― Johnny Fever (johnny fever), Sunday, 3 October 2004 02:04 (nineteen years ago) link
So I'm finally hearing some of this stuff just so I can say I've heard it...uh.
― Ned Raggett, Thursday, 21 June 2007 03:15 (sixteen years ago) link
Never heard them but it will take work to convince me that Todd Rundgren putting out prog records could not be awesome.
― Sundar, Thursday, 21 June 2007 03:50 (sixteen years ago) link
They ARE awesome! Get yrself a copy of "Ra", Sundar, it's the best - great tunes & vocal harmonies, totally OTT arrangements & solos.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ej9xzLCyiWE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oz76Mxb2kEw&mode=related&search=
― Pashmina, Thursday, 21 June 2007 10:49 (sixteen years ago) link
^ Roger Powell's synthesiser solo on the second clip is like 3 minutes of WTF?!?!?!
― Pashmina, Thursday, 21 June 2007 10:55 (sixteen years ago) link
I like "Todd Rundgren's Utopia" a lot more than "Ra" tho I have no problem with the latter. A friend of mine who listens to a lot of prog says that first Utopia Lp might be the best prog album. Otherwise, "Deface the Music" is a silly masterpiece, a wonderful Beatles tribute/parody, I don't think they need much defending.
― President Evil, Thursday, 21 June 2007 10:55 (sixteen years ago) link
In the early days, MTV used to play Feet Don't Fail Me Now quite a lot, so I have a particular affection for that song. (Click through if you've never seen Rundgren dressed as a yellow-and-black insect and feel you should. Roger Powell on lead vocals here, I believe.)
Ditto "Cry Baby," which I think was off their final album, and is pretty disposable Rundgren arena rock, but still evokes a little nostalgia.
"Deface the Music" is pretty great, even if there had never been a Rutles.
― Phil D., Thursday, 21 June 2007 13:43 (sixteen years ago) link
disposable Rundgren arena rock
See, this is my problem with it -- and it leads me to conclude that my issue is not with Utopia per se but with Rundgren (who I've generally found an extremely overrated figure as a songwriter, less so as a producer). Though the comparison is hardly exact I was thinking this morning of how much more I enjoyed, say, Bill Nelson's Red Noise in comparison.
― Ned Raggett, Thursday, 21 June 2007 13:53 (sixteen years ago) link
In comparison in comparison. Comparing.
I've never heard the prog-era Utopia, but I've heard everything from Oops! Wrong Planet onward. Most of it doesn't date very well. I loved the self-titled LP+EP as a youth, but the horrid '80s production is hard to take now. Adventures in Utopia is a decent stab at Boston-styled arena-rock bombast - but again, that's hardly a recommendation. It's no surprise that Kasim Sulton went on to play with Meat Loaf.
Deface The Music is the only one I could heartily recommend today, but I still wouldn't place it before the Nazz or Something/Anything. (I've heard a rumor that Rundgren made Deface The Music as a response to John Lennon's snubbing, and their subsequent beef in the UK press.)
― mike a, Thursday, 21 June 2007 14:05 (sixteen years ago) link
Bill Nelson sucks. Pash to thread
― President Evil, Thursday, 21 June 2007 14:27 (sixteen years ago) link
i just bought modern music by be bop deluxe and was pretty disappointed by it. never heard 'em before.
i really really dislike todd rundgren for some reason. i've barely ever heard his music. something about him bothers me. he seems like the zappa of 70s soft rock or something.
― M@tt He1ges0n, Thursday, 21 June 2007 16:54 (sixteen years ago) link
"Deface The Music" alone secures Utopia defensibility.
― Geir Hongro, Thursday, 21 June 2007 22:40 (sixteen years ago) link
oblivion/pov/2nd st hit a strong nerve for me from hearing it in the car all the time as a wee tot. so many of these songs still sound amazing, but there are few i can safely recommend to just anybody.
lots of good tunes but severely bad lyrics.
that roger powell album "air pocket" is kinda sweet in a 'rape this album for samples'/'re-edit the fuck out of this track' kind of way
"freedom fighters" from the very first utopia album might be the best utopia song, though.
i really want to play "too much water" at a party but i'm sure it sounds totally wack to everyone except me.
― babedad, Friday, 22 June 2007 05:43 (sixteen years ago) link
"Love Is the Answer" from Oops Wrong Planet is the blue eyed soul number for the apocalypse.
― Naive Teen Idol, Thursday, 31 March 2011 02:00 (twelve years ago) link
Okay, so I'm enjoying the first Utopia album a great deal more than I thought I would from reading about it.
― ...and the trees are all kept equal by hatchet, axe and SAW! (Turrican), Monday, 16 June 2014 01:12 (nine years ago) link
I picked up Something/Anything a few months back and really got into it. So today when I spotted the first Utopia album in the dollar bin, I thought "why not?"
Turns out there were a lot of reasons.
I think that people who say they hate prog, this is what they're hearing in their heads when they say it.
― enochroot, Tuesday, 12 June 2018 01:21 (five years ago) link
Roger Powell’s keyboards on “windows” are truly exquisite
― brimstead, Friday, 1 May 2020 20:44 (three years ago) link
This, um, rules, or sth
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DPcK8xSye-A
― Wuhan!! Got You All in Check (Camaraderie at Arms Length), Friday, 1 May 2020 20:50 (three years ago) link
"Martyr" is a really cool tune
― frogbs, Friday, 1 May 2020 20:53 (three years ago) link
kasim's vocals are excellent on that one, agree, hell of a tune
― brimstead, Friday, 1 May 2020 21:13 (three years ago) link
things i learned about utopia today:
1) there are THREE keyboardists on Another Live
2) luther vandross sang backing vocals for them at a London show in 1975 bootlegs are out there
― brimstead, Tuesday, 21 July 2020 21:33 (three years ago) link
He's here w Todd on the Old Grey Whistle Test as well: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KA_zFgjvuqk
― Naive Teen Idol, Monday, 25 January 2021 21:53 (three years ago) link