Swing to the Right

Utopia | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 25, 1990)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Rhino / