Release Date: 1997
Duration: 34:51
Label: Flashback/Rhino
Catalog Number: R2 72677
Few have worn as many hats in the music industry as Todd Rundgren (b. 6/22/48) -- one of rock 'n' roll's true Renaissance men. From his humble bar-band beginnings and stints as leader of '60s power-pop group the Nazz and progressive rockers Utopia to his work as a solo artist and producer of such diverse acts as XTC and Grand Funk Railroad to the musical techno-visionary that he has become, Rundgren has always marched to the beat of his own drum.
Over 30 years in the music business, Rundgren's commercial success is the result of simple melodic craftsmanship. His most popular single, a 1973 version of the plaintive ballad "Hello It's Me," became a Top 5, 20-week hit after originally charting in 1969-70 when released by the Nazz. His very first single, "We Gotta Get You A Woman," off his debut solo album Runt, became a Top 20 hit, while only a year later, his bouyant pop jangle "I Saw The Light" charted at #16. Rundgren is such an accomplished artist that since 1973 he's been his own producer, singer, and band on the majority of his albums.
This CD features Rundgren's top pop gems, spotlighting the ever-changing tunesmith that he is. From his 1973 [sic] Top 40 cover of The Beach Boys' "Good Vibrations" to Utopia's beatific early '80s "One World" to the frenetic boom of "Bang The Drum All Day," this compilation highlights the strengths of one of music's most diverse talents.
--Julee Stover