Utopia (Band)

Utopia was a progressive rock project of musician and producer Todd Rundgren. The band was founded by him in 1974.

History

For the first two albums, the band played with sometimes up to three synthesizers, two drummers and several guitarists. The sound was between jazz and hard rock. The songs were created partly very experimental and offered a variety of variations, such as the play The icon on the 1974 released album Todd Rundgren 's Utopia proves. It is also one of the longest track that was ever pressed on a side of the LP. We should also mention the title song Utopia, which was formed in 1973 Live in Atlanta, Georgia added, which reflects the enthusiasm and the virtuosity of the group. This live performance was also one of the first in which the instruments are not played directly into the amplifier, but they went through a mixing console, which was operated by a sound engineer.

After a reshuffle of the band for the 1977 album Ra, in which only played four musicians, the sound of the band went on and on in the direction of melodic rock. This album also includes a long title, which occupies almost the entire second side of the LP: Sing Ring and the Glass Guitar (An Electrified Fairy Tale ). The song tells a so-called electrified fairy tale, in which each instrument of the group is one of the main actors.

On the following albums the Utopia sound was clearly commercial, but the band was never able to unite a large fan base up.

The last new Utopia album was released in 1987. The band never officially broke up.

The band Utopia formed the backbone for many Todd Rundgren productions. She can be heard on Steve Hillages L and on the Meat Loaf Bat Out Of Hell LP.

Band Members

  • Kevin Ellman (drums ) ( 1975)
  • Moogy Klingman (keyboards, synthesizers ) (until 1976)
  • Ralph Schuckett (keyboards, synthesizers ) (until 1976)
  • John Seigler (bass ) (until 1976)
  • Roger Powell (keyboards, synthesizers, vocals)
  • Todd Rundgren (guitar, vocals)
  • Willie Wilcox (drums, vocals)
  • Kasim Sulton (bass, vocals) (from 1977)

Discography

Albums

  • Todd Rundgren 's Utopia (1974 )
  • Another Live (1976 )
  • Ra ( 1977)
  • Oops! Wrong Planet (1977 )
  • Live In Tokyo '79 [ Official Bootleg Vol 2] ( 1979)
  • Deface The Music (1980 )
  • Adventures In Utopia (1980 )
  • Utopia (1982)
  • Swing To The Right (1982 )
  • Oblivion (1983 )
  • POV (1984)
  • Trivia (1987 )
  • Anthology (1989 )
  • Redux 92: Live In Japan (1992 )
  • City In My Head ( Best of Compilation ) (2001 )
  • Last of the New Wave Riders ( Best of Compilation ) (2003 )
  • Castle Collection ( Best of Compilation)
  • Utopia & Todd Rundgren - Live in Columbus, Ohio, 1980 (2004)
Musical instrument
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