Nazz Summary 'Rip off my ears! PLEASE' Review The mastering of this CD is just awful.I'll never buy anything from this record company again. | |
Nazz 2 & 3 the Fungo Bat Sessions Summary 'Early look at what a visionary Todd Ruondgren always has been.' Review I've always loved Nazz and was so excited to get the first album on CD. It has stood up amazingly well. | |
| Runt Summary 'NAZZ---A beginning for "Todd Rundgren"' Review Hey all of you "Todd Rundgren" fans...Although Todd, did start in a few other bands, in the Philidelphia area, the "NAZZ" was really the best "start"...As Todd stated "We were the Beatles, for those who didn't have them"!!!--This album also features a super rendition, of "Hello It's Me", not sung by Todd, but played before it was a huge hit for him, in the 70's. It's a dynamic arrangement, that I'm sure you will all love, if you are a fan of Todd..The rest of the songs are also fun, mixture of this and that, showing Todd's new writing capabilities, as well as his outstanding guitar work....!! Enjoy! | |
| Runt: The Ballad of Todd Rundgren Summary 'This is not as good as I thought' Review I'm from Philadelphia, and I do like The Nazz, but this album is lacking, and that's direction. In some ways it sounds like The Who, other instances it sounds like The Association. There's no middle ground here, and to be honest I can't tell which I like better. With the sounds of Association there are songs like "Hello It's Me" this version is slow moving....in fact it's too slow more like a dirge than a pop song. I know it can make me cry at the drop of a hat. Then in the Who vein there's "Lemming Song" that's too depressing. I like the guitar driven sounds like what's on "Open My Eyes", "Magic Me" and "She's Going Down". Mind you there are some good nuggets that sound like the Association such as: "Crowded", "See What We Can Become". I just feel that it's not an organized album, and that's a real shame because it does have potential. I used to have this album, so I didn't just sample the songs. As I said I like the Nazz, but to me they should be considered a singles band, and release mostly singles. | |
| Nazz Nazz Summary 'The Nazz of Philadelphia' Review I have seen people put this album down but I have to say that this is great album. Not only that this is Todd Rundgren's first group it also shows how much talent he had at 18. Yes, they are wearing their influences on their collective sleeves but for a debut it's not a surprise. This album has everthing in it. The slick pop of "Open My Eyes" to the ballad "Hello It's Me" (which by the way is playing on WDAS regularly in a new soul version) and the Association like "Crowded" to rockers like "Wildwood Blues" & "She's Going Down" it's almost a crime that Nazz weren't more popular than they were. This new re-issue is an improvement in sound than the Rhino re-issues from the last century and the bonus cuts are a nice addition especially the humorous radio spots done by the band. So if you're looking to upgrade from your worn out vinyl pick this up | |
| Open Our Eyes: The Anthology Summary 'SORRY STEWKEY!' Review Remastered and expanded edition of the classic '60s debut by The Nazz featuring Todd Rundgren! Features 11 bonus tracks including session outtakes, demos, mono single mixes and more. 22 tracks. Castle. 2006. | |
| Nazz 2 & 3 the Fungo Bat Sessions Summary 'Remastered?' Review Here in Philadelphia (home of the tuna fish hoagie), Todd Rundgren is considered to be a hometown hero. And...I don't think it would be unfair to classify Mr. Rundgren as an 'East Coast' Brian Wilson in regard to Runt's writing/arrangement/production talents. NAZZ was huge in Philly! This new double CD contains NAZZ's second album, their third album, and many unreleased out-takes, demos, alternate versions and mono mixes! There is also a nice fold-out poster with great photos of the band, record sleeves and thorough liner notes by David Wells. Now for the apology... I've always thought of NAZZ as Todd Rundgren's back-up band. After listening to these tracks it becomes so apparent that Todd's vocal's sound like a second-rate impression of lead singer Stewkey. STEWKEY IS THE REAL SOUND OF THE NAZZ! Drummer Thom Mooney is absolutely incredible! He's was no head banging, hard rock idiot. Mr. Mooney was so adroit at nuances and leading, as well as following the music. In comparison to today's rock drummer with their monster kits; Mooney makes his small kit produce every kind of percussion sound imaginable. Now in my opinion, most people can only detect a horrendous bass player. When a good or great bass player is doing his job, we are more focused on the guitarist, the lead singer or the drummer. Carson Van Osten was such a fine bassist that he was the foundation of the NAZZ. Van Osten and Thom Mooney may be the most under-rated rhythm section in all of rockdom. Stewkey, YOU should be in the Rock & Roll hall of fame! If you want to hear great music pick this package up! I guarantee that you'll be knocked-out by NAZZ. | |
