Utopia: The Road To Utopia: The Complete Recordings 1974 - 82 Box - Set (2018)

 

Utopia was an American rock band formed in 1973 by Todd Rundgren. During its first three years, the

group was a progressive rock band with a somewhat fluid membership known as Todd Rundgren's Utopia. Most of the members in this early incarnation also played on Rundgren's solo albums of the period up to 1975.
              

By 1976, the group was known simply as Utopia and featured a stable quartet of Rundgren, Kasim

Sulton, Roger Powell and John "Willie" Wilcox. This version of the group gradually abandoned progressive rock for more straightforward rock and pop.
              

Stardom was handed to him with Something/Anything?, but Todd Rundgren rejected it. He wanted to

explore new musical territory instead, and his adventures led him to form Utopia in 1973. Initially, Utopia was a prog rock septet featuring three keyboardists, but as the '70s progressed, the band evolved into a shiny mainstream rock quartet, and Rundgren retreated into the background, as each of his bandmates contributed songs and lead vocals to the albums.
             

  
By the early '80s, Utopia had developed into a hitmaking entity in their own right, even if much -- if not

all -- of their audience were simply dedicated Rundgren fans, which highlights the problem with Utopia: although they did develop their own signature sound, they were nevertheless always perceived as Rundgren's folly.
             

And to a certain extent, that was accurate, since the band's musical evolution often mirrored his own --

plus, once he decided he had enough of the group in 1985, they ceased to exist. At that point, Utopia was over a decade old, which made them something more than a folly, but even hardcore Rundgren fans will admit that it's impossible to view Utopia's career as being completely independent from his own.
                

After all, the band was born out of his desire to experiment with synthesizers and delve into prog rock.

In its original incarnation, the group consisted of three keyboardists -- Moogy Klingman, Ralph Shuckett, and Jean Yves "M. Frog" Labat -- a bassist (John Siegler), a percussionist (Kevin Elliman), and a drummer (John "Willie" Wilcox), along with Rundgren on lead guitar.
                

           
The band's first album was released months after Rundgren's Todd hit the stores. Appearing in October

1974, Todd Rundgren's Utopia consisted of only four tracks, all of which were mainly instrumental, and none of which were less than ten minutes apiece. Rundgren continued in that direction on his next solo album, Initiation, which was released in spring 1975.
 

More months later, Utopia released Another Live, a wild live album devoted to long synth experiments,

and the band's first release with Roger Powell replacing Labat. Utopia's live concerts were marked by these improvisatory excursions, yet they were also distinguished by their video backdrops and random, computer-generated music.
             

In 1980, they had a top 40 hit with "Set Me Free". Though often thought of as a Rundgren-oriented

project, all four members of Utopia wrote, sang, produced and performed on their albums; "Set Me Free", for example, was written and sung by Sulton. The group broke up in 1986, but reunited briefly in 1992.
          

In 2011 the earlier prog-rock incarnation known as Todd Rundgren's Utopia was revived for a series of

live shows. In 2018 Rundgren, Sulton, and Wilcox reunited for a tour with new keyboardist Gil Assayas under the moniker Todd Rundgren's Utopia.
                     

Utopia – The Road To Utopia: The Complete Recordings 1974-82
Label: Friday Music – FRM-71974
Format: 7 x CD, Compilation, Box Set
Country: US
Released: 2018
Genre: Rock
Style: Prog Rock, Power Pop, Pop Rock

CD1. TODD RUNDGREN'S UTOPIA 1974

                  

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. The album peaked at number 34 on the Billboard 200 and critical reaction towards it was mixed.

TRACKS            

                    

01. Utopia Theme
02. Freak Parade
03. Freedom Fighters
04. The Ikon

BONUS TRACK        

    
05. Do Ya (Alternate Take)

Flac Size: 453 MB

CD2. ANOTHER LIVE 1975    

                  

Another Live is a live album by the progressive rock band Utopia. It was recorded in August 1975 and released in 1975 on Bearsville. The record was the band's first fully live album, the first Utopia album to include future mainstays Powell and Wilcox, and the last to feature Schuckett and Klingman. The trio of backing singers Arnold McCuller, David Lasley and Phil Ballou were also new to the group and

toured the summer tour, being replaced that September with future star Luther Vandross and Anthony Hinton, who had toured the UK with Utopia later that year. Side one contains three new songs that had not been previously issued, and which were either never recorded or not released as studio versions. (Live 1975 versions of Powell's "Mister Triscuits" and Rundgren's "The Wheel" can also be heard on the album Todd Rundgren's Utopia Live at Hammersmith Odeon '75). (Shout Music, 2012). Side two is a mix of live cover versions of songs by band members and other artists. Jeff Lynne's "Do Ya" was a B-side to The Move's "California Man" single (1972) which had a double-track B-side also featuring the song "Ella James".

TRACKS    

                   

01. Another Life
02. The Wheel
03. The Seven Rays
04. Intro / Mister Triscuits
05. Something's Cool
06. Heavy Metal Kids
07. Do Ya
08. Just One Victory

BONUS TRACK        

    
09. Open My Eyes (Live)

Flac Size: 368 MB

CD3. RA    1976

               

Ra is the second studio album and third release by Utopia on Bearsville Records, released in 1977. Band leader Todd Rundgren planned on releasing the LP in 1976 on his own label, Ethereal Records, as

the new four-piece line up was not signed to Bearsville. Replete with an elaborate $250,000 stage show featuring a 22-foot-tall (6.7 m) pyramid and golden sphinx which took 18 months of prep, Ra was Rundgren's most ambitious live undertaking. The cornerstone of the album and show is "Singring and the Glass Guitar," which comprises solos by each band member battling the elements: water (drums), wind (bass), fire (keyboards), and earth (guitar). The album was modestly successful, peaking the Billboard Top 200 at #79.

