Runt (album)
| Runt | ||||
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| Studio album by Todd Rundgren | ||||
| Released | June 1970 | |||
| Genre | Art rock, power pop, psychedelic pop | |||
| Length | 40:20 | |||
| Label | Ampex | |||
| Producer | Todd Rundgren | |||
| Todd Rundgren chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Runt | ||||
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| Professional ratings | |
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| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   |
| Robert Christgau | (B) |
| Rolling Stone | (Not Rated) |
Runt is the self-titled debut album of the band Runt, first released in 1970 on the Ampex Records label. Many regarded the album as Todd Rundgren's debut solo album, and later reissues (including the 1990 CD reissue by Rhino) credit the album to Todd Rundgren rather than to Runt. At the initial time of release, however, Runt was identified as a trio consisting of Rundgren (guitars, keyboards, vocals), Hunt Sales (drums), and Tony Fox Sales (bass). The entire album was written and produced by Rundgren.
Initially dividing critics upon its release, the record runs the gamut from blues-styled guitar workouts ("Birthday Carol", "Broke Down and Busted") to power pop ("Devil's Bite", "Don't Tie My Hands") to Laura Nyro-styled piano pop ("We Gotta Get You a Woman", "Baby Let's Swing", "The Last Thing You Said") to rock 'n' roll ("Who's That Man") to piano ballads ("Believe in Me", "Once Burned", the middle section of "Birthday Carol"), as well as more experimental numbers (the sarcastic, prog-rock tinged "I'm in the Clique", "There Are No Words").
The album features the single "We Gotta Get You a Woman", which reached number 20 on Billboard's Hot 100 in 1971.
Upon its release in June 1970 the album was issued with 10 tracks. After "We Gotta Get You a Woman" became a hit single, Ampex decided to press more copies of the LP in November 1970 to keep up with demand. A rejected 12-track master of the LP was accidentally sent to the pressing plant resulting in approximately 5,000 mis-presses. Instead of throwing out the LPs, Ampex decided to sell them anyway, unmarked, as a sort of surprise to the purchaser. This album as well as Runt: The Ballad of Todd Rundgren were issued in 1971 on the Bearsville label, being distributed by Ampex at the time. In mid-1971 Bearsville was purchased by Warner Bros. distribution, and plans were made to re-release each album as Runt with catalog number BV 2046 and Ballad as BV 2047. These were never pressed. Later in 1973 Warner Bros wanted Bearsville to re-release both albums as a "twin pack" entitled Todd Rundgren's Rack Job (Catalog number 2BV 2156). The album got as far as test presses and album art but was shelved, as Rundgren wanted to release an album of new material instead.
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