Runt. The Ballad of Todd Rundgren is the second album by American singer-songwriter/musician Todd Rundgren, released in 1971. The album features mostly piano-led pop songs and ballads.
As with his first album, this album was initially credited to "Runt". Rundgren himself wrote, produced and sang every tune on The Ballad of Todd Rundgren, as well as handling all guitars, keyboards, and vocals.
"I was pretty overbearing to deal with," Rundgren recalled in the liner notes to the 1999 CD release. "I was also becoming very particular about arrangements, so I took a crack at playing it all myself. But I still had some dependence on other musicians. I wasn't yet ready to play drums or to seriously address what bass playing should be like."
Tony Sales, who played bass on Runt, the previous album, plays on the majority of tracks, but brother Hunt Sales, the drummer on the first album, plays drums only on one cut and conga on one.
Studio musicians Jerry Scheff and John Guerin provide the rhythm section on two tracks; Norman D. Smart, who later became a member of the Hello People and was Mountain's first drummer, plays on the remainder.
The album cover was designed by Ron Mael from the band Sparks.
In mid 1971, Bearsville was purchased by Warner Bros. and plans were made to re-release both Runt and Runt. The Ballad of Todd Rundgren as a "twin pack" entitled Todd Rundgren's Rack Job in 1973. The album got as far as test presses and album art, but was shelved as Rundgren preferred to release an album of new material.
Read more about Runt. The Ballad Of Todd Rundgren: Personnel, Charts
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