Todd Rundgren – No. 1 Lowest Common Denominator

Written by: Todd Rundgren
Released: 1974
Album: Todd
When I got hooked: 2000
The thing that got me hooked: The intro from 0:00 to 0:17

When I bought my first Todd Rundgren album in 2000 I didn’t know what to expect. None of my friends had even heard of him (then) and I was curious cos of his angry correspondence with John Lennon in the 70’s and that he toured with Ringo Starr in the early 90’s (which he’s also gonna do this summer).

«Todd» was the first Todd album I got. When I played this double album for the first time I didn’t bother to check which LP or which side I put on first, so by chance I put on album 2, side 3, and this track came screaming out of my speakers. I didn’t know what to think of it at first, but the more I listened, the more it grew on me.

«No. 1 Lowest Common Denominator» is just one of those songs that got stuck in my head and stayed there. Maybe it’s because it’s so hard to pin down genre-wise. Is it rock, blues, heavy rock, psychedelia, horror film soundtrack, what?

It doesn’t really matter. I still like it. And I like Todd.

Frank Zappa – St. Alfonzo’s Pancake Breakfast/Father O’Blivion

Written by: Frank Zappa
Released: 1974
Album: Apostrophe (‘)
When I got hooked: 1996
The thing that got me hooked: The marimba solo from 1:10 to 1:40

I had listend to Zappa now and then, but it wasn’t until late 1996 when I discovered «Apostrophe (‘)» that I really got into his massive career. And the song(s) that made it for me were the four opening tracks, or medley, «Don’t Eat The Yellow Snow/Nanook Rubs It/St. Alfonzo’s Pancake Breakfast/Father O’Blivion».

I love all four, but the last two are just a sensational piece of work and the performance of Zappa and his musicians are simply mind-blowing! Everyone who has picked up an instrument – any instrument – will easily tell you that these songs will take a long time to perfect. Probably years. Many, many years.

The opening tunes on «Apostrophe (‘)» still gets me excited. They’re simply brilliant, challenging, funny and will keep people wondering a hundred years from now how the hell Zappa could write stuff like this.

Cos the solo 1:10 into the song is far from improvised, which Zappa’s marimba player Ruth Underwood can tell you all about: