SOMETHING / ANYTHING ?

My musical tastes were nourished on heavy doses of Todd Rundgren and none more than this classic album from the early 70s. I remember playing all sides of this album numerous times--sometimes for weeks at a time, just going from one side to the next to Side Three and Four and back to the beginning again. Some of the songs were witty, some soulful, some emotional, many quirky and/or instrumentally entertaining, but most of all it had melodies, catchy hooks. It seemed that no song was a throw away. This album, more than perhaps any other I've ever encountered besides Michael Jackson's "Thriller" shows that an album can contain all great songs; I felt strongly that each and every song on Something/Anything was worthy of radio "hit" recognition and play. So indelibly imprinted within my being are these songs that many of these songs remain in my lexicon of melodic and lyrical reference to this day. Everybody knows "Hello, It's Me" and a few people know "I Saw the Light" but how many of you have tried "Black Maria" or "Marlene," "It Wouldn't Have Made Any Difference" or "Slut," "Torch Song" or "Wolfman Jack," "Breathless" or "Dust in the Wind" (no, not the Kansas one), "It Takes Two to Tango" or "Cold Morning Light," "The Night the Carousel Burned Down" or "Saving Grace"? You might tire of the clavinet or the incessant flow of syrupy melodic hooks, but you'll be fascinated, entertained, and, I think, educated by the up-front and honest presence of Todd's producer/engineer side throughout the course of this ingenious and brave album. This 1972 release is as relevant and entertaining today as it was back then. A demonstration of the pure confidence and penetrating (even reckless and naïve) courage of youthfulness forever preserved for posterity. Humans can be so cool!