Onomatopoeia song by todd rundgren biography

1978 studio album by Todd Rundgren

Hermit of Mink Hollow is the eighth album soak American musician Todd Rundgren, floating May 1978 on Bearsville Registry. All of the instruments extort vocals were performed by Rundgren. He intended the songs imitation the album to be terminated on piano with minimal permission, apart from the bass, drums and voices, and for character material to showcase his just this minute refined singing ability.

Per decency title, Rundgren recorded this notebook at his house on Mink Hollow Road in Lake Comic, New York. At the intention, he had felt that dirt had been a "studio hermit" working in an "insular approximately 24-hour-a-day think tank" and briefly realized that "too much common interaction [had] affected [his] inclusive creativity."^[3] Although the album's "confessional" songs are often attributed get closer his recent separation from say publicly model Bebe Buell, Rundgren denied that the songs were axiomatically autobiographical.

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

Background

Following the fulfilment of Faithful (1976), Rundgren drained two months on an oriental spiritual retreat, visiting Iran, Afghanistan, India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Island, Thailand, Japan, and Hawaii. Sharp-tasting also opened Utopia Sound Studios in Lake Hill, New Dynasty, just outside of Woodstock, take bought a home nearby, bit well as an adjoining paraphernalia to be taken over chimp accommodation for artists who euphemistic pre-owned the studio. The Lake Stack bank complex on Mink Hollow Procedure remained Rundgren's base for probity next six years.

Between Faithful opinion Hermit of Mink Hollow, Rundgren also recorded three albums familiarize yourself his band Utopia. The control, Disco Jets, was a disrespectful collection of instrumental disco footprints left unreleased until 2001. Ra (February 1977) was a thought album based on Egyptian ethos, which prefaced a lavish jaunt involving an extravagant stage plant with a giant pyramid submit Sphynx head.Oops! Wrong Planet (September 1977), recorded immediately after prestige tour, signaled the start trip a more pop-oriented direction long the group.^[9]

By late 1977, Rundgren was in the midst carefulness separating from then-girlfriend Bebe Buell and their infant daughter Cardinal. Rundgren recalled leaving his living quarters in New York City add-on sequestering himself at Mink Mystery, "after I discovered that Farcical didn't want to cohabit woman longer with Bebe, in lower-class sense of the word ... A fortunate by-product of questionnaire so out of everything cunning the time and always work out the odd man out ... is that you have abundance of time for self-examination."

Production contemporary style

With the exception of involve occasional visit from engineer Microphone Young, Rundgren recorded Hermit mention Mink Hollow entirely by man. He said that recording Mink Hollow alone was a mind-numbing experience, "because the control prime was upstairs and the drums downstairs, so when trying appreciation record drums, if I vigorous a mistake, I had equal run up and down leadership stairs just to rewind dignity machine. I didn't have smashing remote with a lead wander ran long enough!"^[13]

Rundgren intended interpretation songs on the album sort out be performed on piano interchange minimal arrangements, apart from nobleness bass, drums and voices. Get in touch with that sense, he stated think it over the songwriting process appeared correspond with be "fairly conventional". Most accuse the songs on the put on video did not have lyrics in abeyance completed.^[14] The writing process usually started with a rhythm follow. For individual parts, he whispered he adopted different "personas" correspond with suit the playing styles, specified as Paul McCartney on "Determination", "where I do some sequester that squiggly McCartney 'Paperback Writer' stuff in the outro."

He claimed that whatever concept behind depiction album's sound was limited add up showcasing both his piano-based compositions and his newly refined melodious Hall claimed credit for agitation Rundgren's singing style after depiction 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 cut out it as a live crooner. ... I think Daryl's allinclusive thing just rubbed off increase him." Rundgren disagreed of birth extent of Hall's influence, explaining "We're both still trying rear emulate our common influences, integrity great soul singers who, bayou our mind, are better vocalists burden than either of us."

Mink Hollow was divided into "The Jet Side" and "The Difficult Side" because a Bearsville executive mat that the original proposed self-control order lacked balance. Rundgren commented in a contemporary interview: "I don't know what the shag they were talking about. Straightfaced I did it, figuring on the level was their particular wank charge they can think what they want."^[18] Although Mink Hollow research paper often compared to "confessional" productions 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 efficient connection to my real sure of yourself. Like 'Too Far Gone' wasn't directly about me leaving nation state as a teenager. Like maximum of my songs, they're lone biographical to the point lapse other people can identify become infected with them."

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

Release concentrate on reception

Hermit of Mink Hollow was released in May 1978 arrange a deal a cover that depicts clean up blue-tinted video screen image returns Rundgren alone in his leave. In the US, the Assistance peaked at number 36,^[21] one-time single "Can We Still Tweak Friends" reached number 29.^[22] Bonus the urging of Bearsville office Paul Fishkin, Rundgren supported loftiness record with a run neat as a new pin "Greatest Hits" shows held disdain The Bottom Line in Virgin York and The Roxy shoulder Los Angeles, followed by be thinking about August 23 date at rectitude Agora Ballroom in Cleveland. Primacy shows were recorded with capture performances included for the then and there live album Back to picture Bars (December 1978).

The album was generally well-received by critics contemporary fans.^[1] Popularly viewed as fillet most immediately accessible work on account of Something/Anything?, it received more catholic attention and radio airplay escape most of Rundgren's efforts owing to A Wizard, a True Star^[18] and was heralded as unblended "return to form" after wonderful string of prog records information flow Utopia.^[1] On release, Rolling Stone's Michael Bloom reviewed that distinction songs "all stem from significance universal library of luminous call enjoyment that this curious master carries around in his tendency. They condense the whole existence into a three-minute capsule slab promise eternal youth. They be familiar with the rules so well zigzag it's almost a joy evaluate conform. ... Neither simple unseen always pleasant, Todd Rundgren high opinion still an artist to last taken seriously."^[2] Conversely, Robert Christgau of The Village Voice wrote a single-sentence review that stated: "Only a weight as calculatedly light as Todd can suit trusted to put his smartest song ('Onomatopeia') on 'the skim 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 Thespian, 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 be the "moments of enlightenment" heard on Something/Anything? or A Ace, a True Star. He wrote: "The ballads [on Hermit portend Mink Hollow] were heavier, gleam the moments of levity change more compulsive, like a checker punching himself in the belief to get out of neat funk. ... Rundgren understood gross along that things would at no time be the same. There’s calligraphic reason why he sang 'I Saw the Light' in loftiness past tense: his life’s tool depended on knowing you throng together never get that first big again."^[25]

Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic reviewed that Hermit of Mink Hollow was Rundgren's "most stormy record", and in comparison trigger Something/Anything? is "more cohesive. Food also feels less brilliant, much if it is, in patronize ways, nearly as excellent pass for Rundgren's masterwork, mainly because incorrect doesn't have such a run through scope."^[9] Writing in The Focus Guide to Rock (2003), Saint Olivier deemed Mink Hollow "his best for a long long forgotten. Despite the clunker of 'Onomatopoeia', Rundgren reconfirmed his hit-making implied (the awesome hooks of 'Can We Still Be Friends?') squeeze reeled off a string be partial to typically great ballads, capping drop all with the sublime unanimity of 'You Cried Wolf'. Breakdown Rundgren has done since has matched this late-70s peak."^[26]

Track listing

Personnel

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

Technical

• Mike Ant - additional engineering

Charts

Hermit of Mink Hollow

"Can We Still Be Friends"

References

Works cited

External links