Album: Something/Anything?
Artist: Todd Rundgren
Born: Upper Darby, Pennsylvania
Released: February 1972
Genre: Power Pop
Influenced: Big Star, Prince, Prefab Sprout, Ron Sexsmith, Hot Chip
The early 70s saw huge advances in recording techniques, some of which have been detailed on this blog (like vocal and instrumental overdubs), but no record from the era exemplifies this trend better than Something/Anything?, Todd Rundgren's 1972 double album. On the first three sides of the record, every instrumental sound and every vocal was provided by just by one man, DIY Todd. As well as doing all his own playing and singing, he also wrote all the songs and was able to switch from one genre to the next, taking in Laurel Canyon pop (Hello It's Me), soul (Dust In The Wind), folk rock (Night The Carousel Burned Down), funk (Some Folks Is Even Whiter Than Me), gospel (Slut), honky tonk country (Piss Aaron), heavy metal (Little Red Lights), synth (Breathless) and torch songs (Torch Song). Apparently, he was on medication for ADHD at the time. Often with his tongue firmly in his cheek, Rundgren's attempts to mimic other genres don't always pay off, but he's effective and convincing when trying to stretch and bend the limits of conventional pop.
Something/Anything?'s lack of extended blues riffs or prog wanderings (a trait that typifies later Rundgren albums) help give the album a clear power pop sound, especially on tracks like Couldn't I Just Tell You, while the piano-driven melody of I Saw The Light was inspired by successful artists at the time like Carole King and Elton John. Music hall offering Song Of The Viking shares an affinity with many of the LA weirdos of the time like Harry Nilsson and Randy Newman, while One More Day [No Word] has the warmth and yearning of a Beach Boys track. As this blog has shown already, I have a soft spot for sprawling double LPs (see White Album) by musical virtuosos, as often, in among the various experiments (sometimes failed), you find the seeds for pop's future development. This approach often throws up great songs too. Something/Anything? is the perfect example of this.
The early 70s saw huge advances in recording techniques, some of which have been detailed on this blog (like vocal and instrumental overdubs), but no record from the era exemplifies this trend better than Something/Anything?, Todd Rundgren's 1972 double album. On the first three sides of the record, every instrumental sound and every vocal was provided by just by one man, DIY Todd. As well as doing all his own playing and singing, he also wrote all the songs and was able to switch from one genre to the next, taking in Laurel Canyon pop (Hello It's Me), soul (Dust In The Wind), folk rock (Night The Carousel Burned Down), funk (Some Folks Is Even Whiter Than Me), gospel (Slut), honky tonk country (Piss Aaron), heavy metal (Little Red Lights), synth (Breathless) and torch songs (Torch Song). Apparently, he was on medication for ADHD at the time. Often with his tongue firmly in his cheek, Rundgren's attempts to mimic other genres don't always pay off, but he's effective and convincing when trying to stretch and bend the limits of conventional pop.
Something/Anything?'s lack of extended blues riffs or prog wanderings (a trait that typifies later Rundgren albums) help give the album a clear power pop sound, especially on tracks like Couldn't I Just Tell You, while the piano-driven melody of I Saw The Light was inspired by successful artists at the time like Carole King and Elton John. Music hall offering Song Of The Viking shares an affinity with many of the LA weirdos of the time like Harry Nilsson and Randy Newman, while One More Day [No Word] has the warmth and yearning of a Beach Boys track. As this blog has shown already, I have a soft spot for sprawling double LPs (see White Album) by musical virtuosos, as often, in among the various experiments (sometimes failed), you find the seeds for pop's future development. This approach often throws up great songs too. Something/Anything? is the perfect example of this.
Comments