Todd Rundgren

如果一個(gè)人音樂(lè)風(fēng)格幾乎涵蓋了所有流行音樂(lè)主要風(fēng)格:流行樂(lè),民謠,布魯斯,爵士樂(lè),Motown,Soul,迷幻樂(lè),Prog Rock,硬搖滾,重金屬,電子樂(lè),實(shí)驗(yàn)音樂(lè),New Age,華麗搖滾,Punk,Reggae,Bossa Nova,Latin......或者我們可以想到的一切.那么這個(gè)人作為一個(gè)創(chuàng)作型歌手的成就已經(jīng)算是驚人了吧? 如果也有一個(gè)人的搖滾吉他演奏,被后輩小子(如Paul Gilbert)奉為宗師和偶像,而同時(shí)又精通鋼琴,鍵盤(pán),電風(fēng)琴,合成器,Flute,Saxophone,Bass,Drums等各種樂(lè)器,簡(jiǎn)言之,此人堪稱Prince先師式的多才多藝的樂(lè)器演奏天才。 但如果又有一個(gè)人的錄音工程和音樂(lè)制作技巧足以讓所有和他合作的歌手和樂(lè)隊(duì)的各種流派的作品成為傳世之作.而這一長(zhǎng)串名單包括:The Sparks, New York Dolls, Badfinger, Grand Funk Railroad, Hall & Oates, Meat Loaf, Patti Smith, Tom Robinson Band, XTC, Bad Religion, Cheap Trick, Hiroshi Takano, The Psychedelic Furs, The Band......那么這樣一個(gè)制作人又是否算是功勛卓著呢? 如果還有一個(gè)人在長(zhǎng)達(dá)40年的音樂(lè)生涯中憑借無(wú)數(shù)杰作始終引領(lǐng)音樂(lè)走向,不僅個(gè)人音樂(lè)生涯成功,并且組建/加入了Utopia,The New Cars(重組后的The Cars),Blondie這樣的知名樂(lè)隊(duì)獲得成功,在70年代就自導(dǎo)自演了最早期成功的MTV,80年代制作了成功的兒童節(jié)目,還能在90年代初期就致力于電腦平臺(tái),軟件和網(wǎng)絡(luò)音樂(lè)的開(kāi)發(fā),那么這個(gè)人是否有可以被我們看作著作等身,嗅覺(jué)靈敏的流行文化大師呢? 沒(méi)錯(cuò),我們只能找到一個(gè)人.Hello,It's Me,I'm Todd Rundgren. 大事記 Todd Rundgren生于1948年的費(fèi)城郊區(qū),Motown以及Soul音樂(lè)自幼開(kāi)始影響了他的一生,少年時(shí),他開(kāi)始跟隨Beach Boys,The Beatles以及The Rolling Stones的搖滾樂(lè)開(kāi)始自學(xué)各種樂(lè)器的演奏.16歲就組建了個(gè)人樂(lè)隊(duì).在他18歲時(shí)候和朋友們組建了樂(lè)隊(duì)The Nazz并且在1968年發(fā)行了首張同名專(zhuān)輯. 1968 年為T(mén)he Doors暖場(chǎng)而被人所知的The Nazz一直在美國(guó)流行樂(lè)史上擁有一個(gè)特殊的地位,因?yàn)樗堑谝粋€(gè)公認(rèn)并公開(kāi)的親英風(fēng)格的美國(guó)樂(lè)隊(duì)(甚至The Nazz這個(gè)名字都是源自Yardbird的一首曲子).在Nazz短短的3年歷史中,你可以隨處可見(jiàn)The Beatles,The Stones,The Who,The Move,Cream,Traffic以及Yardbird的影子(首張專(zhuān)輯中,Todd就借用了了The Who在"I can't explain"中的強(qiáng)力Riff). 值得一提的是,The Nazz3張專(zhuān)輯中所有的音樂(lè)又幾乎是不滿20歲的Todd一人創(chuàng)作 1968 年的Debut專(zhuān)輯中隨處可見(jiàn)的"英國(guó)入侵"風(fēng)格并沒(méi)有給樂(lè)隊(duì)引起太大轟動(dòng),然而實(shí)際上已經(jīng)開(kāi)始初綻了Todd Rundgren的才華,甚至已經(jīng)收錄了Todd后來(lái)的熱門(mén)單曲"Hello It's Me",18歲的Todd已經(jīng)擔(dān)任創(chuàng)作,多種樂(lè)器演奏,和聲以及制作人的工作 樂(lè)隊(duì)發(fā)行首張專(zhuān)輯后,剛剛進(jìn)入樂(lè)壇的弱冠青年Todd已經(jīng)開(kāi)始野心勃勃的準(zhǔn)備讓Nazz發(fā)行一張雙專(zhuān)輯長(zhǎng)度的作品,從而讓人們不僅僅把他視作一個(gè)有潛力的歌曲作者.但最終1969年發(fā)行的Nazz Nazz并沒(méi)有造成另一個(gè)"白色專(zhuān)輯"的影響,但在這張作品中,Todd已經(jīng)開(kāi)始受到了1968年發(fā)行了Eli And The 13Th Confession而引起樂(lè)壇關(guān)注的才女Laura Nyro的音樂(lè)影響. 1970 年的Nazz III的創(chuàng)作過(guò)程足以用混亂二字形容,甚至Todd在專(zhuān)輯制作結(jié)束前就退出了樂(lè)隊(duì),和他爭(zhēng)奪主唱地位的Robert "Stewkey" Antoni甚至隨后在專(zhuān)輯中抹去了Todd的聲音,然而這張專(zhuān)輯里的大部分歌曲創(chuàng)作仍是Todd的功勞,直到今天仍有很多樂(lè)評(píng)人認(rèn)為如果樂(lè)隊(duì)內(nèi)部沒(méi)有產(chǎn)生分裂,這張作品本應(yīng)成為一個(gè)杰作,而Nazz也將成為一個(gè)偉大的樂(lè)隊(duì).然而另一方面,我們應(yīng)該看到Todd已經(jīng)離開(kāi)樂(lè)隊(duì),開(kāi)始了他光芒燦爛的Solo生涯. 剛離開(kāi)Nazz的年方22歲的Todd迅速發(fā)行的首張個(gè)人專(zhuān)輯Runt, Todd在專(zhuān)輯中一人獨(dú)力完成了除Bass和Drum演奏之外全部的音樂(lè)創(chuàng)作,演奏,演唱和制作工作.