Listen to the bassist’s new album for International Anthem while reading a brilliant Tiffany Ng essay on curation. “As we grow accustomed to the convenience of shuffling a […]
Todd Rundgren’s Favorite Blues, R&B, Soul, and Jazz Albums
10 Selects from Todd Rundgren pulled from a 1997 Japanese music research book on Todd Rundgren.
I recently picked up a Japanese music book titled Todd Rundgren – Born to Synthesize. Published in 1997, the book traces Rundgren’s musical career from his early days with his legendary band Nazz through the multitudes of projects he has worked on in the music industry as singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, producer, computer programmer, and more. The book includes some amazing photos of Rundgren, including some taken in 1997 at his studio in Hawaii, along with words from the man himself spread throughout the book. There are a number of incredibly in-depth pieces in the book (I wouldn’t expect anything less from Japanese music researchers), but one of my personal favorite sections is “Todd’s Selected 5 Discs” where the Philly-born artist shares his favorite records from different genres. Below, I’ve transcribed and roughly translated two of the sections. Think of it as an archival edition of our 5 Selects series…
Todd Rundgren will be performing at the Saban Theater this Thursday, June 20th: https://wheremusicmeetsthesoul.com/events/todd-rundgren-me-we-beverly-hills-june-2024/
Todd’s Selected 5 Discs: Blues-R&B-Soul
Todd is well known for his love of Philly soul, and for this section we asked him to select five of his favorite blues, R&B, and soul albums.
Todd: When I was listening to this kind of music in the ’60s, blues and soul were the same thing in my mind. It’s a category with a wide range of tolerance. The first song I fell in love with was Albert King’s The Hunter, which was included in his “Born Under a Bad Sign.” This is probably the most R&B song on the album. This guy was really influential to me at the time.
I also liked the O’Jays’ Dawn of Light. This is the album that includes “For the Love of Money,” which I later covered in 1982.
When it comes to white R&B, I like the British band Spencer Davis Group. I especially like their first album released in America. The band’s performance was alright, but Steve Winwood’s singing was truly amazing. I think their popularity was largely due to Steve’s vocals. I feel like we white people have learned a lot from the Spencer Davis Group.
I was also heavily influenced by Stevie Wonder’s album Signed, Sealed & Delivered. I learned a lot by imitating his vocal style. I also learned a lot from Marvin Gaye, of course.
In terms of white soul, I guess I like the Average White Band’s White Album. There were two great singers in that band. One was Hamish Stewart, who was in Paul McCartney’s band. “You Got It” is the best track.
Todd’s Selected 5 Discs: Jazz
Todd was featured on Thelonious Monk’s tribute album: That’s the Way I Feel Now. Surprisingly, he also seemed to listen to a lot of jazz. In this corner, we asked him to select his five favorite jazz albums.
Todd: I didn’t even know that jazz music existed until I was 17 years old. But once I discovered jazz, it was always there for me.
I became friends with a counselor at a summer camp in Pennsylvania. He showed me Horace Silver’s Songs for My Father, which was the first jazz record that appealed to me.
I was very impressed when I first heard Bill Evans on the radio. I bought the record and listened to it over and over again. His music has been a great influence on me.
Jimmy Smith was light jazz, but I quite liked him. In fact, his song “When Johnny Comes Marching Home” influenced “Hello It’s Me.” It’s originally a traditional song, but he added an intro to it. I was able to use the song’s ever-changing style in my own way.
I also like a lot of Weather Report albums. Here, I’d like to recommend I Sing the Body Electric, which features Roger Powell.
Donald Fagen’s Nightfly is considered a pop album, but I think it’s best viewed in terms of the jazz elements of his songwriting. It’s connected to the jazz of the 1990s.