TODD RUNDGREN'S UTOPIA

Seems to be more loved than hated, but also very under reviewed. It is an album that I have really enjoyed over the years, so much so that I have had it in vinyl, 8-track, cassette, CD, and now MP3.

Is it a little over the top, yes, but it is quite good. The title track and The Ikon are worth the price of admission. The title track is quite progressive and heavy and keeps returning to its roots throughout the song.

The Freak Parade shows the typical humorous side of Rundgren but gets psychedelic in the middle and does have its moments.

Freedom Fighters is a semi-catchy prog attempt at a top 40 hit of the times, and is ok.

The final 30 minute epic, The Ikon, covers quite a bit of territory. It merges into the Jazz/Rock fusion area as all the instruments take there turns feeding off of one another in soloing back and forth and is done very well. It touches a bit in a typical Rundgren vocal section of the song to remind you who you are listening to and then back to buisness for the remainder of the song.

If you get only one Todd Rundgren album and are a prog fan, this is the one. For me, a good solid mid 4 effort but rounded down to 4.

I thing the name and reputation scare a lot of potential listeners away from this LP.