Totally agree most people have really missed something when they dismiss Oblivion it is a masterpiece in every sense of the word. How any Utopia fan not love it is beyond comprehension.
I think that the major reason Utopia,Oblvion,and POV don't get much attention is that they released by minor labels.I can't think of any other releases by Network or Passenger.
POV is my fave. "Play This Game" is one of their strongest album start songs and "More Light" is a superb swan song. All the filler songs are different from each other with the bluesy "Mystified"being the weak point. One great album.
@@seaoftranquilityprog I think it deserves an honorary promotion to the level of studio album since there's some major Utopia work on there that isn't on any other album.
I saw the original Utopia band from the first LP live at Radio City MH/ NYC and met Todd outside going in for a sound check / great guy , they played over 3 hrs until they were told to get off the stage. I still have the free triangle shaped program from the show. They played so long we missed our train and had to sleep in the station till morning . One of the best shows I ever saw .
My favorite American band led by my favorite living musician! Thanks so much for this video, man. And have to say - Oblivion and POV are two of my favorites! Their 80s pop side is sublime, IMHO.
My favorite album of all time is Todd Rundgrens Utopia Another Live and it has my favorite song of all time on it the great Roger Powells Mister Triscuits.Like most of Utopias stuff but the early prog stuff is my favorite.
Thanks for this video, Pete. Todd Rundgren is probably my favorite artist of all time and I'm thrilled to see you cover his work. Would love to see a best to worst of his solo work some time. By the way, I think you should give "Deface the Music" another listen some time. Yeah, it's a Beatles parody/tribute album, but there's a lot of great songs on it. Not close to their best, but a great standalone album. Tracks 3, 5, 7, 9, and the rest of the album are all fantastic songs. I even enjoy the Beatles parody songs lol. "Crystal Ball" is the shit lol. Definitely an overlooked album.
Deface is a BRILLIANT album. And these people saying POV is their favorite have no sense of a whole album being a whole album, cause there are bad songS on POV, and there really haven't been many bad songs in the history of Utopia.
POV is my favorite too. It might be for sentimental reasons. There are no weak songs on it. Some say Mystified is but it's just a different vibe, like Number One Lowest Common Denominator. Some of the tunes have programmed drums and I know Todd didn't like that, even though he will do that from time to time. Anyways, my list is nearly backwards from that one. I will reach for DTM often.
I remember reading an interview with Kim Wilde many years now, she loved Deface The Music back then saying it was better than The Beatles. The idea was fun, they could've followed it up with another similar album I'm sure these kind of tunes they just shook out of their sleeves at the time...
@@aydnofastro-action1788 I agree. They are kind of like bookend albums to me. Oblivion is a bit more raw but both have this sophisticated element to them. When you throw in the bonus tracks of the time, such as "Monument", "Fix Your Gaze" and "Man Of Action", POV is hard to beat as a collection. I think "Mystified" was the only song that did not instantly win me over (I think it was the pseudo blues vibe in the verses and chorus), but that has grown on me as well.
sunboyfun OH! Those two songs FIx my Gaze?!?! That is one of the greates things I’ve ever heard. ALSO man of action! And I LOVE Secret Society! I’m a lyric guy so I get Mystified and Zen Machine. More Light. Deep Stuff. Oh oh oh. What about If I didn’t try? Come on. Todd’s vocal on Wild Life is sick. Too much Water ... great song!!... maybe Dude isn’t as much of a pop guy as me...as shown by his top Selection. Speaking of Blues, have you heard, Weakness off of Arena? Just amazing. TR not in RRHF... just criminal.
Wore out the cassette, I suppose I'm a few years younger, but I loved it, Oblivion too, lucky to have caught Todd on the acappella tour in Houston, he and Utopia side stepped some of the South for I think good reason.
Love your show. It’s the best. I always liked TR because I am from s jersey across from Philly. And he is from that area. Anyway thanks for your channel
My favorite album and song is Adventures in Utopia and Caravan. I love Swing To the Right, and Ra also. Utopia is one of my favorite bands ever. When Kasim came out with his solo song "The Clocks All Stopped", it was really a modern Utopia song. That song is a modern classic! So, I am hoping Utopia will come back with a new album. They can do it again!
I'm with you, Ra was my first Utopia album, Adventures is a great one too, I have them all, its just down to personal taste, respect for the volume of work.
