Todd Rundgren

presents

Utopia

The early 1970 presented an explosion of sounds for concert-goers, far more exploratory than today. On the same bill as e.g. an unpretentious band like Foghat, you might also have:

Billy Preston & The God Squad, funk with three keyboard players
The Mahavishnu Orchestra playing complex free-form jazz or even
Todd Rundgren's Utopia, playing cosmic prog rock

Utopia Todd Rundgren Presents Utopia

Todd Rundgren's Utopia

...it was all part of the mix, part of what happened because of the massive upheaval of the Sixties.

Utopia Mk 1 might seem bloated now...but their sheer existence...fronted by a singer song-writer who had more in common with Carole King than Emerson, Lake & Palmer was cool enough in itself. Plus, of course, there was Rundgren himself, a stick insect with multi-colored hair, who'd often start a show singing his pop hits to backing tracks and then unleash his "band".

LIVE Freedom Fighters 1975

Like Billy Preston's God Squad, Utopia also had three keyboard players (in those days synthesizers could do a lot less than now)...and Todd Rundgren's Utopia is an album loved by prog-rockers around the globe with a standard of musicianship that's up there with the big guys of the genre.

There are four tracks on the album:

Utopia Theme
Freak Parade
Freedom Fighters &
The Ikon (clocking in at around half an hour)

...all very Seventies and there are a whole lot of Amazon reviewers who report that this is one of the great lost albums of that time. So, how does Todd Rundgren presents Utopia stand up after all this time?

Well, as a pop fan, I'd have to say that it's almost unintelligible. This is not pop!

However, as a Prog. Rock fan, it's really quite different from the English school (ELP, Yes, King Crimson) which I was fond of and is much more positioned towards Zappa's sense of instrumentation, which I wasn't into.

"...Todd Rundgren's Utopia, the band's debut, is mid-'70s progressive rock in every sense, from the tricky, fusion-esque keyboard solos to the extended compositions...to the sometimes oblique and ponderous lyrical preoccupations.

Nevertheless, it's better than Emerson Lake and Palmer roughly to the extent that The Beatles are better than Herman's Hermits. Rundgren's songwriting talents are in full force and even the longest pieces have a fully composed feeling that makes this much more satisfying than the aimless noodling of many prog groups. Not for pop fans, perhaps, but excellent..." Amazon.co.uk blurb

Musicianship, of course, is very high and there's no doubt that all these guys can play, so critics might say it sounds like a big jam session, whereas fans of the genre might say that it's great ensemble playing. Like with Zappa, though, Utopia sounds, very much, like Todd + sidemen rather than as a democratic band and the album suffers for me because of that.

I can't offer much more because this form of prog rock only existed for a few years, way back when, and there's very little I can compare it to. I guess that you'll just have to try it to see if it fits.

Utopia: Todd Rundgren's Utopia

"...By turns it's art-rock, ethereal, a dash of fusion and even pop - reflecting the trends of the period and also some of the more progressive cross-pollination. I adore this album..." Amazon reviewer skylark77

"...Dance music for outer space people. This is a great album, full of very exciting and adventurous music. A must have!..." Amazon reviewer R. Recchia

"...Lets face it, Todd Rundren is the architypal self-indulgant...but don't let that put you off - this is definitely a ROCK record...Come on, it's 1974, you've got Yes, King Crimson, Genesis and a whole load of other (mostly Brit) prog-rockers doing nine-minute epics about ghouls, goblins, goocks and geeks! So, from Pensylvania, Todd has a go, combines it with some great lyrics and comes up with this! Prog with Soul!..." Amazon.co.uk reviewer "nick cresswell"

"...This is one for the overblown psychedelia-smiths amongst you... a recipe for free love, long hair and lyrics so thoughtful you'll wonder whatever happened to Education..." Amazon.co.uk reviewer corduroyangel

"...This was the album that turned me on to Todd's music - it absolutely blew my little mind when it came out. It still knocks me out...a complex, epic, progressive, even whimsical masterpiece..." Amazon reviewer John Q Public

For more info, see: