Todd Rundgren's Utopia

Editorial Reviews
Album Description
Utopia's first album - a break away from Todd's romantic pop leanings to a more progressive "fusion" sound.

Tracks:

Utopia Theme
Freak Parade
Freedom Fighters
The Ikon

Album Description

Utopia's first album - a break away from Todd's romantic pop leanings to a more progressive "fusion" sound.

Customer Reviews:

Overlooked prog masterpiece.......2007-06-22

Todd's first lineup of Utopia, that included three keyboard players, was short lived, however, this debut release is an outstanding psychedelic prog disc that is overlooked (don't know why) by some prog fans. Most of the songs are lengthy, well written, and exciting, so I never lose interest. "The Ikon" is a thirty-minute constantly changing musical journey of ideas that are cohesive. I can't say the same of most other epic tunes. As expected with three keyboard players, there is plenty of room for instrumental passages and solos, so if that's not your style, pass on this. However, if you're a prog fan and you've never heard this, it is essential listening.

No need to wait another year, UTOPIA is here.......2007-03-28

Music that will take you to that idealized place. A concept album built around Utopia(the place which the band was named after). The music is different than anything that the band would try again and it's kind of surprising to me that this one is still one of the easist ones available given the fact that it's the least radio friendly with three long songs mixed in with one short one. The songs themselves, starting with Utopia which is recorded live and is quite involved rocks hard. Freak Parade is a cool tune with some really nice changes in it. Freedom Fighters is a fun song and The Ikon which used to take up all of side two goes to many wonderful places. I should add that the lyrics are also execelllent. Makes you think that Utopia REALLY IS HERE. Once again, the JVC copy rocks.

Why does this album always seem to "fly under the radar" of prog fans?.......2006-05-23

I'm an avid prog rock fan, but I also have a pretty extensive collection of Todd, whose music most may view as "eclectic" if nothing else - dabbling at times in pop, prog, electronica, computer-based effects, etc. So if you never spent the time to get to know the Todd beyond his Carole King-like ballads, then you might have missed some pretty cool music of his. (You also would have missed some not-so-great stuff in and around, but we won't go into that here;-)

He was perhaps at his proggiest in 1974 and 1975 when he gave us "Todd Rundgren's Utopia" and followed it up with his "Initiation" album (which I've already gone on record as promoting as a personal "Top 5" album). But this Utopia album is different from all of the subsequent Utopia albums in one major way: the personnel that comprised all subsequent studio albums of the prog-pop Utopia were Todd, Kasim Sultan (bass), Roger Powell (keys), and John Wilcox (drums), while this one-off first Utopia album consisted of Todd, John Siegler (bass), Kevin Ellman (drums), and THREE keyboardists: Moogy Klingman, Ralph Schuckett, and Jean-Yves "M. Frog" Labat. Different sound and different musical focus.

The bottom line here is that this album is really something special for prog fans. The opener, "Utopia Theme", was recorded live in Atlanta, and really is superb for all of its 14 minutes, featuring GREAT guitars (by TR), synths, vocals, melodies, and mystical lyrics. The remainder of the album is studio recorded. The 10-minute "Freak Parade" begins with a great vibe, and ends with the solo bass line fading out. In between, you get a little Zappa-like quirkiness - a bit weird for me in places, but it does hold together pretty well. "Freedom Fighters" is not quite as "poppy" as some reviewers might have you believe. Yeah, it's written in 4/4 time and only lasts about 4 minutes, but it's also a pretty good song. And you kind of need that before the 30-minute-long album closer "The Ikon". This cut is classic prog that runs the gamut from symphonic to spacey (think "Treatise on Cosmic Fire" in spots), to jazz fusion, to Western hoedown! Lots of soloing and jamming combined with clever transitions to new sections.

If you like adventure and a plethora of keyboards in your prog diet, this first unique Utopia album is a great way to escape to musical nirvana. Recommended.

