The 1970 album Runt is widely considered Todd Rundgren’s solo debut, though technically it was recorded by a band also called Runt. That band was essentially a Rundgren solo project, though, so it’s all semantics.
I only recently stopped confusing Todd Rundgren with Ted Nugent, so I’m very much in the dark about the man’s career. But everything of his I’ve heard suggests I should be a fan.
Black Sabbath released both their debut and sophomore albums in 1970, and are pretty much credited with giving birth to heavy metal. Credited or blamed, depending on your musical taste.
Paranoid was the second of those albums, and widely considered their best work. Tracks such as ‘War Pigs,’ ‘Iron Man’ and the title track became instant metal classics.
During my final week looking at 1970, I’ll feature albums and bands with which I have very little familiarity. I’ve heard the names, but I’ve pretty much never heard the music.
First up are The Stooges, whose sophomore album Funhouse served as a loud, obnoxious rebuttal to the melodic pop of the 60s.
James Taylor’s second solo album, Sweet Baby James, was the singer-songwriter’s most successful and beloved record and the start of a burst of activity that lasted through the 70s.
Taylor would release seven more albums in that decade, matching hit output over the following 36 years. Must have been all the heroin.
1970 saw the release of the final Beatles album, Let It Be, but also solo releases by each of the Fab Four.
Paul McCartney’s solo debut, McCartney, came out in April and went double platinum despite lukewarm critical response. John Lennon’s solo debut, John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band, dropped in December to considerably more acclaim. And overachiever Ringo Starr put out two albums that year, Sentimental Journey and Beaucoups of Blues.
Meet Me In Montauk 