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After 1972's Something/Anything? became a hit for Todd Rundgren, thanks to the success of singles like 'Hello It's Me' and 'I Saw The Light', Todd realized that he didn't have any desire to keep churning out boy-loves-girl pop songs the rest of his career. Already an established producer, Rundgren had the opportunity to create his own albums without regard to how they'd sell. After all, promotion was the record label's problem. So, beginning with 1973's followup A Wizard/A True Star, it became obvious that Rundgren wasn't going to sacrifice his artistic integrity in the name of pop stardom. Instead, he created music that was heavily synthesized, songs that were beyond the formulaic boy-meets-girl-they-fall-in-love sort of music that had already been done over and over. 1974's Todd Rundgren's Utopia continued that trend. In the experimental times of the late 1960s and early 1970s, many bands created music that expanded the rules of what commercial music would consist of. Bands like Yes and King Crimson actually found success creating music that far exceeded the three-minute standards of pop radio, opting to go with fluid album sides of musical and lyrical ideas that flowed in and out of one another. 1974's Todd Rundgren's Utopia continued that trend, too. As a producer, Todd Rundgren worked with some of the best names in the business, many for the Bearsville label fronted by Albert Grossman, for which Rundgren had now produced several albums. Grossman wanted Todd to tow the line and create another Something/Anything?, but Todd wouldn't compromise, and instead created more bizarre soundscapes that never made it to top-forty radio (but FM radio in the '70s loved it). Grossman and Bearsville stopped promoting Rundgren's records, except to release the odd single. Todd Rundgren's Utopia is Todd's second band, after the Nazz, but with Rundgren on lead vocals and guitar, and a range of competent musicians, from longtime collaborator Mark "Moogy" Klingman on organ and keyboards; bassist John Seigler and keyboardist Ralph Shuckett, who later went on to some commercial success of their own creating music for the Pokemon series; Kevin Ellman on drums would later become a financial advisor for CNBC, but plays some fantastic drum parts here; and French synthesizer/noisemaker Jean-Yves "M Frog" Labat. This band toured with great success, and the fanbase grew as word-of-mouth kept fans listening and attending these shows. This album, Todd Rundgren's Utopia, contains only four tracks - side one (in the grand days of the LP) had three songs: Utopia Theme, a mixture of electronic synths, smooth jazz improvisations, and hard-rockin' guitar lasting more than 14 minutes. Recorded live at the Fox Theater in Atlanta, Georgia, this track sets the tone nicely, and the applause leads into the next track, the ten-minute Freak Parade, even though the remaining three tracks were recorded in the studio. As the name suggests, Freak Parade continued the trend into far-out synths, but with interesting lyrics that imply we're all freaks of some sort. The side closes with the anthemic Freedom Fighters, easily the shortest song on the album. Side two, the 30 minute progressive rock masterpiece The Ikon, was more a medley of tracks that began and ended with a rockin' theme, but inbetween featured many different styles, from New Orleans jazz (from keyboardist Klingman) to Mahavishnu Orchestra, but all of it with Todd's signature sound. Enjoy!Read full review
Wow! Very trippy Todd CD, has all psychedelic songs from years past. Highly reccomended to induce flashbacks!
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: New
Best album ever, Todd Rundren is an amazing musician, and this is some his best stuff.
Verified purchase: No
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