It's a little easy to forget now that he is calling himself TR-i (Todd Rundgren Interactive) and putting the technology cart before the musical horse, that once upon a time, Upper Darby, Pa.'s favorite son was just a damned good singer and songwriter.

The Very Best Of... tends to veer towards the poppier edges of Rundgren's oeuvre, which is all right, since the man had an incredible ear for melody. Starting out with Rundgren's first solo single, the hooky and subtly horny "We Gotta Get You A Woman," the album hits most of the high spots in Rundgren's career.

There is the perfect pop propulsion of "I Saw The Light," the lyrically wimpy but still magnificent ballad "Can We Still Be Friends?" and even the goofy party fave "Bang On The Drum All Day."

My one complaint about this compilation is that they do give short shift to Rundgren's rockier side project Utopia, only including three songs, at least two of which should have been replaced by the likes of "Set Me Free" or "Libertine." But that is a minor quibble in a terrific package. (10/97)