ANTHOLOGY (1974-1985)

Moreso than even the Todd Rundgren anthology that was released at the same time as this one, when Rhino Records obtained the rights to Rundgen's catalog, this collection appears to me the misguided result of a record company executive. I understand that the album must contain the band's hits, but the hits comprise a small amount of the album, and the rest of the selections, for the most part, obscure the prog cedentials (the good part) of Utopia's career.

There is very little prog until the final two songs from the sixteen tracks. Overture: Mountaintop & Sunrise/Communion With The Sun from "Ra", is the best song on the collection, and the only true prog track. It's complex, symphonic, and a great Utopia song. The final track, Freedom Fighters, is good, but it is also the least prog of the songs from Utopia's amazing debut album.

Of the rest of the songs, Trapped from "Oops, Wrong Planet" is the best, and there are some good pop songs, like Love In Action, the quirky Feet Don't Fail Me Now, and the laid back The Wheel.

The album covers all of the studio albums through "POV", but it comes nowhere close to capturing the best this group had to offer.