| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [1] |
| Classic Rock |   [2] |
2nd Wind is the thirteenth album by American musician Todd Rundgren, released in 1991 on Warner Bros. Records. It reached number 118 on the Billboard 200 album chart. 2nd Wind includes the single "Change Myself" and was Rundgren's final album on a major label until 2004's Liars.
Background
As with its predecessor, Nearly Human, Rundgren chose to record the album with a full band, as opposed to playing all of the instruments himself. The album was recorded live in front of an audience at the Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco, California over a week.
The album includes three songs ("The Smell of Money", "If I Have to Be Alone" and "Love in Disguise") written for Rundgren's musical version of the Joe Orton play/screenplay Up Against It. "Gaya's Eyes" continues the new, more adult sound introduced on the preceding album Nearly Human.
Rundgren used the video for the album's only single, "Change Myself," as a showcase for the NewTek Video Toaster, a desktop video card for the Commodore Amiga computer.[3][4]
Releases
Promotional DJ issues of the CD have a black, gold and blue swirl on the CD label where the stock releases have a blue and yellow swirl. There was also a vinyl release of the album in Europe which is nearly impossible to find.
After being out of print for several years, Friday Music released a remastered version in October 2008, the first release in what the company is calling the "Todd Rundgren Remaster Series".
In 2002, Image Entertainment released a DVD entitled The 2nd Wind Recording Sessions, which detailed the making of the album, and featured interviews with Rundgren as well as band members and fans. Also included with the video was The Desktop Collection, a compilation of Rundgren's Video Toaster-powered music videos, including "Change Myself."
Track listing
All songs written by Todd Rundgren.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Change Myself" | 5:21 |
| 2. | "Love Science" | 5:23 |
| 3. | "Who's Sorry Now?" | 6:15 |
| 4. | "The Smell of Money" (from the musical Up Against It) | 4:06 |
| 5. | "If I Have to Be Alone" (from the musical Up Against It) | 3:51 |
| 6. | "Love in Disguise" (from the musical Up Against It) | 4:02 |
| 7. | "Kindness" | 5:31 |
| 8. | "Public Servant" | 5:38 |
| 9. | "Gaya's Eyes" | 6:13 |
| 10. | "Second Wind" | 7:32 |
Personnel
- Roger Powell - keyboards and vocals
- Vince Welnick - keyboards and vocals
- Ross Valory - bass
- Lyle Workman - guitar
- Prairie Prince - drums
- Max Haskett - brass and vocals
- Bobby Strickland - reeds, winds, and vocals
- Scott Mathews - percussion, guitar, samples, and vocals
- Shandi Sinnamon - vocals
- Michele Gray - vocals
- Jenni Muldaur - vocals
References
- ^ Ruhlmann, William. "Todd Rundgren - 2nd Wind review". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved 2015-09-27.
- ^ Quantick, David (March 2012). "Todd Rundgren - Reissues". Classic Rock (168): 108.
- ^ Electronic Musician 1991 - Volume 7, Issues 7-12 - Page 99 "Todd Rundgren's stunning video for his song "Change Myself" required no less than ten Toaster systems running in parallel for a period of five weeks."
- ^ Wood, Sam (June 14, 1991). "Todd Rundgren – Rundgren Making Music for the Ears – And Eyes". Seattle Times. Retrieved January 30, 2012.
"Change Myself" is four minutes of state-of-the-art computer animation. Rundgren wrote, directed and programmed it.