Almost everything Rundgren did was an homage (or parody) of something else. He is a genius songwriter/singer/guitarist/producer/arranger who can replicate any sound, any genre. I admire him a lot. This is not meant as a put down
"Deface the Music" is incredible. Hard to believe that a major recording artist would change gears and put out such a strange, satyrical work in the middle of their career trajectory. Off the top of my head, who else has done this? Often gets compared to "The Rutles", but remember, "The Rutles" was a one-off. And while "The Rutles" was funnier, "Deface" was musically much superior. And they put it out right after their most commercial lp, "Adventures." Guts.
I only have Ra and the first one cause they are the most progressive. Also his most celebrated albums which are Something/Anything, Wizard and Todd. Those albums have a lot of pregressive elements also so my question will be how would you rank those albums among Utopia albums?
Oblivion is a fantastic album, and if you're reading this and are tempted to skip it based on this review - don't do it! It's got some spectacular songs, including Crybaby, Welcome to my Revolution, Love with a Thinker, Winston Smith, and most especially the leadoff track Itch in my Brain. That's half the album right there! Oblivion remains an outstanding '80s album. Don't miss out - give it a try. POV gets shortchanged here, too. A surprisingly uninformed video.
Good job once again so many great albums released in the 70s utopia best albums no exception but hey all have something to offer. First rundgren song I ever heard was the ikon way back when never looked back a true musical genius. todd finally starting to get some recognition that will grow as time goes on todd still rockin at 70 years old keep up the videos.
I saw the original Utopia in Austin in the late 70s. Amazing show! I swear at one point I felt like my chair was stuck to the ceiling. and I had no pot.
Great Show Pete! Todd Rundgren's Utopia (74) is my best prog album of all time with Banco Di Terra and Yes Tales From Topographic Oceans. Here's my Best to Worst : 1-Todd Rundgen's Utopia 2- Ra 3- Oops Wrong Planet 4- Adventures in Utopia 5- Oblivion 6- Pov 7- Swing to the Right 8- Utopia 9- Deface the Music
As fan who followed them starting around 1980 and the "Adventures" album, I thought of "Todd Rundgren's Utopia" and the four-man line-up where everyone was a lead singer and songwriter to be two different bands. So I would count "Ra" as the first studio album. The previous TR's Utopia felt more like an extension of Todd's solo career and didn't have that Beatles model of the multiple singer/songwriters as a unified collective. And Kasim added an extra dimension when he joined on - being arguably the strongest singer in the band...Love everything by the 4 man version, even as they morphed into different styles over their relatively short life. Sometimes it took quite a few lessons to "get it" when I new album arrived, but they would always prove to be worth the investment.
Good job on describing those later Utopia albums, didn't had those but just found'em on vinyl very cheap and bought them except that pseudoBeatlesque album of course lol. Hope you do a worst to best Todd Rundgren albums some day.
I saw these guys at Mid-Hudson Civic Center for the RA tour. Also saw them at Joyous lake in Woodstock warming up for the Oops Wrong Planet tour. Plus about 50 more times around the country. Loved TR
Thanks, Pete -- this is one I was looking forward to. Todd solo, half of "Faithful", too -- if I want to hear those songs sounding just like the originals....
I would have Oops above Adventures, but other than that I agree with your selections. If live albums were included I would have Another Live as number 3 after Ra.
Yeah, I decided to leave out live albums as there are a lot of them. I'd have Another Live at either 2 or 3 if I was to include it in. Great live album!
I bought Another Live by mistake when I was about 15. To this day it is my favorite album of all time, and I would like Just One Victory played at my funeral.
For me in no particular order was (Todd is Todd is Utopia is Todd so that is no matter) both RUNT LPs, Something Anything, A Wizard a True Star, Todd, Utopia, Disco Jets, , Another Live(that has a killer "Intro/Mister Triscuits), RA, Oops Wrong Planet, Initiation, Faithful... Yes I know some of this is Todd's solo stuff however there are Utopia musicians as well as other people spattered into some of his solo stuff as well, oh and Back to the Bars is a pretty cool one too!!!! anything else, especially the other Utopia stuff is just meh...
It is a shame that *Another Live* could not have been in there. While it is certainly no studio album as would qualify it, it does feature some great new tracks which were never to be recorded in a studio. PS. Wot, no Disco Jets.
My favorite Utopia albums are Oblivion and Swing To The Right, but then I’m more a hard rock fan than a prog fan. Still I think all of their albums are great!
The Ikon clocks in at 30: something and funny it does not seem that long to me. That´s because it is so enjoyable. Pity the whole album has a quite poor sound quality to me.
