HOBO REVIEW 1 - TODD RUNDGREN - Wizard a True Star

This review was  published in Hobo No 2 August 1973

TODD RUNDGREN  

Wizard a True Star

Album review by Mike O'Hare of Coventry Virgin Records 1973

Available from Amazon 

Not knowing a great deal about Todd Rundgren, I didn’t really know what to expect from the man. But after listening to this album several times I can tell you that if he ever tours England he’s going to knock that man Bowie off his perch as the No1 star because ‘Wizard a True Star’ is just what he is. Here is an LP produced by the man himself which will give you (for £2 (in 1973!) if you know the right places) nearly 60 minutes of pure mind blowing hootin’ – tootin’, zappy music, which will make you say that you can’t wait for the next time to play it. If you like good titles you’ve got ‘em: - “Tic tic tic it Wears Off.”; “When the Shit Hits the Fans”; “Le Feel Internationale” and, wait for it, “Rock ‘n’ Roll Pussy!”. It’s just too much. If you turn up the volume when you put it on, don’t be surprised if you think your speakers can’t control the different sounds coming through them. Every track is linked and spaced with phased guitars (played by none other than Rick Deminger). Thousands of sexy, synthy sounds, animal noises, 17 mad Ginger Bakers and just about everything you could and couldn’t imagine. This album is a gas and if you’re one of these nutcases who thinks of nothing else but sex and depravity and sits through Clockwork Orange, laughing your head off, then go out and buy the bloody thing! Oh by the way, as a warning, if you think too much while you’re listening to it you’ll go blind!! Track list -  0:00 International Feel; 2:59 Never Never Land; 4:25 Tic, Tic, Tic, It Wears Off; 5:39 You Need Your Head; 6:41 Rock N Roll Pussy; 7:50 Dogfight Giggle; 8:55 You Don’t Have To Camp Around; 9:58 Flamingo; 12:33 Zen Archer; 18:08 Just Another Onion Head/Da Da Dali; 20:32 Sunset Blvd; 24:38 Le Feele Internacionale; 26:27 Sometimes I Don’t Know What To Feel; 30:43 Does Anybody Love You;32:14 I’m So Proud; 35:03 Ooh Baby Baby; 37:57 La La La Means I Love You; 40:15 Cool Jerk; 42:49 Hungry For Love; 45:08 I Don’t Want To Tie You Down; 47:03 Is It My Name;51:05 Just One Victory ....................................................... Comment carried over from the old Hobo Vox site by Ex Whistler sax and flute player Mick Gawthorpe

Hi Trev, Was Mike Irish with curly red hair? If so, he stayed with us when I worked for Viirgin. In fact, I remember him being a really sound and bright guy. I think I moved up there about 74 and within a couple of years the company was making that transition from being a record-shop that (in addition to stocking items that no-one else would) sold skins, chillums, pipes etc only to find that our next premises was the former Woolworths shop and we would also be stocking Abba, Streisand, Neil Diamond etc. Nice guy, but I suspect he might also have tired of the Virgin reconstruction that has subsequently homogenised our city-centres into identical corporate homogeneity.

Posted by: mick | 04/10/2007