It also shows off Rundgren's best instrument: His mind, which allows each of these songs to contain passion, sensitivity and intelligence. Listeners who understand that will enjoy this collection, and be tempted to seek out Rundgren's more adventurous experimental work.


Always Something Missing...   March 22, 2001
 8 out of 9 found this review helpful

Let's face it...Todd Rundgren is one of the most unsung hero/genius musicians of the last 40 years. He was uneven in his releases and often spent time producing/promoting and working with other bands while his music went on the back burner. While I think this is probably the closest you'll come to a good cross section of his music/career, the obvious omission of "Time Heals" and/or some of the other cuts from the album "Healing" leave me thinking that the title of this album is an obvious lie and should not be taken seriously. "Time Heals" was probably the single best piece of music he did during his career. And "Healing" was probably his single best album, far surpassing the classing "Something/Anything" which I grew up with and loved. I have loved, revered and adored this man from the first time I ever heard any thing of his or anything of anyone elses that he had his finger in. His unfearing exploration of different styles and subject matter in his career shows the genius and versatility he possesses. If it were up to me... I'd just buy "Something/Anything" and "Healing". You could really call them "The Best Of Todd Rundgren" but, even then you'd Always Be Missing Something. I am sorely dissappointed in the omission of "Time Heals" Sometimes I think they should actually poll fans to find out what they would include in some of these so called "Greatest Hits" or "Best Of" collections as it seems to me that they always leave one, two or three things out that really HAVE to be there for a collection to be labled as such.


Good Starter, could have used a couple more tracks   June 5, 2003
 8 out of 8 found this review helpful

This is a good starter CD for anyone who is learning about Todd's music, but it barely scratches the surface about who Todd is (and thats hard to explain because he kept trying to re-invent himself on every LP during his prime in the 1970's)

Rhino has a few other 1-CD budget comps of Todd's stuff but they are very cheap and skimpy - get this one instead to see if you like him or not. (I think you will!) My only gripe is the liner notes which someone should have re-edited. Todd is very critical and sometimes very negative about his early music (which I adored).

All his well known "hits" are here, but I would have loved to also have had "Sometimes I Dont Know What To Feel", "Time Heals" and the underrated "Parallel Lines" from his last great CD, "Nearly Human".


I (finally) SAW THE LIGHT   March 22, 2005
 7 out of 8 found this review helpful

A couple years back when I saw "The Very Best of Todd Rundgren" in my sister-in-law's CD collection and idly flipped it over to have a look at the playlist, it really hit me for the first time how many amazing songs this artist has given us. While some of these hits place me squarely and nostalgically into certain specific years (as in, the 70's) of my life, many of them also plug directly into the feelings I live from day to day, now -- whether it be the melancholy of HELLO IT'S ME or CAN WE STILL BE FRIENDS or the soaring hopefulness of LOVE IS THE ANSWER. This is catchy pop, yes, but catchy pop of brilliant execution, and often conveying deep meaning. Gem after classic gem, and it's hard to pick a favorite, but for this listener I would have to say I SAW THE LIGHT. For someone who admired Rungren's body of work over the years but never purchased one of his albums, this CD hit me with great impact and has become the most frequently played disk in my machine. Thanks for putting your fans in Utopia, Mr. Rundgren!