Veteran Rocker Todd Rundgren Is Revisiting One Of His Most Successful Projects By Agreeing To Help Out On An Upcoming Bat Out Of Hell Musical.
Rundgren produced Meat Loaf's seminal 1977 rock album, and songwriter Jim Steinman, who composed the original tracks, is currently working on a stage show based on the record for a West End theatre.
Now Rundgren has revealed he is helping Steinman put the project together, telling Uncut magazine, "Jim's enlisted some ridiculously big choral section, so I've effectively signed on as the choirmaster."
9 comments:
For godsake, WHY?
Todd, himself, is on record as wondering who would want to buy these songs in the first place and that he produced the album as a Springsteen parody.
It`s obvious that, having come to see his political and spiritual convictions as (respectively)naïve and false, his only response has been, "Fuck it, let`s dance."
Too bad, but we`re all (or old-timers like me, anyway) too old for this now. The guy was so good for so long, he should just hang it up and enjoy his Tiki "paradise".
Next time around, he`ll be nearly seventy.
Does anyone really believe he has another great album in him ?
How surprising that Mr. Negativity, from 23rd, is spouting the usual hate and misery.
You sound like a sad person who's given up on enjoying life.
Don't speak for us being "too old for this now"... the older we get, the more adventurous our minds and imaginations can be.
Who the fuck are you to tell Todd to hang it up?
Should he become a grumbling curmudgeon like you and sit around spreading black clouds wherever he goes?
Perhaps YOU should "just hang it up" and find SOMETHING that you enjoy in life (not sure if that's possible, though).
When you say that he's politically naive (you probably just loved George W., didn't you?) and that his spiritual convictions are false (again, who the fuck are you to judge one's spiritual convictions?)
I feel sorry for you. It seems you've given up.
The older we get, the more we should continue to learn and experience new endeavors...
Todd has had a brilliant career; even if we aren't crazy about his recent album(s)...he continues to branch out and challenge himself.
It's funny how you say "his Tiki paradise"...as if that's a bad thing!
Try to find SOME type of happiness in your old, very old life...when no one's looking, do a goofy dance by yourself and dare to put a smile on your face.
Everything doesn't suck.
Todd does these things for money, obviously. Kauai is idiotically expensive. (Kauai is also restoring Coco Palms to its former state, backed by Hyatt who have more money than God). That's going to raise prices even more. And if you need that much money you'll go till you drop in your traces. That said, I never liked Bat Out of Hell -- I guess some of the songs were a one-trick pony. But Jim Steinman's overdramatic rock inspired Amy Lee of Evanescence when she was 12 and a piano prodigy, so maybe there's something I'm not getting out of it. Or maybe you have to be a 12 year old, LOL. It's just work. I feel bad for the summer camp people who were hoping (and had paid) for some choir or singing experience and it never happened. I think they got handed off to M<ichell. Not the same thing at all.
Hey, oddToddlyenough, lighten up.
I`m not TELLING anyone to do anything and I`m far from a joyless curmudgeon. Nevertheless, I can`t think of a band or individual in rock that didn`t eventually lose inspiration and just continue to pump out crap. (Think of the Dead, the Stones, Laura Nyro, on and on). I don`t want Todd to diminish his own impressive legacy with facile dance tracks.
By the way, it was Todd himself who turned his back on his "spiritual" beliefs (You heard Liars, right?) and no one could possibly believe in electoral politics, much less the likelihood of "revolution" in this Global police state. My first presidential ballot was cast for George McGovern, my last for Ralph Nader. I don`t waste my time any more.
I also read continually in history as well as the sciences and still miss J. K. Galbraith and Gore Vidal.
I simply don`t find pop music as interesting now as I did in my twenties. That`s a function of age, yes. It`s also a function of the stagnation of a form that hasn`t moved past metal, disco and rap in the past forty years.
I guess my posts read more grimly than I intend them to do.
I agree Todd should hang it up and enjoy Kauai. His unpredictable shows are anything but, as one can count on watching him sing insipid covers seated on a stool, too fat to stand and too lazy to play guitar. I think he is still capable of crafting a good pop song, but is now too stale and tired to put out the effort.
Don't want to get embroiled in a"Does Todd still have it?"argument but I will stick my oar in as regards him working with Jim Steinman. I'm aware he's not to everyone's taste but I got into Todd through listening to Jim Steinman records, the astonishing production, guitar playing and background vocals blew me away, and the humour and levity of those records is extremely cool! During a time when rock was at it's most earnest and po-faced Bat Out Hell both gloried in the cliches of rock/pop history and at the same time poked fun at it, no mean feat. Todd's love of musicals, Gilbert and Sullivan etc certainly makes me believe he thinks laughter is an important part of life's rich tapestry. Todd got the joke, but took the work very seriously. I recken he thinks Steinman is stupidly good, in that order and there is no shame in working with him again. What would be really tragic is if he started working with Bruce fucking Springsteen!
I think the live show will be interesting with DJ Dam.Todd can pull from his whole catalog with Dj mix I think should be interesting.As far as Bat project why not,I think Todds helping Steinman with his original vision of Bat out of Hell which was Steimans intention to put theatre on Album but Todd turned into a Rock record.I think the time is right for what Steinman is doing and thumbs up for Todd helping him out.You know Todd could have said no,hey Mr. negativity did you ever think Todd might like Steinman and would like to help to see him succeed in this project.
I`m sure that Todd and Jim Steinman rejoice in one another`s company but that doesn`t make Bat, State, or Global a better album.
I`ve repeatedly said that I`m hoping for a couple of the new songs to be up to standard.
I also loved the demo for "Come As You Are" posted here (and available on You Tube, as well).
I just don`t think that being someone`s "fan" means uncritically swallowing whatever is produced.
Again, Todd has had a longer and better run than most and it`s no surprise that he seems to be running dry.
Grow up.
Todd is indeed running dry. Whether it is attributable to age and natural decline I don't know. He seems awfully set in his ways now, alternating between that ridiculously bad oldies clown show has-been outfit with Ringo and his own lame unpredictable toura which deserve all the scorn and contempt that reviewers heap on them. He might as well collaborate with Meatloaf, as it appears they frequent the same senior cotizen's buffet line. I pray he has one good album left in him, and judging from the banal samples it won't be this Bad Granoa Sings Electronica 2.0 shit he is putting out and having stooge 'reviewers' pimp like it was Something/Anything. Shit is shit, no matter how hurtful the truth is to those who refuse to admit that Todd has lost his fastball.
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