Released
45 years ago this month, it’s Todd Rundgren’s 8th studio album, the
very literally titled Hermit Of Mink Hollow, which was issued in May of
1978. After his excursions into the far reaches of progressive
experimentation and excess with his band, Utopia, and solo albums like A
Wizard, A True Star, this album found the eccentric genius in an
introspective and minimalist mood, stripping back his style to a kind of
accessibility which hadn’t been heard since 1972’s Something /
Anything.
At the time the album was produced, Rundgren had
recently ended a serious romantic relationship and was looking to
regroup in a more private setting. He also wanted to simplify his
arrangements to the bare bones of drums, bass, piano and vocals, with
the emphasis on the last, for which he’d developed some new techniques
while out on the road with Utopia. Ensconcing himself in his home
studio at Mink Hollow Road in Lake Hill, New York, Rundgren set about
creating the album entirely on his own, producing and playing
everything, with only the occasional visit from engineer Mike Young.
That “do it yourself” approach proved to be somewhat tedious at times,
especially with the drums set up in the basement while the control room
was upstairs. With no remote controls for the recorder available, Todd
would have to bolt up and down the stairs to activate the machine and
get the recording done. If he made a mistake, he’d have to dash back
upstairs to reset the tape machine.
To help relieve some of the
tedium, Rundgren would approach particular instruments and recordings
by adopting “characters”. For example, he might imagine himself as Paul
McCartney for a particular bass part, channeling characteristic runs
and fills after the musician. Songs were generally built up from the
drums & bass, with vocals coming in as the final element. After
having gone through a breakup, Rundgren’s lyrics tended to be more
intimate and confessional, though he later denied that they were
directly biographical in nature.
Upon its release, the album
received mostly positive critical reviews, with many noting his “return
to form” with more modest and accessible pop sensibilities dominating
the proceedings. The album performed reasonably well on the charts and
the single, Can We Still Be Friends, became his most frequently covered
composition, with versions by Robert Palmer, Rod Stewart, Colin
Blunstone, and Mandy Moore.
