Runt. The Ballad of Todd Rundgren
| Runt. The Ballad of Todd Rundgren | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by Todd Rundgren | ||||
| Released | June 24, 1971 | |||
| Recorded | Bearsville Studios, Bearsville, NY | |||
| Genre | Pop rock, soft rock | |||
| Length | 42:05 | |||
| Label | Ampex | |||
| Producer | Todd Rundgren | |||
| Todd Rundgren chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Runt. The Ballad of Todd Rundgren | ||||
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| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |  [1] |
| Rolling Stone | (Not Rated)[2] |
| Robert Christgau | (B)[3] |
Runt. The Ballad of Todd Rundgren is the second album by American singer-songwriter/musician Todd Rundgren, released in 1971. The album features mostly piano-led pop songs and ballads.
As with his first album, this album was initially credited to "Runt". Rundgren himself wrote, produced and sang every tune on The Ballad of Todd Rundgren, as well as handling all guitars, keyboards, and vocals.
"I was pretty overbearing to deal with," Rundgren recalled in the liner notes to the 1999 CD release. "I was also becoming very particular about arrangements, so I took a crack at playing it all myself. But I still had some dependence on other musicians. I wasn't yet ready to play drums or to seriously address what bass playing should be like."[4]
Tony Sales, who played bass on Runt, the previous album, plays on the majority of tracks, but brother Hunt Sales, the drummer on the first album, plays drums only on one cut and conga on one.
Studio musicians Jerry Scheff and John Guerin provide the rhythm section on two tracks; Norman D. Smart, who later became a member of the Hello People and was Mountain's first drummer, plays on the remainder.
The album cover was designed by Milton Glaser.
In mid 1971, Bearsville was purchased by Warner Bros. and plans were made to re-release both Runt and Runt. The Ballad of Todd Rundgren as a "twin pack" entitled Todd Rundgren's Rack Job (Catalog Number 2BV 2156) in 1973. The album got as far as test presses and album art, but was shelved as Rundgren preferred to release an album of new material.
Track listing
All songs written by Todd Rundgren.
Side one
- "Long Flowing Robe" – 3:30
- "The Ballad (Denny & Jean)" – 3:30
- "Bleeding" – 4:05
- "Wailing Wall" – 3:05
- "The Range War" – 2:38
- "Chain Letter" – 5:02
Side two
- "A Long Time, A Long Way to Go" – 2:12
- "Boat on the Charles" – 4:28
- "Be Nice to Me" – 3:27
- "Hope I'm Around" – 4:55
- "Parole" – 4:22
- "Remember Me" – 0:51
Personnel
(taken from inner gatefold of original 1971 vinyl)
- Todd Rundgren – guitars, mandolin, fiddle, piano, organ, pump organ, Clavinet, Wurlitzer electric piano, EMS VCS 3, tenor and baritone saxophones, vibraphone, percussion, vocals
- Tony Sales – bass (tracks 1–3, 5–8, 11), percussion (tracks 1, 8)
- Norman D. Smart – drums (tracks 1–3, 5–8), percussion (tracks 1, 8)
- John Guerin – drums (tracks 9–10 only)
- Hunt Sales – drums (track 11 only), conga (track 8 only)
- Jerry Scheff – bass (tracks 9–10 only)
Charts
Album
| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1971 | Billboard Pop Albums | 214 |
Singles
| Year | Single | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1971 | "Be Nice to Me" | Canada RPM Singles Chart | 92 |
| 1971 | "Be Nice to Me" | Billboard Pop Singles[5] | 71 |
| 1971 | "A Long Time, A Long Way to Go" | Billboard Pop Singles[5] | 92 |
References
- ↑ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas (2011). "Runt: The Ballad of Todd Rundgren – Todd Rundgren | AllMusic". allmusic.com. Retrieved July 8, 2011.
- ↑ Smith, Patti (2011). "Todd Rundgren: Runt: The Ballad Of Todd Rundgren : Music Reviews : Rolling Stone". web.archive.org. Archived from the original on January 16, 2009. Retrieved July 8, 2011.
- ↑ Christgau, Robert (2011). "Robert Christgau: CG: Artist 1593". robertchristgau.com. Retrieved July 8, 2011.
- ↑ Liner Notes from Runt. The Ballad of Todd Rundgren (link offline)
- 1 2 "allmusic ((( Todd Rundgren > Charts & Awards > Billboard Singles )))". Billboard. Retrieved 2011-12-17.