(Re)Production

Avoiding isn’t really an option for lifelong completist Rundgren fans. Even difficult-to-love albums like No World Order and One Long Year (from his early90s dance club/rap era) have worthwhile moments. But this strange exercise in recycling songs from bands he had produced flatters no one.

Rundgren has proved he can do innovative covers (With A Twist, Faithful), but here, everyone from Cheap Trick to Psychedelic Furs gets run through a Cher-goes-techno filter, rendering their material slick and homogenised.

Somewhere beneath the gloop and gloss, you can hear flickers of Todd still singing like a champ.