396. Todd Rundgren, "Something/Anything?"

 


Oh my God, this is so embarrassing but until yesterday I had no idea the opening song on this album, "I Saw the Light," was a Todd Rundgren song.  In fact - and this is where it gets embarrassing - I thought it was a woman singing, like maybe Anne Murray or someone like that.  I mean, it is very easy listening, but sorry Todd!  My bad!

I was never really into Rundgren, so listening to this double album was an adventure.  It's kind of all over the place.  There's a lot of what might be called "soft rock," like the aforementioned album opener and "You Left Me Sore" and "Hello It's Me," which MUST be (I haven't checked) a Yacht Rock mainstay.  It sounds like mediocre grass and leaded gasoline.  There's also a Big Star-style power pop song ("Couldn't I Just Tell You") and I would like more of that instead of silliness like "Piss Aaron."

Rundgren famously self-recorded this, aided by weed and Ritalin (which, honestly, I did not know existed in the early 70's), and a lot of it sounds like someone who's a musical genius but untethered to commercial necessities would put together.  A lot of it is super self-indulgent and not really that interesting.  And the last song on the album is a fantastic blast of 70's guitar rock paired with wildly misogynistic lyrics and titled "Slut."  But listening to the whole thing I started to see what people appreciate about it and about Rundgren as an artist.  Some of it is corny as hell but you can see the influence stretching out to today.  Still, about that title, Todd...


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