Todd Rundgren – Hermit Of Mink Hollow (1978/2013) [Official Digital Download 24bit/192kHz]

Todd Rundgren – Hermit Of Mink Hollow (1978/2013)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/192 kHz | Time – 35:20 minutes | 1,41 GB | Genre: Rock
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Rhino

Todd Rundgren, founding member of the late 60’s Philly rockers Nazz, multi-instrumentalist, vocalist, songwriter & producer, released his 1978 masterpiece “Hermit Of Mink Hollow” during his years in Woodstock, NY. The album includes the hit “Can We Still Be Friends?” (covered a year later by Robert Palmer) which reached #29 in the U.S. and helped make the album Rundgren’s 2nd best seller of his career. This is simplistic pop stylings at its finest.

Over the course of 1977, Todd Rundgren moved Utopia toward a more pop-oriented direction, winding up with the slick mainstream arena rock of Oops! Wrong Planet. With that in mind, it makes sense that The Hermit of Mink Hollow – his first full-fledged solo album since Initiation, if you discount the half-cover/half-original Faithful – finds Rundgren in his pop craftsman persona. The difference is, he’s heartbroken. His relationship with Bebe Buell collapsed during 1977 and it’s clear that the separation has pained him, since pain and melancholy underpin the album, whether it’s on ballads (“Can We Still Be Friends”) or on apparently joyous revelries, like “All the Children Sing.” That said, this is a Rundgren solo album and he has not abandoned his trademarks, which means that the lush ballads are paired with novelties (“Onomatopoeia,” which sounds exactly how you hope it does), ersatz soul (“You Cried Wolf”), and pure pop (“Hurting for You”). Hermit is also the first record Rundgren recorded completely alone since Something/Anything? Where that record sounded like the inner workings of a madman, with each song providing no indication what the next would sound like, Hermit is more cohesive. It also feels less brilliant, even if it is, in many ways, nearly as excellent as Rundgren’s masterwork, mainly because it doesn’t have such a wide scope. Still, the reason The Hermit of Mink Hollow is such a milestone in Rundgren’s career is because it’s a small album, filled with details, and easily the most emotional record he made.

Tracklist:
01. Todd Rundgren – All The Children Sing (03:09)
02. Todd Rundgren – Can We Still Be Friends? (03:34)
03. Todd Rundgren – Hurting For You (03:22)
04. Todd Rundgren – Too Far Gone (02:40)
05. Todd Rundgren – Onomatopoeia (01:34)
06. Todd Rundgren – Determination (03:13)
07. Todd Rundgren – Bread (02:49)
08. Todd Rundgren – Bag Lady (03:15)
09. Todd Rundgren – You Cried Wolf (02:31)
10. Todd Rundgren – Lucky Guy (02:06)
11. Todd Rundgren – Out Of Control (03:57)
12. Todd Rundgren – Fade Away (03:05)

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