In 1973, guitarist, composer, and producer Todd Rundgren formed the band Utopia, alternating his work with this group while simultaneously releasing solo projects.
Their first album featured a lineup that would never be repeated on any of the band's subsequent releases: three keyboardists, Mark Klingman, Ralph Schuckett, and Jean-Yves Labat; bassist John Siegler; and drummer Kevin Ellman, in addition to Todd Rundgren himself on guitar and producing.
"Todd Rundgren's Utopia" consists of four tracks, two of which exceed ten minutes, while side two of the LP features a half-hour suite. The album is brimming with bubbling psychedelic synthesizer sounds, hyperactive drums, and scorching guitars, with sounds ranging from energetic jazz-rock to the powerful sounds of heavy rock and progressive, avant-garde structures.
Rundgren achieved the impossible with this album, surpassing almost every other progressive band in terms of instrumental prowess and epic scale, starting with the monumental "The Ikon", 30 minutes of pure, unadulterated progressive rock, the cosmic "Utopia Theme", the dynamic "Freedom Fighters", and the terrifying, progressive funk of "Freak Parade".
An album that works as amazingly well as it does is only the product of a genius like Rundgren, who, along with five other talented musicians, managed to create one of the masterpieces of progressive rock of all time.
