The Occasional TR News - #19990709
It's been a couple of months since the premier issue, so I suppose
it's about time #2 came out. There's really only a little bit of
news, but I'll try to stretch it out to make a complete issue :)
Tour
The 1/2 Twisted tour of June 1999 has come and gone. Reviews were
mixed (see reviews and photos at
http://www.roadkill.com/todd/tour/ht) but generally folks enjoyed
hearing the new toons and rarely-performed older material. When
another tour is scheduled, you'll find info at
http://www.roadkill.com/todd/tour.
If you're not already aware, the new tunes performed were "The Surf
Talks" and "Hit Me Like A Train", which are available for listening
on Todd's site http://www.tr-i.com. In addition, "The Surf Talks"
is also on MP3.com at
http://www.mp3.com/artists/20/todd_rundgren.html.
Todd's also been selling "TRTV Vol. 1" at the shows as a promotional
vehicle for his PatroNet service. It contains the new material, as
well as some older rarities. Plus, all the software you need to run
the TRTV demo. It's not available anywhere else at the moment, and
you may want to consider becoming a "patron". Details at
http://www.tr-i.com.
Productions
The Todd-produced Splender CD "Halfway Down The Sky" is now out, and
early reviews have been favorable. Unfortunately, I haven't snagged
myself a copy yet (a condition which I must correct soon), so I can't
tell you from personal experience. You can judge for yourself from
samples at their web site: http://www.splender.com/music.html
Todd's coming off a production hiatus, it seems. He now has three
more lined up: Bad Religion, 12 Rods and Michael Gallagher. According
to hearsay, 12 Rods is in Hawaii recording as I write. Bad Religion
is due to begin in September.
CDs
Aside from Todd's own TRTV Vol. 1 & 2 which have been delivered to
PatroNet patrons, two live/re-issue efforts are underway. In Japan,
Nippon Crown has released limited editions of "Live in Tokyo '79",
"Live in NYC '78" and "Live in Chicago 1991". The sound quality is
said to be outstanding from these shows. And in the UK, Castle Music
continues to re-issue the Bearsville collection. Todd's complete
catalog from "Runt" through "The Ever Popular Tortured Artist Effect"
is now available. Castle will begin releasing Utopia's catalog in
August. If you're interested in any of these import titles, check out
Toby Thomas' Silver Moon Music at http://www.silvermoonmusic.com.
Unfortunately, it appears that "Nearly Human", "2nd Wind", "No World
Order" and "No World Order Lite" are all currently out of print, as
well as Utopia's self-titled CD (the "Network" one) so if you're
looking for these and find them, better snag a copy, 'cause they're
gonna get even harder to find. Perhaps Rhino will once again come to
the rescue, as they did with "Oblivion, POV and some Trivia."
Other Appearances
Todd was scheduled to be a keynote speaker at the Interactive Music
Xpo in New York City on Tuesday, August 10th.
Unfortuntely, due to his production schedule about that
time, he's had to cancel.
Well, that about wraps it up for this issue. Keep on top of all TR
news by visiting the Todd Rundgren Connection. I try to have new
stuff posted there several times a week.
Your Humble Administrator,
Roger D. Linder
The International Todd Rundgren Fan Database
http://www.roadkill.com/todd/fandb