| Nazz Summary 'Not What I'd Expected' Review Two CD digitally remastered and expanded edition of the legendary 1968 album by The Nazz featuring Todd Rundgren! Initially intended as a two LP set called Fungo Bat, it was eventually released as a single album called Nazz Nazz.. The left over tracks were eventually re-worked and released as Nazz 3. This double disc set includes all the tracks originally intended for the double album and more. 42 tracks. Castle. 2006. | |
| Runt Summary 'Good to have, but there's better out there' Review I bought this because I love the first Nazz album & it was cheaper than the remastered "Nazz". This CD did not dissapointment me in that respect. The 1st Nazz was great. The rest of the CD was inconsistent. Some songs had no bass at all. The ones that didn't were tinny & crappy. If you liked the the 2nd & 3rd Nazz albums - don't buy this. I will probably never listen to the 2nd disc because of the ups & downs of bass. There is nothing more annoying than getting up & down to adjust the tone, just to hear one album. | |
| Songs for Insane Times: Anthology 1969-1980 Summary 'Get Yer Nazz Here!' Review This 2 CD compilation contains all three albums released by late-sixties American band Nazz ( + a few rarities ) I'm not sure what to make of the Nazz music. Maybe I had expected too much - or just something else - I thought they would sound somewhat like the Standells or Count Five. Their name was taken from a Yardbirds song (The Nazz Are Blue) and there are obvious influences from that band - on some songs!! On other songs they sound like they're trying to do Beach Boys pastiches. Elsewhere again they sound pop-bands like the Associations. I think this is one of the major problems with the band; their direction is vague. They are obviously fine musicians - the guitar-playing is a pleasure on many tracks - Rundgren really sounds like Jeff Beck on several tracks. There a some fine songs, too, but the majority of them are really quite ordinary and not very interesting. Though there a fine vocal-harmonies, I'm not impressed by their lead-singer who doesn't have the charisma of Keith Relf or the power of Roger Daltrey or Steve Marriott. Among the most memorable songs early "Open My Eyes" deserves a mention - a great catchy pop-psych piece. I generally find their ballads slightly sirupy, but the simple arrangement of the melodic "Gonna Cry Today" works fine - and it's another stand-out. The up-beat "Hang On, Paul" - is a Beatles inspired song that has what too many of the songs lack - charm. The same goes for the Byrds inspired "Forget All About it" I also quite like the bluesy "Magic Me". It's mainly their songwriting that keeps them in a league (or two) under their inspirators like the Beatles, the Yardbirds or the Byrds. Maybe this is why - as it says in the notes - that Rundgren rarely plays any of his Nazz songs - apart from the pop-ballad "Hello It's Me" | |
| Runt: The Ballad of Todd Rundgren Summary 'Everything in one place...however...' Review I was introduced to the Nazz via the posthumous releases "13th and Pine" and "From Philadelphia". They are definitely an overlooked talent and a bit obscure. They sound like a Philadelphia version of the early Who. I'm from Philadelphia (this city is famous for music) and I hadn't even heard of them. This collection is a great and inexpensive way to get all three Nazz albums on CD. However, after listening to the above-mentioned albums, I was a bit disappointed by how they really sounded on their album releases at the time. So it's hard to critique, because the collection itself is good, but the original songs are a bit lacking. First, the mastering of the songs is excellent, but you can only do so much with what you have. Most of the songs are overproduced. The dated stereo effects are annoying and distracting. The best song, in terms of overall "sound" and production value is "Train Kept-A-Rollin'". This is what they sound like on "13th and Pine" and most of "From Philadelphia", which contain different mixes of some of the songs on this collection. It's a bit "dirty" production-wise, but it's more satisfying to listen to. Some of my favorites from this collection were on neither of those albums, but that's probably because the best on those albums aren't as good as on the two I mentioned. But there's still a lot of great material here. Bottom line: get this collection, especially if you like garage rock or are studying Philadelphia's musical history, but go out and find "13th and Pine" and "From Philadelphia". I got them as digital downloads on emusic, but they may be available through Amazon's MP3 Store. If you're really lucky, get the CDs. | |
