Genre: rock
Rating: 3 stars ***
Title: Runt
Company: Ampex / Bearsville
Catalog: A
10105
Year: 1970
Country/State: Upper Darby, Pennsylvania
Grade (cover/record): VG / VG
Comments: gatefold sleeve
Available: 1
GEMM catalog ID: 5650
Price: $15.00
First, at risk of getting flamed by some of his more devoted fans (the man has one of the most dedicated followings I've ever encountered - check out the number of online Rundgren fan sites), let me say that I'm not a gigantic Todd Rundgren fan. It isn't that I don't like his music, rather his career is just too broad and diverse for me to enjoy everything he's done. That said, the Todd Rundgren material I do own, I treasure (for goodness sakes, not only do I have the Nazz LPs, I even have the Woody's Truck Stop album).
Following his departure from Nazz,1969 found Rundgren working as a recording engineer at New York's Record Plant. The job included free studio time and between engineering jobs he recorded material for what would become his post-Nazz debut. Apparently reluctant to jump into a solo career, Rundgren recruited drummer Hunt Sales and his brother bassist Tony Sales for the band Runt. While the original intent may have been to start a new band, for all intents and purposes 1970's "Runt" served as a Rundgren solo debut - he produced the album, wrote all of the songs, handled the arrangements, sang all the leads, was responsible for the majority of instruments, and was featured on the album cover. The Sales brothers provided support on much of the album, but Rundgren also used several uncredited rhythm sections including The Band's Levon Helm and Rick Danko, and Steve Swallow and Roy Haynes from the Gary Burton Quartet. (Reissues of the LP were modified to make it clear the album was a Rundgren solo effort.) Musically the set found Rundgren clearly enjoying his newfound freedom to explore different genres and production techniques.
back cover
- A weird, but intriguing mix of blues and hard rock, 'Broke Down & Busted' was an interesting way to start that album. While the song was likable, the real highlight came in the form of Rundgren's extended guitar solo - folks forget what great chops the man had.
- Showcasing his instantly recognizable wispy voice and what sounded like an autoharp, the ballad 'Believe In Me' sounded like it had been written for a Carole King album. One of his prettiest ballads, it would have made a great single.
- Still one of his most engaging songs, it's easy to see why 'We Gotta Get You a Woman' became a top-20 hit, though today the arrangement sounds a bit thin and the harmony vocals come off a bit flat.
- It sounds like it was recorded in a bathroom stall, but 'Who's That Man' was a classic slice of early 1970s rock. Great melody and multi tracked harmony vocals with Rundgren again showing off his sterling lead guitar chops at the end of the song.
- Sung in a strange nasal voice the ballad 'Once Burned' was apparently Rundgren's attempt to sound like a blues singer. Nice song though the vocal is kind of offsetting ...
- 'Devil's Bite' was a nice conventional rocker with interesting percussion and some more multi-tracked vocals.
- Whereas side one featured fairly straightforward material, starting with 'I'm In the Clique' the flip side spotlighted the more experimental/goofy Rundgren. The song actually served as a pretty good summary of Rundgren's future career in that it started with an insidiously catchy hook, before suddenly taking a 180 degree turn into weirdville, complete with deadpan vocals, discordant mid-section moves, and some scatching anti-music business lyrics.
- Always willing to try something new, the aptly titled 'There Are No Words' was a brief voices-only prototype ambient composition that sounded like a bunch of stoned monks, or the soundtrack to a bad horror flick.
- Starting out with what may have been a nod to the late Laura Nyro, the medley 'Baby Let's Swing' / 'The Last Thing You Said' / 'Don't Tie My Hands' was a nice nod to his more commercial instincts. The blue-eyed soul second and thirds sections were particularly good and would have sound great on the radio.
- Clocking in at over nine minutes 'Birthday Carol' was the aural equivalent of a stew. Starting out with classical cello section, then bounced into a blues jam, before moving into a springboard for a long and surprisingly tasteful guitar solo. The song then morphed into another beautiful ballad with trademarked angelic harmony vocals, before bouncing back to blues and hard rock segments, and then closing with a cello and horn arrangement.
On a technical level the album's always struck me as having kind of a distant and hollow sound - particularly when compared with some of Rundgren's later releases. Maybe just my ears and it ultimately doesn't matter given the set's multiple gifts. Easily one of my favorite Rundgren releases.
The album was tapped for a pair of single:
- 1971's 'We Gotta Get You a Woman' b/w 'Baby Let's Swing / The Last Thing You Said / Don't Tie My Hands' (Ampex catalog number X 31001) # 20 pop
- 1971's 'Broke Down & Busted' b/w 'Be Nice To Me' (Bearsville/Ampex catalog number X 31002)
"Runt" track listing:
(side 1)
1.) Broke Down & Busted (Todd Rundgren) - 4:32
2.) Believe In Me (Todd Rundgren) - 2:04
3.) We Gotta Get You a Woman (Todd Rundgren) - 2:52
4.) Who's That Man (Todd Rundgren) - 2:59
5.) Once Burned (Todd Rundgren) - 2:09
6.) Devil's Bite (Todd Rundgren) - 3:53
(side
2)
1.) I'm In the Clique (Todd Rundgren) - 4:57
2.) There Are No Words (Todd Rundgren) - 2:12
3.) Baby Let's Swing / The Last Thing You Said / Don't Tie My Hands (Todd Rundgren) - 5:28
4.) Birthday Carol (Todd Rundgren) - 9:14
Fanatics will be aware of this, but there are actually two versions of the album. The original blue inner label release included two songs dropped from subsequent pressings - 'Hope I'm Around' and 'Say No More' and different mixes to at least four of the other songs. As you'd expect the original is quite rare and far more valuable than the latter pressing.