TODD RUNDGREN
A Wizard, A True Star
[Bearsville]
His third album, Something/Anything? [Bearsville-1972],
was acknowledged as a ‘70s landmark from the get-go and made him a star. But he
didn’t want to be, in his words, “the male Carole King”, so he embarked on what
many considered a radical shift in his music, beginning with this one the
following year.
Truth be told, he didn’t so much change course as much he
made his detours more colorful and insular than before, accentuating some
elements of his musical past (ballads, Philly soul, rockers, show tunes) and
adding others (prog, psychedelia), while a putting together a similar but more
adventurous sprawl than that of his previous album.
It proved a bit much for his fanbase, however, half of which
the Runt estimates he lost with this album, leading to soft numbers sales-wise
and a rollercoaster of a relationship with the audience that continues to this
day. But in the end, the quest was fruitful artistically: the likes of Daft
Punk, Hot Chip, and Tame Impala have sung its praises and consider it an influence;
and at its best it’s quite simply a breathtaking achievement.
Released March 2, 1973
