TODD RUNDGREN'S UTOPIA

This album was a great discovery for me. I have heard and enjoyed much of Utopia for years, listening to such pop-rock classics as Adventures In Utopia, Deface the Music, etc.. not dreaming of their link to this prog album. This, the original lineup of Utopia, puts out long proggy-jazzy songs that could have been ripped right out of a Frank Zappa album. There seems to structure, but also some noodling going on at the same time. Each time I listen to this release,I discover something new. "The Icon" is an epic side-long blast of every tried and true prog style, "Freak Parade" is a Zappaesque ditty, and "Utopia Theme" shows what could have been if Todd had continued with this music style instead of being the master of pop. It's amazing that this album seems to have been lost in the shuffle of prog classics, but I feel it deserves to be up there with many of the best. It's not Close to the Edge or Wish You Were Here, and I'm not sure if it set any new boundaries in music, but it is a must for all fans of early prog. 5 stars.