I always thought that POV stood for "Persistence Of Vision", not Point Of View? What gives? At any rate, POV and Oblivion were both excellent records IMHO.
My Top 9 Utopia Albums! 9. Deface The Music (I have to agree with You Pete, this Album isn't that Great) 8. Utopia 7. Swing To The Right 6. POV 5. Oblivion 4. Oops! Wrong Planet 3. Adventures In Utopia 2. RA 1. Todd Rundren's Utopia I meant to do this back in January, but I honestly forgot about this Band for a while.
Never was much into Todd/Utopia. However, I looove Ra, which is a real prog classic. Hope that Steve Wilson will release a remaster. Honorable mentions for Oops Wrong Planet and for Hermit of Mink Hollow (not a Utopia album, I know).
I had the exact same reaction to Deface the Music, when it came out. Why did they do this? My list would be similar to yours, altho Oblivion would rank much higher. When it first came out I didn't like it, it sounded too 1980s for my taste at the time. Over the years I've grown to appreciate the songwriting, "I will wait" is brilliant, and the unifying vibe that ties the whole album together. A lot of their later records were just collections of songs thrown together, without a unifying theme.
What happened to "Utopia: Another Live" the 2nd Utopia release and the early 1990s release "Trivia" both aren't the greatest Utopia albums, but they ARE in the catalog. Check them out if you aren't aware of them. Otherwise, I respectfully disagree on "Deface The Music" It was a sly tip O the hat to the beatles (obviously) and also reminded me of the first Rutles album-its self a parody of the fab Four. Youre correct in your #1 pick though. That side one of the first album is great Prog!! The Ikon also has jazz fusion elements in it in that most of the solos are fusion based where they all got a chance to shine-all 228 player s (j/k) This is a fine, fine album. Good Video Pete!!
I used this video to purchase the records in order, you are spot on pretty much! Do you do something similar for Todd Rundgren and his solo albums? I am visually impaired so I am having a hard time finding it if you do.
That was really helpful. I got deep into TR midway in his career. A kid of the 80s, I would run across Utopia albums here and there, but it seemed confusing and didn’t know where to start. I did get the POV double disc, and really dug it. Now I can jump in with some reference points Thanks. I also find it really interesting how Prince was influenced by him. You can even hear it on Prince’s last album, even the look of it.
Madonna's In the Hall but Rundgren isnt ... pretty much sums up the RnR HoF in a nutshell. Also, the 2nd album was live but was original material and should have been included. I'd put it easily in the top 5 ... as I would Oblivion.
Great show Pete! We have similar tastes but a lot of your Utopia picks would be flip flopped with my choices. Oblivion and POV being much higher rated and Swing at the bottom. You've mentioned on previous shows that your dad was a big Beatles fan. What were his thoughts about Utopia's Deface The Music? Keep up the good work!
I agree with Deface the music. Utopia should have never made that album. I think it stopped the great moment Adventures in Utopia had created in 1980. But, I think they were hoping to do something like The Knack.
"Deface the Music" is not a real album, but only a joke... a divertissment. Anyway, the list is more or less same as mine, and first Utopia album is REALLY a masterpiece, really prog.
Great review brother, but I have to differ on Oblivion & POV, some tight pop tunes. I was kinda late to the party, got a 8 track as a kid with Something Anything on it. So many great Utopia songs, I'm at this moment organizing my Todd & Utopia collection, I've a few dozen bootlegs that are good quality. Wish my good friend Joey Cigainero, could see this, what a great keyboardist, died in a plane crash as a member of Reba McIntyre's band, he loved Utopia.
Haha like your opinions. I would have made exactly the same list … and as a youngster ‘another live’ was in fact the first lp I bought. After that many followed, that one is still my favorite 👍👍
@@seaoftranquilityprog I remember hearing them play "cry baby,""one world" and maybe "caravan." I remember one time tuning in and hearing the dj announce that they just played "last of the new wave riders." However, I never actually heard them play that. It's one of the most under rated rock songs of all time imo. I actually saw Utopia open up for the Tubes at the local college I later went to. Great show.
@@mikereiss4216 I heard them play Last of the New Wave Riders, Caravan, Road to Utopia, and Set Me Free from that album. WPDH hasn't been that bold in years (decades actually). And yes, Last of NWR is a KILLER song!
I lived in the Hudson Valley in the mid 80s. What about WDST out of Woodstock? Used to hear a lot of good music on that station. Although I think they had some non-music shows also.
