Here’s an exclusive advance stream of Todd Rundgren’s new take on “You’ve Got To Hide Your Love Away,” from the forthcoming multi-artist Cleopatra album Keep Calm and Salute the Beatles.
The surprise is how straight forward, even reverent he is with John Lennon’s Help-era lament. After all, Todd Rundgren’s solo career has found him utterly transforming bluesman Robert Johnson’s music for a synthy new age, then reimagining some of his former production jobs in an entirely new techno landscape.
Rundgren doesn’t do anything so aggressively modern here. Instead, he gives one of the most unvarnished vocal performances in recent memory. That’s in keeping, really, with a period that’s seen Todd Rundgren return for a second stint in Ringo Starr’s guest-packed All-Starr Bands, and co-write the title track from Starr’s latest solo album. This guy simply loves the Beatles.
He also memorably performed a cover of George Harrison’s “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” with Joe Jackson during a 2004 appearance on Late Night with Conan O’Brien. Todd Rundgren’s 1980 album Deface the Music bears an almost uncanny resemblance to the Fab Four’s classic sound; 1976’s Faithful included covers of both “Strawberry Fields Forever” and “Rain.” He served as a musical advisor for the film version of Beatlemania, and shared producing credits on Badfinger’s 1971 album Straight Up with George Harrison, too.
Besides Todd Rundgren, Keep Calm and Salute the Beatles also includes Beatles remakes from Ann Wilson (“Across the Universe”), John Wetton (“Penny Lane”), Jack Bruce (“Eleanor Rigby”), Felix Cavaliere (“Ticket To Ride”) and producer Billy Sherwood (“Something”), among others. The album is due on April 28, 2015.
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Nice! Even as an 11 year old I loved this song.