2nd Wind

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 the course of 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 mature 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.

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 the album had been out of print for several years, Friday Music released a remastered version in October 2008, the first release in what the company called the "Todd Rundgren Remaster Series", although the follow-up remastered release of Nearly Human didn't arrive until 2021.

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.

Personnel

• Todd Rundgren – lead vocals, guitar
• Roger Powell – keyboards, backing vocals
• Vince Welnick – keyboards, backing vocals
• Ross Valory – bass, backing vocals
• Lyle Workman – guitar, backing vocals
• Prairie Prince – drums
• Max Haskett – trumpet, mellophone, backing vocals
• Bobby Strickland – saxophones, clarinets, flute, oboe, backing vocals
• Scott Mathews – percussion, guitar, samples, backing vocals
• Shandi Sinnamon – backing vocals, co-lead vocals on "Love in Disguise"
• Michele Gray – backing vocals
• Jenni Muldaur – backing vocals

References

References

1. Sisario, Ben. (November 2, 2004). "The New Rolling Stone Album Guide". Simon & Schuster.
2. Ruhlmann, William. "Todd Rundgren – 2nd Wind review". [[All Media Network]].
3. Quantick, David. (March 2012). "Todd Rundgren – Reissues". [[Classic Rock (magazine).
4. 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."
5. Wood, Sam. (June 14, 1991). "Todd Rundgren – Rundgren Making Music for the Ears – And Eyes". Seattle Times.