Todd Rundgren All Sides of the Roxy Review

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For his first live album, the 1978 double-LP Dorsum to the Bars, singer/songwriter/sonic auteur Todd Rundgren returned to his roots with a collection of lean, tight, intimate performances recorded in the clubs of New York, Los Angeles, and Cleveland.  This was Rundgren at his nigh accessible, playing his most universally honey songs over his outset decade of music-making, with a band including Utopia veterans Mark "Moogy" Klingman, John Siegler, and Willie Wilcox, plus his old friends from musical/mime troupe The Hello People and special guests.  Amid the shows tapped for Dorsum to the Bars were his seven nights of gigs (2 shows a dark from May 17-22, 1978) at Los Angeles' famed Sunset Strip nightspot, The Roxy.  In 2001, Another Side of the Roxy was released, collecting fifteen additional Roxy tracks for the first time.  At present, upon the impending 40th ceremony of the concerts, Cherry Red'south Esoteric Recordings imprint is issuing the latest volume in the Todd Rundgren Archive Series: All Sides of the Roxy.  As the title would indicate, this three-CD collection is the near complete look at Rundgren'south Roxy residency.

The first two discs of All Sides of the Roxy marking the first official release of the star-studded final concert from May 23, 1978.  At the time, this was the largest-ever FM concert simulcast in the U.South., beamed out to 24 radio stations with an estimated audition of over 10 1000000 listeners.  A feed from the mixing desk was recorded directly to stereo tape, and that'south the master tape used for this release.  Although the background vocals sometimes get lost, the overall audio is clean and clear on this energetic run through Rundgren'south greatest hits from his get-go eight studio albums - the most recent of which, Hermit of Mink Hollow, was released a piddling over a month earlier the concerts took identify - also as the albums of his band Utopia.

The performances, conforming a live show, aren't perfect; Rundgren'southward voice cracks and strains on the very first vocal, "Real Human being."  But the star and his loose band more than compensate with feeling, both on the scorching rockers ("Love in Action," "Blackness Maria") and the sweet ballads (Something/Annihilation's ever-affecting "Information technology Wouldn't Have Made Any Difference," "Never Never Land" from the Broadway musical Peter Pan).  Rundgren could successfully juggle the conventional with the quirky on tape, and he did the same in concert, finding room in the setlist for everything from power pop to prog.  The performance is alternately tender (the touching solo piano take of "A Dream Goes On Forever") and intense (a surprisingly throat-shredding "Couldn't I Just Tell You").  Pushing themselves to the limit, there'south a palpable joy in Rundgren and the band'due south intimate performances beingness broadcast to a record-breaking audience.  There's plenty of between-vocal barrack, including Rundgren imploring his audition to say "the dirtiest matter to come up into your heed" to see if it makes the radio circulate, and referencing the so-current hit "You Light Upward My Life."

Rundgren played a number of fresh tracks off the then-current Hermit, including "You Cried Wolf," "Staff of life," and the anthemic "Can Nosotros Still Be Friends."  Merely he also looked to the past, too, with his all-encompassing soul medley, featuring guest Rick Derringer, in which he drew a line from Chicago to Detroit to Philadelphia via classic R&B anthems and his own "I Saw the Light."

At that place are numerous other guest spotlights here including Moogy Klingman, at the piano for his own mellow "Lady Face up."  Spencer Davis added land-flecked harmonica for "The Range War," from 1971'south Runt: The Ballad of Todd Rundgren. Utopia's Kasim Sulton appeared for a trip back to 1975's Initiation.  Rundgren'south quondam Philadelphia friends Daryl Hall and John Oates non only brought their talents to A Wizard, A True Star'south "Sometimes I Merely Don't Know What to Experience" merely reprised their own hit "She'southward Gone" as a rapturously-received encore for the Roxy crowd.  The encore set is worth the price of access alone, with Rick Derringer revisiting his days in The McCoys for a loose "Hang On Sloopy" and Stevie Nicks joining the entire bandage (and singing aural harmony) on "Hello It's Me."

The third disc of All Sides of the Roxy is a straight reissue of Another Side of Roxy.  Get-go released in 2001, Another Side comprises recordings from the earlier nights of the Roxy residency, including some songs non performed on the 23rd such as Gilbert and Sullivan's "The Lord Chancellor Nightmare Song" from the operetta Iolanthe (and the Todd anthology), "The Verb 'To Dear'" (Faithful), "Determination" (Hermit of Mink Hollow), and the timeless "Love is the Respond" (Utopia's Oops! Incorrect Planet).

