ANOTHER LIVE

I used to hate this album, mostly because I thought it was a joke compared to what came before it (TR's Utopia) and what came after (Ra). Those are two of my favorite albums ever, and this one is just... well, actually it's pretty awesome. But it is still the lame duck of the bunch. First off, drummer Kevin Ellman is gone, and that changes everything. Whereas on the next album John Wilcox comes into his own and is perfect, here he is less than mind-blowing and after Ellman, that definitely takes some getting used to. You also have songs like "The Wheel", which is where you learn whether you can hang with Todd's "Mr. Spiritual" lyrics or not. And then there are some covers, and live Rundgren songs. Ok, so why did this album turn out to be pretty damn good anyway? Well, alot of the credit goes to "Intro/Mister Triscuits," which is an archetypal prog jam as delectable as anything on the other Utopia classics, no question. Electric guitar, synths, freaking out -- perfect. Both "Another Life" and "The Seven Rays" are really good too, featuring more excellent guitar playing and synth mania (Seven Rays has a particularly magical synth section). Also, The Wheel is actually a very pretty song. So, in the end, this is another great Utopia album; but if you need to be reminded that they created some of the best prog music ever, go throw on the first album and listen to "The Ikon."