Something / Anything

I recently got a new turntable for Xmas after not having had one for several years. As a result I have been going kind of crazy buying mainly used but also some new records over the past month. I bought a used original copy of this record at a local store for $6 but, being the completist/anal collector that I tend to be I wanted to get a copy with all the original inserts. Well, rather than spending a fortune on Ebay for a used original with all of that stuff I opted for this Rhino re-issue. I had heard some mixed reviews about some of the recent vinyl re-issues that were being put out by other companies (Friday Music, Sundazed, Scorpio to name a few) that the new records were warped, didn't sound good, etc., so I was little hesitant on this purchase. Rhino records has always done great with their CD re-releases in the past and this vinyl re-issue is no exception. It sounds great (I haven't compared it to my used original release), is packaged well: heavy duty cover and strong, anti-static inner sleeves; and for a double LP the price is right. It also appears that it is now out of print because when I last checked the Rhino webpage a few days ago neither this or any Todd Rundgren titles for that matter were listed.

So I guess now I will not play this one anymore, sit on it and turn around and try to sell for 3x the money in a few years (I'm kidding). As far as the music itself: I am not a huge Rundgren fan but I can't deny this record: He's a one man band on sides 1-3 and that in and of itself is pretty incredible, plus I always liked both "I Saw the Light" and "Hello It's Me" from the first times I heard them on those annoying commercials for "Sounds of the 70s" multi-CD sets that used get to hawked on regular TV. While those are the two most recognizable songs from this set they are by no means the best. Matter of fact I don't know if there is a best b/c each song has something special about it.

Great songwriting and musicianship throughout and while side 4 is not a strong it doesn't detract from the overall musical statement. I go through phases with different bands and artists once I start to really get into their stuff so perhaps TR will be the next.

I loved listening to the slower Nazz version of "Hello, it's Me" as a kindergartner riding to the grocery store in my mom's car. When heard the up-tempo version a few years later, I was puzzled. I swore the song was different, but I was too young to trace the two versions. Later, as a teenager. I bought the two-LP set and figured out that Something/Anything contains the later version - if I wanted the slow one I would have to visit the annual record collectors' show at the Holiday Inn. (Now, of course, those who want to find the old version need only search online.)

Few may have an affinity for this music that reaches all the way back to early childhood, but Something/Anything shines on its own for its songwriting and as an early "One guy plays and records all" album. (O K, one side of the original album was recorded live, but Rundgren basically made the album by himself.) In addition to "Hello, it's Me," listeners get a good earful of pop songs unlike just anything the wizard wrote later in his career. "Cold Morning Light" and "Couldn't I Just Tell You the Way I Feel" are sure to delight. "Little Red Lights" and "Black Maria" kick a little bit harder. "Viking Song" (dedicated to Patty Smith) offers support in a silly way."Money," a crudely recorded bit of juvenalia from the band Woody's Truckstop, is a fun bit. Some of the album's humor, such as "Some Folks is Even Whiter Than Me" and "Slut" feel like awkward youthful exuberances.

Rundgren's spoken description of studio problems ("p's popping" - as they actually pop)feels like an extra or a throwaway at first blush, but the bit seems to me to be a reminder of the technical genius of the album. In our days of Garage Band, ProTools, and other priced or free digital recording software, we should listen to Something/Anything and remember that Rundgren made a technically sophisticated album full of sophisticated sounds, by himself, working within the limitations of tape. (I'll let somebody else research exactly how sophisticated his studio was. Is it merely legend that his tools were more amateur and scrappy than the professional recording studios of the early 70s?)

When I bought the Something/Anything LP as a teenager, I made sure to get a copy with the lyric sheet/poster included. I wish the CD set did a better job of preserving these. The poster collage shows Rundgren in studio, but it also shows recording dates on calendar pages that reveal the organization and discipline required for studio production. The poster points to process and hints at the busy and productive studio career to come. Showcasing Rundgren's outstanding songs (especially sentimental ballads and pop songs)and 1972 self production to marvel at even today, Something/Anything will not disappoint.

This is seriously one of my favorite albums of all time, and I've wanted a physical CD copy for ages now. Sadly, I could never justify spending 40+ dollars on a new copy of it until my birthday recently.

This album comes in two CDs, meaning two discs and two jewel cases. Additionally, there are no fancy sticker labels on the discs; only plain black text. The case for side one features the traditional album art with the purple background and red flowers that we all know and love. The case for side two features a portrait of Rundgren as the artwork. I'm not a huge fan of this and would have preferred both to feature the floral artwork but it's not a huge deal as I can just scan the booklet and print out a copy and slide it in. The two jewel cases come inside a sturdy and glossy card stock case with the iconic floral artwork.

I did some research before on the various CD versions of this album and was warned against buying the RHINO edition. However, the allegedly "better" version (and tragically, the only other version that I'm aware of) comes in a very expensive box set of Rundgren's work, which I didn't need or want. These discs sound just fine to my ears, and they probably will to your ears as well. If I had to nitpick, I would say that the percussion is a tiny bit louder/more prominent that I'd like but it's not a huge deal at all. I think it sounds lovely, and I'm so happy to have this.

