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254 West 54th Street, New York, New York has a long and storied history.  Built as the Gallo Opera House, it served as a Broadway theatre, a nightclub, and a long-running CBS television studio (1942-1972) all before Steve Rubell and Ian Schrager transformed it in 1977 into the ultimate nightspot, Studio 54.  Following the impresarios’ convictions, Studio 54 closed in 1980, eventually reopening under new management.  In 1989, the midtown Manhattan spot was reborn as The Ritz, adopting the name of Jerry Brandt’s club which had begun on 11th Street at the venerable Webster Hall.  During its time on 54th Street, The Ritz welcomed such performers as David Bowie and Tin Machine, Guns N’ Roses, and Todd Rundgren.  Now, Cherry Red’s Esoteric Recordings arm has brought Rundgren’s August 1989 shows at The Ritz (which took place just months after the club’s April reopening) to CD as a double-disc set.

Live at The Ritz New York City 1989 captures Rundgren and his band – Lyle Workman (guitar), Byron Allred (keyboards), Larry Tagg (bass), Vince Welnick (piano), Michael Urbano (drums), Max Haskett (trumpet), Bobby Strickland (saxophone), Scott Matthews (percussion), and Michele Gray (a.k.a. the future Mrs. Rundgren), Jenny Muldaur, and Shandi Shinnamon (background vocals) – on the tour supporting Todd’s Nearly Human LP.   His twelfth studio album, it was his first in four years and also a return to pop and soul.  Notably, Rundgren intended for the songs to be primarily recorded sans overdubs, making for a selection of tunes that could be reproduced on the road for live audiences.  Many of the musicians on the album including Michael Urbano, Lyle Workman, and Larry Tagg (all of the band Bourgeois Tagg, which Todd had produced in 1987) reprised their roles in his touring band.  (Other guests on the Nearly Human album included Clarence Clemons, Bobby Womack, and Utopia’s Kasim Sulton, Roger Powell, and Willie Wilcox.)

Arguably, the songs on Nearly Human only got more powerful as Rundgren and his band honed them on the road.  At the Ritz, he performed the LP’s “Unloved Children,” “Parallel Lines” (written for the off-Broadway musical Up Against It), “Can’t Stop Running,” “Feel It,” “I Love My Life,” and “The Want of a Nail,” which became Todd’s final Billboard chart single to date (No. 15 Mainstream Rock).  The setlist was rounded out by Rundgren favorites including the opening “Real Man,” “Hello, It’s Me,” “Can We Still Be Friends,” “Cliché,” and Utopia’s “Love in Action” as well as a Marvin Gaye medley melding Rundgren’s “Lost Horizon” with Gaye’s “What’s Going On,” “Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology),” and “I Want You.”

The Ritz only lasted until 1993; five years later, Roundabout Theatre Company moved its successful production of Cabaret into the space which continues to flourish today as a Broadway theatre; its basement is now occupied by the nightspot 54 Below.  Rundgren is still on the road today exploring various musical paths; he recently made headlines for his criticism of reigning pop superstar Taylor Swift. Selections from The Ritz concerts have appeared before in collectors’ circles, but Esoteric’s new edition marks its official debut as freshly mixed earlier this year from the multitrack tapes by Stephen W. Tayler and mastered by Ben Wiseman.  The six-panel digipak has photos as well as an eight-page booklet with producer Mark Powell’s liner notes.  It’s available now on CD at the links below and is also streaming everywhere.  (As an Amazon affiliate, we earn from qualifying purchases.)

Todd Rundgren, Live at the Ritz New York City 1989 (Esoteric/Cherry Red ECLEC22949, 2026) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

CD 1

1. Real Man
2. Unloved Children
3. Parallel Lines
4. Can’t Stop Running
5. Compassion
6. Secret Society
7. Something to Fall Back On
8. There Goes My Inspiration
9. Tiny Demons
10. Cliché
11. Can We Still Be Friends
12. Mated

CD 2

1. Love in Action
2. Lost Horizon
3. What’s Going On
4. Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology)
5. I Want You
6. Lost Horizon (Reprise)
7. Feel It
8. Rock Love
9. Hawking
10. The Want of a Nail
11. Hello, It’s Me
12. I Love My Life