@@tarkus522 I remember that station. My brother told me it was called the bulldog(circa late 80's) but when I listened to it(mid to late 90's; I moved to PA in 98) I don't remember it being called that.
Ya left out a couple.. Oblivion, and Another Live. Oblivion was rather forgetable I'll admit, but A.L. HAS to be on here. The Wheel, The Seven Rays, Another Life.. Come ON!
I've been wanting to buy their debut album for months now. Seems it's been discontinued. Over £30 on Amazon and I'm not paying that. Here's hoping for a re-issue. Same thing with Tool's 'Fear Inoculum'.
I get you leaving Another Live off the list, as this was about “studio” albums, but Todd Rundgren’s Utopia is also partially live, so shouldn’t that negate it from the list, too? Plus, half of Another Live’s material was new/unique to that album at the time of it’s release. While there have been several live albums of the band’s material released, many well after the group called it quits (or went on hiatus, if you will), I’ve (as I’m sure many fans do also) have always considered Another Live as part of their catalog proper, live recording or not.
Compared to Pete I'm more pro-pop and less pro-prog. That doesn't mean I think Julio Iglesias is better than Jethro Tull though lol. But I confess "Deface The Music" is more my cup of tea than the two top ranked albums. Shame on me!
'Deface the music' is hilarious, a great album!
Oblivion as a stand alone pop album is far superior to all the other Utopia albums
Paul Grinsill ha! Read our comments under SunBoyFun above.
Totally agree most people have really missed something when they dismiss Oblivion it is a masterpiece in every sense of the word. How any Utopia fan not love it is beyond comprehension.
I think that the major reason Utopia,Oblvion,and POV don't get much attention is that they released by minor labels.I can't think of any other releases by Network or Passenger.
POV hangs in there with Oblivion.
POV is my fave. "Play This Game" is one of their strongest album start songs and "More Light" is a superb swan song. All the filler songs are different from each other with the bluesy "Mystified"being the weak point. One great album.
Oblivion was great too ... sad to see it lumped in with the "shitpile"
Mimi Gets Mad is the low point for me.
@@millfred123 The dude definitely has missed the boat on Oblivion -- it's fantastic
@@alexhicks5889 I love "Mimi". It's interesting to see just how much this band splits opinions, even among fans.
Another Live is my favorite from this band. "Heavy Metal Kids" is heavy as hell and their take on "Do Ya" is awesome.
yep, great live album!
@@seaoftranquilityprog I think it deserves an honorary promotion to the level of studio album since there's some major Utopia work on there that isn't on any other album.
I saw the original Utopia band from the first LP live at Radio City MH/ NYC and met Todd outside going in for a sound check / great guy , they played over 3 hrs until they were told to get off the stage. I still have the free triangle shaped program from the show. They played so long we missed our train and had to sleep in the station till morning . One of the best shows I ever saw .
Wish I had seen that show.
My favorite American band led by my favorite living musician! Thanks so much for this video, man.
And have to say - Oblivion and POV are two of my favorites! Their 80s pop side is sublime, IMHO.
I love both Oblivion and POV. Great power pop albums with killer slower cuts.
Those two!!! Then Oops!
Complete misunderstanding of Deface the Music. "I Just Want to Touch You" is a classic.
My favorite album of all time is Todd Rundgrens Utopia Another Live and it has my favorite song of all time on it the great Roger Powells Mister Triscuits.Like most of Utopias stuff but the early prog stuff is my favorite.
One of the strenghts of Utopia : VOCAL HARMONIES
Thanks for this video, Pete. Todd Rundgren is probably my favorite artist of all time and I'm thrilled to see you cover his work. Would love to see a best to worst of his solo work some time.
By the way, I think you should give "Deface the Music" another listen some time. Yeah, it's a Beatles parody/tribute album, but there's a lot of great songs on it. Not close to their best, but a great standalone album. Tracks 3, 5, 7, 9, and the rest of the album are all fantastic songs. I even enjoy the Beatles parody songs lol. "Crystal Ball" is the shit lol. Definitely an overlooked album.
I might just do that!
Can't like 'em all? I do!
I played the last six in the list to death in the 70's and 80's. So, the proggy stuff was arguably better, but they were all good.
Deface is a BRILLIANT album. And these people saying POV is their favorite have no sense of a whole album being a whole album, cause there are bad songS on POV, and there really haven't been many bad songs in the history of Utopia.
POV is my favorite too. It might be for sentimental reasons. There are no weak songs on it. Some say Mystified is but it's just a different vibe, like Number One Lowest Common Denominator. Some of the tunes have programmed drums and I know Todd didn't like that, even though he will do that from time to time. Anyways, my list is nearly backwards from that one. I will reach for DTM often.