I value interesting music that is played and recorded well. This cd's rating was based on:
Music quality = 8.8/10; Performance = 9/10; Production = 8/10; CD length = 9/10.
Overall score weighted on my proprietary scale = 8.7 ("4 stars")

TODD IS NO RUNT BUT IS THE NAZZ AND A WIZARD A TRUE STAR.......2006-02-25

THE SUMMER OF 74 AND MY GIRLFRIEND WANTS TO SEE TODD NO WAY.I'M A ROCKER BABY NOT THE "WE GOT TO GET YOU A WOMAN,HELLO IT"S ME" STUFF. GIVE ME ZZ,BLACK SAB,FLOYD,TULL! WELL WE HAD THE FIGHT AND SHE WENT OFF WITH A GIRLFRIEND. GOODRIDDANCE I SAID.TODD CAME ON ACTING OUT( I MEAN TAPED MUSIC WHILE ACTING TO THE WORDS AND MUSIC) HIS SOLO STUFF AND I THOUGHT I WAS VENDICATED AND HOOKED UP WITH THE LADY SO I COULD GLOAT AND LET HER KNOW IT. WELL THE CURTAIN RISES TO (3) KEYBOARDS,DRUMS,BASS AND THE BLACK MARIA HIMSELF PROCCEDED TO BLOW THE WHOLE AUDIENCE AWAY AND MY FREAK FLAG WAS WAVING HIGH. GET THIS CD(REMASTERED) AND GIVE THE FINGER TO THE MAN! NO THE GIRL SPLIT ANYWAY(GOODRIDDANCE) BUT I HAVE ALL OF TODD'S LP'S AND CD'S. :):):)

A Criminally Overlooked Rock Masterpiece!.......2005-09-15

Previous reviewers got it right when they said that mere words cannot convey the awesomeness of this album!

And there is no way that I can write an unbiased review of this.

I must have been 5 or 6 years old, around 1985 or so, when I was flipping through my dad's stack of records.

The cover was so colorful that it immediately drew my attention and I asked to hear it...it has turned out to be the bedrock on which my interests in Music and Esoteric Spiritual topics are based (the liner notes and lyrics for "The Ikon" were some pretty heavy reading for a 5-year old!)

I can't believe it's been 20 years since I heard it and 31 years since it was released.....and it's still THE BOMB!!!

Don't you just want to alternately laugh and puke when you read reviews of this and other albums like it, written by critics who are either unwitting dupes or active participants in the Conspiracy to Keep Rock Dumb?

"Pretentious" - How could it possibly pretend to be anything other than what it really is? MUSIC!

"Self-Indulgent" - Oh, and smashing Hotel rooms, doing lines off of Groupies' chests and dying at 27 isn't?

F-'em...they know NOTHING!!!

So enough sentimental ranting...let's get into a few details.

First, I really should get the Re-Mastered Import of this. I have the CD re-issue on Rhino which is good enough for those new to it, but for maximum sonic wallop, I prefer this album on LP Vinyl (I've got at least 2 copies of them) and played on a good system. The Rhino CD sounds TERRIBLE in comparison!

I know one could only put so much material on a side of vinyl before the sound quality started to suffer, but this doesn't seem to have that problem at all.

So, to conclude:

If you already have this, hell, buy another one! Get both the Rhino and Castle UK imports, as well as a good vinyl copy, and tell us all how they compare.

If you don't have this, and if the reviews here make it sound like it's right up your alley....DO NOT WAIT ANY LONGER!!!

Average customer rating:

Roger Powell Does It Again!
Fossil's Alive!
Return of the Utopian keyboardist!

Fossil Poets
Roger Powell
Manufacturer: Inner Knot
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Similar Items:

Air Pocket
Cosmic Furnace
Revolution Road
The First Seven Days
Wild Orchids

ASIN: B000ION6W2
Release Date: 2006-10-24

Tracks:

Lone Gunman
Fallout Shelter
Delayed Reaction
Test Drive
Creme Fraiche
Too Much Rain
Underwater City
Dauphine
Tribe By Fire
Miles Per Gallon
Peaceful Uprising
Serpentine
Zentegrity
Osmosis
Astrae

Customer Reviews:

Roger Powell Does It Again!.......2006-12-06

I remember becoming interested in synthesizers in 1973. I was very focused on getting an ARP synthesizer and ended up getting an Odyssey in 1974. A good part of my education was listening to Roger Powell's "Cosmic Furnace". Constructed with all the ARP synthesizers available at the time, Roger pushed the boundaries of what we knew these instruments were capable of.

Roger wrote a series of articles (late 70s/early 80s) in Keyboard Magazine, describing his experiments with computers. We could only dream about the sounds he was creating until he released "Air Pocket". He once again pushed the edge of technology with his unheard of drummer, and clean digital textures. I remember Roger mentioning in an interview that Jan Hammer asked him who the drummer was. Jan was blown away when he told him it was a machine. (We all were!)

