Despite its superb pop sensibility, Nazz (competing with acid rock from the West Coast) didn't sell. Too bad: Nazz was like a "How To" instruction manual for power pop later followed by groups such as the Raspberries. The audio quality of the Rhino release is exemplary. Remastered by Bill Inglot and Ken Perry, it is difficult to believe that this recording is over thirty-years old. Rhino does a remarkable job of combing recording libraries for first-rate master tapes, then engineering these recordings to CD. The sonics are immaculate. Unlike the vinyl release, the CD enhances the thundering bass guitar work of Carson Van Osten: his technique is inventive and complex (Open My Eyes, See What You Can See, When I Get My Plane). Nazz is neither "classic" nor "revolutionary," but it is a captivating venture from an Anglo mod band who faded into the rock ocean with hardly a splash.


Nazz   July 12, 2006
B (Rochester, NY United States)
6 out of 7 found this review helpful

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.


blast from the past   November 26, 2006
Lee Whiteside (Dwight, Illinois United States)
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.