Utopia - s/t

Name: Utopia
Album: s/t
Year: 1982
Style: Power Pop
Similar Bands: Bad Finger, Foreigner, XTC, Squeeze, 10cc, Supertramp, ELO, Jellyfish, Be Bop Delux
"One-Word" Review: Buoyant Harmonic Hook Pop
Based Out Of: NYC, NY, Upper Darby, PA
Label: Elektra, Asylum, Warner, Network

Cover, Sleeve, Records

Back, Sleeves, Records

Utopia (1982)

1. Libertine 2:47
2. Bad Little Actress 2:50
3. Feet Don't Fail Me Now 3:06 (single)
4. Neck On Up 2:53
5. Say Yeah 3:04 / 
6. Call it What You Will 3:48
7. I'm Looking At You, But I'm Talking to Myself 3:38
8. Hammer in my Heart 4:10
9. Burn Three Times 3:15
10. There Goes My Inspiration 3:24 /
11. Princess of the Universe 3:29
12. Infrared and Ultraviolet 2:17
13. Forgotten But Not Gone 2:31
14. Private Heaven 3:12
15. Chapter and Verse 3:40

Album Rating (1-10): 9.0

Members & Other Bands:

• Todd Rundgren - Guitar, Vox, Producer, Engineer (Jean-Yves Labat, Luther Vandross, The New Cars, Doug Legacy & the legends of the West, Money, Nazz, Ringo Starr & His All Star Band, Woody's Truck Stop, James Cotton Blues Band, Runt, Mark Moogy Klingman, Hall & Oates, Bette Midler, Meat Loaf, Rick Derringer, Ian Hunter, Jim Steinman, Robby Krieger, Bonnie Tyler, Dragon, Hunter, Allen Ginsberg, Pandora's Box, The Residents, Celine Dion, Alice Cooper, Bad Religion, Stephen Bishop, Ken Emerson, XTC, NIN, Brent Bourgeois, Donald Fagen, Lemon Twigs, Johnny Winter, New York Dolls, Hello People, Ultra Violet, Grand Funk more)
• Roger Powell - Keys, Vox (David Bowie, Robert Moog, Steve Hillage, Meat Loaf, Born Bluesers, Shaun Cassidy, Ian Hunter, Alice Cooper, Felix Cavaliere, Charlie Rouse Band, Rick Derringer, Randy Vanwarmer, Jim Steinman, Kasim Sulton, Logic System, Barry Manilow, Rubinoos, Sons of Heroes, Joy Ride, Bob James, Todd Rundgren, Lyle Workman, Shelagh McDonald) 
• Kasim Sulton - Bass, Vox (Meat Loaf, Joan Jett & the Blackhearts, Scandal, Hall & Oates, Blue Oyster Cult, The New Cars, Cheap Trick, Yellow Matter Custard, Rick Derringer, Tom Robinson Band, Zoot Money, Jim Steinman, Price, Patty Smyth, David Drew, Johnny Hates Jazz, Celine Dion, Alice Cooper, Bif Naked, Ken Sharp, Steve Hillage, Shaun Cassidy, Frankie Eldorado, Rubinoos, Ronnie Spector, more )
• Willie Wilcox - Drums, Vox (Hall & Oates, Stacey Q, Shaun Cassidy, Brian Briggs, David Lasley, Rubinoos, Gregory Hines, James young, Judson Spence, Bijan, Rory Block, Bardeux, Transvision Vamp)
• Doug Howard - Writer
• Chris Andersen - Engineer
• The Creative Directors, INC - Design, Production
• Len Zabala - Art Director
• John Wagman - Art Director
• Bill Hayward - Photos
• Yonah Schurink - Stylist
• Eric Gardner - Mgmt

Unknown-ness: So I had never heard of the band when I bought the record, nor did i look at the back to see famous Todd Rundgren or Keyboardist Roger Powell (whom I have reviewed a solid solo album of prior). So I'm almost positive this will be catchy powerpop.

Album Review: Harmonies, Powell's swirling 80's synth and power pop chords play throughout the full album. It is jovial, bouncy hook-filled sugary sweet pop. Knowing Rundgren produced XTC's Skylarking, you can really hear his style on "Bad Little Actress." "There Goes My Inspiration" sounds like Be Bop Deluxe.

The band was started by Rundgren as an outlet to explore synth and prog music, but the band paralleled his own solo endeavors as it evolved from Prog Rock to straightforward ELO+Big Star power pop. They only lasted 4 more years after this (and had been together 10 years before). The spiral downward seemed to happen by no fault of their own, a matter of two labels folding (Network, then Passport). A few revivals happened in 1992, 2011 & 2018. 

Stand Out Track: Princess of the Universe, Libertine

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Moving Pictures - Days of Innocence

Name : Moving Pictures

Album: Days of Innocence

Year: 1981

Style: Power Pop, New Wave, Monster Ballads

Similar Bands: Journey, White Snake, Billy Joel + Twisted Sister.

