Todd Rundgren's Utopia is the debut album by the American rock band Utopia, released in October 1974 on Bearsville Records. The band was formed in 1973 by musician, songwriter, and producer Todd Rundgren who decided to expand his musical style by moving from pop-oriented rock towards progressive rock. He assembled a six-piece group that featured three keyboardists and toured as a live act. Most of the album was recorded in the studio except "Utopia", the opening track, which was recorded live in concert in 1974.
The album peaked at number 34 on the Billboard 200 and critical reaction towards it was mixed.
Background
Like Rundgren's solo albums A Wizard, a True Star (1973) and Initiation (1975), the album pushed the limits of vinyl. At almost an hour in length, the sound needed to be compressed in order to fit it onto one record, resulting in a decline in audio quality. The CD version avoids this issue. On the first reissue of the album, released in 1978, the title of "Utopia" was changed to "Utopia Theme" and publishing credits were changed from Earmark Music to Earmark Music and Screen Gems - Columbia Music. This may have happened as a result of legal action against Rundgren by Tony Sales for appropriation of the song in 1976, for royalties of $100,000 or more. "Utopia" was recorded live in concert at the Fox Theatre in Atlanta, Georgia on April 25, 1974.
Track listing
Note: "Utopia" is titled "Utopia Theme" on later editions.