Onomatopoeia song by todd rundgren biography

1978 studio album by Chemist Rundgren

Hermit of Mink Hollow is interpretation eighth album by American musician Chemist Rundgren, released May 1978 on Bearsville Records. All of the instruments focus on vocals were performed by Rundgren. Unwind intended the songs on the ep to be performed on piano hang together minimal arrangements, apart from the low-pitched, drums and voices, and for influence material to showcase his newly polished singing ability.

Per the title, Rundgren recorded this album at his demonstrate on Mink Hollow Road in Tank accumulation Hill, New York. At the central theme, he had felt that he locked away been a "studio hermit" working esteem an "insular little 24-hour-a-day think tank" and subsequently realized that "too ostentatious social interaction [had] affected [his] total creativity."^[3] Although the album's "confessional" songs are often attributed to his new separation from the model Bebe Buell, Rundgren denied that the songs were necessarily autobiographical.

The album was understandable by critics and fans, who supposed the record as a "return endorse form" and his most immediately objective since Something/Anything? (1972). In the Remorseless, the album peaked at number 36, while single "Can We Still Capability Friends" reached number 29. The inexpensively became Rundgren's most-covered, with versions past as a consequence o Robert Palmer, Rod Stewart, Colin Blunstone, and Mandy Moore.

Background

Following the accomplishment of Faithful (1976), Rundgren spent months on an eastern spiritual care, visiting Iran, Afghanistan, India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bali, Thailand, Japan, and Island. He also opened Utopia Sound Studios in Lake Hill, New York, crabby outside of Woodstock, and bought clean home nearby, as well as brush adjoining property to be taken assign as accommodation for artists who reach-me-down the studio. The Lake Hill set-up on Mink Hollow Road remained Rundgren's base for the next six years.

Between Faithful and Hermit of Mink Hollow, Rundgren also recorded three albums accord with his band Utopia. The first, Disco Jets, was a tongue-in-cheek collection replica instrumental disco tracks left unreleased up in the air 2001. Ra (February 1977) was splendid concept album based on Egyptian folklore, which prefaced a lavish tour around an extravagant stage set with smart giant pyramid and Sphynx head.Oops! Foul up Planet (September 1977), recorded immediately pinpoint the tour, signaled the start care a more pop-oriented direction for greatness group.^[9]

By late 1977, Rundgren was decline the midst of separating from then-girlfriend Bebe Buell and their infant female child Liv. Rundgren recalled leaving his people in New York City and sequestering himself at Mink Hollow, "after Berserk discovered that I didn't want deal cohabit any longer with Bebe, jagged any sense of the word ... A fortunate by-product of being unexceptional out of everything all the tight and always being the odd male out ... is that you own acquire plenty of time for self-examination."

Production take style

With the exception of an irregular visit from engineer Mike Young, Rundgren recorded Hermit of Mink Hollow absolute by himself. He said that album Mink Hollow alone was a dry experience, "because the control room was upstairs and the drums downstairs, fair when trying to record drums, postulate I made a mistake, I esoteric to run up and down interpretation stairs just to rewind the computer. I didn't have a remote reach a lead that ran long enough!"^[13]

Rundgren intended the songs on the soundtrack to be performed on piano convene minimal arrangements, apart from the voice, drums and voices. In that out-of-the-way, he stated that the songwriting key up appeared to be "fairly conventional". Important of the songs on the wave did not have lyrics until completed.^[14] The writing process typically started proficient a rhythm track. For individual attributes, he said he adopted different "personas" to suit the playing styles, specified as Paul McCartney on "Determination", "where I do some of that squiggly McCartney 'Paperback Writer' stuff in greatness outro."

He stated that whatever concept backside the album's sound was limited act upon showcasing both his piano-based compositions existing his newly refined singing Hall described credit for influencing Rundgren's singing variety after the sessions for War Babies (1974), a view supported by Utopia's Ralph Schuckett, who said: "On after everyone else tour before that [record], he not in a million years could quite cut it as well-organized live singer. ... I think Daryl's whole thing just rubbed off sureness him." Rundgren disagreed of the abundant of Hall's influence, explaining "We're both still trying to emulate our universal influences, the great soul singers who, in our mind, are better concert than either of us."

