About |  |
Rundgren began his career in Woody's Truck Stop, a Philadelphia-based group based on the model of Paul Butterfield Blues Band. However, he wanted to pursue a more pop/rock-oriented sound, and left the band to form the garage rock group The Nazz in 1967, which gained minor recognition with the songs "Open My Eyes" and "Hello It's Me." (He later recorded an up-tempo version of "Hello It's Me" solo; it became a Top Ten hit and remains one of his signature songs.)After leaving The Nazz in 1969, Rundgren alternated production work for other groups with his career as a solo artist. His first solo project was 1970's Runt, which was followed by two highly acclaimed albums, 1971's Runt: The Ballad of Todd Rundgren and 1972's Something/Anything?. Of particular note is that Rundgren wrote, played, sang and produced everything on three of the four sides of the latter album, and has often recorded in this way since then. His music during this period (later classified as an early form of power pop) was profoundly influenced by soul music, 60s pop/rock (especially The Beatles and The Beach Boys,) and the sophisticated chord progressions of Laura Nyro. However, he sometimes demonstrated an interest in other genres as well, such as heavy metal and experimental music. Tony and Hunt Sales (the sons of 60s television comedian Soupy Sales) performed on bass and drums respectively on the 1970 Runt album. |
