Something/Anything? (Side A)

Back in 1972, Todd Rundgren came out with what could be considered his Ph.D. in the world of music, the double album Something/Anything? We knew he was one of the more talented, more diverse as well as more iconoclastic musicians on the block but when S/A? was released, we saw Todd in a different light: the man had truly arrived & was at the top of his game. Now a little info on the short but sweet road which brought Todd to this high point in his career in the first place:

He first began fine-tuning his songcrafting abilities back in the late-60s with Nazz; they only made two bonafide albums as a group (the final release, Nazz III, consisted of leftover sessions taken from their second album, Nazz Nazz). The latter album was slated to be a double-record set but Todd's bandmates were up in arms because of the musical directions he wanted to take at the time. Nonetheless, his work with Nazz proved to be a beneficial springboard which would serve him well once he broke out as a solo artist.

In 1970, Todd's first release as a solo musician, Runt, proved that his time with Nazz was time well spent & rightly so. By the same token, it confirmed an official trademark of sorts: the willingness to try anything & everything not only in terms of instrumentation but also divergent musical styles in the process (i.e. ballads, hard-rocking tunes, the more out-there stuff). With a 3-minute piece of pure pop bliss like "We Gotta Get You A Woman," with its percussion wonderland (during the pre-chorus & chorus), how could Todd go wrong?

As we found out, he couldn't. Juxtaposition was his personal philosophy from the get-go: The opening track, "Broke Down and Busted," was a slow-burning rocker but the very next tune, "Believe In Me," was a ballad. Then a more upbeat number (the aforementioned "We Gotta Get...") followed by a need-for-speed rave-up ("Who's That Man?"). And that's only the first side I'm talking about.

The second half showed Todd going places with his music & getting a little out-there: the middle section of "I'm In The Clique" was ample proof of that. "There Are No Words" was self-explanatory, a fully realized piece of "out-there" stuff: Todd all by his lonesome on vocals, channeling Brian Wilson without having to say a single word. The closing track, "Birthday Carol," was to Runt what "A Beautiful Song" was to Nazz Nazz: Todd showcasing his influences & songwriting skills without let or hindrance (& using a little leitmotif from "TANW" at the very end with the string section).

Haters would say, "What a weirdo," or "What was he thinking?" or "Who does this dude think he is?" But Todd Rundgren, the young buck on the scene, knew exactly what he wanted to do, where he wanted to go musically, & his first solo release was seen as a first but crucial step into realizing his goals as a musician as much as a producer & songsmith of the highest order.

More to follow...