Nearly Human

by Todd Rundgren

Overview

As the '80s drew to a close, Todd Rundgren turned over a new leaf and began recording for Warner Bros. Not long after the release of his first Warner album A Cappella, he disbanded Utopia, choosing to embark on a few years as a producer and session man. He finally returned with Nearly Human, his first album of new material in four years, in the summer of 1989. During his hiatus as a recording artist, Rundgren became fascinated with recording live music, deciding to record Nearly Human live in the studio -- not nearly as flamboyant as A Cappella, but a gimmick nonetheless. If anything, the live-in-the-studio trick works better than the all-vocal track, not only because it's easier to execute, but because the production style complements the soul-inflected songs. Song for song, Nearly Human is his best record since The Hermit of Mink Hollow, since not only is the bulk of the album filled with charging blue-eyed soul like "The Want of a Nail" or sweet ballads like "Parallel Lines," but because there are no novelties, and the cover choice (Elvis Costello's "Two Little Hitlers") is fresh and surprising. At times, his eccentricities get the best of him, as he overstuffs his arrangements or lyrics with unnecessary details, but these are minor points -- Nearly Human finds Rundgren at the top of his game as a performer, producer, and songwriter, sustaining his momentum in a way he hadn't for nearly a full decade. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Product Details

Release Date:	07/30/2021
Label:	Friday Music
UPC:	0829421258810
Rank:	167740

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Todd Rundgren   Primary Artist,Guitar,Vocals
N.D. Smart II   Guest Artist,Vocals (Background)
Clarence Clemons   Guest Artist,Choir/Chorus
Mingo Lewis   Guest Artist,Congas
Bobby Strickland   Guest Artist,Flute,Sax (Tenor),Sax (Baritone)
Bobby Womack   Guest Artist,Vocals,Featured Artist
Bourgeois Tagg   Guest Artist
Michael Urbano   Timbales,Drums
Michael Pluznick   Congas,Shaker
Byron Allred   Brass,Piano,Synthesizer,Synthesizer Brass
Nathan Rubin   Strings
Annie Stocking   Vocals (Background)
Paul Gilbert   Choir/Chorus
Raz Kennedy   Vocals (Background)
Vince Welnick   Piano,Accordion,Synthesizer
Jeanie Tracy   Choir/Chorus,Vocals (Background)
Roger Powell   Synthesizer
Nate Ginsberg   Piano,Synthesizer,Harp
Scott Moon   Synthesizer
Paul Brancato   Strings
Ralph Legnini   Tambourine
John Wilcox   Drums
Paul Scott   Choir/Chorus,Choir/Chorus
Bryan Thym   Choir/Chorus,Vocals (Background)
Gary Yost   Tambourine
Bruce Paine   Trombone
Roberta Freier   Strings
Jim Blinn   Trombone
Vince Ebo   Choir/Chorus
Cary Sheldon   Choir/Chorus,Vocals (Background)
Shandi Sinnamon   Choir/Chorus,Vocals (Background)
Skyler Jett   Choir/Chorus,Vocals (Background)
Jimmy Pugh   Organ (Hammond)
Kelly Moneymaker   Choir/Chorus
Larry Tagg   Bass,Vocals (Background)
John Tenney   Strings
Vernon "Ice" Black   Guitar
Eric Martin   Choir/Chorus
Lyle Workman   Guitar
John Hampton   Vocals (Background)
Charles Reed   Choir/Chorus
Vicki Randle   Choir/Chorus,Vocals (Background)
Peter Apfelbaum   Clarinet
Scott Mathews   Choir/Chorus,Vocals (Background)
Narada Michael Walden   Choir Conductor
Rick Anderson   Bass
Bill Spooner   Vocals (Background)
Prairie Prince   Drums,Percussion,Drums (Electric)
Kasim Sulton   Bass
Jenni Muldaur   Choir/Chorus
Randy Jackson   Bass
Brent Bourgeois   Vibraphone,Synthesizer,Organ (Hammond),Vocals (Background)
Kim Cataluna   Choir/Chorus,Vocals (Background)
Keta Bill   Vocals (Background)
Barbara Imhoff   Harp
Paul Shaghoian   Trumpet
Melisa Kary   Choir/Chorus,Vocals (Background)
Shirley Faulkner   Choir/Chorus
Emma Jean Foster   Choir/Chorus
Stefan Hersh   Strings
Mary Arnold   Vocals (Background)
Stephen Gehl   Strings
Michele Gray   Choir/Chorus,Vocals (Background)
The Dick Bright Strings   Strings
Dean France   Strings
Derick Andre Hughes   Choir/Chorus
Daymon Cooper   Choir/Chorus
Jim Blian   Trombone
Michele Grey   Choir/Chorus,Vocals (Background)
Mike Rose   Trumpet

Technical Credits

E. Thompson   Engineer
Vince Welnick   Composer,Programming
Marnie Riley   Editing Assistant
Tom Size   Engineer
Roger Steen   Composer
Michael Rosen   Engineer
Elvis Costello   Composer
Greg Calbi   Mastering
Eric Thompson   Assistant Engineer
Rob Beaton   Engineer
Rick Anderson   Composer
Michael Cotten   Composer
Michael Semanick   Assistant Engineer
The Tubes   Composer
Todd Rundgren   Artwork,Arranger,Composer,Musician,Producer,Typography
Lisa Osta   Artwork,Typography,Photography
Richard McKernan   Editing
Jean Lannen   Photography
Ken Fishkin   Artwork
Ed Vigdor   Videography
Lorie Welnick   Composer
John Waybill   Composer
Charles Prince   Composer
William Spooner   Composer
Leo Welnick   Composer