第一次手握全權(quán)的Todd在這張專(zhuān)輯中表現(xiàn)了與 Nazz炯異的音樂(lè)風(fēng)格,從而在開(kāi)始積累了一批聽(tīng)眾的同時(shí),徹底回?fù)袅怂?jīng)的隊(duì)友和對(duì)手Robert "Stewkey" Antoni.開(kāi)場(chǎng)曲"Broke Down & Busted"展示了Todd布魯斯根基的迷幻吉他演奏技巧;鋼琴的民謠作品"Believe in me"以Todd晶瑩美妙的配器和豎琴演奏而引人入勝;頑皮而動(dòng)聽(tīng)的"We gotta get U a woman"成為了他的第一首個(gè)人熱門(mén)單曲;"Devil's Bite"一曲成為了Todd作為早期硬搖滾和重金屬的代表作."I'm in the clique"則是幾乎讓人們看到了一個(gè)年輕的Frank Zappa;"There are no words"中Todd憑借巧妙的音樂(lè)制作技術(shù)和他本人出眾的演唱和假聲締造出巧妙重迭,典雅憂傷的和聲山谷;而片尾曲"Birthday Carol"則是Todd拿手的一首各種風(fēng)格雜燴長(zhǎng)篇曲目,也讓Todd在編曲配器方面的卓越才華開(kāi)始為人所知. (同一時(shí)期,Todd幾百美金低價(jià)買(mǎi)入了Eric Clapton在Cream時(shí)期的Gibson SG迷幻吉他,若乾年后歸還了"Slowhand"本人,也有說(shuō)法說(shuō)他以天文數(shù)字價(jià)錢(qián)拍賣(mài)了這把吉他大賺一票) 在憑借Runt引起各大唱片公司關(guān)注的Todd終于在此時(shí)和Rhino簽訂了一份豐厚的合約,作為回報(bào),1971年發(fā)行的Runt: The Ballad of Todd Rundgren絕對(duì)可以稱作一張五星級(jí)的作品.The Rolling Stones甚至說(shuō),這張是最佳的Paul McCartney式的作品(然而事實(shí)上Paul McCartney本人一生都沒(méi)有能逾越這張專(zhuān)輯的作品).自省的民謠作品中常常夾雜Todd本人無(wú)禮放肆的幽默(唱片封面是藍(lán)色背景中,Todd本人背對(duì)彈奏鋼琴,頸上套著絞索).Todd通過(guò)這張專(zhuān)輯展示了一個(gè)公認(rèn)的得天獨(dú)厚的年輕天才孤獨(dú)而敏感的內(nèi)心世界,這張內(nèi)容樸素而謙遜的專(zhuān)輯也基本確立 Todd的主要音樂(lè)風(fēng)格特點(diǎn),從而成為T(mén)odd粉絲們最?lèi)?ài)的作品之一.其中包括臭名昭著的Mark David Chapman.在刺殺John Lennon后,警方在Mark的住所搜查出了這張專(zhuān)輯的卡帶,并且Todd的親友一直奇怪,Mark為何選擇Lennon,而非Todd作為刺殺的對(duì)象,因?yàn)镃hapman本人一直是Todd的最大粉絲,玉米,涼粉,拖把(Todd 托德.朗德格倫的粉絲是否可以叫"拖把""托蒂""托兒所"之類(lèi)?) 1972 年,23歲的Todd憑借這張公認(rèn)的搖滾杰作成為了國(guó)際搖滾巨星.這張搖滾史上最出色的雙專(zhuān)輯之一的作品"Something/Anything?" 中傾注了Todd個(gè)人的靈感,才華和汗水.專(zhuān)輯被Todd分為四部分,前三部分完全由Todd一人全包全攬了創(chuàng)作,演唱,演奏和制作的繁重工作,而在第四部分則邀請(qǐng)了很多專(zhuān)業(yè)樂(lè)手助興演奏,還有Randy Brecker和Micheal Brecker(The Brecker兄弟真是趕場(chǎng)無(wú)數(shù)啊......)在管樂(lè)部分的增色. 專(zhuān)輯中包括了Carole King式的"I Saw the Light",Randy Newman式的"Piss Aaron",Van Morrison全盛時(shí)期風(fēng)格的"Dust in the Wind",Zappa口味的"Some Folks Even Whiter Than Me",強(qiáng)烈啟發(fā)了"Boston"這樣樂(lè)隊(duì)的"Couldn't I Just Tell You"(我自己這樣覺(jué)得),傳統(tǒng)民謠的"Hello It's Me",Motown風(fēng)味的"Wolfman Jack",古怪奇特的"I Went to the Mirror","It Wouldn't Have Made Any Difference"(R&B),,"Sweeter Memories"(藍(lán)眼睛Soul),"Breathless"(電子實(shí)驗(yàn)樂(lè)),"Black Maria"(迷幻搖滾),"Little Red Light"(早期重金屬),"Slut"(硬搖滾),還有讓我難以形容的美妙動(dòng)聽(tīng)的"Cold Morning Light",而且通篇作品常常間或彌漫拉丁樂(lè)及Jazz的氛圍"It takes two to tango"......這張專(zhuān)輯不僅可以看作一冊(cè)裝幀印刷精致的流行樂(lè)百科全書(shū);更是一場(chǎng)音樂(lè)領(lǐng)域個(gè)人才華,野心與探索的極限挑戰(zhàn);一程所有人內(nèi)心生活和思考的隱秘探索之旅;一席絕妙旋律聽(tīng)覺(jué)的完美夜宴. 簡(jiǎn)言之,這是一張貨真價(jià)實(shí)的Masterwork. 1973 年,當(dāng)通過(guò)"I Saw the Light"和"Hello It's Me"這樣的流行曲才認(rèn)識(shí)Todd Rundgren的"流行"樂(lè)迷開(kāi)始失望的發(fā)現(xiàn)這張又一個(gè)雙專(zhuān)輯長(zhǎng)度的新作" A Wizard, a True Star"中充斥著各種古怪音效和奇異的歌曲過(guò)場(chǎng).可以說(shuō)通過(guò)"Something/Anything?"Todd確立了自己作為史上最出色的偉大的歌曲作者和制作人的杰出地位.然而在新專(zhuān)輯中,Todd不再滿于自己"旋律制造者"的稱謂了.也有人說(shuō)這一時(shí)期的Todd受到了遠(yuǎn)東音樂(lè)以及Fusion Jazz進(jìn)一步影響("International Feel"已經(jīng)讓我聯(lián)想起Mahavishnu Orchestra的"Bird Of Fire"開(kāi)場(chǎng)).