SOMETHING / ANYTHING ?

After two albums originally credited to a band called Runt (but on re-issues simply to Todd Rundgren), "Something/anything" was the first album to be credited to Todd as a solo artist right from the point of its release.

The album proved to be a turning point for Todd in many ways. Bravely, he put out a double album, playing all the instruments on all but the final side. Despite this and the associated premium price, this would prove to be Todd's best selling release, and is regarded by many as his finest hour (and a bit). While not yet investigating the prog territories which are of most interest in these parts, the diversity of styles adopted here, the wonderful arrangements and the superb instrumentation all go to make up and album to be admired and cherished.

The contents can crudely be summed up as a mixture of power pop, soul and simple pop, but to do so is also misleading as it disguises the fine structure of the complete piece which sets the album apart. Indeed, it is the attention to detail which makes all the difference here. In their raw state, there must have been a danger that the songs would simply have resulted in another "Ballad of Todd Rundgren". Thankfully though, Todd has taken the time to craft each one into a delightful piece of sophisticated pop. The songs on the album are all brief, with just one track running to (slightly) over 5 minutes. As such, there is little room for complexity or experimentation, they are tight and very much to the point.

The album opens with one of Todd's best known numbers, "I saw the light". This would provide Todd with a hit single on both sides of the Atlantic, although in the US "Hello it's me", which also appears on the album, would enjoy even greater success. Thereafter, on side one we have a succession of retro (60's) inspired soul, harmony pop and power pop.

Each of the album's four sides groups together songs which in Todd's mind have a similar theme or style. Thus, while side one is "A bouquet of ear-catching melodies", side two becomes "The cerebral side". On this side, we open with a couple oddities, the "Intro" consisting of Todd speaking about a game he's invented which involves spotting various forms of studio fluff on records. This is followed by a jaunty instrumental "Breathless" which might have been another hit single had it been released 10 years earlier. Thereafter, we settle down to a further batch of melodic pop songs and ballads for the remainder of the side. The odd track out for pretty much the whole album is "I went to the mirror", which closes this side. Here, the arrangement is much looser with no real discernible melody as such.

On side three "The kid gets heavy", the first track "Black Maria" hints at the style Todd would adopt on albums such as "Initiation" and Utopia's "Ra". Todd's lead guitar work is given greater limelight here among a brooding slice of riff driven rock. This is about as heavy as things get though, with subsequent songs (except the guitar loaded "Little red lights") reverting to the type which dominate the rest of the album.

The final side is covered by the title "Baby Needs a New Pair of Snakeskin Boots (A Pop Operetta)". Todd opens things up here and brings in a host of guest musicians to support him on each track. This makes for a rather odd mix of songs including rough covers of a couple of old Motown numbers. As such, there is little to warrant the Operetta tag, each song being a self contained affair. On the plus side, the anthemic "Dust in the wind" (not the Kansas song) is a pleasing piece of organ backed soul. This song was actually co-written by Todd with Mark "Moogy" Klingman, who would go on to join Rundgren in the original Utopia line up. The highlight of the side is "Hello, it's me", a delightful soft pop song with Beach Boys like harmonies and a tight melody.

In all, a fine album from Todd which laid the groundwork for his excellent albums which were to follow. While the music is primarily rooted in melodic pop, there is an appealing array of styles and sounds here which combine to form an album which can retain the attention of the listener throughout the 25 (or 26) songs it contains.

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