Hello It's Me - Todd Rundgren 1973 {Stereo}
Hello It's Me - Todd Rundgren 1973 {Stereo}
Todd Harry Rundgren is an American singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist who is well-known for developing a diverse range of musical styles, inspired by pop-rock, hard rock, baroque pop, classic rock and roll, Broadway musicals, R&B, and many other genres. He has formed several rock bands in which he performed as a multi-instrumentalist as well. This rock and roll maverick has tasted success with many of his albums. He is known for experimenting with music, starting with straightforward ballads and then departing totally from ballads to embrace progressive rock. When he realized that his initial albums were not technically sound and lacked professional engineering, he felt the need to learn audio engineering and production. Even though Rundgren was initially a teetotaler and refrained from using drugs of any kind, he eventually began using various mind-altering substances at the insistence of his friend in order to enhance his creativity. He is a pioneer not only in the field of electronic music, but also in music video production, computer software, and online music distribution. His career as a record producer has also been a successful one, and many singers have credited him for launching their careers.
Todd Harry Rundgren was born on June 22, 1948, in Upper Darby, Pennsylvania, to Ruth Rundgren and Harry W. Rundgren. While his father was of Swedish and Austrian descent, his mother was a German.
He attended Upper Darby High School and graduated in 1966. He was quite mischievous during his high school days—he secretly produced a newspaper wherein he mocked his teachers, and was suspended several times for growing his hair long.
He did not pursue higher studies and instead moved to Philadelphia after his graduation to build a career in music.
In Philadelphia, Todd Rundgren joined the blues-rock group called Woody's Truck Stop. However, he left the band even before it could release its first album.
He then formed his own garage rock group, called Nazz, in 1967. He authored the songs ‘Open My Eyes’ and ‘Hello It's Me’, which helped the band get some initial recognition. The later versions of both these songs would become even bigger hits.
Nazz’s debut eponymous album was released in 1968, followed by ‘Nazz Nazz’ in 1969, and ‘Nazz III’ in 1971. However, Rundgren left the group even before the second and third albums were released. The album ‘Nazz III’ included most of Rundgren's unreleased songs.
Around this time, Rundgren realized he needed to educate himself in audio engineering and production. After leaving Nazz, he moved to New York and signed with Albert Grossman’s company Bearsville Records. He performed as a solo artist and also produced videos for many other artists.
In 1970, Todd Rundgren formed a new band, which he named Runt. He wrote, produced, sang, and also played guitars, keyboards, and other instruments for this band. His first solo album ‘Runt’, which was released in 1970, had the popular song ‘Baby Let's Swing’, which was strongly influenced by singer Laura Nyro. The band’s second album ‘Runt: The Ballad of Todd Rundgren,’ was released in 1971.
The band Runt was abandoned in 1972, and in the same year, Rundgren released the album ‘Something/Anything?’ Rundgren played all the instruments and sang most of the vocals in many of the songs in this album.
In 1973, he formed the rock band called Todd Rundgren's Utopia. In the initial three years, the group had a penchant for progressive rock. The members also played on Rundgren's solo albums.
In 1976, he changed the name of the band to Utopia and mainly followed the rock and pop genres. The group was abandoned in 1986, but was briefly reunited in 1992. It once again came together in 2011 under the original name Todd Rundgren's Utopia.
His fourth album, ‘A Wizard, a True Star’, released in 1973, had a different kind of music which departed from the musical styles in the previous albums. While his previous album ‘Something/Anything?’ contained ballads, ‘A Wizard, a True Star’ had a unique idiosyncratic sound, which he credited to his encounter with psychedelic drugs.
In February 1974, he released his fifth album ‘Todd’, which was also his second double album. He continued his musical experiments with this album as well. He particularly experimented with the synthesizer and how it textured rock music.
His next solo album ‘Initiation’ was released in 1975. Inclined towards a progressive rock and jazz fusion, it featured cosmic themes. In this album too, he used the synthesized progressive rock sound in more depth.
He released several other albums in the ensuing decades. In 2000, he released his album, ‘One Long Year’. It was composed of recordings that were released only to the subscribers to his online Patronet facility. He promoted the album by performing ‘I Hate My Frickin' I.S.P.’ with Conan O'Brien at an event.
