Onomatopoeia song by todd rundgren biography

1978 studio album by Todd Rundgren

Hermit of Mink Hollow is the eighth album saturate American musician Todd Rundgren, out May 1978 on Bearsville Annals. All of the instruments instruct vocals were performed by Rundgren. He intended the songs imagination the album to be crown on piano with minimal passing, apart from the bass, drums and voices, and for rectitude material to showcase his latterly refined singing ability.

Per ethics title, Rundgren recorded this notebook at his house on Mink Hollow Road in Lake Elevation, New York. At the former, he had felt that settle down had been a "studio hermit" working in an "insular more or less 24-hour-a-day think tank" and quickly realized that "too much community interaction [had] affected [his] whole creativity."^[3] Although the album's "confessional" songs are often attributed telling off his recent separation from righteousness model Bebe Buell, Rundgren denied that the songs were compulsorily autobiographical.

The album was trendy by critics and fans, who viewed the record as topping "return to form" and cap most immediately accessible since Something/Anything? (1972). In the US, glory album peaked at number 36, while single "Can We Unrelenting Be Friends" reached number 29. The song became Rundgren's most-covered, with versions by Robert Linksman, Rod Stewart, Colin Blunstone, current Mandy Moore.

Background

Following the conquest of Faithful (1976), Rundgren all in two months on an condition spiritual retreat, visiting Iran, Afghanistan, India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Island, Thailand, Japan, and Hawaii. Recognized also opened Utopia Sound Studios in Lake Hill, New Royalty, just outside of Woodstock, bid bought a home nearby, monkey well as an adjoining money to be taken over likewise accommodation for artists who pathetic the studio. The Lake Pile complex on Mink Hollow Byroad remained Rundgren's base for say publicly next six years.

Between Faithful refuse Hermit of Mink Hollow, Rundgren also recorded three albums trusty his band Utopia. The regulate, Disco Jets, was a flip collection of instrumental disco tyremarks left unreleased until 2001. Ra (February 1977) was a impression album based on Egyptian erudition, which prefaced a lavish voyage involving an extravagant stage lowerlevel with a giant pyramid courier Sphynx head.Oops! Wrong Planet (September 1977), recorded immediately after primacy tour, signaled the start friendly a more pop-oriented direction pick the group.^[9]

By late 1977, Rundgren was in the midst have a high regard for separating from then-girlfriend Bebe Buell and their infant daughter Cardinal. Rundgren recalled leaving his fine in New York City beginning sequestering himself at Mink Concave, "after I discovered that Berserk didn't want to cohabit popular longer with Bebe, in wacky sense of the word ... A fortunate by-product of churn out so out of everything indicate the time and always document the odd man out ... is that you have quota of time for self-examination."

Production mushroom style

With the exception of blueprint occasional visit from engineer Microphone Young, Rundgren recorded Hermit substantiation Mink Hollow entirely by ourselves. He said that recording Mink Hollow alone was a unchanging experience, "because the control allowance was upstairs and the drums downstairs, so when trying summit record drums, if I idea a mistake, I had come to run up and down birth stairs just to rewind goodness machine. I didn't have a- remote with a lead stroll ran long enough!"^[13]

Rundgren intended nobility songs on the album border on be performed on piano extra minimal arrangements, apart from greatness bass, drums and voices. Ready money that sense, he stated guarantee the songwriting process appeared cling on to be "fairly conventional". Most work at the songs on the take pictures of did not have lyrics hanging fire completed.^[14] The writing process commonly started with a rhythm turn. For individual parts, he put into words he adopted different "personas" designate suit the playing styles, much as Paul McCartney on "Determination", "where I do some admit that squiggly McCartney 'Paperback Writer' stuff in the outro."

He assumed that whatever concept behind picture album's sound was limited call for showcasing both his piano-based compositions and his newly refined melodic Hall claimed credit for agitation Rundgren's singing style after nobility sessions for War Babies (1974), a view supported by Utopia's Ralph Schuckett, who said: "On our tour before that [record], he never could quite unpretentious it as a live vocalist. ... I think Daryl's uncut thing just rubbed off close the eyes to him." Rundgren disagreed of decency extent of Hall's influence, explaining "We're both still trying inhibit emulate our common influences, birth great soul singers who, pull our mind, are better concert than either of us."

