Description
Nazz – Nazz – Purple and Black Splatter Vinyl Record
Nazz – Nazz, released in October 1968, is the self-titled debut album of the Philadelphia-based band Nazz, best known today as the launching pad for Todd Rundgren who would go on to become a legendary solo artist, producer, and songwriter. But Nazz is far more than a historical footnote. It’s a vital slice of American psychedelic pop and garage rock, brimming with youthful energy, baroque ambition, and a fusion of British Invasion sparkle with U.S. underground grit. It occupies a unique space between The Beatles, The Yardbirds, and The Who, while gesturing toward the power pop and glam rock to come.
The album was produced at a time when American bands were striving to keep pace with the ambitious soundscapes emerging from the UK. With Nazz, the group delivered a surprisingly sophisticated and stylistically diverse debut, recorded while the band members were still in their late teens. Rundgren, the primary songwriter and guitarist, already showed signs of brilliance in both melody and arrangement, and his guitar playing is particularly sharp throughout—equal parts jangly pop and psych fuzz.
The most well-known track on the album is undoubtedly “Hello It’s Me”, a beautifully melancholic ballad written and originally sung by Rundgren. Though it was only a minor hit for Nazz, it would become a major success when Rundgren re-recorded it as a solo artist in 1972. The original version here is more stripped-down and emotionally raw, its earnestness floating on a bed of organ and gentle harmony vocals.
Other key tracks include:
“Open My Eyes” – the blistering opener, built on a riff that evokes The Who’s “I Can’t Explain”, but with a more kaleidoscopic production style. It’s fast, punchy, and immediately engaging, often cited as a proto-power pop classic.
“Back of Your Mind” – a brooding, psych-rock track with tempo changes and fuzzy lead guitar, showing the band’s willingness to explore complexity.
“Crowded” and “See What You Can Be” – demonstrate their knack for Beatlesque melodies paired with American garage attitude.
“She’s Goin’ Down” – the heaviest song on the album, filled with distortion, aggressive rhythm, and a chaotic outro that hints at early hard rock.
Nazz doesn’t stray too far from the usual late-’60s themes—love, alienation, teen confusion—but the delivery is often sincere and occasionally playful, reflecting the garage band sensibility dressed in psychedelic clothes. Rundgren’s production and songwriting already stand out for their maturity, with arrangements that go beyond standard pop structures, adding layers of harpsichord, multi-part harmonies, and unexpected chord changes.
Though the album didn’t become a major commercial success at the time, it earned a cult following and has since been hailed as an important precursor to power pop and progressive pop. Along with bands like The Left Banke, The Zombies, and Big Star, Nazz helped pave the way for a generation of artists who would fuse catchy hooks with lush, studio-driven arrangements.
Nazz is a bold and ambitious debut that showcases not only the nascent brilliance of Todd Rundgren but also the transitional sound of late-’60s American rock—caught between garage-band energy and studio experimentation. For fans of early psych-pop, mod rock, or proto-glam, this album is essential listening.
Brand new, never played and still sealed in the factory plastic
Track Listing
Open My Eyes
Back Of Your Mind
See What You Can Be
Hello It’s Me
Wildwood Blues
If That’s The Way You Feel
When I Get My Plane
Lemming Song
Crowded
She’s Goin’ Down
