Todd Rundgren - Runt: The Ballad of Todd Rundgren (1971)

I've been looking to upload this album for awhile, but I like the variety my blog has so I try to space out posts that have the same artists. The Ballad of Todd Rundgren builds off what was established in Runt. The "Runt" persona built around a quirky and dark humor turns to a slower side with an album primarily composed of ballads. As far as early Todd Rundgren albums go, this is the most dominated by Rundgren's piano playing. Even Something/Anything? doesn't have the myriad  of ballads or relaxed tunes like this album does. "Long Flowing Robe" starts out at the album and is ironically the one really uptempo, upbeat track on the album. From its opening seconds with the electric harpsichord and the ironic lyrics "Long Flowing Robe" has a witty sense of humor about a lustful man and excellent use of overdubbed vocal harmony by Rundgren. After the opening track, the album goes to a depressing side as the album artwork would suggest. "Wailing Wall" is the next standout track whose lyrics suggest an elaborate personification of his own depression which reveals itself throughout the progression of the track. The lyrics match well with the sparse treble piano chords accompanied by a low bass line and Rundgren's soft falsetto that show real emotion. "The Range War" is noteworthy because of the typical Rundgren quirky humor which is evident throughout his career. "Chain Letter" starts out with Rundgren's falsetto voice accompanied by guitar and builds to an rhythmically upbeat section. That being said, the intro recalls an old love and the following section comments on the disillusioned voice of the intro. The next highlight and my favorite track of the album is "Be Nice to Me." The handbells really add a great layering effect to a track full of Rundgren's treble piano full of treble chords and a driving bass line." As usual, this track owes a lot to Rundgren's soft falsetto and the numerous instances of vocal harmony being overdubbed. If you liked my post of Runt or like the hits like "Hello It's Me" or "I Saw the Light," The Ballad of Todd Rundgren is definitely worth a listen.

Todd Rundgren - Runt (1970)

Known primarily for the hits off of his 1972 album Something/Anything? including "Hello It's Me" and "I Saw the Light," Todd Rundgren was heavily influenced early on by Laura Nyro. When Rundgren was in his original group the Nazz he was even approached by Nyro to head her band. What's most interesting is how Rundgren adopts Nyro's eclecticism and applies it to his roots in the rock idiom. In case you are doubtful about the connection, the track "Baby Let's Swing" refers to Laura Nyro by name. On Runt, Rundgren is deep into the "Runt persona" which one could interpret as both his departure from the Nazz in spirit as well as his first foray into writing a whole album. As far as the content is concerned, the album's subject matter is practically the antithesis of Eli and the Thirteenth Confession. While Nyro concentrated on what it meant to be a woman in "Lonely Women," poor in "Poverty Train," or dealing with lustful men in "Eli's Coming," Rundgren concentrates on distrustful women and  being heartbroken. Contrasting the two albums track-for-track, it seems as if Rundgren sought to make his own album out of Nyro's model. The best single of the album is "We Gotta Get You a Woman," which consequently was Rundgren's first hit and past its chauvinist lyrics is really a great song for its excellent use of layering voices. It also showcases how well Rundgren lays a foundation for the song with the piano and bass, using the guitar as a solo voice and for texture. As for eclecticism, Rundgren occasionally uses unfamiliar instruments to the pop idiom. For instance on the aforementioned song you will hear a triangle part integral to the texture of the piece. Similarly, Rundgren will utilize handbells or chimes. The real magnum opus of the album in my opinion is "Birthday Carol." It's the most unusual to be present on a pop-rock album, but it's "Birthday Carol" that shows Rundgren is more than a rock star. He displays real talent in songwriting and arranging. Transitioning from such varied sections as a string quartet, a straight-ahead rock section, and a pop ballad, "Birthday Carol" shows that Rundgren really knows what he's doing. This particular version of the album is a personal assemblage of three or so versions of the album. It mixes vinyl and electronic copies, but I kept the songs with the best audio quality. Some of the vinyl rips had too much record noise and the electronic copies had bad hiss in parts.