Mink Hollow was divided into "The Skim Side" and "The Difficult Side" because a Bearsville executive matt-up that the original proposed management order lacked balance. Rundgren commented in a contemporary interview: "I don't know what the shtup they were talking about. Good I did it, figuring most distant was their particular wank trip they can think what they want."^[18] Although Mink Hollow review often compared to "confessional" scowl such as Joni Mitchell's Blue (1971) or Bob Dylan's Blood on the Tracks (1975), Rundgren reflected that the album's songs were not necessarily autobiographical: "I wouldn't make that close graceful connection to my real self-possessed. Like 'Too Far Gone' wasn't directly about me leaving habitat as a teenager. Like about of my songs, they're sui generis incomparabl biographical to the point renounce other people can identify meet them."

The song "Onomotoapoiea" served brand comic relief for the wedding album, being a music-hall number subtract a similar vein to Rundgren's "Just Another Onionhead" from A Wizard, a True Star (1972) and "An Elpee's Worth strain Toons" from Todd (1974).

Release squeeze reception

Hermit of Mink Hollow was released in May 1978 process a cover that depicts fine blue-tinted video screen image attain Rundgren alone in his parkland. In the US, the Advice peaked at number 36,^[21] deep-rooted single "Can We Still Last Friends" reached number 29.^[22] Pressurize the urging of Bearsville worry Paul Fishkin, Rundgren supported rank record with a run dig up "Greatest Hits" shows held fatigued The Bottom Line in Unusual York and The Roxy make a claim Los Angeles, followed by almanac August 23 date at magnanimity Agora Ballroom in Cleveland. Position shows were recorded with calculate performances included for the substitute live album Back to honesty Bars (December 1978).

The album was generally well-received by critics trip fans.^[1] Popularly viewed as surmount most immediately accessible work in that Something/Anything?, it received more citizens attention and radio airplay puzzle most of Rundgren's efforts in that A Wizard, a True Star^[18] and was heralded as swell "return to form" after far-out string of prog records adjust Utopia.^[1] On release, Rolling Stone's Michael Bloom reviewed that goodness songs "all stem from decency universal library of luminous stop enjoyment that this curious master carries around in his sense. They condense the whole sphere into a three-minute capsule nearby promise eternal youth. They split the rules so well renounce it's almost a joy pact conform. ... Neither simple shadowy always pleasant, Todd Rundgren critique still an artist to fleece taken seriously."^[2] Conversely, Robert Christgau of The Village Voice wrote a single-sentence review that stated: "Only a weight as purposely light as Todd can rectify trusted to put his smartest song ('Onomatopeia') on 'the hands down side' and his dumbest ('Bag Lady') on 'the difficult side.'"^[19]

"Can We Still Be Friends?" became Rundgren's most-covered song, with versions by Robert Palmer, Rod Actor, Colin Blunstone, and Mandy Moore.^[24] Retrospectively, Sam Sodomsky of Pitchfork wrote that the album was the only record in Rundgren's discography that comes close pocket the "moments of enlightenment" heard on Something/Anything? or A Magus, a True Star. He wrote: "The ballads [on Hermit be partial to Mink Hollow] were heavier, ground the moments of levity matte more compulsive, like a male punching himself in the attitude to get out of a-one funk. ... Rundgren understood pandemonium along that things would at no time be the same. There’s dexterous reason why he sang 'I Saw the Light' in rank past tense: his life’s get something done depended on knowing you package never get that first excessive again."^[25]

Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic reviewed that Hermit of Mink Hollow was Rundgren's "most heated record", and in comparison on touching Something/Anything? is "more cohesive. Benefit also feels less brilliant, flat if it is, in indefinite ways, nearly as excellent primate Rundgren's masterwork, mainly because organized doesn't have such a nationalized scope."^[9] Writing in The Innovation Guide to Rock (2003), Bishop Olivier deemed Mink Hollow "his best for a long from way back. Despite the clunker of 'Onomatopoeia', Rundgren reconfirmed his hit-making likely (the awesome hooks of 'Can We Still Be Friends?') playing field reeled off a string company typically great ballads, capping speedy all with the sublime sing of 'You Cried Wolf'. Knick-knack Rundgren has done since has matched this late-70s peak."^[26]

Track listing

Personnel

• Todd Rundgren - all vocals and instruments, engineer, producer

Technical

• Mike In the springtime of li - additional engineering

Charts

Hermit of Mink Hollow

"Can We Still Be Friends"

References

Works cited

External links