Todd Rundgren &

Utopia

Todd Rundgren managed to keep his side-band, Utopia, going for 10 years, churning out a fascinating, eclectic series of albums:

Utopia

The year is 1973. Todd Rundgren has just charmed the critics with his acid-pop masterpiece A Wizard A True Star...and then he releases Todd Rundgren Presents Utopia, a prog-rock acid jam with three keyboard players, ponderous, cosmic lyrics and an appalling cover. The critics savage him. Strangely, many of the fans, especially the prog rock concert-goers, consider this his best work.

Another LIVE

Released in 1975, Another LIVE consists of three excellent cosmic songs, a suite that is perhaps the best hippy prog rock ever made that took up what was Side 1 with Side 2 being a selection of concert tracks, mostly good...that seem to be strangely disconnected.

1977 saw Utopia cut down to an economical four-piece and the introduction of the fine-voiced Kasim Sulton on bass. The Rundgren troops put their cosmic reputations on the line with the angry anti-war Hiroshima...and balanced it with the Tolkein-esque 20-minute suite (including a pixie narrator) Singring & The Glass Guitar.

Oops! Wrong Planet

Time to get serious: With the world reasonably disinterested in joining the Toddsters under a giant pyramid and fixin' stuff up for the previous album and tour Ra, Utopia got lean and mean in 1978 with some aggressive power-pop.

Adventures In Utopia

Utopia's almost-breakthrough album with a hit single, Kasim Sulton's Set Me Free, getting good airplay...and then Todd has a falling out with the band's record company, Bearsville. Adventures In Utopia stalls in the Top 30...and Utopia never recover.

Utopia LIVE In Columbus DVD, 1980

Deface The Music

Utopia take Beatle pills and come up with a wonderful Beatles pastiche covering from Beatlemania through to Revolver and Magical Mystery Tour. Deface The Music remains virtually unknown...but every Beatle fan should get this album and enjoy this little gem for what it is, real entertainment.

Swing To The Right

Bringing back the hard-line of Oops! Wrong Planet, with US President Reagan recently elected, Utopia take on Conservatism, Greed, big business & warmongers. Tell me, what's changed?

Utopia

Yes, Utopia dumbed down for this album...but Utopia is a magnificent, dizzying achievement, with one pop gem after another. Witty lyrics, great harmonies, memorable toons...it's all here. If you're ever going to have one brainless pop album, this is it!

After this terrific pop album, Utopia began to slowly grind to a halt and though they release two more albums, with some terrific songs, Oblivion & P.O.V. (now released as a 2-disc compilation), before infighting and changing priorities pushed them apart.

Utopia double release

Highlights of Oblivion:

In Love With A Thinker (half of a great song)
If I Didn't Try (a less specific Too Far Gone form Hermit Of Mink Hollow)
Too Much Water (magnificent chug-a-lug groove)
Maybe I Could Change (perfect pop but unfortunately the snippet doesn't relay that)
Crybaby (a not unimpressive single)

Highlights of POV

Mated (anyone for a #1 R'n'b ballad duet?)
Mimi Gets Mad (catchy but the snippet doesn't relay it)

Utopia re-gathered in 1992 for a Japanese tour and a LIVE album, Redux. There was talk of another album but nothing resulted...

Utopia Redux: LIVE In Japan, 1992 DVD

Todd has continued being odd and Todd
Kasim Sulton is an in demand bass player and musical arranger for Meatloaf, amongst many others
Willie Wilcox is a music producer in Florida &
Roger Powell is a computer programmer in Silicon Valley

Utopia's Greatest Hits

a superb collection of power-pop

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