Adventures in Utopia
| Adventures in Utopia | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | December 27, 1979 | |||
| Recorded | at Utopia Sound Studios | |||
| Genre | Pop rock, progressive rock | |||
| Length | 42:24 | |||
| Label | Bearsville | |||
| Producer | Todd Rundgren, Utopia | |||
| Utopia chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Singles from Adventures In Utopia | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |    [1] |
| Record Mirror | [2] |
Adventures in Utopia is the fourth studio album by Utopia.
Mixing their earlier progressive rock style with mainstream rock, pop and disco music, Adventures in Utopia achieved success both with the band's established fan base and wider commercial success, with the track "Set Me Free" released as a single. The song became the only Top 40 single for Utopia in the United States. "Umbrella Man" was its B-side.
The by-then established Utopia line-up of Todd Rundgren, Kasim Sulton, Roger Powell and John "Willie" Wilcox wrote, performed and produced the album on their own.
According to Rundgren, the album was intended to be the soundtrack for a TV show the band was working on. Even though the album was recorded in a place with video equipment, they never got around to writing or producing the TV pilot.[3]
Track listing
[edit]All tracks are written by Utopia (Rundgren, Powell, Wilcox, Sulton).
| No. | Title | Lead vocals | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "The Road to Utopia" | Rundgren, Sulton | 4:54 |
| 2. | "You Make Me Crazy" | Wilcox | 3:41 |
| 3. | "Second Nature" | Rundgren | 2:36 |
| 4. | "Set Me Free" | Sulton | 3:09 |
| 5. | "Caravan" | Powell | 7:01 |
| No. | Title | Lead vocals | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6. | "Last of the New Wave Riders" | Sulton, Rundgren | 4:22 |
| 7. | "Shot in the Dark" | Sulton, Rundgren | 3:41 |
| 8. | "The Very Last Time" | Rundgren | 3:52 |
| 9. | "Love Alone" | Sulton | 3:55 |
| 10. | "Rock Love" | Rundgren | 5:33 |
Personnel
[edit]- Todd Rundgren - Electric guitar, lead vocals (1, 3, 6–8, 10), backing vocals, Saxophone (4)
- Roger Powell - keyboards, lead vocals (5), backing vocals,
- Kasim Sulton - bass, lead vocals (1, 4, 6, 7, 9), electric piano (4), backing vocals
- Willie Wilcox - drums, lead vocals (2), backing vocals
Engineered and produced by Rundgren, front cover concept by Rundgren
Charts
[edit]| Chart (1980) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia (Kent Music Report)[4] | 96 |
| US Top LPs & Tape (Billboard) | 32 |
References
[edit]- ^ "allmusic ((( Adventures in Utopia > Overview )))". allmusic.com. Retrieved 2009-09-19.
- ^ Gardner, Mike (23 February 1980). "It's only Runt 'n' Roll". Record Mirror. p. 15.
- ^ Rundgren, Todd comments from the 2018 CD reissue of the album put out by Friday Music
- ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 318. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