雖然加入了如David Sanborn這樣的Smooth樂(lè)手,然而某種意義上" A Wizard, a True Star"仍是Todd音樂(lè)生涯中最為野心勃勃的出擊.憑借大量電子音效營(yíng)造出的迷幻時(shí)空在偶爾出現(xiàn)的奇妙旋律的過(guò)場(chǎng)中輪回往返.在這張專(zhuān)輯中,Todd 憑借隨處堆砌的靈感塑造了一個(gè)奇幻的搖滾烏托邦世界,一舉奠定了自己在電子樂(lè)和合成器演奏領(lǐng)域上先驅(qū)的地位(專(zhuān)輯中某些場(chǎng)景,甚至可以在10年后 Sonic Youth這樣的"后晉"樂(lè)隊(duì)作品中依稀再見(jiàn)). 真的難以置信在Todd那青筋浮現(xiàn)的瘦長(zhǎng)雙手中讓人迷醉的魔力和瘦長(zhǎng)身體內(nèi)蘊(yùn)含的驚人能量:他可以同時(shí)以個(gè)人和樂(lè)隊(duì)名義在同一年發(fā)行兩張雙專(zhuān)輯長(zhǎng)度的佳作, 并且擔(dān)任幾乎全部的創(chuàng)作,演奏,演唱和制作工程.在1973年發(fā)行雙專(zhuān)輯" A Wizard, a True Star"的同時(shí)已經(jīng)組建了他的新樂(lè)隊(duì)"Utopia".1974年以Utopia作為演奏班底的Todd不僅發(fā)行了"Utopia"的首張專(zhuān)輯"Todd Rundgren's Utopia",并且進(jìn)行了世界迅演,還發(fā)行了個(gè)人雙專(zhuān)輯長(zhǎng)度的"Todd". 在古怪的" A Wizard, a True Star"之后,所有人們都在預(yù)測(cè)Todd下一張專(zhuān)輯會(huì)恢復(fù)"Something/Anything?" 的甜蜜,然而"Todd"仍是延續(xù)了類(lèi)似" A Wizard, a True Star"Prog/Art Rock風(fēng)格,還進(jìn)一步展示了Todd冷漠古怪的幽默感和天馬行空的靈感."A Wizard, a True Star"是一場(chǎng)狂野之夢(mèng),然而太過(guò)晦澀詭異"Todd"對(duì)于普通樂(lè)迷來(lái)說(shuō)已經(jīng)是某種意義上Todd作品中極限的考驗(yàn)了.整張專(zhuān)輯的絕大多數(shù)人聲部分被層層迭迭,峰回路轉(zhuǎn)的樂(lè)器演奏和電子音效取代.導(dǎo)致甚至我第一次聽(tīng)這張專(zhuān)輯的時(shí)候,等到"The Last Ride"這首人聲曲目出現(xiàn)的時(shí)候都是送了一口氣. 1975 到1976年,Todd把大量精力集中于在Utopia的專(zhuān)輯"Another Live"和演出,結(jié)果1976年的個(gè)人作品"Faithful"則是一個(gè)出人意料的回顧之作.見(jiàn)慣了Todd狂人般的每年4專(zhuān)輯以上長(zhǎng)度作品的人們發(fā)現(xiàn)這張作品不僅只有普通專(zhuān)輯的長(zhǎng)度,而且一半都是Todd翻唱The Beach Boys,The Beatles,Bob Dylan,Yardbirds和Jimi Hendrix的作品.在這張專(zhuān)輯中,Todd回顧了他60年代Nazz時(shí)期的音樂(lè)歷程 (實(shí)際上,在" A Wizard, a True Star"中近11分鐘的"Medley"中,Todd已經(jīng)向?qū)τ谒卮笥绊懙腗otown,R&B,Soul的根源先師們致敬了,比如杰出的 Smokey Robinson). 1976年稍事修整的Todd旋即在1977年發(fā)行了3張專(zhuān)輯,其中在"Utopia"發(fā)行了"Ra"和"Oops! Wrong Planet"的同時(shí)發(fā)行了個(gè)人專(zhuān)輯"Hermit of Mink Hollow".開(kāi)頭曲"All The Chilren Sing"的愉悅并不能掩蓋整張專(zhuān)輯的憂傷情緒.原來(lái),同年,Todd和有"搖滾繆斯"之稱的Bebe Buell分手了(Bebe Buell自幼喜愛(ài)搖滾樂(lè),在她母親的鼓勵(lì)下,她開(kāi)始成為眾多Groupie中的一員,然而在和Todd建立感情后,Bebe Buell開(kāi)始憑借Todd如日中天的地位結(jié)識(shí)了例如Jimmy Page,Iggy Pop這樣最杰出的人物.Todd一直深?lèi)?ài)Bebe Buell,甚至當(dāng)Todd得知Bebe懷孕的孩子事實(shí)上是他人的骨肉,他還是堅(jiān)決支持Bebe生下這個(gè)女孩,并取名為L(zhǎng)iv Rundgren.Todd 對(duì)Liv Rundgren視若己出,甚至Liv本人直到10幾歲才直到她的生理學(xué)父親其實(shí)是從未盡過(guò)父親指責(zé)的大毒蟲(chóng)Steve Tyler,而非她自幼尊敬的父親Todd Rundgren一夜之間成為了"養(yǎng)父".即使如此,Todd還是一手扶植已經(jīng)更名為L(zhǎng)iv Tyler的養(yǎng)女成為著名的電影明星("偷香","指環(huán)王三部曲".) 在1977年,Todd和Bebe兩人一度分手,當(dāng)時(shí)受到嚴(yán)重打擊的Todd完成了在繼Runt: The Ballad of Todd Rundgren后最飽含個(gè)人真摯感情的直白作品.整張專(zhuān)輯100%都是遭受情傷的Todd一已完成.其中內(nèi)心感情獨(dú)白性質(zhì)的"Can We Still Be Friends"也成為了他的熱門(mén)曲目和著名MTV作品(甚至選為某成人電影3P場(chǎng)景的背景音樂(lè)).而這張專(zhuān)輯也被很多后世樂(lè)隊(duì)視作New Age的杰作 同年,Todd解散了Utopia,并隨后發(fā)行了首張現(xiàn)場(chǎng)唱片,雙專(zhuān)輯Back to the Bars.此后Todd完成了他音樂(lè)生涯的第一個(gè)光輝燦爛的十年.開(kāi)始以制作人的身份開(kāi)始新一階段同樣成功的音樂(lè)歷程. Todd 前十年的成功在于他得天獨(dú)厚的才華讓他汲取了幾乎當(dāng)時(shí)所有音樂(lè)財(cái)富,從而成為一個(gè)流行音樂(lè)史上少有的集大成者.