“I gotta be honest with you,” says Todd Rundgren, “I’ve done a lot of talking about Bat over the years. When we arranged this interview, you asked me to put together my Top 5 favourite productions, and I decided not to include it because there’s not much more I can say.”
Fear not, though, because although Meat Loaf’s Bat Out Of Hell is undoubtedly Rundgren’s most famous production - not to mention one of the best-selling albums of all time - he has plenty more credits on his CV.
Ahead of our full interview with Todd, here are the five album productions that he’s most proud of…
1. Badfinger – Straight Up (1971)
“I was determined not to be the third producer to fail the project. In the end, it turned out to be the brief window of success in what would be a tragic doom spiral for the band.”
2. Grand Funk Railroad – We’re An American Band (1973)
“The single and album were part of a strictly timed campaign designed to reintroduce the band to the world. So much could have gone terribly wrong had it not been for the pre-production and the willingness of the band to allow me to command the entire process.”
3. Todd Rundgren – A Capella (1985)
“I never had a big hit from this record, but that didn’t bother me. It was kind of an experiment anyway [every sound on the record is derived from Rundgren's voice]. I included it because, while not much of my music has influence outside of my fan base, most of the songs from this one are still being performed by choruses around the world.”
4. XTC – Skylarking (1986)
“Sometimes it’s best not to meet your idols [Rundgren frequently clashed with the band, particularly guitarist/vocalist Andy Partridge, during the album’s recording]. I took on the project because I was a fan of the band, but I was not naive about what would happen. Life is short, art is long.”
5. Todd Rundgren – Nearly Human (1989)
“The making of the record is an event that few involved will ever forget. Capturing everything live in the studio had become such a rare occurrence that many of the players had never experienced it before. I’d love to do it again someday, but the preparation is mind-boggling.”
