Todd Rundgren - Space Force - [Vinyl]

ReviewOn his 2017 release White Knight, Todd Rundgren's many collaborators were invited to help him complete pieces of music he'd instigated. Space Force (not to be confused with the Steve Carell comedy series on Netflix) flips that concept on its head by asking his guests to provide the initial inspirations, i.e. unfinished songs which, for one reason or another, they'd put to one side after hitting a stumbling block.Consequently, Rundgren's most significant role on his own record is arguably that of troubleshooter, a fresh set of ears to salvage demos, sketches or mere fragments and make them whole. In some ways it's a method similar to his past employment as a producer fleshing out half-formed fancies, only this time it's his name in large letters on the front cover.That prolific production CV is recalled when the man of the hour reunites with a couple of old clients. Sparks siblings Ron and Russell Mael were trading under the name Halfnelson when Rundgren was at the controls for their 1971 eponymous debut, although the track here, the art-rock mock opera Your Fandango, is closer in spirit to the hits-filled albums they made a few years later when based in the UK.Some Cheap Trick fans felt Todd was perhaps too heavy-handed a presence on 1983's Next Position Please, and saddling up with the band's guitarist Rick Nielsen for STFU again results in the producer being the dominant force. Maybe that's as it should be, seeing as it is, ultimately, Rundgren's album, and the song's hard rock rage suggests Nielsen's original blueprint was outside the perceived parameters of his group's signature blend of power pop and metal-lite.Other motifs from the past occasionally rear their heads.The Adrian Belew hook-up Puzzle dabbles in the dreamy psych-pop Rundgren brought to XTC's Skylarking, while the majestically melodic Artist In Residence hints at its originator Neil Finn spending his teens listening to the first half of Something/Anything? on heavy rotation.There are also illustrations of equally maverick minds having off-the-wall fun with their mash-ups, and Todd has clearly met a soulmate in Weezer's Rivers Cuomo. Down With The Ship is a remarkably accurate approximation of the 60s township ska of Prince Buster, while also being a close cousin of the former's Bang The Drum All Day.Neo hip-hop masters The Roots are perhaps the last name you'd associate with smooth and elegant Yacht Rock, but Godiva Girl rides the crest of a Daryl Hall blue-eyed soul wave. It may not be the last we hear of Rundgren and Questlove together, as talks are still ongoing for an entire album its potential makers describe as an affectionate shout-out to the "idiosyncratic satire" of vintage Frank Zappa.The scattergun concept inevitably results in a broad range of styles and not all of them are entirely successful. Espionage starts off very much in the school of Rundgren's recordings with Utopia but loses its way when Iraqi-born Canada-based rappers Narcy takes the mic. It's curiously disjointed, like two separate ideas hurriedly stuck together with an adhesive tape not up to the job. Likewise, Eco Warrior Goddess is full of wit, vim and vigour but is hamstrung by too much of guitarist Steve Vai's prog noodling.Still, the above are minor quibbles, as the bulk of the album is a gorgeous concoction of disparate inspirations finding hitherto elusive homes. The guests get their works in progress nailed by an esteemed craftsman, while Rundgren himself, a man with a partial history of self-sufficiency bordering on the behaviour of a control freak, sounds reinvigorated by allowing others into his world. --Record Collector**** Album of the MonthProduct DescriptionThe thrilling new studio album from rock legend Todd Rundgren collaborating with several peers and acolytes to create one of the most diverse albums of his stellar career!Includes guest performances by Weezer's Rivers Cuomo, hip hop stars The Roots, indie rock duo The Lemon Twigs, outs

Todd Rundgren - Space Force - [Vinyl]

0889466315411