TRACKS    

                    

  
01. Overture: Mountaintop And Sunrise / Communion With The Sun
02. Magic Dragon Theatre
03. Jealousy
04. Eternal Love
05. Sunburst Finish
06. Hiroshima
07. Singring And The Glass Guitar (An Electrified Fairytale)

BONUS TRACK        

    
08. Communion With The Sun (Mono Promo Single Mix)

Flac Size: 391 MB

CD4. OOPS! WRONG PLANET    1977

            

Oops! Wrong Planet is the third studio album by American rock band Utopia. It delivers a markedly

trimmed down, pop-oriented direction for the band following the progressively influenced previous album, Ra.
Oops! peaked at #77 on the Billboard album chart in 1977. "Love is the Answer" later became a hit for England Dan & John Ford Coley, charting #1 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary list in 1979.

TRACKS        

               

01. Trapped
02. Windows
03. Love In Action
04. Crazy Lady Blue
05. Back On The Street
06. Marriage Of Heaven And Hell
07. The Martyr
08. Abandon City
09. Gangrene
10. My Angel
11. Rape Of The Young
12. Love Is The Answer

BONUS TRACK        

    
13. Love Is The Answer (Mono Promo Single Mix)

Flac Size: 340 MB

CD5. ADVENTURES IN UTOPIA 1980    

                 

Adventures in Utopia is the fourth studio album by Utopia. Mixing their earlier progressive rock style with mainstream rock, pop and disco music, Adventures in Utopia achieved success both with the band's established fan base and wider commercial success, with the track "Set Me Free" released as a

single. The song became the only Top 40 single for Utopia in the United States. "Umbrella Man" was its B-side. The by-then established Utopia line-up of Todd Rundgren, Kasim Sulton, Roger Powell and John "Willie" Wilcox wrote, performed and produced the album on their own. According to Rundgren, the album was intended to be the soundtrack for a TV show the band was working on. Even though the album was recorded in a place with video equipment, they never got around to writing or producing the TV pilot.     

TRACKS

             

01. The Road To Utopia
02. You Make Me Crazy
03. Second Nature
04. Set Me Free
05. Caravan
06. Last Of The New Wave Riders
07. Shot In The Dark
08. The Very Last Time
09. Love Alone
10. Rock Love

BONUS TRACKS        

    
11. Umbrella Man
12. Set Me Free (Mono Promo Single Mix)
13. Second Nature (Mono Promo Single Mix)
14. The Very Last Time (Edit) (Mono Promo Single Mix)
15. Anyhow Anyway Anywhere (Live)
16. 96 Tears (Live)
17. Just One Victory (Live)

Flac Size: 474 MB

CD6. DEFACE THE MUSIC 1980

             

Deface the Music is the fifth studio album by the band Utopia. The concept of the album was to pay homage to the Beatles and create songs which sounded very similar to the Fab Four's tunes throughout

the various stages of their career. Their song "Take It Home", replete with guitar riff, is their homage to "Day Tripper". The first track, "I Just Want to Touch You", was written by Todd Rundgren for the Roadie soundtrack. It was rejected by the movie's producers for fear of legal action because it sounded so much like the Beatles. The original pressing was made to look like an early 1960s Beatles release, with custom inner sleeve advertising their previous three albums even down to the way the vinyl was mastered with wide bands of silence between each song.

TRACKS        

                  

  
01. I Just Want To Touch You
02. Crystal Ball
03. Where Does The World Go To Hide
04. Silly Boy
05. Alone
06. That's Not Right
07. Take It Home
08. Hoi Poloi
09. Life Goes On
10. Feel Too Good
11. Always Late
12. All Smiles
13. Everybody Else Is Wrong

BONUS TRACK        

    
14. I Just Want To Touch You (Mono Promo Single Mix)

Flac Size: 245 MB

CD 7. SWING TO THE RIGHT 1982

                    

Swing to the Right is the sixth studio album by Utopia. It followed the Beatles parody-homage Deface the Music. Swing to the Right moves into hard-edged commentary on corporate raiders, warmongers,

political villains, and despicable music industry moguls. There is little in the way of progressive rock on this album, which is limited to its title track. Recorded in winter 1981 and set for release that June, Bearsville Records was reluctant to release the album because of its political and religious themes. In protest Utopia took this material on the road for a full year begging audiences to petition Bearsville Records execs to release it, even going as far as giving out the phone number and address of Bearsville Records and instructing audiences to ask for Albert Grossman.

TRACKS     

                 

  
01. Swing To The Right
02. Lysistrata
03. The Up
04. Junk Rock (Million Monkeys)
05. Shinola
06. For The Love Of Money
07. Last Dollar On Earth
08. Fahrenheit 451
09. Only Human
10. One World

BONUS TRACKS        

    
11. Special Interest
12. Lysistrata (Mono Promo Single Mix)
13. One World (Mono Promo Single Mix)

Flac Size: 332 MB