TODD RUNDGREN'S UTOPIA

...If there was ever any question that Todd could do anything other than churn out hits, this album answered that question. 1974 was really a watershed year for the maestro, as this LP clearly shows. Not only could he write and arrange with the best of the "heavies", but he was and is a wonderfully talented musician from a playing standpoint as well. As the above review so clearly states, Utopia was a hit and miss project on occasion, and this album had a bit of that as well, but when it worked, it worked extremely well. The only knock I have ever had regarding the body of Todd's work is that he's got a bit of a tendency to overproduce, which sometimes leaves his music - otherwise brilliant and charming - sounding somewhat sterile and lifeless. This album is a must-have for anyone wishing to explore Todd's early work.