Todd Rundgren's Utopia is the debut album by the band Todd Rundgren's Utopia (band). Rundgren (who was primarily a pop musician at the time) had decided to delve into progressive rock. Putting together several musicians, including three keyboardists, the album covers a variety of styles including funk, jazz, classical and even avant garde music.
Critical reaction was mixed, with some critics labeling the album as pretentious fluff, but it sold extremely well, peaking at #34 on the Billboard charts, a placing which no Utopia album save Adventures in Utopia would ever surpass.[3]
Like a few of Rundgren's solo albums (notably A Wizard, a True Star and Initiation), the album's sheer length pushed the limits of vinyl. At nearly an hour, the sound needed to be compressed in order to fit it onto one vinyl record, resulting in a lesser audio quality than a shorter album. The CD version avoids this issue. The title track of the album was simply called "Utopia" on the original vinyl, cassette and 8-track editions of the album. When Rhino first issued the album on CD, the title of the song was altered to "Utopia Theme." The 2CD Edsel remaster (paired with "Another Live" restores the track title to its original form.
Track listing
CD Version
| 1. |
"Utopia Theme (live)" |
Mason, Rundgren |
14:31 |
| 2. |
"Freak Parade" |
Klingman, Rundgren, Siegler |
10:14 |
| 3. |
"Freedom Fighters" |
Rundgren |
4:04 |
| 4. |
"The Ikon" |
Klingman, Rundgren, Schuckett, Siegler |
30:26 |
|
Total length:
|
59:15 |
Vinyl Version
Side One
| 1. |
"Utopia (live)" |
Mason, Rundgren |
14:18 |
| 2. |
"Freak Parade" |
Klingman, Rundgren, Siegler |
10:14 |
| 3. |
"Freedom Fighters" |
Rundgren |
4:01 |
Side Two
Personnel
- Production
- Todd Rundgren - producer and engineer
- David Le Sage - assistant engineer
- Maruo Miyauchi - design and illustration at Push Pin Studios
Charts
Album - Billboard
| Year |
Chart |
Position |
| 1974 |
Pop Albums |
34 |
References
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- ↑ Utopia chart placings, AllMusicGuide.
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