| A Salty Dog Summary 'blast from the past' Review "Open Our Eyes", the latest Nazz anthology really doesn't sport anything new, except for a cover of "Train Kept A-Rollin'". It is, however, a very complete catalogue of the work proper that the Nazz did. For sticklers this CD set will rankle, because the song orders for the original albums have been screwed up in favor of a more thematic approach. Generally the anthology is set up where the first CD is the hard-rocking side and the second one is the more cerebral one. As a result, most of the first album and some of the third takes up the first CD, whereas the bulk of the second and third albums comprise the second. This doesn't, however, prevent the best songs from opening the first disc! "Open My Eyes" was/is/and probably will always be one of the best songs that Todd Rundgren ever wrote. "Hello It's Me", the big single, follows, but fast forward a couple of songs and you get to Rundgren's pre-Something/Anything opus, the ethereal, string-driven "If That's The Way You Feel". This, along with "Forget All About It" and "A Beautiful Song" are the real reasons to buy this anthology-if you don't already have the Nazz on CD! For those who don't know, Rundgren would go on to have an immensely successful career as both artist and producer. As in the Nazz, his songs would straddle the fence between the human (the soulful ballads) and the absurd (his sometimes annoying obsession with technology and vaudeville). If you want a ground zero song for this dialectic, listen to the wonderfully whimsical Meridian Leeward. Also included in the anthology package are some good liner notes where Rundgren describes how the band came to be as well as some of the internal dynamics that were happening while the band was active. | |
| Open Our Eyes: The Anthology Summary 'Nazz' Review If you've got the 3 albums on CD from Rhino, the only thing you're missing is the one bonus track Train kept a-Rollin'. That can be found on the vinyl-only Best of Nazz (also from Rhino). The single album reissues did one thing this collection didn't do: it kept the tracks in their original running order, and that's how these albums sound best. | |
| Something / Anything Summary 'Multi-faceted, talented, multi-dimentional band' Review Gee, some people seem to have a lot to say about an album that came out 37 years ago. I just bought it because somebody ripped off my album which was pretty well worn out anyway. I missed hearing the classic Hello It's Me. It is a pretty good album, but then I have always liked Todd's music. His "Todd" album is what drew me into space music. But this certainly sounds like it was recorded 37 years ago. It's nostalgia. Nothing wrong with that. If you like Todd then you will probably like this one,it is his first attempt. But if you don't like him already this probably won't win you over. | |
| Hermit of Mink Hollow Summary 'increduble!!' Review It's 1968, and a very young Todd Rundgren (about 20 years old to be exact) is the guitar player of a psychedelic/blues band from Philidelphia called The Nazz (named after a Yardbirds song). Though he's not the singer or frontman, The Nazz *was* Todd Rundgren. He wrote all the songs, and usually came up with all the arrangements. This, of course, led to much friction in the band, since Todd was obviously the musical brains behind the whole band, and exercised that in the studio. Still, it's not like the other members barely knew how to play. Robert 'Stewkey' Antoni is a formidable lead singer (and also handles piano and organ), Carson Van Osten is a fluid bass player, and Thom Mooney is a much more than capable drummer. And Todd of course, already by a young age, is a terrific lead guitar player. Listen to his solos and riffs, and tell me he's not every bit as good as Eric Clapton or any other 'guitar god' from that era. On their debut album, they're primary brand of music is riff-driven blues/rock, heavily inspired by Cream and the Yardbirds. However, there's also a good dose of pop (Beatles, Beach Boys) that comes across at times. The opening number sums it all up perfectly, driven by a flange-soaked and deliciously catchy guitar riff that would make both Eric Clapton or Jeff Beck smile. And then, out of nowhere, the song enters Brian Wilson territory on the harmony loaded bridge, before returning back to it's heavier core (featuring a short but sweet guitar solo from Todd). The song is "Open My Eyes", and it's the quintessential Nazz song. A classic power pop nugget that got lost in all the other psychedelic shuffle. Thus, unless you own this album, you probably haven't heard it before. "Open My Eyes" is reason enough to buy the album, but there's some other great stuff on here too. "Back Of Your Mind" is wholly Cream inspired, from the Clapton inspired guitar riff that drives the song to the lengthy, Clapton inspired guitar solo in the middle. There's plenty of other guitar driven numbers, though most are little