Admiral Television?

I assumed that the appliance company was the basis for the mystery player's stage name.

I was wondering if anyone knew which guitarist used that name. Some of the playing is really fashion forward for the day (the track "70's Scenario" is one example). IMO, it didn't sound like Todd R., but I thought it barked broadly up Robert Fripp's tree. He's worked with Daryl Hall on some later solo stuff, so that might make sense, but it's just a guess. And a not at all confident guess, at that.

Anyone have info?

Marty

Lowrider - that didn't occur to me. It's possible that all the flashy stuff is Rundgren and Cerniglia (unfamiliar to me) and that the Admiral Television was a reference to guitar effects.

It's also possible that Verlaine (or possibly Richard Lloyd) of Television is the answer. Rick Derringer's another one that never occurred to me.

Sounds like we got a puzzle here with some interesting logic supporting possible solutions.

Thanks for the ideas.

Marty

Hodu:

I'm pretty sure that Television was gigging around NYC as early as 1973 (a year before War Babies), even though their first record came out, IIRC, a few years later. That might make the Television reference even more plausible, that band was very hip "vapor" at the time. Everyone in town knew of them, almost no one had actually heard their music.

As to all the leads sounding like Todd, I didn't hear that - not that it's ever possible to confidently make such a determination by ear.

But....

In particular there's one lead early in the record (might be Rose Tatoo, I'll double check) that's all way up on the finger board and pretty abstract. It just didn't sound like Todd to me. Of course, you could be 100% right - but that is, in part, what prompted the question. Todd's a great player and I love listening to his leads, but this record sounded (to me, anyway) like someone else (maybe Admiral Television, whoever that might be) contributed some very quirky lead work.

Marty

Loomis,

I just took your suggestion and put the question to liveatdarylshouse.com

I'll report back if/when I hear from them.

BTW, Todd's pretty nimble when he wants to be, but I agree that some of the War Babies cuts feature a showier lead guitar style than TR usually provides.

Marty

No answer on the e-mail yet, but my guitar teacher had an interesting guess after I played a "70's Scenario" YouTube video for him. He agreed that it didn't sound like Todd and he also thought that both Derringer or Fripp were unlikely. He couldn't speak to Verlaine or Lloyd.

His first thought was Terry Kath of Chicago. I thought he had a point and that it was a good fit stylistically, but he wasn't about to put any money on it, either.

The mystery continues.

Marty

I agree that that link makes Derringer feel like the main suspect.

Hodu,

I just fired up Showbiz Kids and I definitely see your point.

I always assumed that that was Larry Carlton on guitar. Oddly enough, Carlton was another name that came up when I played this "whodunnit" game with my instructor.

I'll keep workin' it with the e-mail machine, but I think you might have nailed it.

Marty

Looking forward to hearing about anything Todd's got to say.

Marty

Thanx, Don.

So it seems that Todd actually did that wild solo on the track "70s Scenario", after all...

I wouldn't have guessed that (and I'm only a half step behind your wife's Todd worshipping buddies). I've seen him perform a couple of dozen times over the years and I must say that the "Scenario" solo is definitely a different direction for Todd.

Live 'n learn. Thanx again for the inside info.

Marty

Don

I will look for the book.
Thanks for the heads up.

Marty

FYI, it turns out that the author is called Paul Myers.

Hodu,

If you want to hear Todd flog his guitar, check out his recent disc called "Todd Rundgren's Johnson". He covers about a dozen Robert Johnson classics and just kills 'em. It's a little strange to buy something from TR that features someone else's songs (because - IMHO - he's one the half dozen best songwriters of my lifetime), but this is one of my favorite blues guitar records ever.

Marty