Todd Rundgren's Utopia from 1974 although live sounds superb! Among the studio albums "Ra" is the top!
I remember reading an interview with Kim Wilde many years now, she loved Deface The Music back then saying it was better than The Beatles. The idea was fun, they could've followed it up with another similar album I'm sure these kind of tunes they just shook out of their sleeves at the time...
Funny, I think POV is my favorite Utopia album!
Certainly much higher on my personal list. More or less a Todd album with Utopia playing on it.
POV-Oblivion I think a rad.
True. @@crimsonrush
@@aydnofastro-action1788 I agree. They are kind of like bookend albums to me. Oblivion is a bit more raw but both have this sophisticated element to them. When you throw in the bonus tracks of the time, such as "Monument", "Fix Your Gaze" and "Man Of Action", POV is hard to beat as a collection. I think "Mystified" was the only song that did not instantly win me over (I think it was the pseudo blues vibe in the verses and chorus), but that has grown on me as well.
sunboyfun OH! Those two songs FIx my Gaze?!?! That is one of the greates things I’ve ever heard. ALSO man of action! And I LOVE Secret Society! I’m a lyric guy so I get Mystified and Zen Machine. More Light. Deep
Stuff. Oh oh oh. What about If I didn’t try? Come on. Todd’s vocal on Wild Life is sick. Too much Water ... great song!!... maybe Dude isn’t as much of a pop guy as me...as shown by his top
Selection.
Speaking of Blues, have you heard, Weakness off of Arena? Just amazing. TR not in RRHF... just criminal.
Also, I want to say POV is a great album. I bought it on cassette when it came out, and I love it!
Wore out the cassette, I suppose I'm a few years younger, but I loved it, Oblivion too, lucky to have caught Todd on the acappella tour in Houston, he and Utopia side stepped some of the South for I think good reason.
HA! See our comments above under Sunboylove
Love your show. It’s the best.
I always liked TR because I am from s jersey across from Philly. And he is from that area. Anyway thanks for your channel
My favorite album and song is Adventures in Utopia and Caravan. I love Swing To the Right, and Ra also. Utopia is one of my favorite bands ever. When Kasim came out with his solo song "The Clocks All Stopped", it was really a modern Utopia song. That song is a modern classic! So, I am hoping Utopia will come back with a new album. They can do it again!
I'm with you, Ra was my first Utopia album, Adventures is a great one too, I have them all, its just down to personal taste, respect for the volume of work.
I think most of us, with a few little tweaks, more or less concur Pete. Great work. :)
Almost everything Rundgren did was an homage (or parody) of something else. He is a genius songwriter/singer/guitarist/producer/arranger who can replicate any sound, any genre. I admire him a lot. This is not meant as a put down
"Deface the Music" is incredible. Hard to believe that a major recording artist would change gears and put out such a strange, satyrical work in the middle of their career trajectory. Off the top of my head, who else has done this? Often gets compared to "The Rutles", but remember, "The Rutles" was a one-off. And while "The Rutles" was funnier, "Deface" was musically much superior. And they put it out right after their most commercial lp, "Adventures." Guts.
Didnt Lennon get killed around the time too?
I only have Ra and the first one cause they are the most progressive. Also his most celebrated albums which are Something/Anything, Wizard and Todd. Those albums have a lot of pregressive elements also so my question will be how would you rank those albums among Utopia albums?
Oblivion is a fantastic album, and if you're reading this and are tempted to skip it based on this review - don't do it! It's got some spectacular songs, including Crybaby, Welcome to my Revolution, Love with a Thinker, Winston Smith, and most especially the leadoff track Itch in my Brain. That's half the album right there!
Oblivion remains an outstanding '80s album. Don't miss out - give it a try. POV gets shortchanged here, too. A surprisingly uninformed video.
Good job once again so many great albums released in the 70s utopia best albums no exception but hey all have something to offer. First rundgren song I ever heard was the ikon way back when never looked back a true musical genius. todd finally starting to get some recognition that will grow as time goes on todd still rockin at 70 years old keep up the videos.
I saw the original Utopia in Austin in the late 70s. Amazing show! I swear at one point I felt like my chair was stuck to the ceiling. and I had no pot.
Great Show Pete!
Todd Rundgren's Utopia (74) is my best prog album of all time with Banco Di Terra and Yes Tales From Topographic Oceans.