There are a handful of records that bubble to the top when considering which are the best in the Todd Rundgren catalog. But only one pops out beyond the catalog to earn a spot as universally classic, and this is the one.

On Something/Anything, Todd mines his early influences-- singer-songwriters like Laura Nyro and Carol King; the Beatles; the Beach Boys; Motown; Clapton-- to create a dazzling pop song cycle that helped to invent (along with Big Star, Badfinger and the Raspberries) the genre known as power pop. As he says in the liner notes about one of the tunes, "the hits just keep on coming." This is a classic and traditional pop-rock record about boys and girls, about love and longing and teenage heartbreak. It is a genre he has an uncanny knack for, even though he steadfastly avoided it most of the rest of his career.

Some of the best-known and best-loved Todd songs are here: "I Saw the Light" (brilliant); "Hello Its Me;" It Wouldn't Have Made Any Difference." There are lesser-known nuggets that are every bit as sweet as the hits: "Marlene;" "Saving Grace;" "Torch Song." "Black Maria" is a stinging guitar rave-up. "Slut" is a joyous slice of glam-rock that is so archtypal that Big Star included it in their set for their 1993 reunion and thereafter. The fact that htere are two whole records of this stuff is almost unfathomable.

The follow-up, A Wizzard A True Star, is as radical a left turn as any artist has made, equally compelling but in a very different (and tripped out) way. But if you want to check out the most universally appealing manifestation of the genius of Todd Rundgren, well, it begins right here.

Got this for my daughter. Now an album buyer; so proud as we have more in common. This is a must have for any choice. Hell, all his albums are but that's my collection.

Todd Rundgren has a talent for constructing songs that might be defined as 'pop', without falling into the trap of making them saccharine and wimpy. The tunes here have an eccentric tone and are also quite eclectic. The arrangements are complex at times, holding the listener's attention, ranging from 'rock' to 'r&b' to 'ballads' without losing a sense of continuity. I am reminded at times of artists as diverse as Frank Zappa, Stevie Wonder, and the Beach Boys, but again, the whole thing flows and meshes. Todd also shows a sense of humor at times that is most endearing and comparatively unusual. I recommend this 2-disc set if you can find it for a decent price. Carry on.

There is not much I can add to the great things so many people have said about Todd Rundgren's "Something/Anything" over the years. I first got this in the late 1970s when "Hello it's Me" and "I Saw the Light" were still getting regular airplay and it blew me away to get so many great songs on one double album. I played this for WEEKS straight after getting it. WEEKS! There is a reason why this is five stars, and that is because it is a great album that never gets old. Todd also does some really neat stuff on here, like having funny background conversations with (who I assume is) people in his band, playing some funny (and sometimes sad) novelty tunes and even throwing in a couple random songs from his much earlier days. As far as I know, Todd was the first person to do this before the 1990s-era when "boxed sets" and "special editions" started to become relatively common. He was and remains to this day many years ahead of his time.

There are so many great songs on here that I actually envy you if you have never heard this album before because it will blow your mind to hear so many absolutely amazing songs in a row. If you love GOOD music, you need to get this album. There is not one song on here that you need to skip over. This album represents far superior production, songwriting and overall musical workmanship than almost any mainstream Top 40 artist is even capable of today. I highly recommend this album.

The many reviews prior to this posting pretty much say it all; so I will not try to one up the wonderfully crafted positive critiques of this masterpiece.

I fell in love with this album in college, in the 70's when it was only 3 or 4 years old.Played those 4 vinyl sides so many times, I went through 2 copies, then through the years and the emergence of C.D.'s purchased that version, but somehow through the many moves, lost one of the discs...and though I always turned up the incredible "Hello It's Me" when it came up on the radio, the memory of how wonderful the rest of the album (other than another radio hit 'I Saw the Light") had faded.

In our relatively new "Fam Cave", for the first time since college I have a sound system worthy of the new digital age, thanks to Vizio and Altec..and when going thru my collection, realized I needed to reaquire S/A. Amazon to the rescue. It's the version digitally remastered in the 90's...wow...it's a record that needs to be listened at a good volume...on a good system (or at least a Bose Wave; but that doesn't totally do it justice)...to absorb, just how GREAT this is. The last "side" especially (later portion of the 2nd CD)...sounds like Todd and his backup singers and musicians are cutting up right in your house; while creating earth shattering great jams, from the soulful, beautiful...to all out rock and roll jams. Damn!

Buy it.

Excelente

Todd s'est dépassé sur ce disque, les chansons douces sont certainement les plus tendres qui soient pour l'oreille (d'un mélomane averti ?)

Disc 1の「アイ・ソー・ザ・ライト（瞳の中の愛）」【72年全米16位】オムニバスCDなどに同曲はよく収録されていますが、それとは別次元のすばらしい音質でした。

Disc 2に6曲のボーナス・トラックが収録されていて、「アイ・ソー・ザ・ライト（瞳の中の愛）」のモノ・ヴァージョンが聴けます。

プロモ盤シングルに収録されていたものをCD化したそうです。

classic album in nice package with the added bonus of SACD option.

The record arrived well packaged and in great condition.