In 2004, he launched his first rock album after more than a decade. Titled ‘Liars,’ it was a concept record. For a long time, he had been experimenting with new multimedia technologies and new categories of music. Finally, for this album, once again he embraced the eclectic pop music, which had first made him famous. His fans and critics had given him rave reviews for returning to his signature music after a long period of time.
After a brief sojourn, he put out a solo album ‘Arena’ in 2008. Like many of his earlier albums, it was completely his solo work. He has always tried new technologies, and he produced the album on an Apple laptop—he composed music with Propellerhead's Reason software and recorded with Sonoma Wire Works' RiffWorks.
In April 2011, he released the album ‘Todd Rundgren's Johnson’, which was a collection of blues musician Robert Johnson covers. It was his tribute to the great musician on his 100th birthday. Although he had recorded the songs in 2010, he released the album a year later. Rundgren played all the instruments except bass, which was played by his long-time friend Kasim Sulton.
He released his album ‘State’, a solo album, in April 2013. He wrote, performed, and produced most of the songs himself. He added one song ‘Something From Nothing’ by Rachel Haden on the limited edition of the album.
He released a solo album ‘Global’ in April 2015; it was a fusion of classic rock, soul, and contemporary dance music. He went on a US tour for two months to promote it. He received mixed response from critics for his studio album ‘White Knight’, released in 2017, in collaboration with other singers and songwriters like Trent Reznor, Robyn, and Daryl Hall.
Todd Rundgren’s third album ‘Something/Anything?’ was his first double album which he recorded and produced single-handedly. The album reached number 29 on the Billboard 200, and was certified gold. The song ‘I Saw the Light’ and the remake of the Nazz hit song ‘Hello It's Me’ became particularly popular.
In 2003, ‘Rolling Stone’ magazine ranked ‘Something/Anything?’ at number 173 in their list of 500 greatest albums of all time. After this album, he deviated completely from pop ballads and started experimenting with progressive rock.
His fourth album, ‘A Wizard, a True Star’ was very different from his first three albums. It not only departed from his regular ballads, but also had a unique sound, which some critics described as being better suited for a cartoon soundtrack. However, it was critically applauded, reaching number 86 on the Billboard 200. It was included in the book ‘1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die’.
In 1972, Todd Rundgren began a relationship with model Bebe Buell. After their breakup, Buell had a brief relationship with Steven Tyler which resulted in the birth of a daughter, Liv Tyler, who later became a model and actress.
Buell initially claimed that Rundgren was the biological father of Liv. Even after their breakup, Rundgren remained committed to Liv. However, when Liv was eight years old, she came to know that Steven Tyler, and not Rundgren, was her biological father.
Rundgren had a relationship with Karen Darvin and together they have two sons—Rex, who was born in 1980, and Randy, who was born in 1985. Rex played minor league baseball for nine years.
In 1998, he married Michele Gray, who was a dancer with The Tubes. She had also performed with Rundgren, and had participated as a backup singer on the tour for his album ‘Nearly Human’. They have a son, Rebop.
For several years Rundgren abstained from using drugs. However, in 1973, his long-time friend Randy Reed introduced him to cannabis in order to enhance his creativity. Since then, Rundgren has admitted to have tried various mind-altering substances like DMT, psilocybin mushrooms, peyote, etc. However, he claims that he has never taken LSD.
Rundgren and his fans founded the Spirit of Harmony Foundation in 2013. It encourages personal development and self-expression through music.
Demis Roussos - Forever and Ever
Demis Roussos - Forever and Ever
"Forever And Ever"
Ever and ever, forever and ever you'll be the one
That shines on me like the morning sun
Ever and ever, forever and ever you'll be my spring
My rainbow's end and the song I sing
Take me far beyond imagination
You're my dream come true, my consolation
Ever and ever, forever and ever you'll be my dream
My symphony, my own lover's theme
Ever and ever, forever and ever my destiny
Will follow you eternally
Take me far beyond imagination
You're my dream come true, my consolation
Ever and ever, forever and ever you'll be the one
That shines in me like the morning sun
Ever and ever, forever and ever my destiny
Will follow you eternally
Artemios (Demis) Vedouris Roussos (born June 15th, 1945, died January 24th, 2015) was a Greek singer. He was born in Egypt to expatriate Greeks (his parents George and Olga having also been born in Egypt) and raised in Alexandria. His parents lost everything and returned to Greece after the Suez Crisis. After returning to Greece, Demis was in a series of musical groups beginning with The Idols when he was 17. After this he joined We Five (not the San Francisco, California folk-rock group), another covers band which had limited success in Greece.
