Reluctant to start a full-fledged solo career after leaving
the Nazz
,
Todd Rundgren
formed
Runt
, a band that was a front for what was in effect a solo project. Such isolationism lends
its unique atmosphere -- it is the insular work of a fiercely talented artist finally given the opportunity to pursue his off-kilter musical vision. From the moment the slow, bluesy psychedelic grind of
"Broke Down and Busted"
starts the album, it's apparent that
Rundgren
could never have made
with
-- and that's before the introspective
ballads
or the willfully strange stuff kicks in. Throughout the record,
reveals himself as a gifted synthesist, blending all manners of musical styles and quirks into a distinctive signature sound. He's as interested in sound as he is in song and while he would later pursue these tendencies to extremes,
finds him learning how to create an effective sound with the studio, which may be the reason why the album runs the gamut from
hard rockers
like
"Who's That Man?"
to
"Once Burned."
Although these songs are instantly appealing, the album really gets interesting when he reaches between those two extremes, whether it's in the
classic pop
medley
"Baby Let's Swing,"
the bizarrely tongue-in-cheek
"I'm in the Clique,"
or the equally impish
"We Gotta Get You a Woman,"
which gave
his first hit. All the details buried within these songs -- not only in the deceptively direct productions, but within the writing itself -- confirm
's exceptional skill at songcraft. He occasionally slips on
, delivering tracks that rely on production instead of a blend of studiocraft and songcraft, but it remains a thoroughly impressive debut and one of his finest pop records. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine