The Very Best Of Todd Rundgren (1997)

Rundgren is a very talented songwriter/engineer/producer. He is one of those under-appreciated musicians that will do as he pleases without regard to the label executives, which has definitely hampered his commercial success. He's also written some fantastic pop songs of the type that get better with each listen. Which means this solid compilation from Rhino gets better every time I hear it. In addition to his solo work, the compilation includes three songs recorded with the Rundgren-led group Utopia. We're treated to everything from hit ballads (Hello, It's Me) to Big Star-ish power pop (Couldn't I Just Tell You) to soft rock (Love Is The Answer) to R&B (The Want Of A Nail) to 5 PM radio staples (Bang The Drum All Day) to arena rock (The Very Last Time). Also included is a overlooked gem of a track from 1985's A Cappella album which was a remarkable, unusual, innovative piece of arranging and producing. If you want to familiarize yourself with Rundgren's work (and you should), this is a good place to start. And then hit repeat.

Peak on the US Billboard Top 200 chart: Did not chart

Tracks: Proof positive that chart position doesn't necessarily reflect quality.

	Song	Year	Hot 100
1	We Gotta Get You A Woman	1970	20
2	Be Nice To Me	1971	71
3	I Saw the Light	1972	16
4	Hello It's Me	1973	5
5	Couldn't I Just Tell You	1972	93
6	Just One Victory	1973
7	A Dream Goes On Forever	1974	69
8	Real Man	1975	83
9	Love Of The Common Man	1976
10	Love Is The Answer (Utopia)	1977
11	Love In Action (Utopia)	1977
12	Can We Still Be Friends	1978	29
13	The Very Last Time (Utopia)	1980	76
14	Bang The Drum All Day	1983	63
15	Something To Fall Back On	1985
16	The Want Of A Nail (w/Bobby Womack)	1989

Missing Top 40 hit: Good Vibrations (#34, 1976)

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: None

Previously revisited for the blog:
The Ever Popular Tortured Artist Effect (1982)