He came to a wider audience in 1968 when he joined progressive rock band Aphrodite's Child, initially as singer but later also playing bass guitar. His distinctive operatic vocal style helped propel the band to international success, notably on their final album 666, which became something of a cult classic.
Demis Roussos - From Souvenirs to Souvenirs (HQ)
Demis Roussos - From Souvenirs to Souvenirs (HQ)
A lonely room and empty chair
Another day so hard to bear
The things around me that I see remind me of
The past and how it all used to be
From souvenirs to more souvenirs I live
With days gone by when our hearts had all to give
From souvenirs to more souvenirs I live
With dreams you left behind
I'll keep on turning in my mind
There'll never be another you
No one will share the worlds we knew
And now that loneliness has come to take your place
I close my eyes and see your face
From souvenirs to more souvenirs I live
With days gone by when our hearts had all to give
From souvenirs to more…
After the collapse of Aphrodite's Child, Roussos continued to record sporadically with his former bandmate Vangelis Papathanasiou. In 1970 the two released 'Sex Power' (although the album has also been disputably credited to Aphrodite's Child), also recording the 1977 album 'Magic' together. Their most successful outing was Race to the End, a vocal adaptation of the musical theme from the Oscar winning film Chariots of Fire, whilst Roussos also appeared as a guest on the soundtrack to Blade Runner (1982).
Aphrodite's Child
Blade Runner 1982
Chariots of Fire - 1981
![Blade Runner - Love Theme [stereo]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/BZ2UVHejX2w/hqdefault.jpg)
Blade Runner - Love Theme [stereo]
Blade Runner - (Love Theme - Vangelis) - Film Score - 1982
Roussos also began a solo career following the collapse of the band, beginning with the song 'We Shall Dance'. Initially unsuccessful, he toured southern Europe and soon became a leading vocalist. His solo career peaked in the 1970's with several hit albums. His single, Forever and Ever, topped the charts in several countries in 1973. Other hits were My Friend the Wind, My Reason, Velvet Mornings, Goodbye, My Love, Goodbye, Someday and Lovely Lady of Arcadia. He was mentioned famously at Abigail's Party and made his first appearance on English-speaking TV on the Basil Brush Show. Demis was also known for a reproduction of Air Supply's Lost in Love. He re-recorded his songs in a number of languages and with his Number 1 hit 'The Roussos Phenomenon EP' being the first of its kind for an African-born artist in the history of the UK Singles Chart. He was equally successful across Europe and in Latin America, although a gold disc for the LP 'Demis' remains his only success in the United States.
Alexandria Egypt
Alexandria Egypt
In 1982 he co-authored the book 'A Question of Weight' with his close friend Veronique Skawinska in which he dealt candidly with his struggles with obesity. Roussos suffered a fallow period during the 1980's in terms of hits and his output dried up as he battled clinical depression. He was one of the passengers of TWA Flight 847 that was hijacked on June 14th, 1985. Famously the hijackers even celebrated his birthday with him as they were impressed by having a man who remained a big celebrity in southern Europe as a hostage. Sensing a new lease on life Demis embarked on a "comeback" with the l.p. Time, which garnered a fair amount of acclaim and a minor hit song (popular in the discoteques) with Dance of Love.
The 1990's saw even more substantial releases by Demis. In 1993 he released Insight (also called Morning has Broken) to general acclaim, although his attempt at a rap song, 'Spleen', which appeared on the album, was generally seen as a regrettable idea. After this he teamed up with BR Music in Holland to produce Immortel, Serenade and In Holland, utilising a variety of ethnic and electronic styles. Demis continued to record and tour in to the Millennium. Spring of 2002 saw him do a successful tour of England. A committed follower of the Greek Orthodox faith, Demis died on January 24th, 2015.