All Sides of the Roxy is presented in a compact clamshell instance, with each disc in its ain sleeve.  A 12-page booklet includes notes from compiler Mark Powell.  Ben Wiseman has mastered this set from the original tapes.  Today as in 1978, Todd Rundgren is an electrifying and unpredictable performer. Roxy vividly captures All Sides of the magnetic creative person and his famous friends.  It'due south bachelor this Fri in the U.Thousand., and on March ii in the U.Due south., at the links below!

Todd Rundgren, All Sides of the Roxy (Esoteric/Cherry Red ECLEC 32618, 2018) (Amazon U.Southward. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

CD 1: The Roxy Simulcast - May 23, 1978 (Part 1)

1. Wolfman Jack Introduction
2. Real Human
3. It Wouldn't Have Made Whatever Departure
4. Love of the Common Human being
5. Lady Face
6. Love in Action
7. Never Never Land
8. You lot Cried Wolf
9. Range War
10. Bread
11. Tin We All the same Be Friends
12. Blackness Maria
13. Don't You Ever Learn?
14. Sometimes I Don't Know What to Experience
15. Black and White

CD 2: The Roxy Simulcast - May 23, 1978 (Part 2)

1. A Dream Goes on Forever
2. Medley: I'm So Proud/Ooh Baby Baby/La La Means I Love You/I Saw the Light
3. Eastern Intrigue
4. Initiation
5. Couldn't I Just Tell You
6. Band Introductions
7. Hello, It's Me
8. Hang On Sloopy
9. She'south Gone
10. Just One Victory

CD 3: Another Side of Roxy (Crown Japan 7715, 2001)

1. Real Human
2. It Wouldn't Have Made Any Difference
3. Love of the Common Man
4. Lady Face
5. Love in Action
6. The Lord Chancellor'southward Nightmare Song
7. You Cried Wolf
8. Tin Nosotros Yet Be Friends
9. Staff of life
10. The Verb "To Love"
11. Medley: I'm So Proud/Ooh Baby Infant/La La Means I Beloved You/I Saw the Low-cal
12. Determination
13. Hello Information technology'south Me
14. Beloved is the Reply
15. Just One Victory

CD 1 & 2 previously unreleased in consummate form

Joe Marchese

JOE MARCHESE (Editor) joined The Second Disc shortly after its launch in early 2010, and has since penned daily news and reviews about classic music of all genres. In 2015, Joe formed the Second Disc Records label. Celebrating the peachy songwriters, producers and artists who created the sound of American popular song, Second Disc Records, in conjunction with Real Gone Music, has released newly-curated collections produced by Joe from iconic artists such as Johnny Mathis, Bobby Darin, Laura Nyro, Melissa Manchester, Chet Atkins, and many others. He has contributed liner notes to reissues from a diverse array of artists, among them Nat "King" Cole, Paul Williams, Lesley Gore, Dusty Springfield, B.J. Thomas, The 5th Dimension, Burt Bacharach, The Mamas and the Papas, Carpenters, Perry Como, Rod McKuen, Doris Twenty-four hour period, Jackie DeShannon, and Andy Williams, and has compiled releases for talents including Robert Goulet and Keith Allison of Paul Revere and the Raiders. Over the by ii decades, Joe has likewise worked in a variety of capacities on and off Broadway besides as at some of the premier theatres in the U.S., including Lincoln Center Theater, George Street Playhouse, Newspaper Mill Playhouse, Long Wharf Theatre, and the York Theatre Visitor. He has felt privileged to work on productions alongside artists such as the late Jack Klugman, Eli Wallach, Arthur Laurents, Betty Comden and Adolph Green. In 2009, Joe began contributing theatre and music reviews to the impress publication The Sondheim Review, and in 2012, he joined the staff of The Digital Bits as a regular contributor writing well-nigh film and television on DVD and Blu-ray. Joe currently resides in the suburbs of New York City.

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Source: https://theseconddisc.com/2018/02/21/love-in-action-todd-rundgrens-all-sides-of-the-roxy-presents-complete-star-studded-1978-concert/

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