Hermit of Mink Hollow - Todd Rundgren
Track List:
All the Children Sing
Can We Still Be Friends
Hurting for You
Too Far Gone
Onomatopoeia
Determination
Bread
Bag Lady
You Cried Wolf
Lucky Guy
Out of Control
Fade Away
Songs I have heard before this listening:
Looking over the titles I recognize none of these songs.
I’ve heard Bag Lady before. I didn’t know the song’s name and I don’t recall where I heard it from but I remember hearing it before.
Notes on the music:
I was told in advance that everything I will hear on this album is Rundgren, he played all the instruments and sang all parts. I think we see a lot of experimentation with this today with YouTube. I’ve seen many one person bands doing cover songs where a person plays all the parts and then they are all overdubbed and synched up together. I don’t think this style of songwriting and recording was as common at the time this album was recorded and even if it was, it's technically impressive.
This is an odd album. Rundgren explores a lot and delivers an album that to me doesn’t seem fully cohesive. The first half of the album has a very pop feel with some dark overtones while the second half is a different composition entirely and not as easily digestible to the ears.
Notes on individual Songs
All the Children Sing
This is some weird 70's pop. Expectations are set. On a second listen I saw this song had a music video. It's super weird, but forward thinking. I see a lot of video editing techniques that are still used in video production today.
Can We Still Be Friends
A song about crossing boundaries between friends and more than friends with someone that just became weird. Still very pop. I could see this and the first song being released as singles.
Hurting for You
We aren't deviating much in the songs at this point. This man is dialed into the pop sound.
Too Far Gone
This still feels pop, but more like Jimmy Buffett. It sounds happy but the actual content of the song is not.
Onomatopoeia
This is like an elementary school English lesson put to a beat.
Determination
This song is a bit different from the earlier songs. It still has a very 70's pop feel. I think there is a Mentos commercial that may have borrowed some of the feel for this song. Fresh goes better, Mentos freshness...
Bread
Now we finally deviate from the very pop forward sounds. I like how he accents his voice with the chord stabs and then flourishes with other keys. The guitar solo to be played behind all the vocals is a strange choice. The song just ends...
Bag Lady
I wonder if this was an actual sax solo or if he used a synth or mellotron to reproduce the sax for the solo. Both this song and Bread have been wild departures from the rest of the album. I assume that this was a stylistic choice and given the number of tracks I would guess the A side and B side of the album were intended to have drastically different feels.
You Cried Wolf
This song does feel a bit more like the more pop songs from the first half of the album than the previous few however it's still a sinister feel with the accusation over and over of "You cried wolf".
Lucky Guy
A traditional piano ballad perhaps? Very synthetic sounding stings.
Out of Control
It starts like a punk song. I hear some Bowie like inflection in the vocals. The song has guitar solos but also retains that punky feel.
Fade Away
Really neat with the build up of tension and sounds and then a clear "Fade away" followed but a collapse of sound again into the recording. I like the use of the pause. I could easily see this performed in front of people and the crowd joining in for belting out "Fade away!"
