Skip to content
Facebook Instagram Twitter Youtube

psychedelic Scene

psychedelic Scene Magazine

  • Features
  • Interviews
  • Reviews
  • Categories
    • Music
    • Lists
    • Books
    • Art
    • Columns
    • Science
    • Film
    • Podcasts
  • Features
  • Interviews
  • Reviews
  • Categories
    • Music
    • Lists
    • Books
    • Art
    • Columns
    • Science
    • Film
    • Podcasts
Navbar
  • Features
  • Interviews
  • Reviews
  • Categories
    • Music
    • Lists
    • Books
    • Art
    • Columns
    • Science
    • Film
    • Podcasts
  • Features
  • Interviews
  • Reviews
  • Categories
    • Music
    • Lists
    • Books
    • Art
    • Columns
    • Science
    • Film
    • Podcasts

The Psych Ward–A Wizard, a True Star by Todd Rundgren

PrevPreviousOf Tomorrow by The Telescopes–Album Review
NextThe Healing Beauty of Ecstasy (MDMA)Next
  • Brian Kuhar
  • May 12, 2023
  • 7:14 am

The Psych Ward–A Wizard, a True Star by Todd Rundgren

What the hell is going on with this album? Soulful cover songs mixed with Flo & Eddie-era Zappa poly-rock? Peter Pan show tunes clashing with Paul McCartney-style pop at its most loony? This is Todd Rundgren: Top of his game pop songsmith attempting to shake off his soft rock reputation. After the release of the megahit album Something/Anything in 1972, Rundgren began ingesting progressive rock, jazz fusion, and heavy psychedelics. He soon discovered the sounds in his head were incongruent with the music he had been making, and he wanted to provide an unfiltered expression of his revelatory experiences.

Rundgren began ingesting progressive rock, jazz fusion, and heavy psychedelics.

Rundgren experimented with mescaline, psilocybin, and DMT during the writing and recording of these songs in 1972/1973. He often played all the instruments himself which can provide more insight into a solitary mind as opposed to a band’s interpretation. Secret Sound—a makeshift Manhattan studio he was building with the previous album’s royalties—was still under construction while this was being recorded, contributing to its fragmented nature.

Cover of A Wizard A True Star

Side One (A Wizard) is the wilder, disjointed half. It was designed to flow together as a chaotic, genre-hopping opus…a guided trip via his turned-on popstar mind.Side Two (A True Star) is full of strangely catchy and totally weird pop songs. It even includes a reverent medley of Rundgren’s favorite soul songs.

This newfound psychedelic process broke away his overarching need to polish these tracks into pop-rock gems. Don’t get it wrong, there are still shimmering pop jewels to be mined from this cavern of hallucinations; especially on the second side. But the randomness of noise, rocky juxtapositions, and sweet soulful pop songs are why you should give this a spin.

Highlights: “You Need Your Head,” “Rock & Roll Pussy,” “Just Another Onionhead; Da Da Dali.”

 

Related: Interview with Todd Rundgren

Gallery

Recent Articles

Bald man with beard wearing tie-dyed shirt giving peace sign in front of Cannadelic Miami background

Cannadelic Miami 2025–a Review

•
May 31, 2025
Ty Segall wearing dark clothes and pointing at the camera while crossing a busy street

Possession by Ty Segall: Album Review

•
May 28, 2025
Photo of bearded man in jacket and beanie

The Gentle Good Announces New Album Elan

•
May 24, 2025
PrevPreviousOf Tomorrow by The Telescopes–Album Review
NextThe Healing Beauty of Ecstasy (MDMA)Next
Loading...
  • Features, Reviews

Cannadelic Miami 2025–a Review

  • Bobby Nuggz
  • May 31, 2025
  • No Comments
  • Music, Reviews

Possession by Ty Segall: Album Review

  • Zev Rubin
  • May 28, 2025
  • No Comments
  • Music

The Gentle Good Announces New Album Elan

  • Georgia P. Taylor
  • May 24, 2025
  • No Comments
  • Features

An Arab Nation’s Psychedelic Awakening

  • Michelle Beehari
  • May 21, 2025
  • No Comments
  • Music

High Moon Records Releases Just Like Gold: Live At The Matrix by The Final Solution

  • Arlyn Ibarra
  • May 18, 2025
  • No Comments
  • Features

Choosing Your Guide

  • Stephan Kerby, Amber Kerby LMFT
  • May 15, 2025
  • No Comments

Gallery

Leave a Comment Cancel reply

Sign up for our Newsletter

Sign up for our mailing list to receive updates on trending stories, featured music articles, artist highlights and much more!

Contact Us

psychedelic Scene

Magazine

  • Home
    Home
  • About Us
    About Us
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Contact Us
    Contact Us
  • Art
    Art
  • Books
    Books
  • Music
    Music
  • Film
    Film
  • Interviews
    Interviews
  • Reviews
    Reviews
  • Lists
    Lists
  • Features
    Features
Copyright @ 2025 All Rights Reserved Psychedelic Scene Magazine

Designed & Developed by: SYNC Digital Management

psychedelic Scene

Magazine

Learn More About Psychedelic Sacred Sexuality

Buy The Book On Amazon