Runt: The Ballad of Todd Rundgren [Import]

Todd Rundgren | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 25, 1990)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Import
• Label: Rhino/Wea UK
• ASIN: B0000032OW
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #78,899 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Digitally remastered reissue of original album with liner notes and new interviews. Also features the 12 tracks from when Bearsville originally released 'Runt - The Ballad Of Todd Rundgren' in 1971. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Lo-fi, but very intimate and rich, January 27, 2000

By 

Frank Lynch "frank_lynch" (Brooklyn, NY USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Runt: The Ballad of Todd Rundgren (Audio CD)

It is a commonplace for music critics to talk about Todd Rundgren's "Something/Anything?" as one of the finest albums of all time. They are justified in doing that, because the music is very inventive, and it truly is splendid. Once someone buys "Something/Anything?" and digests it, they find themselves at a fork in the road (what to listen to next?). Often, they will proceed with later material, starting with "A Wizard, A True Star" (not that there's anything wrong with that!) and not look back (something wrong with that!)

"Ballad of Todd Rundgren" is the album which immediately preceeded Something/Anything, and it is worth more attention than it gets. I believe that you can hear the inventiveness of "Something/Anything" in development on this album, and with a great clarity due to the smaller forces which Rundgren has employed. Many of the songs are just as melodic and infectious as those found on Something/Anything. I also find the music inventive (IIRC "Chain Letter" is in mixed meter; "Boat on the Charles" has the right hand working in a blues scale while the bass remains standard diatonic). Instrumentation is great (a very early talk box -- earlier than Frampton or Jeff Beck [maybe even earlier than Joe Walsh]). Lyrics are sweet, hilarious ("The Range War" is a Romeo and Juliet waltz about the son and daughter of feuding families -- "If I haaaad my way, we would be together back in Pittsburgh; it's the only town east of the river I know..."; "Boat on the Charles" is a poignant song of unrequited love, filled with great images about pending departure, and ultimately suicide).

I think there are songs on this album which Todd never surpassed in his career.

All those who take the later fork in the road and never hear this earlier effort are making a big mistake.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Todd Two, February 20, 2004

By 

Mark Champion "autumnfair" (San Antonio, TX United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Runt: The Ballad of Todd Rundgren (Audio CD)

Boy, is this an improvement over the debut, and in every way. The songs are better to start with, and as if to acknowledge that the Toddster's self-production is richer and deeper all around. Where RUNT had a rushed and rag-tag feel to it, BALLAD has a tightly crafted cohesion. It also contains quite a few of Rundgren's best compositions. 'I Hope I'm Around' and the hushed 'Wailing Wall' are incredibly mature (ahem) ballads, and the shimmering 'Boat On The Charles' is about as lovely a suicide note as you are likely ever to hear. There are throwaways too, but in Rundgren's case they manage to transcend anyone else's toss-offs: the opener, 'Long Flowing Robe' and the almost-closer 'Parole' are clever enough rockers, but compared to the other tracks these sound like Todd is underachieving. Most of these songs would not be out place on the follow-up SOMETHING/ANYTHING. And what a triple-album that would have made. I'm not sure who Todd is addressing in the closer, 'Remember Me'- -could be a friend, could be a lover, or the listener, could be Godd- -but it sounds personal and a more apt closer there couldn't be. Not that he needs to ask.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Extra tracks? WHAT extra tracks?, March 18, 2004

By 

Michael J. Cohen "goldfish_boy" (Queens, NY United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Runt-the Ballad of Todd... (Audio CD)

I think the [EXTRA TRACKS] in the title may be misleading. But "Ballad" is a great album, especially if you prefer the quieter, "sensitive singer/songwriter" side of TR.