| A Wizard, a True Star | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Studio album by Todd Rundgren | ||||
| Released | March 1973 | |||
| Recorded | 1972-1973, Bearsville Studios, Woodstock, NY | |||
| Genre | Art rock, Progressive rock | |||
| Length | 55:56 | |||
| Label | Bearsville | |||
| Producer | Todd Rundgren | |||
| Todd Rundgren chronology | ||||
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| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic | [1] |
| Robert Christgau | (B-)[2] |
A Wizard, a True Star is a progressive rock recording by Todd Rundgren, released in 1973.
The album, and especially the first side of the vinyl recording, is an extended medley after the fashion of the Beatles' late recordings; brief songs segue into one another, and the lyrics are frequently humorous or hallucinatory. The first side features a cover version of "Never Never Land" from the Broadway version of Peter Pan; the second side features a medley of covers of R&B hits. The album's length (55:56) pushed the limits of how much music could fit on a long-playing record; as a result, the sound quality is a little lower in comparison. Acknowledging that on the album's inner sleeve, which was packed with his handwritten notes, Rundgren advised listeners to turn up the volume on their speakers, being that each side of the record is about 6 or 7 minutes longer than standard records. The compact disc version was thought to avoid these difficulties. The first issue on vinyl (identifiable by the notation "STERLING RL" written in the trail-off), the only pressing made from the original master, has the best fidelity; finding one in near mint condition is not easy.
Arthur Wood made the cover painting that is featured on the original recording.
First issues of the vinyl LP included a postcard encouraging purchasers to send in their names to be included on a poster in Todd's next album, and was die-cut. After 1973, the postcard was replaced with a "band aid" poem written by Patti Smith which was a bio about the album. Reissues of the vinyl LP did not include any of these extras, and the cover was a standard square cover (in lieu of the curly-cut corners of the earlier cover).
In late 2009 and early 2010, Rundgren began touring the album after hearing it had a new audience of young fans (most famously the British electropop band Hot Chip). The idea originated with a promoter in London but when he didn't make an offer for the tour two fans from RundgrenRadio.com, a fan-based internet radio program, started a limited U.S. tour of the album in 2009 which was followed the next year by two shows in Europe. [3]
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Writing in Creem, Patti Smith said: "Blasphemy even the gods smile on. Rock and roll for the skull. A very noble concept. Past present and tomorrow in one glance. Understanding through musical sensation. Todd Rundgren is preparing us for a generation of frenzied children who will dream in animation."[4] The irrepressibly hopeful closing song, "Just One Victory," soon became a permanent fixture on FM radio, and eventually established itself as the anthem that closed many a live Rundgren concert.
All songs written by Todd Rundgren except as indicated.
White Label DJ copies include a censored version of "When the shit hits the fan/Sunset Blvd", replacing "shit" with "stuff" and do not include the song "Does anybody love you"
The original cassette tape release of the album reverses Sides One and Two of the LP, in order to sequence the longer side first. The Bearsville/Warner Bros. cassette reissues from 1983 play out of sequence, Side One plays Side One but lists Side Two's tracks.
Album
| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1973 | Billboard Pop Albums | 86 |
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