Something/Anything?
His first album under his own name: a double, three sides played entirely by himself and a fourth cut live in New York.
Todd Rundgren, 1972
- Released
- 15 February 1972
- Recorded
- 1971-72
- Studio
- I.D. Sound (Los Angeles), Record Plant (New York), Bearsville Studios (Woodstock)
- Label
- Bearsville
- Producer
- Todd Rundgren
- Length
- 90:33
Play on hypersongs (1)Play on hypersongs (2)
Rundgren recorded sides one to three alone in late 1971, mostly at I.D. Sound in Los Angeles with James Lowe engineering, with some parts at a house he rented in Nichols Canyon. After an earthquake he moved to New York, where the fourth side, billed as a pop operetta, was cut live at the Record Plant with session players, arranged with Moogy Klingman's help and barely rehearsed. The rest was finished and mixed at Bearsville Studios in Woodstock. Each side carries its own title, from A Bouquet of Ear-catching Melodies to The Kid Gets Heavy. He advertised it with a two-page spread captioned "Go ahead. Ignore me."
It first peaked at No. 50, then climbed to 29 when Hello It's Me became a hit, and went gold in 1975. Robert Christgau gave it an A minus and said it had the feel of a pop masterpiece. Axl Rose named it his favorite record, and Rolling Stone placed it at 173 in its 500 greatest albums in 2003. Rhino issued a 50th anniversary edition in 2022, remastered from the original tapes.
Track listing
- I Saw the Light2:56
- It Wouldn't Have Made Any Difference3:50
- Wolfman Jack2:54
- Cold Morning Light3:55
- It Takes Two to Tango (This Is for the Girls)2:41
- Sweeter Memories3:36
- Intro1:11
- Breathless3:15
- The Night the Carousel Burned Down4:29
- Saving Grace4:12
- Marlene3:54
- Song of the Viking2:35
- I Went to the Mirror4:05
- Black Maria5:20
- One More Day (No Word)3:43
- Couldn't I Just Tell You3:34
- Torch Song2:52
- Little Red Lights4:53
- Overture: My Roots2:29
- Dust in the Wind3:49
- Piss Aaron3:26
- Hello It's Me4:42
- Some Folks Is Even Whiter Than Me3:56
- You Left Me Sore3:13
- Slut4:03
Personnel
- Todd Rundgren all instruments and vocals on sides one to three, producer
- James Lowe engineer
- Mark Klingman side four, arrangements
- Randy Brecker side four
- Michael Brecker side four
- Barry Rogers side four
- Rick Derringer side four
- Amos Garrett side four
- Ben Keith side four
- Billy Mundi side four
- Rick Vito side four
- Jim Horn side four
- Edward James Olmos backing vocals on Slut
More from Todd Rundgren
Hermit of Mink Hollow (1978)
Sources
- Something/Anything?, Wikipedia
- Something/Anything? at 50, PopMatters (2022)
- Todd Rundgren, Robert Christgau
- Something/Anything? 50th Anniversary Edition, Audiophile Audition