When I heard that Roger was producing a new album after all these years, I couldn't wait to get my hands on it. Would this synthesizer maverick still have what it took to blow his fans away? Absolutely! Roger has once again taken the tools of the day, and raised the bar.

The addition of guitarist Greg Koch and producer Gary Tanin are not mere side musicians. For this album, they are integral to the production - and it shows. I know Roger is busy bringing us the latest technology at the Silicon Valley company he works for, but how cool would it be to have a short tour (a la Robert Rich) having Gary, Greg and Roger play some of this music live? Hint: VERY!

From the trademark Powell textures on the opening cut "Lone Gunman", to the searing leads on "Fallout Shelter"; from the smoking Hammond solo on Creme Fraiche, to the peaceful introspection of Dauphine and Astrae on acoustic piano (proving his chops are not "electronic-deep"), Roger Powell brings it.

Highly recommended!

Fossil's Alive!.......2006-11-03

Great to hear Roger back in the pocket with an interesting new band that (of course) is very electronic. Different from his earlier releases, but equal on talent and originality. I will admit I had to listen to this about 3 times before it absorbed into my being. Yes, I have seen Roger perform many times with TR's Utopia back in the 70's and 80's. His prescence has really been missed since that time. I can't believe it's been so many years since "Air Pocket" was released! Fossil Poets is an interesting band and I hope that they continue to record because I see and hear alot of potential for future devolopment with this band. Meanwhile I am really enjoying hearing this brilliant keyboardist again.

Return of the Utopian keyboardist!.......2006-10-25

Way, way back when, long before anyone was saying "back in the day", there was an inventive rock group called Utopia, headed up by sometimes-pop-star Todd Rundgren. It took many forms, but along for the ride 98% of the time was keyboard player Roger Powell. Although noted for his work on landmark Utopia records such as RA, or backing up David Bowie, or building remote keyboards for friend Jan Hammer, Roger also put out 2 very fine solo albums. The first was hardly a blip on the radar screen, but the second record, AIR POCKET, became one of my all-time favorites.

Roger continued to work with Rundgren and Utopia until the late '80s, when his software engineering 'hobby' became his full-time job. He left his music career by and large without ever following up AIR POCKET with another solo effort, until NOW.

So much time - and trends, and technology - has past, that as hard as I may try, I can't honestly compare FOSSIL POETS with his older releases, or his work in Utopia for that matter. It cannot help but sound radically different. It also would be hard pressed to sound as cutting edge as AIR POCKET did upon its release. But it's still Roger Powell, and certainly worth checking out if you liked what he did before. He's also involving other performers instead of tackling it all himself this time out, which may be good or bad depending on your perspective. But his harmonic ideas are still as fresh as they were back then, and certainly orders of magnitude more interesting than what you're likely to find spewing from the radio at any given time. I don't think this will be mistaken for pop, but I'm not one to categorize music anyway.

So what is it then? Well, it's Roger Powell, picking up where he left off...sort of. I'm just glad to hear SOMETHING, ANYTHING out of him once more, and I'm glad it's worth more than a few listens. Hopefully he won't take 26 years to release another album!

Average customer rating:

No need to wait another year, UTOPIA is here

Todd Rundgren's Utopia
Utopia
Manufacturer: Bearsville
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B000FIHCKS
Release Date: 2006-06-17

Tracks:

Utopia Theme
Freak Parade
Freedom Fighters
Ikon

Album Details

Special 20bit K2 Japanese Limited Edition Issue of the Debut Album of the Rundgren Founded Group Classic in a Deluxe, Miniaturized LP Sleeve Replica of the Original Vinyl Album Artwork. The Backing Players from "a Wizard a True Star" Formed the Lineup of the Band: Kasim Sulton, Willie Wilcox and "m. Frog Labat" (Later Unmasked to Be Roger Powell). This was the First of Many Albums the Group Would Record, this One Following the Extended Play Format, Pretty Much Par for the Era, Championed by Groups Like Yes, Emerson Lake and Palmer and Frank Zappa

Customer Reviews:

No need to wait another year, UTOPIA is here.......2007-03-28

Average customer rating:

Todd Rundgren vs. Utopia
Todd Rundgren
Manufacturer: Castle Music UK
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Pop | Styles | Music

Singer-Songwriters | Pop | Styles | Music

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ASIN: B00005CBU5
Release Date: 2002-01-08

Tracks:

