Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *
Time passes, it is as inevitable as the sun rising above the clouds and the moon deferring its own mighty grandeur in the presence of lightning striking the Earth; Time moves ever onward and takes us on its journey, regardless of whether we are equipped for the voyage or not.
One of those remarkable human beings that has always stood by Time, ever present in its company since he first donned the weight of a musical instrument, is Todd Rundgren, a man to whom Time arguably calls a friend, a teacher and one who will always perform as if the Sun has lost interest and the Moon is shrugging its shoulders at the sight of a comet rushing past, a too whom A Evening With is a pleasure.
To capture Todd Rundgren’e majesty is no mean feat, like many others who share this particular expedition into the live arena, the sound is one thing, the vibe supplied by the hungry eyes and the musically starving is another and it doesn’t take a genius to understand that without either feeding each other, there is nothing on Earth that will make the experience enjoyable.
Todd Rundgren though must have magic running through his veins, the sparkle of the wizard who knows just which heartstring to gently pull, which spark of imagination to help grow and the choice of spellbinding tracks from a long and illustrious career in which to cast into the night’s drama filled air and it one that is captured fully in his latest release An Evening With Todd Rundgren, Live At The Ridgefield.
The magic beckons, Time stands by with desire in its pulse and the sentimental first glimpses of pride in its eye as tracks from a night at the Ridgefield unfolded with discernible taste and appreciation. Tracks from an celebrated career wound themselves through the dark night and the illuminated speakers and grew so hot that you can almost hear them blister the imagination, grow with untold strength as the night reaches its dynamic peak and become once more the loved tunes of memory.
Songs such as Love of the Common Man, Sometimes I Don’t Know What To Feel, Bang The Drum All Day, Black Maria and Can We Still Be Friends puncture the air with recognisable force and determined cool, a true belief carried across the air and the bittersweet love reigns supreme.
A tremendously enjoyable live recording, one that brings out the very best in one of life’s true magicians, Todd Rundgren is nothing short of magnificent.
An Evening With Todd Rundgren, Live At The Ridgefield is available now from Cleopatra Records.
Ian D. Hall