TR-i (The Rundgren-index): Utopia/From Prog To Pop

No.# 3 in a series.

In a rather savvy business move early in his career, Todd Rundgren established himself not only as a working musician, but also as a record producer, overseeing diverse recordings by the likes of Hall & Oates, New York Dolls, The Tubes, Patti Smith, and The Tom Robinson Band to name a few. His most successful endeavors were with the insufferable, but mega-super Meatloaf, the always pleasant, if not derivative Badfinger, the excruciating Grand Funk Railroad, and the off-center, but sublime XTC. Rundgren's keen sensibilities and technical knowhow armed him with the ingredients to give these artists the commercial push they needed to reach a more mainstream audience, all the while maintaining the integrity of their original sound and vision. It was a shrewd maneuver on his part in that essentially, the income derived from his production work allowed him to be as creative and esoteric with his own recordings as he saw fit. Without the need for financial gain from his own records, he was then able to give himself all the headroom he desired to make the music that satisfied himself as an artist, first and foremost. This freedom allowed for the creation of material much like the compositions featured previously in TR-i (The Rundgren-index) : The Experimental Recordings. As long as his records sold (and they did), his label tolerated his indulgences and gave him an on-going platform, something that would never happen in today's record industry. It was only when his material became a bit too enigmatic, that the label begin to balk. He astutely placated them by forming Utopia, a band that served to satisfy their reasonable desire for slightly more accessible music, while giving him yet another creative outlet in which to express himself, a luxury that might have only been conceivable in the 1970's. But perhaps I'm giving Rundgren more credit that he's due on that last one. In all honesty, the initial formation of Utopia may have been simply to translate the complex music he was making in the studio to a live setting. Either scenario seems plausible, but only Rundgren himself can address which is closer to the truth. More than likely, it was a little of both.

There have been three editions of the Utopia band over the years. The first, an extremely short lived quartet with the Sales Brothers (Hunt and Tony, sons of the famed Soupy Sales) and an esoteric Frenchman named, M. Frog Labat. An inaugural tour was begun, but quickly fell apart after only a few dates without either gelling, or recording. The second incarnation was a decidedly progressive rock sextet featuring no less than three keyboardists to handle the multiple synthesizer chores needed for the music that Rundgren wrote exclusively for the band. This second edition did prove commercially viable, releasing two recordings and touring extensively. But as the bombast of progressive rock began to lose favor, Rundgren streamlined the numbers, as well as the sound, creating the most enduring edition of Utopia in the late 70's with Roger Powell, Kasim Sulton, and John Wilcox. This unit held together the longest of the three, producing a more pop-oriented sound, and satisfying the ever increasing demands for hits by the now inflated and profit driven record companies. Those hits came as a result of all four band members contributing to the songwriting, and of course as a result of the accessibility of their toned down material.

Although I have never been a big fan of the Utopia band (despite my regard for Rundgren), when listening to them today, I hear them as a meeting of the operatic sophistication of Queen, with the joyful jangle of Beatlesque pop. Add to that, the sonic density of Boston, with the sweet vocal harmonies of The Beach Boys. Mix in more than a bit of Motown soul and Tin Pan Alley song craft, shake well, and serve chilled over ice. It's a combination of styles and influences that became more pronounced as they evolved through the years, and the mix in this installment of TR-i (The Rundgren-index), traces that evolution from the bands early days as a hard hitting progressive rock unit, to the increasingly concise, radio friendly styling of a pop/rock quartet.

Prog To Rock

1) Freak Parade

2) Freedom Fighters
3) The Wheel
4) The Seven Rays
5) Intro/Mr. Triscuits
6) Something's Coming
7) Love In Action
8) Communion With The Sun
9) Magic Dragon Theater
10) Eternal Love
11) Feel Too Good
12) Hoi Poloi
13) Windows
14) My Angel




Rock To Pop

1) The Marriage Of Heaven And Hell
2) Trapped
3) Love Is The Answer

4) The Road To Utopia
5) Second Nature
6) Caravan
7) Set Me Free
8) Shot In The Dark
9) Love Alone
10) The Very Last Time
11) Lysistrata
12) Swing To The Right
13) One World
14) Feet Don't Fail Me Now
15) Hammer In My Heart
16) I'm Looking At You, But I'm Talking To Myself
17) Mated

To download Part One, click here. For Part Two, here.**

**Due to an oversight, the tracks in these files were not properly numbered to reflect the same running order as the lists above show them to be. You will therefore need to manually arrange the songs in your player, to recreate the playlists as they are intended to be heard. Sorry for the inconvenience.