Todd's music, but to get moving on some of my own creative projects.
Enormously informative, the author clearly spent a lot of time conducting primary interviews with most of the key people mentioned in the book. He includes just enough behind-the-scenes detail to create a fascinating look at the creative genius of Todd Rundgren in the studio. Having read this book I am now motivated not only to listen to more of Todd's music, but to get moving on some of my own creative projects.
March 1, 2015
I bought this book to read about Todd's production of one of my favorite band's best albums - Cheap Trick's Next Position Please. Evidently Todd and the Tricksters got along very well, but the record production company did their best to muck things up. Still, they turned out a stellar album and Todd wrote the wonderful song Heaven's Falling for the band.
As I write this, neither Todd Rundgren nor Cheap Trick are in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
As I write this, neither Todd Rundgren nor Cheap Trick are in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
July 6, 2013
Really well researched details of Todd's work in the recording studio producing artists like Robbie Robertson, Patti Smith, XTC, Sparks, Hall & Oates, Meat Loaf, Cheap Trick, Grand Funk, The Psychedelic Furs, The Tubes, Todd's solo works, and his own band Utopia. Lots of great interviews with the artists and Todd himself. A really great read.
December 12, 2016
A hugely enjoyable music-focused overview of Rundgren's majoring on the period when he was signed to major labels. A more general summary of his later career (where his technology work came more to the fore) is provided in the closing chapter.
Undoubtedly encourages you to search out all those albums again.
Undoubtedly encourages you to search out all those albums again.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews