The lines at the end of the song reference his old songs. Starting at 7:22 they are hello it’s me, long time and a long way to go, I saw the light, just one victory, a dream goes on forever, and finally real man…where he is now. (in 75)
Great reaction…interesting comments here. For my money, todd is underrated on SO many levels….and no one serms to give him credit for his singing and his vocal arrangements. To each thier own. I still say Back to the Bars is one of the best live albums ever and a great intro to todd’s solo work through 1977…and his voice had matured nicely by then. Check out eastern intigue/initiation, the soul medley, dont you ever learn from that album. Hell check out the whole thing
Real man bookended the side of the album which was meant to be consumed whole. So good! Love Todd’s music! A Wizard a True Star needs to be next! Another one I love is Healing.
Really difficult to "review" music and Todd specifically. Mr. Rundgren hooked me in with "Pretty Bird" and I've never looked back. "Fair Warning" is gorgeous and soulful and hopeful...it's about inner strength and making peace with yourself. Gives me goosebumps when I hear the harmonies and saxaphone.
Thanks JP, love this song. I think the side is best consumed as one piece like a stream of consciousness, that's why he closed with Real Man. This song is what Todd was all about in the day, it's his spiritual journey and he often wore his heart on his sleeve, that's why he is so beloved with all us Runt Heads. Check out A Wizard/A True Star for a full album reaction, it would be a great one. Take care.
I've always really loved how he reprises into Real Man. Those last 2 minutes of Fair Warning is so damn incredible. But also, so intense, so when he collapses back into a snippet of Real Man, it;s breezier - as if a weight has been lifted off his shoulder,
According to Todd's autobiography describes a journey literally around the world to explore different religions and phylophies. The experiences are the inspiration for these songs - along with mushrooms.
The reason for the Real Man reprise is because he's calling back to his previous more popular songs at the end: "And every once in a while why don't you think of me (Hello It's Me) 'cause it's a long, long time and a long way to go (A Long Time, a Long Way to Go) Can't you see the light shining in my eyes (I Saw the Light) 'cause it's just one victory (Just One Victory) 'cause your dream goes on forever" (A Dream Goes on Forever) ... so next in the sequence would be Real Man, so he just goes back into the song instead of namedropping it. Also yeah, as a diehard Todd fan, I agree with your first analysis that he's addressing his fans with this song. I'm not sure how familiar you are with his career, but the hallmark is basically he put out three "normal" pop singer-songwriter albums (culminating with the mega-success of "Something/Anything?"), did some drugs, realized he didn't want to do love songs forever and put out "A Wizard, A True Star" which was kinda a 180, and I guess some people felt "betrayed" that he didn't want to be the male Carole King or whatever. There's a good documentary out there kinda explaining his psyche: ruclips.net/video/Lq5VEtY8xnE/видео.html
Speaking for myself, I would not hear this album until later as I didn't discover Todd until 1978, and it would be a few years before I would buy all his albums. But it was "Initiation" that made it more than clear that if you were expecting more "I Saw The Light" and "Hello It's Me" type of songs, well, forget it. He was only going to march to his own drum and that was that. Keep in mind on a technical level that this was one of the longest one-disc albums up to that time. With 32 minutes on Side 1 and 36 minutes on Side 2. It's side 2 that has taken me the longest time to appreciate. Admittedly I can't say it's my favorite Todd album, but a bomb? No way!!!
I like this well enough. Apparently, due to a lack of vinyl and in order to fit all the music onto one LP, Todd used eq to remove a lot of frequencies from the high and low ends, and even sped up the first half of side one and all of side two. Now that was really stupid.
Where other artists would have released a double album, Todd Rundgren insisted on putting 70 minutes of music on both sides of a vinyl. Result: a muddy sound typical of Todd from the 70s. Silly idea from someone who was also a producer and sound engineer! 🙄
This album came out right around the time period that Todd's line up for his Utopia band was gradually changing into a 4 piece band. Roger Powell and John "Willie" Wilcox were slowly being introduced. Kazim Sulton was not yet in the picture. There are a lot of heavy hitters on this album who Todd had worked with on other projects; including Rick Derringer, Bernard Purdie, Rick Marotta, Dave Sanborn and Edgar Winter.
Hi, just watched all your Initiation side one videos. (Again). Thanks, great job. Super excited to see him on tour in 2024. Hopefully he'll do some songs from this album. You said maybe Initiation is about his fans. I would say there is a sense that most of his songs are about his fans and his relationship to them. Think about it.
A beautiful soulful piece very typical of Todd Rundgren. Listen to the track "The Verb "To Love"" on the album Faithful. It's a bit in the same musical style and spirit (minus the saxophone). Of this album I really don't like the whole second side occupied by the instrumental "A Treatise on Cosmic Fire" as well as the boring "Born to Synthesize. The songs I prefer are "Real Man", "Eastern Intrigue", "Initiation" and "Fair Warning". I'm mixed on "The Death of Rock and Roll" which I find a bit messy.
That's true about "TDoRaR". It's also true of most of his, what you might call, "hard rockers", or "bangers", or whatever descriptor you choose, are quite frantic and yes, messy! But over multiple listens, I always end up loving rockers too! Also, I agree with you 100% about this album! But, to be honest, I feel that way about MOST of Todd's albums! "It's like a box of chocolates, with something for everyone, and a few pieces nobody likes! 😆
@@a.k.1740 Yeppers! And for me, that has always been a sacrifice I was willing to make, to get the entire TODDness. Do I go back and listen to the quirky stuff? Very rarely. But I still have a very long TODD, etc. Playlist!
@@MissAstorDancer I see we agree! 😉 Todd is so eclectic and has so much to offer that I take what I like and leave what I don't like in his plethora of work.
Ok… honestly, I never really liked that he added Real Man to the end but it’s not my album and I just have to trust it was for some reason that flew around in his head. Otherwise, damn good track, used to make me tear up sometimes. This album has mechanically aged a bit but to me, his latest is a bit too Reason, a home studio computer DAW) based. I like Reason but you need to fight the predictability, break it up. I’m not going to rank my favorites, just love some, like some and slightly cringe at some, one really. Thank you for giving this album a listen. Blame me everyone, for sending it to him.
Welp, Justin, you listen to this entire album. And I know side two might have threw you at a bit of a jar. But "A Wizard A True Star" album listen will bring you back to soulful happiness!!! But you got to listen to side one as a long Saturday listen. For it's like a long song. And you probably noticed Todd love his book ends.
I love the reprise of Real Man at the end! To me, Fair Warning really was a point of demarcation in Todd's output. TR was often interesting on subsequent albums, but for me they never reached the quality or inventiveness of the Big Three (AWATS, TODD, and INITIATION). The lyrics he sings as the reprise approaches (Think of Me, A Long Time a Long Way to Go, A Dream Goes on Forever) along with Real Man, form a sort of retrospective of his music to date. He really was warning us that, musically, he'd be moving on.
Good reaction! The only bad thing about this reaction is that it will now be quite some time before you do any more Todd reactions. 😢 Thanks so much Justin!
@@CAdams6398 None taken. I know Todd is not everyone’s cup of tea, but he’s my favorite all time artist. Trust me, there’s reactions here for plenty of artists I don’t necessarily care for. I just don’t watch those ones.
The lyrics are the reason of the reprise You won’t do it They won’t do it I’ll have to do it Get your life together Be a real man ( it’s your responsibility)
Because if you were a "Real Man", you would dare to play : A Treatise on Cosmic Fire"! A "Wizard of a True Star" and not a " Rock N Roll Pussy" would be "Faithful" to the "Hermit of Mink Hollow"! But Todd or Nazz or Utopia, "Something/Anything" would be alright. Peace & "Love Bomb"s, "War Babies" this is "Straight Up" "Skylarking" in X.T.C.!!!
@@-davidolivares You guys are fer shur my long-lost twins! I love the way your minds think! I still wonder if you are really the same person? LOL just kidding.
On the one hand, the musicianship, skill and general ability of all concerned are impressive but on the other, I don't love this. Is it a general aversion to blue-eyed soul? Is it the generic jazzy sax that was everywhere in the 70s and 80s? Is it the sheer American-ness of the sound? (Sorry, I'm British. I love the US but sometimes it can inadvisably go over the top) Probably to all three of these. I know that Todd's a musical genius but, for me, he never quite hits the spot.
@@pentagrammaton6793 It may be a figment of my mind since being neither British nor American, but I always had the impression that American musicians put more emphasis and first degree in their approach whereas I always felt a more playful and lighter approach among British musicians (even among people like Keith Emerson or Rick Wakeman who have never been sparing in musical emphasis or even, for example, among Robert Fripp and Peter Hammill whose respective works bear more on gravity and darkness but which somewhat lighten this solemnity by adding a touch of irony).
@@a.k.1740 yes. British prog groups tended to understand flights of fancy and whimsy (Yes, and the Canterbury scene, I'm looking at you) a hell of a lot better, and then you have the strange often nihilistic German stuff from the same time period, and also the rather oblique Italian stuff...yeah actually I think the fact is that most technically skilled US outfits failed to reach out with their imaginations enough and commit to prog, being caught between a whole lot of pretty basic blues rock on one side and jazz fusion on the other.
Yes, I see what you mean by that: the recurring "Oooohhh.... yeah, yeah, yeah..." from Todd's a bit exaggerated. I like the artist but I admit that this trademark is a bit embarrassing and too much to my liking.😄😉
@@a.k.1740 He can definitely be bombastic, over-the-top, cheezy, cringy! But he is also most definitely empathetic, intelligent and reasonable, honestly and unashamedly emotional and nostalgic!
@@MissAstorDancer Yes, Todd can be both opposite extremes and middle ground. it is this duality that makes it unique and endearing. Take it or leave it !
The lines at the end of the song reference his old songs. Starting at 7:22 they are hello it’s me, long time and a long way to go, I saw the light, just one victory, a dream goes on forever, and finally real man…where he is now. (in 75)
Edgar Winter playing the badass sax on this song, I believe.
One of my favorite sax tracks
Great reaction…interesting comments here. For my money, todd is underrated on SO many levels….and no one serms to give him credit for his singing and his vocal arrangements. To each thier own. I still say Back to the Bars is one of the best live albums ever and a great intro to todd’s solo work through 1977…and his voice had matured nicely by then. Check out eastern intigue/initiation, the soul medley, dont you ever learn from that album. Hell check out the whole thing
Back To The Bars is a fantastic album. I saw him in Chicago right around that time period. He was in top form and the band was incredible.
@@MidwesternCornbilly i think he was aboutbatnhis peak at that point. I saw him for the first time (of many) a year later. Was blown away
I watch these reaction videos because of the music they listen to. Todd is my favorite of all time. So good job at least listening to good music.
Real man bookended the side of the album which was meant to be consumed whole. So good! Love Todd’s music!
A Wizard a True Star needs to be next! Another one I love is Healing.
NO!!! You didn't!!! RREESSPPEECCTT!!! One of my very favorite Todd songs! Oh man......
Really difficult to "review" music and Todd specifically. Mr. Rundgren hooked me in with "Pretty Bird" and I've never looked back. "Fair Warning" is gorgeous and soulful and hopeful...it's about inner strength and making peace with yourself. Gives me goosebumps when I hear the harmonies and saxaphone.
Thanks JP, love this song. I think the side is best consumed as one piece like a stream of consciousness, that's why he closed with Real Man. This song is what Todd was all about in the day, it's his spiritual journey and he often wore his heart on his sleeve, that's why he is so beloved with all us Runt Heads. Check out A Wizard/A True Star for a full album reaction, it would be a great one. Take care.
I've always really loved how he reprises into Real Man. Those last 2 minutes of Fair Warning is so damn incredible. But also, so intense, so when he collapses back into a snippet of Real Man, it;s breezier - as if a weight has been lifted off his shoulder,
This made me cry when it came out in 1976 thinking Todd was bidding us farewell musically
According to Todd's autobiography describes a journey literally around the world to explore different religions and phylophies. The experiences are the inspiration for these songs - along with mushrooms.
The reason for the Real Man reprise is because he's calling back to his previous more popular songs at the end:
"And every once in a while why don't you think of me (Hello It's Me)
'cause it's a long, long time and a long way to go (A Long Time, a Long Way to Go)
Can't you see the light shining in my eyes (I Saw the Light)
'cause it's just one victory (Just One Victory)
'cause your dream goes on forever" (A Dream Goes on Forever)
... so next in the sequence would be Real Man, so he just goes back into the song instead of namedropping it.
Also yeah, as a diehard Todd fan, I agree with your first analysis that he's addressing his fans with this song. I'm not sure how familiar you are with his career, but the hallmark is basically he put out three "normal" pop singer-songwriter albums (culminating with the mega-success of "Something/Anything?"), did some drugs, realized he didn't want to do love songs forever and put out "A Wizard, A True Star" which was kinda a 180, and I guess some people felt "betrayed" that he didn't want to be the male Carole King or whatever.
There's a good documentary out there kinda explaining his psyche: ruclips.net/video/Lq5VEtY8xnE/видео.html
Thats awesome squid, ty for the info!
I’m so happy you’re enjoying his music 🎶♥️👂
Real Man started and ended the side
Started and ended the ALBUM, you meant!
No, the side.
@@summertime_blooz OOPS! I stand corrected!
Speaking for myself, I would not hear this album until later as I didn't discover Todd until 1978, and it would be a few years before I would buy all his albums. But it was "Initiation" that made it more than clear that if you were expecting more "I Saw The Light" and "Hello It's Me" type of songs, well, forget it. He was only going to march to his own drum and that was that. Keep in mind on a technical level that this was one of the longest one-disc albums up to that time. With 32 minutes on Side 1 and 36 minutes on Side 2. It's side 2 that has taken me the longest time to appreciate. Admittedly I can't say it's my favorite Todd album, but a bomb? No way!!!
I like this well enough. Apparently, due to a lack of vinyl and in order to fit all the music onto one LP, Todd used eq to remove a lot of frequencies from the high and low ends, and even sped up the first half of side one and all of side two. Now that was really stupid.
Where other artists would have released a double album, Todd Rundgren insisted on putting 70 minutes of music on both sides of a vinyl. Result: a muddy sound typical of Todd from the 70s. Silly idea from someone who was also a producer and sound engineer! 🙄
@@a.k.1740 exactly, hahaha
This album came out right around the time period that Todd's line up for his Utopia band was gradually changing into a 4 piece band. Roger Powell and John "Willie" Wilcox were slowly being introduced. Kazim Sulton was not yet in the picture. There are a lot of heavy hitters on this album who Todd had worked with on other projects; including Rick Derringer, Bernard Purdie, Rick Marotta, Dave Sanborn and Edgar Winter.
I wonder where the hell I was when this album was released, this song is fricken awesome and so much Soul
Hi, just watched all your Initiation side one videos. (Again). Thanks, great job. Super excited to see him on tour in 2024. Hopefully he'll do some songs from this album. You said maybe Initiation is about his fans. I would say there is a sense that most of his songs are about his fans and his relationship to them. Think about it.
A beautiful soulful piece very typical of Todd Rundgren. Listen to the track "The Verb "To Love"" on the album Faithful. It's a bit in the same musical style and spirit (minus the saxophone).
Of this album I really don't like the whole second side occupied by the instrumental "A Treatise on Cosmic Fire" as well as the boring "Born to Synthesize. The songs I prefer are "Real Man", "Eastern Intrigue", "Initiation" and "Fair Warning". I'm mixed on "The Death of Rock and Roll" which I find a bit messy.
That's true about "TDoRaR". It's also true of most of his, what you might call, "hard rockers", or "bangers", or whatever descriptor you choose, are quite frantic and yes, messy! But over multiple listens, I always end up loving rockers too!
Also, I agree with you 100% about this album! But, to be honest, I feel that way about MOST of Todd's albums! "It's like a box of chocolates, with something for everyone, and a few pieces nobody likes!
😆
@@MissAstorDancer Agree with you ! With Todd you take the good and you also have to do with the less good. that's the game ! 😉
@@a.k.1740 Yeppers! And for me, that has always been a sacrifice I was willing to make, to get the entire TODDness. Do I go back and listen to the quirky stuff? Very rarely. But I still have a very long TODD, etc. Playlist!
@@MissAstorDancer I see we agree! 😉 Todd is so eclectic and has so much to offer that I take what I like and leave what I don't like in his plethora of work.
I love this album, especially the title track, heard it for the first time while tripping balls, lol
Ok… honestly, I never really liked that he added Real Man to the end but it’s not my album and I just have to trust it was for some reason that flew around in his head. Otherwise, damn good track, used to make me tear up sometimes. This album has mechanically aged a bit but to me, his latest is a bit too Reason, a home studio computer DAW) based. I like Reason but you need to fight the predictability, break it up.
I’m not going to rank my favorites, just love some, like some and slightly cringe at some, one really.
Thank you for giving this album a listen.
Blame me everyone, for sending it to him.
Much appreciate, David. One of my favorite Todd albums
And I am so grateful that you sent it to him!❤
@@CAdams6398
Thinking, how can I piss off the gang? Heh heh.
@@MissAstorDancer
We were a united front on this one. :)
Again context. 1975. Look at what was playing on the radio. Smoking in my attic listening to Todd and Yes
Real Man and Fair Warning have uncommon messages but if you read between the lines they compliment each other
I love this album! Great song too. Todd never fails!
For sure! Ty for watching Victoria+
Really wonderful, spot-on review of Fair Warning
Come on Just... it's time to give cane to The planets Jupiter hehehe
Welp, Justin, you listen to this entire album. And I know side two might have threw you at a bit of a jar. But "A Wizard A True Star" album listen will bring you back to soulful happiness!!! But you got to listen to side one as a long Saturday listen. For it's like a long song. And you probably noticed Todd love his book ends.
