"Initiation" is the sixth album by American musician Todd Rundgren, released on May 23, 1975. It's known for being one of the longest single-disc LPs, with a total length of 67:32 due to Rundgren's decision to place lengthy song sequences on each side of the LP.
The album largely covers themes of spirituality and philosophy influenced by various religious philosophies Todd Rundgren learned about in the mid-70s. The album's title, "Initiation," refers to the spiritual initiation into these philosophies.
The first side of the album, with songs like "Real Man" and "Born to Synthesize," is composed of short, song-oriented pieces while the second side features lengthy, complex progressive pieces, including "A Treatise on Cosmic Fire."
The album features popular Todd Rundgren's songs "Real Man" and "Eastern Intrigue." Rundgren played all the instruments and performed all the vocals on side one while side two was more of a collaborative effort with numerous contributing musicians.
In general, "Initiation" was recognized as a work that pushed the envelop artistically, featuring a blend of rock, synth-pieces, and progressive sequences.
