Something/Anything? - TODD RUNGREN***

I Saw The Light/It Wouldn't Have Made Any Difference/Wolfman Jack/Cold Morning Light/It Takes Two To Tango/Sweeter Memories/Intro/Breathless/The Night The Carousel Burned Down/Saving Grace/Marlene/Song Of The Viking/I Went To The Mirror/Black Maria/One More Day (No Word)/Couldn't I Just Tell You/Torch Song/Little Red Lights/Money (That's What I Want)-Messin' With The Kid/Dust In The Wind/Piss Aaron/Hello Its Me/Some Folks Is Even Whiter Than Me/You Left Me Sore/Slut

Todd Rungren is best remembered as a producer but he was also a talented musician and songwriter. This is in evidence on the double album Something/Anything? where he dabbles in a kaleidoscope of musical styles (US:29)

"Pop does not do justice to the veritable cornucopia of catchy tunes here - they're literally piled on the vinyl and tumbling off the sides. I could rattle off ten songs right now that are clever, extremely listenable and incredibly well crafted.”

“Todd Rundgren's double-album Something/Anything? was a diverse juggernaut of catchy pop, R & B/soul, hard rock, psychedelia, scatological humour, and other styles difficult to classify. However, the album is fairly accessible throughout.”

“The album is full of competent pop songs, either piano or guitar driven and almost anything on it could have been released as a decent single around the time. It still has its highlights however, such as Rundgren's biggest hit, Hello It's Me. I also quite like the rocking Black Maria and the instrumental track, Breathless. There are occasional more creative approaches to these pop tunes, such as in The Night The Carousel Burned Down with a backing mellotron that sounds straight out of a carnival itself.”

“A kaleidoscopic journey that blends sophisticated pop song arrangements, combining elements of funk and balladry soft rock that emit a light-hearted and playful attitude. Rundgren's persona portrays confidence in exploring various styles.”

“Something/Anything? is a sprawling, ambitious double album from studio wiz Todd Rundgren. For the first three quarters he plays all the instruments, sings all the parts and produces. The last side was a live in the studio song suite that he recorded with a full band. The album touches on numerous musical styles for power pop to rock to soul to jazz and everything in between. But it doesn't matter what the musical style is or method of recording, the effort is the strongest of his career.”

“If you are looking to have a consistently great record from start to finish, you'll probably be disappointed here. But I still think there is plenty to enjoy. It's mostly ballads and light vocal pop, but with a few good rockers hiding in the shadows.”