Here's my Best to Worst :
1-Todd Rundgen's Utopia
2- Ra
3- Oops Wrong Planet
4- Adventures in Utopia
5- Oblivion
6- Pov
7- Swing to the Right
8- Utopia
9- Deface the Music
As fan who followed them starting around 1980 and the "Adventures" album, I thought of "Todd Rundgren's Utopia" and the four-man line-up where everyone was a lead singer and songwriter to be two different bands. So I would count "Ra" as the first studio album. The previous TR's Utopia felt more like an extension of Todd's solo career and didn't have that Beatles model of the multiple singer/songwriters as a unified collective. And Kasim added an extra dimension when he joined on - being arguably the strongest singer in the band...Love everything by the 4 man version, even as they morphed into different styles over their relatively short life. Sometimes it took quite a few lessons to "get it" when I new album arrived, but they would always prove to be worth the investment.
Good job on describing those later Utopia albums, didn't had those but just found'em on vinyl very cheap and bought them except that pseudoBeatlesque album of course lol. Hope you do a worst to best Todd Rundgren albums some day.
Great review! A very underappreciated great band!
I saw these guys at Mid-Hudson Civic Center for the RA tour. Also saw them at Joyous lake in Woodstock warming up for the Oops Wrong Planet tour. Plus about 50 more times around the country. Loved TR
I saw Utopia open for Blue Oyster Cult on their Spectres tour. Utopia was doing the RA stuff. I love the R A album!!
Surprised ‘ Another Live ‘ wasn’t there as it’s virtually a sister album to your first choice. Thanks for sharing .
What, no "Disco Jets"???? I love that album!
"Wait another year, Utopia is here".... BTW #1 = RA...
Deface the Music is a great Rutles album. :)
heavily influenced by Spinal Tap!
@@marsdexter9852 - WAY before that!
Utopia is teh band the Rutles wanted to be :)
Thanks, Pete -- this is one I was looking forward to. Todd solo, half of "Faithful", too -- if I want to hear those songs sounding just like the originals....
I would have Oops above Adventures, but other than that I agree with your selections. If live albums were included I would have Another Live as number 3 after Ra.
Yeah, I decided to leave out live albums as there are a lot of them. I'd have Another Live at either 2 or 3 if I was to include it in. Great live album!
I bought Another Live by mistake when I was about 15. To this day it is my favorite album of all time, and I would like Just One Victory played at my funeral.
@@edbrown8254 how does one buy an LP by mistake exactly ?
"The Ikon" was an amazing number that I've enjoyed since 2002, when I got the first album on cassette.
Todd is God
Odd is god~
& God is my Todd.
He’s never stood still, the guy’s a wizard a true star....
For me in no particular order was (Todd is Todd is Utopia is Todd so that is no matter) both RUNT LPs, Something Anything, A Wizard a True Star, Todd, Utopia, Disco Jets, , Another Live(that has a killer "Intro/Mister Triscuits), RA, Oops Wrong Planet, Initiation, Faithful... Yes I know some of this is Todd's solo stuff however there are Utopia musicians as well as other people spattered into some of his solo stuff as well, oh and Back to the Bars is a pretty cool one too!!!! anything else, especially the other Utopia stuff is just meh...
It is a shame that *Another Live* could not have been in there. While it is certainly no studio album as would qualify it, it does feature some great new tracks which were never to be recorded in a studio.
PS. Wot, no Disco Jets.
My favorite Utopia albums are Oblivion and Swing To The Right, but then I’m more a hard rock fan than a prog fan. Still I think all of their albums are great!
My first Utopia was Road. My first concert was Halloween, Capital theatre Passaic. 1979
Great review. I agree on most of your points. Looking forward to hearing more of your reviews.
I think Oblivion is one of their best
The Ikon clocks in at 30: something and funny it does not seem that long to me. That´s because it is so enjoyable. Pity the whole album has a quite poor sound quality to me.
I always thought that POV stood for "Persistence Of Vision", not Point Of View? What gives? At any rate, POV and Oblivion were both excellent records IMHO.
On the album it was POV with 4 different titles all with POV being the first letters.
My Top 9 Utopia Albums!
9. Deface The Music (I have to agree with You Pete, this Album isn't that Great)
8. Utopia
7. Swing To The Right
6. POV
5. Oblivion
4. Oops! Wrong Planet
3. Adventures In Utopia
2. RA
1. Todd Rundren's Utopia
I meant to do this back in January, but I honestly forgot about this Band for a while.
Great artist so many great songs rock and ballards utopia live something anything and back to the bars great albums as well 👌
Never was much into Todd/Utopia. However, I looove Ra, which is a real prog classic. Hope that Steve Wilson will release a remaster. Honorable mentions for Oops Wrong Planet and for Hermit of Mink Hollow (not a Utopia album, I know).
Can't believe you left Another Live off the list. Does not count as "live" because all songs are found no where else. But I still love you man.
Ever see Utopia live? Saw them last year, and solo 3 times. Todd is one of my alltime favorite artist.
Never Utopia, but I've seen Todd solo a few times.
I had the exact same reaction to Deface the Music, when it came out. Why did they do this? My list would be similar to yours, altho Oblivion would rank much higher. When it first came out I didn't like it, it sounded too 1980s for my taste at the time. Over the years I've grown to appreciate the songwriting, "I will wait" is brilliant, and the unifying vibe that ties the whole album together. A lot of their later records were just collections of songs thrown together, without a unifying theme.
Good ranking. Utopia Utopia is my fav as well... and then Another Live
What happened to "Utopia: Another Live" the 2nd Utopia release and the early 1990s release "Trivia" both aren't the greatest Utopia albums, but they ARE in the catalog. Check them out if you aren't aware of them. Otherwise, I respectfully disagree on "Deface The Music" It was a sly tip O the hat to the beatles (obviously) and also reminded me of the first Rutles album-its self a parody of the fab Four.
Youre correct in your #1 pick though. That side one of the first album is great Prog!! The Ikon also has jazz fusion elements in it in that most of the solos are fusion based where they all got a chance to shine-all 228 player s (j/k) This is a fine, fine album.
Good Video Pete!!
Trivia is mostly a compilation and Another Live is a live album...I don't include them on these shows, just studio albums.
My list would be:
1 Oops
2 Adventures
3 Deface
4 Ra
5 POV
6 Todd Rundgren's Utopia
7 Utopia
8 Swing
9 Oblivion
Anyone interested in prog side of Utopia shold check out their live show on Tubi.
That first Utopia album blew me away. I mean, who does a 30 minute song on a single album side?
Have you heard a 60 minute song before?
@@Magnum_Opus_1124 Thick as a Brick is about 40.
@@MBonfire1 As well as 'A Passion Play'. This guitarist I like a lot (Mike Oldfield) has a 60 minute song / album called 'Amarok'.
I used this video to purchase the records in order, you are spot on pretty much! Do you do something similar for Todd Rundgren and his solo albums? I am visually impaired so I am having a hard time finding it if you do.
Listen to this video then :
ruclips.net/video/eg9OlbYegDE/видео.html
The best one out there to discover the whole Todd Rundgren discography.
That was really helpful. I got deep into TR midway in his career. A kid of the 80s, I would run across Utopia albums here and there, but it seemed confusing and didn’t know where to start. I did get the POV double disc, and really dug it. Now I can jump in with some reference points Thanks. I also find it really interesting how Prince was influenced by him. You can even hear it on Prince’s last album, even the look of it.
Oops! had Punk influences. “Gangrene” is proof.
Thanks for posting, you should rate Todd's solo albums as well 👍
Madonna's In the Hall but Rundgren isnt ... pretty much sums up the RnR HoF in a nutshell. Also, the 2nd album was live but was original material and should have been included. I'd put it easily in the top 5 ... as I would Oblivion.
I cant get over that album collection in the back. Very impressive.
Great show Pete! We have similar tastes but a lot of your Utopia picks would be flip flopped with my choices. Oblivion and POV being much higher rated and Swing at the bottom. You've mentioned on previous shows that your dad was a big Beatles fan. What were his thoughts about Utopia's Deface The Music? Keep up the good work!
Ooops, much lower too. Hell, I should just take 10 minutes and rate them!
Again! Another big fan of POV oblivion. See our comments above under Sunboylove
Gotta say, I almost completely agree.
Really good list. I would put Oops Wrong Planet ahead of Adventures but that's the only thing I'd change.
I agree with Deface the music. Utopia should have never made that album. I think it stopped the great moment Adventures in Utopia had created in 1980. But, I think they were hoping to do something like The Knack.
Loved your review. Love Todd and Utopia. Thanks.
Pete, cannot wait for the future Iron Maiden top 10 songs, but what's up with the project of doing an "Iron Maiden History" Show with Chris Alo?
Still in the pipeline, just not sure when we will get that going. It will happen though!