I Saw the Light - Todd Rundgren
Hello It's Me - Todd Rundgren
Can We Still Be Friends? - Todd Rundgren
We Gotta Get You a Woman - Todd Rundgren
Bang the Drum All Day - Todd Rundgren
Time Heals - Todd Rundgren
Just One Victory - Todd Rundgren
Dream Goes on Forever - Todd Rundgren
Be Nice to Me - Todd Rundgren
Tiny Demons - Todd Rundgren
Real Man - Todd Rundgren
Couldn't I Just Tell You - Todd Rundgren
All the Children Sing - Todd Rundgren
Love of the Common Man - Todd Rundgren
Heavy Metal Kids - Todd Rundgren

Tracks:

Utopia Theme - Utopia
Love Is the Answer - Utopia
Set Me Free - Utopia
Caravan - Utopia
Love in Action - Utopia
Lysistrata - Utopia
One World - Utopia
Last of the New Wave Riders - Utopia
Wheel - Utopia
Trapped - Utopia
Very Last Time - Utopia
Seven Rays [Live] - Utopia
Just One Victory [Live] - Utopia

Album Description

UK 2 CD compilation contains the cream of Rundgren's recordings for Bearsville Records - both solo & with Utopia. 28 tracks including, 'I Saw The Light', 'Hello It's Me', 'Can We Still Be Friends?', 'The Seven Rays' (live) & 'Just One Victory' (live). Slimline double jewel case. 2001 release.

Album Details

Two CD Set featuring Both Rundgren's Solo Material and with Utopia.

Average customer rating:

At last....

Redux 92: Live In Japan
Todd Utopia Rundgren
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Swing to the Right

ASIN: B000059WER
Release Date: 2001-01-05

Customer Reviews:

At last...........2001-02-27

a non-bootleg live Utopia CD at a bargain price. The song selection may not satisfy the prog-rock crowd as it starts from about the time Kasim Sulton joined the band. There is an excerpt from "THE IKON" however. The sound quality is superb as it was mixed and mastered by TR-i. Each band member is highlighted nicely in typical Utopia style. Hightlights for me are "PRINCESS OF THE UNIVERSE" and "BACK ON THE STREET". The DVD is superb as well but the song count has been trimmed. I have both and they compliment each other nicely. The Japanese sure know how to record in a concert setting...very little crowd noise and general audience outbursts.

Average customer rating:

Turning Around

Manufacturer: Independent
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music
ASIN: B000CAD4WE
Release Date: 2003-06-24

Average customer rating:

Few Progrock Albums Equal The Brilliance Here

Todd Rundgren's Utopia
Utopia
Manufacturer: Bearsville
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B0000259PY
Release Date: 1974-10-01

Tracks:

"Utopia (Recorded Live At The Fox Theater In
Freak Parade
Freedom Fighters
The Ikon

Album Description

Digitally remastered reissue of the debut album by Todd Rundgren's art/ prog/ power pop group. Contains all four tracks from when it was first issued in 1974, including 'Freedom Fighters'. Also features the original cover art & new interviews in the liner

Customer Reviews:

Few Progrock Albums Equal The Brilliance Here.......2002-11-19

Only Yes can compete with the release. Released the same year as the mind-blowing Yes album, Relayer, 1974 was an incredible year for progressive rock. The year we also saw King Crimson's Red and the Lamb Lies Down on Broadway from Genesis. Incredible!!!
The Ikon is perhaps one of the greatest rogrock tunes of all time. A little over THIRTY minutes of progrock ecstasy. Not a boring moment to be found. The quickest 30 minutes you will ever spend. If you've never heard the Ikon you might be thinking that 30 minutes is insane. Nothing can keep my attention for that long. TRY THIS OUT! Todd Rundgren assembled an incredible cast of musicians that keep things interesting throughout. Three keyboardists... The percussion on this album is fantastic. Todd's vocals and lyrics are great, and his guitar playing has never been better.
As for the other tunes, there is not a dud to be found. EVERY song is a classic.
Freak Parade and the Ikon are the most progressive of the tunes on this album. Freedom Fighters is an unusual song, that seems slightly lacking in the sound quality department, but it is short and because it is such a fantastic and powerful song, the slightly sub-par sound quality is absolutely not a problem. Its a beautiful song. One word can describe it as well as this entire album-Trippy.
Don't delay, this album is a progrock paradise. The remaster sounds better...why I still see the old CD's in U.S. stores when this album has been remastered for several years is a mystery to me. Currently, the remaster is only available by import. But believe me, its worth it!

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