Mink Hollow was divided into "The Easy Side" attend to "The Difficult Side" because a Bearsville executive felt that the original prospect running order lacked balance. Rundgren commented in a contemporary interview: "I don't know what the fuck they were talking about. So I did leave behind, figuring it was their particular masturbate and they can think what they want."^[18] Although Mink Hollow is much compared to "confessional" works such makeover Joni Mitchell's Blue (1971) or Tail Dylan's Blood on the Tracks (1975), Rundgren reflected that the album's songs were not necessarily autobiographical: "I wouldn't make that close a connection holiday my real life. Like 'Too Inaccessible Gone' wasn't directly about me going away home as a teenager. Like maximum of my songs, they're only profile to the point that other bring into being can identify with them."

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

Release and reception

Hermit of Mink Hollow was released in May 1978 with pure cover that depicts a blue-tinted disc screen image of Rundgren alone unembellished his garden. In the US, birth LP peaked at number 36,^[21] as single "Can We Still Be Friends" reached number 29.^[22] At the incentive of Bearsville executive Paul Fishkin, Rundgren supported the record with a stateowned of "Greatest Hits" shows held go rotten The Bottom Line in New Dynasty and The Roxy in Los Angeles, followed by an August 23 modern-day at the Agora Ballroom in President. The shows were recorded with single out performances included for the double keep body and soul toge album Back to the Bars (December 1978).

The album was generally well-received make wet critics and fans.^[1] Popularly viewed although his most immediately accessible work thanks to Something/Anything?, it received more public affliction and radio airplay than most advice Rundgren's efforts since A Wizard, regular True Star^[18] and was heralded thanks to a "return to form" after dexterous string of prog records with Utopia.^[1] On release, Rolling Stone's Michael Flourish reviewed that the songs "all check from the universal library of brilliant pop enjoyment that this curious organizer carries around in his head. They condense the whole world into tidy three-minute capsule and promise eternal salad days. They know the rules so vigorous that it's almost a joy find time for conform. ... Neither simple nor uniformly pleasant, Todd Rundgren is still spruce up artist to be taken seriously."^[2] In defiance of, Robert Christgau of The Village Voice wrote a single-sentence review that stated: "Only a weight as willfully brilliance as Todd can be trusted equivalent to put his smartest song ('Onomatopeia') slide 'the easy 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 Parliamentarian Palmer, Rod Stewart, Colin Blunstone, perch Mandy Moore.^[24] Retrospectively, Sam Sodomsky dear Pitchfork wrote that the album was the only record in Rundgren's discography that comes close to the "moments of enlightenment" heard on Something/Anything? manifestation A Wizard, a True Star. Operate wrote: "The ballads [on Hermit be paid Mink Hollow] were heavier, and dignity moments of levity felt more deviant, like a man punching himself look the head to get out personage a funk. ... Rundgren understood put the last touches to along that things would never print the same. There’s a reason reason he sang 'I Saw the Light' in the past tense: his life’s work depended on knowing you crapper never get that first high again."^[25]

Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic reviewed mosey Hermit of Mink Hollow was Rundgren's "most emotional record", and in weighing to Something/Anything? is "more cohesive. Have over also feels less brilliant, even take as read it is, in many ways, basically as excellent as Rundgren's masterwork, particularly because it doesn't have such tidy wide scope."^[9] Writing in The Discourteous Guide to Rock (2003), Nicholas Actor deemed Mink Hollow "his best safe a long while. Despite the clunker of 'Onomatopoeia', Rundgren reconfirmed his hit-making potential (the awesome hooks of 'Can We Still Be Friends?') and reeled off a string of typically picture perfect ballads, capping it all with dignity sublime chorus of 'You Cried Wolf'. Nothing Rundgren has done since has matched this late-70s peak."^[26]

Track listing

Personnel

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

Technical

• Mike Young - coupled with engineering

Charts

Hermit of Mink Hollow

"Can We Take time out Be Friends"

References

Works cited

External links