而這樣一個(gè)貌似吸血伯爵的"鬼才"和"隱士 "的低調(diào)則增添了追尋他音樂(lè)足跡的神秘感和樂(lè)趣.幾乎可以說(shuō)前十年的Todd從沒(méi)有重復(fù)自己的作品.傾聽(tīng)Todd的快感幾乎可以比得上汰漬洗衣粉一樣擁有快速見(jiàn)效和長(zhǎng)久有效. 然而總是有人不無(wú)嫉妒的稱作他是一個(gè)手藝人,Craftsman這個(gè)詞,我想總是更適合Paul McCartney或者Phil Collins這樣的"德藝雙馨,德高望重,得意忘形的老藝術(shù)家",而對(duì)于Todd,他更像一個(gè)鬼才,一個(gè)隱者,一個(gè)巫師,一個(gè)從未把自己的當(dāng)作明星的大師,一個(gè)潛心于創(chuàng)作新的音樂(lè)而不是苦苦維持虛偽光環(huán)的音樂(lè)家......即使他本人反感這個(gè)稱謂,我們還是把他稱作 A Wizard,A True Star. Todd Rundgren's best-known songs -- the Carole King pastiche "I Saw the Light," the ballads "Hello, It's Me" and "Can We Still Be Friends," and the goofy novelty "Bang on the Drum All Day" -- suggest that he is a talented pop craftsman, but nothing more than that. On one level, that perception is true since he is undoubtedly a gifted pop songwriter, but at his core Rundgren is a rock & roll maverick. Once he had a taste of success with his 1972 masterwork, Something/Anything?, Rundgren chose to abandon stardom and, with it, conventional pop music. He began a course through uncharted musical territory, becoming a pioneer not only in electronic music and prog rock, but in music video, computer software, and Internet music delivery as well. As his career wound into its third decade, Rundgren concentrated on behind-the-scenes innovations, but during the '70s and '80s he maintained a relentless work schedule. He released up to two albums a year either as a solo artist or with his band Utopia, while producing acclaimed, successful records for artists as diverse as Badfinger, Meat Loaf, Grand Funk Railroad, the New York Dolls, and XTC. Given such an extensive catalog, it's not surprising that there's a vast variety of styles within Rundgren's music -- which is either rewarding or frustrating, depending on the album. Also, more often than not, the singles from each record do not offer an accurate indication of what the remainder of the album sounds like. Such an approach severely curtailed his mass appeal, but it helped him cultivate a ferociously dedicated cult audience. During the '70s, his records were underground favorites, and his albums continued to chart until 1991, nearly 20 years after his commercial peak. In those 20 years, Rundgren may have existed largely on the fringes of pop music, but he produced a body of work that ranks as one of the most intriguing in rock & roll. A native of Upper Darby, PA -- a suburb of Philadelphia -- Rundgren learned how to play guitar as a child, teaching himself after his initial round of lessons ceased. As a teenager, he absorbed pop music from Motown to Liverpool and formed Money, his first band, when he was 16. Following his high-school graduation, he moved to the resort town of Wildwood, NJ, where he regularly sat in with a number of bands. Eventually, he became a member of the blues group Woody's Truck Stop, which soon became based in