Todd Rundgren’s career was a tightrope walk between pop stardom and cult icon status, a balancing act that began in the late 1960s and reached its zenith with the 1972 magnum opus Something/Anything?. Emerging with the Nazz, a psych-rock band steeped in Beatlesque melodies, Rundgren quickly set his sights on a broader canvas as a solo artistby crafting hits like “Bang the Drum All Day” that showcased his ear for lush, radio-friendly pop. Yet Rundgren’s insatiable curiosity and avant-garde instincts pushed him beyond the confines of conventional songwriting, positioning him as a musician’s musician, unafraid to experiment with genre, production, and soundscapes. This inherent duality– a persona that vacillated between the accessible and the idiosyncratic—was the foundation of his enduring mystique.
Something/Anything? is the culmination of Rundgren’s restless creativity and ultimately his most defining work. The sprawling double album is a tour de force, with Rundgren performing nearly every instrument himself, crafting everything from the timeless pop of “Hello It’s Me” to the tongue-in-cheek rock of “I Saw the Light.” The record’s genre-hopping brilliance showcased his ability to meld soulful ballads, quirky humor, and intricate production into a singular statement, earning both critical acclaim and commercial success. It solidified his reputation as a studio savant, capable of crafting perfect pop while subverting its rules due to Rundgren’s steadfast refusal to be pigeonholed.
Standout Songs: “I Saw The Light”, “Wolfman Jack”, “Cold Morning Light”, “Hello It’s Me”
