Todd Rundgreen

Two of the most masterful crafters of sophisticated art rock united on stage for a series of special live engagements in 2005, Joe Jackson and Todd Rundgren.

The collection features seven of the band's classic albums: 1974's Todd Rundgren's Utopia , 1975's Another Live , 1977's Ra and Oops! Wrong Planet , 1979's Adventures in Utopia , 1980's Deface the Music and 1982's Swing to the Right . It also includes 15 bonus tracks, plus new written commentary from Rundgren, Wilcox, Sultan and Powell.

Todd Rundgren considered 1966 the beginning of his professional musical career, largely because the Nazz formed around that time. As a celebration, he recorded Faithful. Presumably, Faithful celebrates the past and the future by juxtaposing a side of original pop material with a side of covers. Actually, "covers" isn't accurate – the six oldies that comprise the entirety of side one are re-creations, with Rundgren "faithfully" replicating the sound and feel of the Yardbirds ("Happenings Ten Years Time Ago"), Bob Dylan ("Most Likely You Go Your Way and I'll Go Mine"), Jimi Hendrix ("If Six Was Nine"), the Beach Boys ("Good Vibrations") and the Beatles "("Rain," "Strawberry Fields Forever"). All of this is entertaining, to a certain extent, especially since it's remarkable how close Rundgren comes to duplicating the very feel of the originals.

Todd Rundgren may be best known for his eclectic work as a solo artist and as a member of Utopia, but he's also produced some of the most acclaimed, influential, and successful rock releases since the early '70s. As with his own music career, Rundgren has never been afraid to take on a wide variety of musical styles, and he applies the same rule to his role as producer, as evidenced by the 18-track compilation An Elpee's Worth of Productions. A selection from each album he's been involved in as a producer is included here, which makes it quite a varied sampler.

The collection features seven of the band's classic albums: 1974's Todd Rundgren's Utopia , 1975's Another Live , 1977's Ra and Oops! Wrong Planet , 1979's Adventures in Utopia , 1980's Deface the Music and 1982's Swing to the Right . It also includes 15 bonus tracks, plus new written commentary from Rundgren, Wilcox, Sultan and Powell.