Philadelphia. Rundgren stayed with the band for several months, but when the group began to move toward hippie psychedelia, he and Carson Van Osten bailed to form the Nazz in 1967. Taking their name from an obscure Yardbirds song and inspired by a variety of British Invasion groups, from the omnipresent Beatles to the cult favorites the Move, the Nazz were arguably the first Anglophiles in rock history. There had been many groups that drew inspiration from the Beatles and the Stones, but none had been so self-consciously reverent as the Nazz. Playing lead guitar and bass, respectively, Rundgren and Van Osten were joined by drummer Thom Mooney (formerly of the Munchkins) and lead vocalist/keyboardist Stewkey (born Robert Antoni). By September 1967, the group received some financial support from local record store Bartoff & Warfield, who also put them in touch with John Kurland, a record promoter who was looking for a guitar pop band. Kurland took a shine to the Nazz and signed on as their manager. Kurland and his associate, Michael Friedman, had the Nazz sign with SGC Records -- an offshoot of Atlantic Records and Columbia-Screen Gems -- in the summer of 1968. Their debut album, Nazz, appeared in October, supported by the single "Hello It's Me." Although the song would later become a major hit for Rundgren as a solo artist, the dirgey original version barely scraped the national charts. Despite the lack of success, the record -- particularly the Nazz's self-production of "Open My Eyes" and "Hello It's Me" -- attracted some good notices. Taking these as a cue, the group began work on an ambitious, self-produced double album, named Fungo Bat. By the time it was released in April 1969, it was trimmed to a single album, Nazz Nazz. In the process of editing, much of Rundgren's newer, Laura Nyro-influenced material -- which he had sung himself -- was left on the shelves. Neither the management nor his bandmates gave Rundgren much encouragement to sing, nor was his new introspective direction warmly received by his colleagues. Faced with a no-win situation, Rundgren left the group not long after their summer 1969 tour. Stewkey took control of the Nazz, erased Rundgren's vocals from the album sitting in the vaults, and replaced them with his own. The result was released as Nazz 3 in 1970, but it stiffed. Rundgren, meanwhile, became an in-house producer and engineer for former Bob Dylan manager Albert Grossman's fledgling studio and label, Bearsville Records. Around the same time, Rundgren formed a band called Runt. In reality, Runt was little more than a front for his burgeoning solo career. He played all of the instruments except drums and bass, which were usually handled by brothers Hunt and Tony Sales. Runt -- either Runt's first album or Rundgren's first solo album, depending on your point of view -- was released on Ampex Records in the fall of 