Rundgren is well known among his fans as being an electronic music revolutionary. His skilled production techniques, matched by his belief that he has ability to play just about any instrument at a mastery level, has allowed him to release some of the most honest and personal music of his time. Many of his solo albums, including Something/Anything?]' were made completely by himself. That is, he played all the instruments, sang all the vocals, did all of the recording, editing, mixing, and mastering.
Website: http://www.tr-i.com/
Core discography:
With Nazz:
1968 - Nazz
1969 - Nazz Nazz
1970 - Nazz III
Solo:
1970 - Runt
1971 - Runt. The Ballad of Todd Rundgren
1972 - Something/Anything?
1973 - A Wizard, a True Star
1974 - Todd
1975 - Initiation
1976 - Faithful
1978 - Hermit of Mink Hollow
1978 - Back to the Bars (live)
1981 - Healing
1983 - The Ever Popular Tortured Artist Effect
1985 - A Cappella
1989 - Nearly Human
1991 - 2nd Wind
1993 - No World Order
1995 - The Individualist
1997 - With a Twist
1998 - Up Against It
2000 - One Long Year
2003 - Can't Stop Running (live box set)
2004 - Liars
2008 - Arena
2011 - Todd Rundgren's Johnson
2011 - (re)Production
2013 - State
2015 - Global
2015 - Runddans (collaboration with Emil Nikolaisen and Hans-Peter Lindstrøm)
2017 - White Knight
With Utopia:
1974 - Todd Rundgren's Utopia
1975 - Another Live
1976 (released 2001) - Disco Jets
1977 - Ra
1977 - Oops! Wrong Planet
1980 - Adventures in Utopia
1980 - Deface the Music
1982 - Swing to the Right
1982 - Utopia
1984 - Oblivion
1985 - P.O.V.
2003 - Last of the New Wave Riders (live box set)
Intro
Todd Rundgren Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
This game is called sounds of the studio
And it can be played with any record including this one
You can play it, uh, with -- you can even play it with your favorite record
You may be surprised
Now if you have a pair of headphones you better get 'em out and get 'em cranked up
'Cause they're really gonna help you on this one
Now I'm sure you all recognize this
This is called hiss
It comes on records that were mastered lousy or mono reprocessed for stereo or any number of things
This of course is hum
Ps popping
This is the sound of bad editing
And here's what happens when the machine gains control and mangles your tape
Punch
Outs
Now all you have to do is find these sounds on the record
And whoever finds the most wins, of course
But don't --
okay, I won't get too deep into it. But these lyrics are from Todd Rundgren's song "Intro". As the title would suggest, it serves as the introduction to the album, but it also serves as an introduction to a game that Rundgren made up called "Sounds of the Studio". Rundgren describes this game, which involves listening to a record and trying to identify various sounds that can be heard in the recording. These sounds include hiss, hum, pops, bad editing, and tape mangling. Rundgren encourages the listener to play along, and suggests that using headphones will help them to identify these sounds more clearly.
While these lyrics may seem fairly straightforward, they raise some interesting questions about the role of the producer in music. Rundgren is essentially peeling back the curtain and showing off some of the "tricks of the trade" that are used in the recording studio. By doing so, he is not only acknowledging the artificiality of recorded music, but he is also highlighting the creative possibilities that are inherent in the recording process. In a way, "Intro" sets the stage for the rest of the album, which features a mix of traditional rock songs and experimental tracks that play with the possibilities of studio recording.
Line by Line Meaning
Before we go any further I'd like to show you all a game I made up
Todd Rundgren presents a game he made up to the audience
This game is called sounds of the studio
The game title is Sounds of the Studio
And it can be played with any record including this one
The game is not limited to any specific record and can be played with any
You can play it, uh, with -- you can even play it with your favorite record
The game can be played with the audience's favorite record
You may be surprised
The audience might be surprised with the game's mechanics
Now if you have a pair of headphones you better get 'em out and get 'em cranked up
Todd advises the audience to get their headphones and turn up the volume
'Cause they're really gonna help you on this one
Headphones are needed to help with the game's sound elements
Now I'm sure you all recognize this
Todd asks the audience if they recognize the first sound element
This is called hiss
The first sound element is identified as hiss
It comes on records that were mastered lousy or mono reprocessed for stereo or any number of things
Todd explains the reasons for hiss occurring on records
This of course is hum
The second sound element is identified as hum
Ps popping
The third sound element is identified as pops
This is the sound of bad editing
The fourth sound element is identified as bad editing
And here's what happens when the machine gains control and mangles your tape
Todd explains how machines can affect the quality of a recording
Punch
The fifth sound element is identified as punch
Outs
The sixth sound element is identified as outs
Now all you have to do is find these sounds on the record
Todd explains the mechanics of the game
And whoever finds the most wins, of course
The person who finds the most sound elements wins
But don't --
Todd stops mid-sentence, presumably to begin playing the game
Contributed by Charlie C. Suggest a correction in the comments below.