TWA Boeing 727-200 captain John Testrake (left) in the cockpit of the hijacked airliner at Beirut airport while a Shiite masked gunman leaves the plane while holding a machine gun.AFP/Getty Images
Trans World Airlines Flight 847 was a flight from Cairo to San Diego with en route stops in Athens, Rome, Boston, and Los Angeles. On the morning of June 14th, 1985, Flight 847 was hijacked shortly after take off from Athens. The hijackers demanded the release of 700 Shi'ite Muslims from Israeli custody and took the plane repeatedly to Beirut and Algiers. Later Western analysis considered them members of the Hezbollah militant group, but Hezbollah rejects that conclusion. The passengers and crew endured a three-day intercontinental ordeal. Some passengers were threatened and some beaten. Passengers with Jewish-sounding names were moved apart from the others. United States Navy diver Robert Stethem was murdered, and his body was thrown onto the apron. Dozens of passengers were held hostage over the next two weeks until released by their captors after some of their demands were met.
(Credit: U.S. Navy) Memorial for Robert D. Stethem in Yokosuka, Japan.
Flight 847 was operated with a Boeing 727-200, registration N64339. The flight originated in Cairo on the morning of June 14th. After an uneventful flight from Cairo to Athens, a new crew boarded Flight 847. The new crew in Athens were Captain John Testrake, First Officer Phil Maresca, Flight Engineer Christian Zimmerman, flight service manager Uli Derickson, and flight attendants Judy Cox, Hazel Hesp, Elizabeth Howes, and Helen Sheahan. At 10:10, Flight 847 departed Athens for Rome. It was commandeered shortly after takeoff by two Arabic-speaking Lebanese men who had smuggled a pistol and two grenades through the Athens airport security. One was later identified as Mohammed Ali Hamadi, who was later captured and sentenced to life imprisonment in Germany. Hamadi is an alleged member of Hezbollah. Assaulting Derickson and breaching the cockpit, and dragging her with them, the hijackers attacked and then pistol-whipped Captain Testrake, First Officer Maresca, and Flight Engineer Zimmerman
With Captain Testrake being held at gunpoint, the plane was diverted from its original destination of Rome, in airspace over Greece, to the Middle East and made its first stop, for several hours, at the Beirut International Airport in Lebanon, where 19 passengers were allowed to leave in exchange for fuel. Shortly before landing, air traffic control initially refused to let them land in Beirut. Captain Testrake argued with air traffic control until they relented. He said at one point, "He has pulled a hand-grenade pin and he is ready to blow up the aircraft if he has to. We must, I repeat, we must land at Beirut. We must land at Beirut. No alternative." At the time, Lebanon was in the midst of the Lebanese Civil War, and Beirut was divided into sectors controlled by different Shia Amal militia and Hezbollah. That afternoon, the aircraft continued on across the Mediterranean to Algiers, where 20 passengers were released during a five-hour stop before heading back to Beirut that night.
Beirut International Airport was surrounded by a Shia neighborhood. It had no perimeter security and had been over-run by Islamic militias, and nearby residents could simply drive onto the runway. The hijackers had systematically and regularly beaten all the military passengers, but during this stop, they selected U.S. Navy diver, Robert Stethem, beat him, shot him in the right temple, and dumped his body out of the plane onto the ramp and shot him again, seeking permission from other Shia Muslims operating the control tower to obtain more fuel. Seven American passengers, alleged to have Jewish-sounding surnames, were taken off the jet and held hostage in a Shia prison in Beirut. Nearly a dozen well-armed men joined the hijackers before the plane returned to Algiers the following day, 15 June, where an additional 65 passengers and all five female cabin crew members were released. The hijackers wanted to fly to Tehran, but mysteriously returned to Beirut for a third time on the afternoon of 16th June, and remained there for unknown reasons.
Demis Roussos-Velvet Mornings
Demis Roussos-Velvet Mornings
Demis Roussos - I'll Be Your Friend • TopPop
Demis Roussos - I'll Be Your Friend • TopPop
The initial demands of the hijackers included:
Release of the "Kuwait 17", those involved in the 1983 bombing of the U.S. embassy in Kuwait.
Release of all 766 mainly Lebanese Shias transferred to Israel's Atleat Prison in conjunction with immediate withdrawal of Israeli forces from southern Lebanon. International condemnation of Israel and the United States.
The Greek government released the accomplice, Ali Atwa, and in exchange the hijackers released eight Greek citizens, including Greek pop singer Demis Roussos, to be flown by a Greek government business jet from Algiers back to Athens. By the afternoon of June 17th, the 40 remaining hostages had been taken from the plane and held hostage throughout Beirut by Hezbollah. Nabih Berri was the chief of the Amal militia and the minister of justice in the fractured Lebanon cabinet. One of the hostages was released when he developed heart trouble. The other 39 remained captive until intervention by United States president Ronald Reagan with Lebanese officials on 30 June, when they and the pilots held captive on the airplane were collected in a local schoolyard and met with international journalists, then driven to Syria by the International Red Cross to the Sheraton Hotel and a press conference in Damascus.
The hostages then boarded a U.S. Air Force C-141B Starlifter cargo plane and flew to Rhein-Main AB, Hesse, West Germany, where they were met by U.S. Vice President George H. W. Bush, debriefed, and given medical examinations, then flown to Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland and welcomed home by the president. Over the next several weeks, Israel released over 700 Shia prisoners, while maintaining that the prisoners' release was not related to the hijacking.
Greek singer Demis Roussos and his companion Pamela Smith following their release in Beirut on June 18, 1985
Flight attendant Uli Derickson
Flight attendant Uli Derickson was credited with calming one of the hijackers during a fuel-quantity incident during the first leg to Beirut, because she spoke German, the only European language which either hijacker spoke. Notably, she interrupted an attempt to end the hijacking in Algiers when airport officials refused to refuel the plane without payment by offering her own Shell Oil credit card, which was used to charge about $5,500 for 22,700 L (6,000 gal) of jet fuel, for which she was reimbursed. She also refused to cooperate with the hijackers in identifying for them the passports of any passengers with Jewish-sounding names so they could not be singled out.
John Miles Music 1976 S
John Miles - Music - 1976
Wishing on a Star
Rose Joyce - Wishing on a Star.
Gwen Dickey
"Wishing On A Star"
I'm wishin' on a star
To follow where you are
I'm wishin' on a dream
To follow what it means
I'm wishin' on a star
To follow where you are
I'm wishin' on a dream
To follow what it means
And I wish on all the rainbows that I see
I wish on all the people who really dream
And I'm wishin' on tomorrow, praying it'll come
And I'm wishin' on all the lovin' we've ever done
I never thought I'd see
A time when you would be
So far away from home
So far away from me
Just think of all the moments that we've spent
I just can't let you go, for me you were meant
And I didn't mean to hurt you, but I know
That in the game of love you reap what you sow
I feel it's time we should make up, baby
I feel it's time for us to get back together
And make the best of things, oh baby, when we're together
Whether or never
I feel it's time we should make up, baby
I feel it's time for us to get back together
And make the best of things, oh baby, when we're together
Whether or never
I'm wishin' on a star
To follow where you are
I'm wishin' on a dream
To follow what it means
And I wish on all the rainbows that I see
I wish on all the people we ever greeted
And I'm hopin' on all the days to come and days to go
And I'm hopin' on days of lovin' you so
I'm wishin' on a star
To follow where you are
I'm wishing on a star, whoa-oh
And I wish on all the rainbows that I see
I'm wishin' on a star
To follow where you are
I'm wishin' on a star
And I wish on all the rainbows that I see
I'm wishin' on a star
To follow where you are
I'm wishin' on a star
Oh, I'm beggin' and prayin', baby
I'm wishin' on a star, oh
To follow where you are
I'm wishin' on a star, baby
To follow wherever you might be...
Gwen Dickey (born December 1st, 1953) is an American singer best known as the front-woman of the R&B band Rose Royce, where she performed under the name Rose Norwalt. Her most recognized songs include "Car Wash" and "Wishing on a Star". In 1976, her lead vocals on the Billboard Hot 100 number-one single "Car Wash" brought Dickey and the band immediate international fame. She left the band in 1980. She subsequently left the United States for the United Kingdom, where she remains a popular performer. In 2010, Dickey suffered a spinal cord injury in her London home, leaving her reliant on a wheelchair. As of 2018, she still performed concerts while seated on stage.
Rose Royce - Car Wash (1976)
Rose Royce - Car Wash (1976)
![Rose Royce - Love Don't Live Here Anymore (1978) [Restored]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/Z6PF3Rv1KuQ/maxresdefault.jpg)
Rose Royce - Love Don't Live Here Anymore (1978) [Restored]
Rose Royce - Love Don't Live Here Anymore (1978) [Restored]
