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Nog steeds een geweldige plaat, het laatste nummer duurt maar liefst een half uur!
Ook een prachtig gitaargeluid van Todd, heb nog steeds niet kunnen ontdekken welke effecten hij gebruikte....




Todd Rundgren's Utopia is the debut album by the American rock band Utopia, released on October 4, 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 April 25th, 1974.

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






Background

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

(Note: "Utopia" is titled "Utopia Theme" on later editions.)

1. "Utopia" (Live) Mason, Rundgren 14:18
2. "Freak Parade" Klingman, Rundgren, Siegler 10:14
3. "Freedom Fighters" Rundgren 4:01
4. "The Ikon" Klingman, Rundgren, Schuckett, Siegler 30:22

Total length: 58:55



Personnel:

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




Uiteraard zowel in FLAC als in MP3 (320kbit).