Often called “the best album Paul McCartney never made,” Todd Rundgren’s 1972 double album Something / Anything? is indeed as good as any album the master of pop put out during his solo career, if not better. The album is basically packed full of competent pop songs, either piano or guitar-driven, and almost anything on it could have been released as a decent single around its time.

This tour-de-force still has its highlights however, such as Rundgren’s biggest hit, “Hello It’s Me.” I also quite like the rocking “Black Maria” and the instrumental track “Breathless.” There are occasionally more avant-garde approaches to these pop tunes, such as in “The Night the Carousel Burned Down,” with a backing mellotron that sounds straight out of a carnival, itself.

Todd Rundgren’s lyrics are somewhat clever and complement his gentle voice that implies wisdom beyond his years. Todd Rundgren would go into more experimental territory after this album, but I feel he sacrificed some consummate songcraft in doing so. I regard Something / Anything? as his best album, and it might be the best “pure” pop album of the ’70s—maybe. Either way, it’s worth your time if you’re a fan of any of the many singer-songwriter piano pop artists from this era.