Utopia:Ra (featuring Todd Rundgren) Bearsville

This album is by Utopia i.e. Todd Rundgren and his band Utopia — with Rundgren now preferring to be considered an integral member of the group and omitting the usual Todd Rundgren prefix.

In mora ways than the title is this a group album, with Rundgren co-writing all the tracks except one, with the members of Utopia. Rundgren also steps down from the lead singer spot on two songs and drummer John Wilcox and bassist Kasim Sulton fill the position most admirably.

Rundgren has rightfully earned the reputation as one of rock's more esoteric and philosophical artists and in some ways this has become more of a recognised Rundgren trait than his music which is a decided shame because Rundgren has been and is, making some of the best music that is around today.

Ra is a fire album and it features some of the finest guitar that Rundgren has played — guitar of skill, dexterity and emotion. Rundgren on this album plays the "guitar-hero" image more than on his other albums and the results are startling. However he does not overshadow other members of Utopia with Roger Powell, the keyboard and synthesiser exponent outstaning and Kasim Sulton and John Wilcox a very inventive and versatile rhythm section.

The vocals, as usual, for Rundgren are based on harmony more than strength and provide a perfect foil for both the hard rocking numbers and the slower tracks.

The most lyrically aggressive track is Hiroshima featuring a very cynical slight at this unfortunate man-made disaster. The longest track is called Singring and the Glass Guitar featuring solos by the four members of the band interwoven with a loose idealistic concept about finding harmony — slightly pretentious but still an interesting and well developed idea.

Other notable tracks are Communion with the Sun, Jealousy and Magic Dragon Theatre, but all tracks are up to the standard set by previous Rundgren albums including the excellent Something-Anything album.

Production of this album is excellent throughout — another of Rundgren's talents as can clearly be seen on Steve Hillage's album L which features the members of Utopia, combining with Hillage to cut one of 1976's best albums — an album criminally ignored in this country. I would encourage people to listen to Ra and try and make sure this excellent album is not ignored just as cruelly.

— Colin Williams.