I forgot. Hermit of Mink Hollow wasn't an Utopia album. I kept waiting for you to talk about it. My bad. Good video Pete.
Though the Utopia guys played on most of his solo albums during that period, so it's almost like they were Utopia albums!
"Deface the Music" is not a real album, but only a joke... a divertissment.
Anyway, the list is more or less same as mine, and first Utopia album is REALLY a masterpiece, really prog.
Couldn't have made a better list myself
Great review brother, but I have to differ on Oblivion & POV, some tight pop tunes. I was kinda late to the party, got a 8 track as a kid with Something Anything on it. So many great Utopia songs, I'm at this moment organizing my Todd & Utopia collection, I've a few dozen bootlegs that are good quality. Wish my good friend Joey Cigainero, could see this, what a great keyboardist, died in a plane crash as a member of Reba McIntyre's band, he loved Utopia.
James E. Tramel ha! See our comments above under Sunboylove.
Saw the Ra tour, fox theater atlanta, it was over the top 🎸🎸
Just started watching. Hope the road to Utopia is number one!!
Pretty correct ranking list. I'm sure Todd would agree.
My favorite is "Another Live" . I Love "The Wheel song.
Great live album! I don't generally include live albums on these shows, just the studio releases.
Haha like your opinions. I would have made exactly the same list … and as a youngster ‘another live’ was in fact the first lp I bought. After that many followed, that one is still my favorite 👍👍
The adventures of Utopia and Opps wrong planet, excellent, also RA too, keep up the excellent reviews!
Utopia released Disco Jets in 2012 on Esoteric Recordings.
Did they? Good to know, I've never owned that.
www.amazon.com/Disco-Jets-Todd-Rundgren/dp/B0073GVYDQ@@seaoftranquilityprog
Leif Siklossy fantastic album
WPDH is still around afaik. I used to listen to that station a lot. Yeah, they did play a bit of Utopia from time to time.
yes, they are
@@seaoftranquilityprog I remember hearing them play "cry baby,""one world" and maybe "caravan." I remember one time tuning in and hearing the dj announce that they just played "last of the new wave riders." However, I never actually heard them play that. It's one of the most under rated rock songs of all time imo. I actually saw Utopia open up for the Tubes at the local college I later went to. Great show.
@@mikereiss4216 I heard them play Last of the New Wave Riders, Caravan, Road to Utopia, and Set Me Free from that album. WPDH hasn't been that bold in years (decades actually). And yes, Last of NWR is a KILLER song!
I lived in the Hudson Valley in the mid 80s. What about WDST out of Woodstock? Used to hear a lot of good music on that station. Although I think they had some non-music shows also.
@@tarkus522 I remember that station. My brother told me it was called the bulldog(circa late 80's) but when I listened to it(mid to late 90's; I moved to PA in 98) I don't remember it being called that.
Utopia is Tod's #1 album IMO
Ya left out a couple.. Oblivion, and Another Live. Oblivion was rather forgetable I'll admit, but A.L. HAS to be on here. The Wheel, The Seven Rays, Another Life.. Come ON!
1974 to 1980 is the best period of utopia.
Utopia love love love glad I found this
I've been wanting to buy their debut album for months now. Seems it's been discontinued. Over £30 on Amazon and I'm not paying that. Here's hoping for a re-issue. Same thing with Tool's 'Fear Inoculum'.
That’s the one I meant. Adventures in Utopia. My number one
Deface So fucking cool
I feel the same way about Deface the Music. My No.1 is Oops Wrong Planet.
Todd needs to be in the HoF.
Love Utopia & TRUnDgReN.
I get you leaving Another Live off the list, as this was about “studio” albums, but Todd Rundgren’s Utopia is also partially live, so shouldn’t that negate it from the list, too? Plus, half of Another Live’s material was new/unique to that album at the time of it’s release. While there have been several live albums of the band’s material released, many well after the group called it quits (or went on hiatus, if you will), I’ve (as I’m sure many fans do also) have always considered Another Live as part of their catalog proper, live recording or not.
Never saw that coming
Where does Another Live fall?
I don't include live albums on these, just studio releases. If I did include it, would probably sit at #2 or #3 easy.
@@seaoftranquilityprog Good stuff... your list is pretty close to mine.
Love DEFACE For Sure;}
Love Deface the music more than any of Todd's albums after 1989
Compared to Pete I'm more pro-pop and less pro-prog. That doesn't mean I think Julio Iglesias is better than Jethro Tull though lol. But I confess "Deface The Music" is more my cup of tea than the two top ranked albums. Shame on me!