"A Wizard, A True Star" is one of the most bizarre albums ever recorded. Certainly by a major artist.
Each side is close to thirty minutes long. You know what this sounded like on VINYL? THIN!!!
The opening track was the OPPOSITE of the killer that usually opened a Todd Rundgren album. It was the ethereal "International Feel".
And then that bled into "Never Never Land".
Yeah, I know a land where dreams come true, and the Beatles covered "Till There Was You", but really, Peter Pan's in my PAST!
Then what was up with "Rock and Roll Pussy"? Was it supposed to be scatological?
There were TWELVE songs on side one. Some of which one eventually became enamored of. Like "You Don't Have To Camp Around" and "Zen Archer". Then there was the bizarre "Just Another Onionhead", which segued into "Da Da Dali". Believe me, this was stuff that belonged on a FRANK ZAPPA album! Truly weird stuff, truly OUT THERE!
Then there was the SOUL medley on side two. Yup, after a couple of opening numbers, Todd showed his Philadelphia roots. Still, even knowing where he'd grown up, one HAD to ask the question...WHERE THE FUCK WAS HE COMING FROM?
Then came the catchy "Hungry For Love". Which stated that a meal at McDonald's, an ounce of sweet Jamaican, nothing got Todd full or high when he was hungry for love.
And the slow ballad, "I Don't Want To Tie You Down". Which sounded so depressed, you wondered if the singer was going to commit suicide.
And then the raucous rocker "Is It My Name", which sounded like a garage band, a TINNY garage band, the sound being so COMPRESSED!
Really, you thought this album was a joke. The first "Metal Machine Music".
Then, nearly an hour after dropping the needle in the groove, there was a moment of silence. And the twenty third track began.
"We've been waiting so long We've been waiting so long We've been waiting for the sun to rise and shine Shining still to give us the will"
This was EXACTLY what we'd been waiting for!
Suddenly, Todd shed this bizarre skin, he turned BACK INTO what he'd always been, the TRUE wizard of "The Ballad Of Todd Rundgren" and "Something/Anything?"
Yes, at the end of this crazy album with incomprehensible artwork die-cut for seemingly no reason, there was a MASTERPIECE! As if you had to chew through a bunch of crap to get to the soft, chewy center, the elusive nougat.
Now to talk at length about "Just One Victory" would be to proving that old saw that writing about music is like dancing about architecture. NOTHING I say can reveal "Just One Victory's MAJESTY!
The way Todd SWOOPS through the track. The way he's built a modern day WALL OF SOUND!
Still, what stands out MOST is the background vocals.
God, in the middle of the song, it sounds like they're doing ROUNDS! Todd's singing one thing, the assembled multitude is singing ANOTHER!
And then, it all snaps back to conventionality. With the backup singers echoing Todd's words.
And then, like at the end of a James Brown concert, totally weary, totally spent, Todd sighs the lyrics, slows the song down, the whole thing goes A CAPPELLA!
"Somehow, someday We need just one victory and we're on our way We're prayin' for it all day and fightin' for it all night Give us just one victory, it will be all right"
It's positively MESMERIZING!
And then, JUST like a James Brown concert, Todd and the band are BACK INTO IT! They're in FULL SWING!
Then, they go back into the ROUNDS thing. The background vocalists AND Todd singing the lead, with the background vocalists alone singing the different part underneath.
They're singing:
"Hold that line, baby hold that line Get up boys and hit 'em one more time We may be losing now but we can't stop trying So hold that line, baby hold that line"
And then in the midst of this pure NIRVANA, a lead guitar comes in, SINGING over the TOP of the assembled multitude.
And then, finally, after five minutes, the song fades out.
WOW! WHEW!!
It doesn't get any better than this.
But unless you're a Todd fan, you've probably never heard "Just One Victory".
By 1973, FM rock was solidifying. Todd's sound was a bit lightweight. Stations wanted earthier, grittier.
And it's not like the rest of the album was playable. I mean fans learned to love it, the way you love a child with birth defects, still, it wasn't mainstream.
And, it wasn't until "Hermit Of Mink Hollow", with "Can We Still Be Friends", that Todd went mainstream again.
Still, "Just One Victory" is one of my all time absolute favorites.
It's something I sing on a regular basis. Because it's so PRETTY!
And the concept!
That's what I always say. I need just one victory, and I'm on my way.
Earlier this evening, I went to the iTunes Music Store and found that they'd added new celebrity playlists. The most notable one being by Tom Petty.
After reading his list, I decided to check out some of the other artists' lists. I settled on one by the Church.
And their NUMBER ONE PICK! Leading off their 17 favorite songs from the iTunes Music Store. Was, you guessed it, JUST ONE VICTORY!
And there's a quote:
"check out the backing vocals, a true genius."
I about jumped out of my chair. The sense of connection was PALPABLE!
I just had to tell you.
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