1970. The album slowly earned an audience, with the single "We Gotta Get You a Woman" climbing into the Top 20 in early 1971. His modest success was enough to convince Grossman to sign Rundgren to a long-term contract with Bearsville. Apart from a re-release of Runt, the first Rundgren album to appear on Bearsville was Runt's final record, The Ballad of Todd Rundgren, a record that was reminiscent of such melodic singer/songwriter peers as King and Nyro, yet it had a subtly bizarre sensibility and quirky sense of humor that gave it a distinctive character. As he pursued his solo career, Rundgren quickly earned a reputation as a talented producer/engineer. His first production was for American Dream, but he quickly graduated to the big leagues thanks to his association with Grossman. In 1970, he engineered the Band's Stage Fright and Jesse Winchester's acclaimed eponymous debut. These two productions set the stage for Rundgren to take the production seat that George Harrison left vacant; the result was Badfinger's Straight Up, which gave him a huge hit with "Baby Blue." It wasn't long until Rundgren had a huge hit of his own. He abandoned the Runt concept before beginning his third album, deciding to record the entire record himself. The result was Something/Anything?, a double-album set that cemented Rundgren's reputation as a near-genius producer and gifted songwriter. Apart from the fourth side, which was constructed as a tongue-in-cheek operetta about a bar band, he played every instrument, sang every part, and produced the entire album. Hailed in the rock press as some sort of masterpiece upon its early 1972 release, it also won Rundgren a wide audience. The King tribute "I Saw the Light" reached number 16, and while its follow-up (the terrific power pop classic "Couldn't I Just Tell You") stiffed, the third single, a superior re-recording of the Nazz's semi-hit "Hello, It's Me," climbed all the way to number five. In all, Something/Anything? reached number 29 and went gold, spending nearly a full year on the charts. Stardom was handed to him with Something/Anything?, but Rundgren rejected it. He would later state that he had mastered pop songcraft and had no interest to simply repeat himself through endless recyclings of "I Saw the Light" or "Hello, It's Me." That's certainly not what he delivered with A Wizard, a True Star, his 1973 follow-up to Something/Anything? A weird sonic collage encompassing everything from psychedelia and Philly soul to Disney show tunes and vaudeville, the record may not have been an intentional move to shed his mainstream audience, but that was the ultimate effect. As the legions of listeners who loved "Hello, It's Me" departed, Rundgren's cult following -- the fans who did consider him "a Wizard, a True Star" -- intensified. Rundgren played the role to the hilt, dyeing his hair in a rainbow of colors