| Healing | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Studio album by Todd Rundgren | ||||
| Released | February, 1981 | |||
| Genre | New Age music, Pop rock, Power pop | |||
| Length | 53:37 | |||
| Label | Bearsville Rhino |
|||
| Producer | Todd Rundgren | |||
| Todd Rundgren chronology | ||||
|
||||
| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| allmusic | [1] |
| Rolling Stone | [2] |
Healing is Todd Rundgren's ninth studio album, released in 1981. It showcased a gentler, less experimental side of Rundgren that was rarely shown. The album had a spiritual side to it as well, that Rundgren had hinted at, but explored fully here. The back cover image of the album (artwork by Prairie Prince) shows the caduceus overlaid by a treble clef and a Qabalistic Tree of Life overlaid by a bass clef, reflecting Rundgren's linking of his spirituality and music which had previously been showcased on albums such as Initiation.
The song "Time Heals" was among the first music videos aired on MTV.
Some have speculated that the album was recorded partly as a therapeutic exercise in reaction to Mark David Chapman's obsession with Rundgren's music (see sleeve notes to the CD remaster, Castle Music, 1999), though Rundgren himself says he didn't learn of Chapman's obsession with him until years later, when books about Chapman were published. More information about Chapman's obsession with Rundgren is provided in the chapter "God and Todd" in Jack Jones' biography of Mark Chapman Let Me Take You Down (1999).
In September 2010, Rundgren performed his "Todd" and "Healing" albums live for the first time in Akron, Ohio, followed by concerts in Muskegon MI, Indianapolis IN, St. Louis MO, Glenside PA, and Morristown NJ. A large LED display and lasers were on display throughout the shows with Rundgren and the band dressed in extravagant costumes. Rundgren's band consisted of Jesse Gress, Greg Hawkes, Prairie Prince, Bobby Strickland, and Kasim Sulton. Led by choirmaster Dirk Hillyer, local choirs from near each venue joined the band during parts of the Healing set.
Contents |
All songs written by Todd Rundgren.
In its original vinyl configuration, Healing included an additional 7-inch record with two songs:
These form the last two tracks on the compact disc version.
Album - Billboard
| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1981 | Pop Albums | 48[3] |
Singles - Billboard
| Year | Single | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1981 | "Compassion" | Mainstream Rock | 48[3] |
| 1981 | "Time Heals" | Mainstream Rock | 18[3] |
| 1981 | "Time Heals" | Pop Singles | 107 |
|
||||||||||||||||||||