Admiral Television?

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

i was intrigued enough by this whodunit to pull out the record and listen to it for clues. my best guess:
1. it's not tom verlaine, since (as per hudu) he the record predated his notoriety and, above all, nothing on the record sounds like him.
2. likewise fripp--just doesn't sound like him
3. i actually didn't hear a lot of samples or treated guitars, so the actual tv theory probably doesn't hold up.
4. todd's clearly playing some of the leads, but someone a helluva lot faster and more nimble than him is playing on "johnny gore", "70's scenario" et al;
5. rick deringer's a damn good guess--it would be logical for him to use a pseudonym, since he was on a different label with edgar winter, who was a big act at the same time as war babies was released. he also subsequently played on a couple of todd's records. most significantly, it sure sounds a lot like his style--listen to his solos on alice cooper's "under my wheels" or "rock and roll woman" (edgar winter).
someone ought to ask daryl hall to confirm; i believe he's quite approachable.

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

keep us posted....

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