I love the reprise of Real Man at the end! To me, Fair Warning really was a point of demarcation in Todd's output. TR was often interesting on subsequent albums, but for me they never reached the quality or inventiveness of the Big Three (AWATS, TODD, and INITIATION). The lyrics he sings as the reprise approaches (Think of Me, A Long Time a Long Way to Go, A Dream Goes on Forever) along with Real Man, form a sort of retrospective of his music to date. He really was warning us that, musically, he'd be moving on.
Good reaction! The only bad thing about this reaction is that it will now be quite some time before you do any more Todd reactions. 😢 Thanks so much Justin!
Hopefully no more of this terrible artist.
@@CAdams6398 None taken. I know Todd is not everyone’s cup of tea, but he’s my favorite all time artist. Trust me, there’s reactions here for plenty of artists I don’t necessarily care for. I just don’t watch those ones.
@@paulcollins5586 That’s a little harsh. Todd is one of the most respected artists/producers out there. I know he’s not for every, but terrible?
Enjoyed every moment of it. Thanks. Hermit of Mink Hollow and A Wizard a True Star (has to be played as two complete sides.)
That was Todd doing his best Barry White there in the beginning. I always thought that it was seriously funny.
Because Real Man was what it was all about.
For experimental and pop give a listen to A Wizard, A True Star.
Yes climaxic and great. Reminds me of Heaven’s Open by Michael Oldfield
The lyrics are the reason of the reprise
You won’t do it
They won’t do it
I’ll have to do it
Get your life together
Be a real man
( it’s your responsibility)
You critiquing this song today is like critiquing "Sweet Georgia Brown", the year this song was recorded.
Because if you were a "Real Man", you would dare to play : A Treatise on Cosmic Fire"! A "Wizard of a True Star" and not a " Rock N Roll Pussy" would be "Faithful" to the "Hermit of Mink Hollow"! But Todd or Nazz or Utopia, "Something/Anything" would be alright. Peace & "Love Bomb"s, "War Babies" this is "Straight Up" "Skylarking" in X.T.C.!!!
Noice.
@@-davidolivares Nazz Noise? "No World Order"? "Oop's Wrong Planet"!
@@jamespaivapaiva4460
Postcards from Paradise…
@@jamespaivapaiva4460 YEP, YEP, YEPPP!!!!
@@-davidolivares You guys are fer shur my long-lost twins! I love the way your minds think! I still wonder if you are really the same person? LOL just kidding.
Todd is making a huge mistake talking about his horrible attitude towards hating Trump ! Not good Todd Not Good
On the one hand, the musicianship, skill and general ability of all concerned are impressive but on the other, I don't love this. Is it a general aversion to blue-eyed soul? Is it the generic jazzy sax that was everywhere in the 70s and 80s? Is it the sheer American-ness of the sound? (Sorry, I'm British. I love the US but sometimes it can inadvisably go over the top) Probably to all three of these. I know that Todd's a musical genius but, for me, he never quite hits the spot.
Yeah. I have to say that, with a few notable exceptions, the Americans rarely understood prog or how to make their own style.
@@pentagrammaton6793 It may be a figment of my mind since being neither British nor American, but I always had the impression that American musicians put more emphasis and first degree in their approach whereas I always felt a more playful and lighter approach among British musicians (even among people like Keith Emerson or Rick Wakeman who have never been sparing in musical emphasis or even, for example, among Robert Fripp and Peter Hammill whose respective works bear more on gravity and darkness but which somewhat lighten this solemnity by adding a touch of irony).
@@a.k.1740 yes. British prog groups tended to understand flights of fancy and whimsy (Yes, and the Canterbury scene, I'm looking at you) a hell of a lot better, and then you have the strange often nihilistic German stuff from the same time period, and also the rather oblique Italian stuff...yeah actually I think the fact is that most technically skilled US outfits failed to reach out with their imaginations enough and commit to prog, being caught between a whole lot of pretty basic blues rock on one side and jazz fusion on the other.
I get the impression Todd is trying to be Stevie Wonder on this song.
Yes, I see what you mean by that: the recurring "Oooohhh.... yeah, yeah, yeah..." from Todd's a bit exaggerated. I like the artist but I admit that this trademark is a bit embarrassing and too much to my liking.😄😉
Curtis Mayfield is my guess.
@@a.k.1740 He can definitely be bombastic, over-the-top, cheezy, cringy! But he is also most definitely empathetic, intelligent and reasonable, honestly and unashamedly emotional and nostalgic!
@@MissAstorDancer Yes, Todd can be both opposite extremes and middle ground. it is this duality that makes it unique and endearing. Take it or leave it !