Todd Rundgren - A Wizard, a True Star (1973/2019) [24bit FLAC]

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 much-applauded medley of covers of doo-wop and bubblegum soul hits. Its length (55:56) pushed the limits of just how much music could fit on a long-player record (LP); as a result, the sound quality of this LP is usually less-than-stellar. The compact disc version avoids these difficulties.

Arthur Wood made the curious cover painting that featured on the original recording.

First issues of the vinyl LP included a band aid poem written by Patti Smith, a short bio about the album as well as a postcard encouraging purchasers to send their name to be included on a poster in Todds next album. Re-issues of the vinyl LP did not include any of these extras and the cover was a standard square cover instead of die-cut.

My favorite record...30 straight years and counting, September 20, 2003

Todds previous album, the highly accessible and brilliant Something/Anything, was an acknowledged masterpiece when it came out in 1972 (as it still is today). Four sides of pure pop confections that simply blew away anyone who heard it... a perfect set up for the head-on collision that AWATS felt like when this arrived as the follow-up in 1973. But that was the whole point... there was no-follow-up. Not then, not now, not ever. Welcome to ultimate classic and masterpiece of pop musics greatest musical genius. The Beatles? The greatest group of all-time of course...individually, none of them had the sheer range of ambition and chops to match TR. This album proves it. WARNING!!! You will never get this record on the first, second or even third listening. Thats why it has always been overlooked and will, unfortunately, be enjoyed only by those brave souls with the patience and perserverance to wade in and not look back. The ONLY album in my life that I can truly say delivers a new experience with each listen. If I could just take one- this would be my desert island disk. -- Amazon.com

5 STARS - Something/Anything? proved that Todd Rundgren could write a pop classic as gracefully as any of his peers, but buried beneath the surface were signs that he would never be satisfied as merely a pop singer/songwriter. A close listen to the album reveals the eccentricities and restless spirit that surges to the forefront on its follow-up, A Wizard, a True Star. Anyone expecting the third record of Something/Anything?, filled with variations on I Saw the Light and Hello Its Me, will be shocked by A Wizard. As much a mind-f*ck as an album, A Wizard, a True Star rarely breaks down to full-fledged songs, especially on the first side, where songs and melodies float in and out of a hazy post-psychedelic mist. Stylistically, there may not be much new -- he touched on so many different bases on Something/Anything? that its hard to expand to new territory -- but its all synthesized and assembled in fresh, strange ways. Often, its a jarring, disturbing listen, especially since Rundgrens humor has turned bizarre and insular. It truly takes a concerted effort on the part of the listener to unravel the record, since Rundgren makes no concessions -- not only does the soul medley jerk in unpredictable ways, but the anthemic closer, Just One Victory, is layered with so many overdubs that its hard to hear its moving melody unless you pay attention. And thats the key to understanding A Wizard, a True Star -- its one of those rare rock albums that demands full attention and, depending on your own vantage, it may even reward such close listening. -- Stephen Thomas Erlewine, Allmusic.com