Utopia

Adventures In Utopia

Utopia's best ever, and a personal favorite

Review Score:

(10/10)
This has been a personal favorite ever since I saw a bargain-priced cassette of this album on the cutout racks in 1983. It had "Set Me Free" (a lost classic pop hit from 1980), Todd Rundgren was in the band, and the price was right. I figured with that combination, you can't go wrong. I was right.

Needless to say, I loved this on first listen and it is still a favorite that I haven't gotten tired of listening to. I have gone through something like 5 different copies in three different formats (worn out two cassettes and one vinyl LP, and now have it on CD).

This is an excellent transitional album for Utopia, between their earlier progressive rock and their later new wave and power pop. It combines elements of both, and has such a diversity of style that it is incredible that this entire album was made by the same four musicians. "The Road to Utopia" is an excellent progressive rock workout, which recalls Utopia's first two albums, "You Make Me Crazy" is a fun Devo-ish pop song, "Second Nature" is a very catchy ballad which recalls what Todd Rundgren was doing in the early 1970s (e.g. "Hello, It's Me"). "Last of the New Wave Riders" is a hard rocking, near-heavy-metal anthem. "Shot in the Dark" takes them back into new wave territory with a sense of humor, "The Very Last Time" is a more commercial FM-friendly rock song, and "Rock Love" is another upbeat rock song, with a disco beat, typical of the era. Then there was "Set Me Free", which was a hit in the spring of 1980 although you never hear it on the radio anymore.

This was Utopia's best album, maybe not as experimental as some of their other stuff, but as a pop album it is nothing short of a masterpiece.

The production is a bit dated to today's ears. It's trebly and lacking in dynamic range, but probably typical of most music released circa 1980.

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