Re: Take me out to the ballpark (Re-Pete)

["John Hughes" <pureneasy@xxxxxxxxx>]

Mark, re

> > A significant part of Rundgren's career is as a producer, something Pete
seldom did.

Hmmmm, without rooting about the archives, I'd say Pete's had a pretty good
run of production outside the Who - Thunderclap Newman may be his Grand Funk
Railroad, though I'd say that Pete's not had an equivalent to say XTC's
Skylarking, or Meatloaf's Bat out of Hell.

> > Todd was also very silly all through his career. Bang On The Drum All
Day? Yikes!

And what exactly are Dogs and Silas Stingy if not very silly??? :-)

My opinion that Todd is America's equivalent to Pete turns on several
factors, the main of which is he has the same kind of effect on me
emotionally as Pete.

Sure, Todd has come out with some pop cliches in his time, but look at the
more iconoclastic material such as Initiation, the Wheel, Healing, Second
Wind, Utopia, Acapella, Nearly Human and A wizard a true star.

Even material such as Adventures in Utopia, Oops Wrong planet POV Swing to
the right and Oblivion contain some strong tunes and songs. And my guess is
that anyone who's not heard deface the music would find the tribute to the
Beatles that that album is as breathtaking as I do.

And in his own way he has paralleled Pete with his restless experimentation
in electronic music, synths and the web - which has produced some
extraordinary material like the Individualist.

He's not above revisiting his own material and re presenting it - look at
With a twist.

And like Pete, he isn't afraid to gently poke fun at himself and his place
in music.

He's equally adept in a solo setting as he is - or certainly was - with a
band. For examples of his "rockier" side check out the Power trio DVD from
San Francisco in 2000, or the recent Columbus ohio show DVD.

Todd's never been afraid to acknowledge the influence on him of the "English
invasion" or indeed the local soul sounds of Philly - much as Pete has
always been proud to acknowledge the influence of early US blues and soul
material on his writing and performance.

Todd never had the artistic recognition that Pete has, mainly because he was
a strong enough personality that he could plough his own furrow and be
damned to the consequences. And he made fatal errors of judgement in the
commercial sense, seeminngly tying himself to a bad contract in his early
Bearsville years.

As I said, for me, Todd is without doubt the artiste who is the "American
Pete Townshend". Not better, not a replacement, he occupies a space in the
music scene with a distinct American flavour that Pete does with a  British
flavour.

And I don't see how Todd's career going in different directions, eg forming
a band after success as a solo artiste in any way invalidates my opinion
that Todd in his own way is an American equivalent to Pete - a musical
genius.

Just my opinion though!

Cheers,

John