One Word Review: Barroom Metal Allspice

Based Out Of: Sydney, Australia

Label: Network

 Days of Innocence - Cover & Record

Days of Innocence - Back & Record

Days of Innocence (1981)

1. Nothing to Do 3:28
2. What about Me 3:32
3. Round Again 4:06
4. Bustin' Loose 4:37
5. Wings 4:53 /
6. The Angel and the Madman 4:28
7. Sweet Cherie 3:38
8. So Tired 4:03
9. Joni and the Romeo 3:31
10. Streetheart 7:01

Album Rating (0-10): 7.0

Members & Other Bands:
Charlie Cole - Keys, Trumpet, Vox (1927, The Shuffle Kings, Ed Kuepper, Greedy's People, Lovetones, Colin Buchanan)
Paul Freeland - Drums  (Robert Miles)
Garry Frost - Guitar, Vox (1927, Gyan, Roberts Frost)
Ian Lees - Bass (This Side Up, Chasin' The Train, Wild Colonial Boys, Tommy Emmanuel, Mondo Rock, James Blundell, Audrey Auld, Travis Collins)
Alex Smith - Vox, Guitar (This Side Up, Bilgola Bop Band, AS & the Volunteers/DBM, The Blue Liners, )
Andrew Thompson - Sax (Bilgola Bop Band, Elton John, Chasin' The Train, The Flood, Australian Crawl, Reene Geyer,Glenn Terry, Jenny Morris)
Charles Fisher - Producer
David Bianco - Asst Engineer
Steve "Stig" Bywaters - Engineer
Paul Grupp - Engineer, Producer
Colin Stead - Photography, Cover Concept
Rick Sutton - Management
Alan Thorne - Overdub Engineer
Russell Hogan - Crew
James P. Murrie - Crew
Tim Walsh - Crew
Paul Fullbrook - Back Cover Photos
Marc Christowski - Back Cover Photos
Stuart Spence - Back Cover Photos
John Barr - Design

Unknow-ness - I had never heard of this band. The simple image on the front gives a vague idea as to what the band will sound like. The young girl jumping offers a possible energy, although the image more likely supports the album title. There are live action shots on the back, so they lay energetic music, but again, the album art reminds me of power pop bands I’ve reviewed here like Great Buildings. So I’ll guess it will be a power pop, easy listening, AOR style record.

Album Review: The album, first of three, reached #1 on the Kent Music Report in Feb’82, supported by the #1 status of their single What About Me (#29 on the Billboard 100). They have a single that was used in the film Footloose. They broke up in 1987, but reformed in 2011, and are still touring at the writing of this review.

“Nothing to Do” sounds like any typical pub rock song: driving beat with roll-along lyrics, minimal sax and piano accompaniment, and a lighter bridge into a catchy chorus. It builds up into the end, and carries it’s aggression all the way through.

“What About Me” was their second single, reaching #1 in Australia’s Kent Music Report, and second in record sales behind Eye of the Tiger in Australia. And I’ve heard this song. Swirling synth starts it off with punctual percussion behind it. It is a nice piano ballad that could be the soft boy song in any metal band’s record. This is the underdog wanting to dance with the tall cool girl at the middle school dance song. And maybe he gets to here.

“Round Again” is another jolly piano rock song with a bit heavier guitar for the verse. The catchy hook in the chorus feels a little Allman Brothers, southern rock. The tedious part happens when they finally get to the title of the song, it loops to project a feeling or tedious repetition, and it definitely comes through.

“Bustin' Loose” was their first single. Starting off with a jolly Billy Joel piano intro, it then settles into a driving power pop song with lyrics a little like a scratchier Queen. Plus sax.

“Wings” comes in a little lighter and gentle, with delicate vocals and pleasant piano. It kicks up a gear and invoked a simple guitar hook and bouncy bass. These two slow-quick tempo sections make up for a split personality song.

“The Angel and the Madman” begins with a slow awakening, and develops into a training montage in tempo. The two sections rotate, and offer pause for the driving tempo.

“Sweet Cherie” Was also a single. It has a little of a medieval feel to it with sax, perhaps a Dexy’s Midnight Runners style, and then abandons that feel to transition into a mid-tempo 70’s rock song.

“So Tired” continues the brass and sax theme, and another mid-tempoed blue eyed soul track.

“Joni and the Romeo” is a good relationship story song, fitting right in with The A’s and Billy Joel. It is fun with lyrics that roll off the tongue like they were predestined.

“Streetheart” gets off to a slow dark-tones start. It’s slinky and secretive. And the new wave nasally vocals are in full force. The short chorus vaguely sounds like another Aussie band, The Shout Out Louds song Oh Sweetheart. About halfway through, the song starts to wind down, back into the dark sinister beginning, but really, it is just building into the second half of the song, mostly instrumental, bringing reprise versions of the previous two melodies together with an extra stanza. By the end of the song, it feels like they’re just taking up space on the record with some talking and an extended wind down.

Stand Out Track: Joni and the Romeo

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