more left of center. "Lemming Song" features a searing guitar intro from Todd; the songs gets progressively more psychedelic throughout, with a middle section in which Todd overdubs about 3 guitars going off on various tangents at the same time. Todd knew enough to turn his guitar down at times, though, and it gives the album some variety. For example, on "Crowded", you would think the band is covering a Laura Nyro tune, but it's just another facet of The Nazz's sound (they'd really delve into this sound on their next album). There's also "If That's the Way You Feel", a lengthy ballad with a complex arrangement and heavy orchestration. Stewkey's vocals are great, though the song bites off a bit more than it can chew at times. The other gem is the original version of "Hello It's Me", a tune that Todd jazzed up a bit for his solo album "Something/Anything", and it became his biggest hit. The version on here is druggy and dreary sounding, with Carson's bass up in the forefront to round out all the rich vocal harmonies. It's just as good, if not better, than the version we all know and love. Other highlights include the playful, Who-like "When I Get My Plane", and the raucous closer "She's Goin' Down", in which each band member takes a turn solo'ing. Though it doesn't have as much overall variety as their next two albums (the cleverly titled "Nazz Nazz" and "Nazz III", the latter of which probably had a working title of "Nazz Nazz Nazz"), their debut album is still great. Soon after this, Todd expressed his Laura Nyro infatuation by tossing his guitar aside and writing most of the songs on the piano, which would ultimately cause a lot of dissatisfaction with the other group members, which leads me to believe that "Nazz" sums up what the Nazz was really about. | |
| Nazz Summary 'the Nazz of Philadelphia' Review Here is a response to some of the other reviews: In a recent interview with Michael Tearson, Stewkey refers to the opening riff of "Open My Eyes" as "one of the sounds that was part of, and could be heard in the air, at that time", or something like that. Was this the first sample of the Who? This band is fully representative of the "Philly Sound". All the white bands of the mid-late 60's (English, and American) influenced each other, as well. "Wildwood Blues" is about a popular New Jersey shore spot, frequented by people from the Philadelphia area- "Look Harvey...a crab!" This album is a quality album. Nary a weak spot can be found...from an era where pop/rock/blues based bands threw out songs to complete albums in efforts to quell pressures from record company executives. | |
| Runt Summary 'THE NAZZ AREN'T BLUE' Review I discovered the band on the Nuggets box, and I was keen to listen to more of their musics. And I loved what I listened to in this first album. It's simply perfect, even the mellow songs. I f you know what is good for you, buy it now. Don't think twice! | |
| Younger Than Yesterday Summary 'Greatest guitar note in rock history' Review Living in Philadelphia, I first heard the Nazz as a senior in highschool in 1969. I love their music as much now as I did then. I can remember recording their albums onto 8 track tapes and playing them in the car. Their limited live appearances and short life span(less than two years) made the group hard to see. And because they were not commercially sucessful, they were ended before they could really take off.Much has been said about Todd's imitation of Cream, Hendrix, The Who,etc. but listening to Todd Rundgren's guiter virtuosity, backed up by Thom on drums, Carson on bass, and Stewkey's vocals , there can be little doubt about the effect of their punchy psych-pop on the listener. Todd went on to bigger and better things, but their can only be one first album. | |
| Nazz Summary 'Nazz Nazz' Review Japanese pressing includes 11 bonus tracks and comes packaged in a miniature LP sleeve. Strange. 2006. | |
| Nazz Nazz Summary 'There's Good Music From All Over' Review That's in reference to a Yardbird's song,(one of the only one's Jeff Beck ever sang), which was probably the first to use truly creative guitar feedback in a solo, as opposed to just howling or whistling psychedelic noise. I've read a couple of times that, that was the song that inspired the name for the group. I suppose Todd was an admirer of Jeff Beck- hell, a lot of people still don't know it today, but so Jimi Hendrix was too, and was also inspired by Beck's innovations. That said, Nazz Nazz also sounds as though it captures some of the energy and intensity of the early "Who". My personal favorite though is "A Beautiful Song". Only this song, (and "Birdman", by Macdonald and Giles), happen to be the only two songs I've ever played for a girlfriend that actually brought them to tears, because, in fact, they did find them to be "beautiful songs", indeed! Overall, still lots of energy after lots of years! | |