A Wizard, a True Star: Todd Rundgren in the Studio(Book). Few record producers possess the musical facility to back up such a bold promise, but in over 40 years behind the glass, Todd Rundgren has willed himself into becoming a not only a rock guitar virtuoso, an accomplished lead vocalist, and a serviceable drummer, vocal arranger and keyboard player, but also a master of perhaps his greatest instrument of all, the recording studio. Throughout his career, Rundgren has ping-ponged between the worlds of producer and recording artist with varying degrees of critical and commercial success. After learning his craft as a songwriter and arranger, with Nazz, Rundgren gained attention by engineering recordings by The Band. His reputation was cemented by a string of noteworthy productions beginning in 1971 with Sparks, and continuing with classic albums for Grand Funk, The New York Dolls, Badfinger, Hall & Oates, Meat Loaf, Patti Smith Group, Psychedelic Furs and XTC. All of this alongside his own solo albums including Something/Anything ; A Wizard, A True Star ; and Hermit of Mink Hollow on which he played and sang virtually everything, and a series of albums by his band, Utopia. esearched and written with the cooperation of Rundgren himself, A Wizard, A True Star is a fascinating, authoritative account of four decades of making magic in the recording studio. |
Contents
Introduction | 17 |
Chapter 1 | 21 |
Chapter 2 | 33 |
Chapter 3 | 48 |
Chapter 4 | 56 |
Chapter 5 | 72 |
Chapter 6 | 82 |
Chapter 7 | 91 |
Chapter 15 | 197 |
Chapter 16 | 211 |
Chapter 17 | 218 |
Chapter 18 | 231 |
Chapter 19 | 240 |
Chapter 20 | 254 |
Chapter 21 | 271 |
Chapter 22 | 280 |
Common terms and phrases
According to Rundgren actually artist Babies band band’s basic tracks Bearsville Studios Beatles Butler called Cheap Trick Chris Andersen control room Dave Gregory Deface The Music demo drum drummer engineer everything Farner feel gonna Grand Funk guitar guitarist Hall & Oates Hillage idea John Siegler Kasim Sulton Kaye keyboard kind Klingman knew label Lake Hill laughs listen live Love Meat Loaf Moogy musicians Nazz Nearly Human never night Number overdubs Partridge Patti Smith piano play Prairie Prince pretty producer psychedelic record released remember rock Roger Powell Rundgren admits Rundgren recalls Rundgren says says Rundgren Schuckett Secret Sound sessions singer singing single solo album Something/Anything song songwriter sort Steinman stuff Sylvain synthesizer tape there’s thing thought Todd Rundgren Todd’s told took tour True Star Tubes Utopia Sound voice wanted Willie Wilcox Wizard Woodstock York Dolls