Hermit of Mink Hollow by Todd Rundgren

Hermit of Mink Hollow, Todd Rundgren's eighth studio album, came out on Bearsville in 1978, and the title is no put-on: he made it at his house on Mink Hollow Road in Lake Hill, New York, playing every instrument and singing every part himself. Feeling he'd turned into a studio hermit, the knob-twirling obsessive wanted plain songs built on piano, with little more than bass, drums and voices around them, and room to show off a voice he'd been sharpening.

What came out is his most immediately likable batch of tunes since Something/Anything? in 1972, and fans and critics alike hailed it as a return to form. The songs sound confessional, and plenty of listeners pinned them on his split from model Bebe Buell, though Rundgren denied they were strictly autobiographical. "Can We Still Be Friends" became the one other singers couldn't leave alone, covered by Robert Palmer, Rod Stewart, Colin Blunstone and Mandy Moore.

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