and turning in extravagant concert performances. His appearance may have flirted with glam or glitter, but his music was getting increasingly progressive. His next album, 1974's Todd, may have had the occasional full-fledged pop song, such as the near-hit "A Dream Goes on Forever," but it had more than its share of lengthy experimental instrumentals. This was the direction he decided to pursue and he decided he needed a full-fledged band to help him continue in the progressive direction. And so Utopia were born. Initially, the group consisted of three keyboardists (Moogy Klingman, Ralph Shuckett, and Roger Powell), a bassist (John Siegler), a percussionist (Kevin Elliman), and a drummer (John "Willie" Wilcox). Balancing Utopia with his solo career, Rundgren became one of the most prolific artists of the decade. Released just months after Todd, Todd Rundgren's Utopia consisted of only four tracks, all of which were mainly instrumental, none of which were less than ten minutes. Rundgren continued in that direction on his next solo album, Initiation, which was released in the spring of 1975. Its radio-play hit, "Real Man," became one of his concert staples, but the true heart of the album lay in the half-hour-long synth experiment to which the entire second side was devoted. Mere months later, Utopia released Another Live, a wild live album devoted to long synth-driven instrumentals. Another Live proved to be the culmination of the synth experiments and, in some ways, the stretch of willfully difficult records Rundgren made during the mid-'70s. He kicked off 1976 with Faithful, an album that split into original pop material and re-creations of '60s chestnuts from the Yardbirds, Bob Dylan, the Beatles, Jimi Hendrix, and the Beach Boys. His resurrection of "Good Vibrations" brought him his first Top 40 hit in three years. That year, he also revamped Utopia, stripping away two of the keyboardists (Klingman and Shuckett), as Elliman and Siegler left. Kasim Sulton joined as the new bassist. Although the new Utopia's first album, Ra, was a prog rock album by any measure, it was less overtly experimental and heavier than before. Ra was released early in February 1977 and was followed seven months later by Oops! Wrong Planet, a record that found the quartet abandoning progressive music for streamlined pop/rock, with a mainstream hard rock bent. By the time The Hermit of Mink Hollow was released in April 1978, it had been two years between Rundgren's solo albums, yet it had been six years since he had delivered an album as unabashedly pop and accessible as Hermit. On the strength of the Top 30 success of the ballad "Can We Still Be Friends," the record became a big hit, spending 26 weeks on the charts and peaking at number 36. He followed the record with the double-live album Back to the Bars, which was split between Utopia and solo material.