This is about reinvention. This is
about not playing safe, moving forward and confounding your audience. The early
70s were full of singers reinventing themselves; on Court and Spark,
Joni Mitchell went from confessional folkie to sophisticated jazz ingénue and
with On the Beach (part of the so-called “ditch trilogy”), Neil Young
left his fans behind by not recording Harvest 2. In the grand tradition
of The Beatles’ continuous progression into the unknown, these artists at their
peak never made the same record twice. Then, there is Todd; wunderkind musician
and boy wonder producer who, by 1972, was an established songwriter and maker
of hits. But, Todd didn’t want to go down the boring, MOR route that would have
been so easy for him. Instead, he decided to take loads of drugs, buy a moog
and venture out into sonic space.
The Todd album that is generally
considered to be his best is Something/Anything? recorded just before Wizard,
in 1971. Something/Anything? is actually a transitional album, marking
the point between his early Laura Nyro- and Carole King-inspired LPs and his
mind-expanding excursions of the mid-70s. One can see the next phase of Todd’s
career in tracks like “Night the Carousel Burned Down” and the introspective “I
Went to the Mirror,” but there was nothing that truly prepared his record
buying public for what happened next. Wizard is a mind-blowing sonic
barrage of distorted drums, wild guitar, weird electronics and freaky lyrics.
It’s an anything-goes record, taking in Hendrix-y rock, Philly-soul and
ahead-of-its-time synth noodlings, all cut up in a complex aural montage. It’s Todd’s greatest achievement, and one of
rock’s most ambitious relics.
Wizard kicks off in superb
style with a statement of intent: the wall of sound epic “International Feel.”
Everything is fully layered here - vocals, guitars, synths - all in a
hallucinatory blaze not for the faint of heart. Todd sings of “Interplanetary
deals” and “Universal Ideals” over blissful major 9 chords, like a cosmic
Buddha fed on a diet of Burt Bacharach records. Over-produced? Probably.
Self-Indulgent? Hell, yeah. But, it’s also great fun, and indisputably
brilliant.
The extended side-one collage
continues with the Disney chestnut “Never, Never Land,” spelling out Todd’s
intention to go beyond the usual thing, both in terms of songbook, but also
actually living on Earth. It’s a gorgeous, surprising track. Following that,
there is a series of short, quirky, goofy prog tunes, quickly segued in a
dizzying display of virtuosity. It’s a lot like getting a book thrown at you
and trying to read it; you’ll only pick up a few of the nuances on first
listen. The highlight of side one is the stellar “Zen Archer,” a perfect
summation of where Todd’s head was in ’73. It’s a breathtaking adventure with
lush chords, stacked vocals, feedback guitar, Billy Cobham-esque funky drums,
sound effects and wailing sax. It’s one of the greatest tracks in the history
of prog ‘n’ roll. Side one ends with a reprise of “International Feel,” giving
us the impression of a unified suite. The line “Utopia is Here!” is Todd’s
literal proclamation of his future.
Side two is seemingly more
conventional, being a series of unconnected songs. The eclecticism and
experimentation continues, however, with a brace of heartbreaking ballads, a
rollicking rocker and even a soul medley, with Todd giving a nod to his heroes
Thom Bell and Smokey Robinson. It’s strange sitting in the middle of all this
LSD-marinated material, but somehow, the audacity of it works well. The LP ends
with one of Todd’s best tracks “Just One Victory,” an uplifting anthem and a
splendid finale. When it’s all over, you’ve been on a journey, one which you’ll
want to take again and again, as I have.
Patti Smith, in her review in Rolling
Stone at the time, wrote “Todd Rundgren is preparing us for a generation of
frenzied children who will dream in animation,” which for me captures the feel
of this amazing album.
- Ben Sumner
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