Todd Rundgren's Utopia is the debut album by the American rock band Utopia, released in October 1974 on Bearsville Records. The band was formed in 1973 by musician, songwriter, and producer Todd Rundgren who decided to expand his musical style by moving from pop-oriented rock towards progressive rock. He assembled a six-piece group that featured three keyboardists and toured as a live act. Most of the album was recorded in the studio except "Utopia", the opening track, which was recorded live in concert November 3rd,1973.
| Todd Rundgren's Utopia | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | October 1974 | |||
| Recorded | Fox Theatre, Atlanta, Georgia on November 3rd,1973 ("Utopia") and The Secret Sound (all other tracks) | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 59:18 | |||
| Label | Bearsville | |||
| Producer | Todd Rundgren | |||
| Todd Rundgren's Utopia chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   [1] |
| Rolling Stone | (Not rated)[2] |
| Tom Hull | C+[3] |
The album peaked at number 34 on the Billboard 200 and critical reaction towards it was mixed.[4]
Background edit
Like Rundgren's solo albums A Wizard, a True Star (1973) and Initiation (1975), the album pushed the limits of vinyl. At almost an hour in length, the sound needed to be compressed in order to fit it onto one record, resulting in a decline in audio quality. The CD version avoids this issue. On the first reissue of the album, released in 1978, the title of "Utopia" was changed to "Utopia Theme" and publishing credits were changed from Earmark Music to Earmark Music and Screen Gems - Columbia Music. "Utopia" was recorded live in concert at the Fox Theatre in Atlanta, Georgia on April 25, 1974.
Track listing edit
Note: "Utopia" is titled "Utopia Theme" on later editions.
| No. | Title | Music | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Utopia" (Live) | Mason, Rundgren | 14:18 |
| 2. | "Freak Parade" | Klingman, Rundgren, Siegler | 10:14 |
| 3. | "Freedom Fighters" | Rundgren | 4:01 |
| No. | Title | Music | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "The Ikon" | Klingman, Rundgren, Schuckett, Siegler | 30:22 |
| Total length: | 58:55 | ||
Personnel edit
Utopia
- Todd Rundgren – vocals, electric guitar
- Mark "Moogy" Klingman – keyboards, Hammond B-3 organ
- Ralph Schuckett – keyboards
- Jean Yves "M. Frog" Labat – synthesizer
- John Siegler – bass guitar, cello
- Kevin Ellman – drums, percussion
Production
- Todd Rundgren – producer and engineer
- David Le Sage – assistant engineer
- Maruo Miyauchi – design and illustration at Push Pin Studios
References edit
- ^ "allmusic ((( Todd Rundgren's Utopia > Review )))". allmusic.com. Retrieved 2009-09-20.
- ^ "Todd Rundgren: Todd Rundgren's Utopia : Music Reviews : Rolling Stone". rollingstone.com. Archived from the original on August 14, 2009. Retrieved 2009-09-20.
- ^ Hull, Tom (April 1975). "The Rekord Report: Second Card". Overdose. Retrieved June 26, 2020 – via tomhull.com.
- ^ Utopia chart placings, AllMusicGuide.