Something / Anything?

Album Notes & Community Reviews

Something/Anything? is the third studio album by American musician Todd Rundgren, released in February 1972 by Bearsville Records. It was Rundgren's first album released under his own name, following two records credited to the quasi-group project Runt, and was also his first double album. It was recorded in late 1971 in Los Angeles, New York City and Bearsville Studios, Woodstock. The album is divided into four sections focused on different stylistic themes; the first three parts were recorded in the studio with Rundgren playing all instruments and singing all vocals in addition to producing. The final quarter contained a number of tracks recorded live in the studio without any overdubs, save for a short snippet of archive recordings from the 1960s. Over time, Rundgren developed proficiency on other instruments beyond guitar and keyboards, and this, coupled with a general dissatisfaction with studio musicians, led him to temporarily relocate to Los Angeles in an attempt to record an entire album single-handedly. After Rundgren created significantly more material than would fit on a standard LP, an earthquake struck Los Angeles. He decided to head back to New York for some live sessions, with the help of Moogy Klingman, to lighten the mood. These final sessions were held at Bearsville, where the remainder of the recording and mixing took place, resulting in enough material for a double album.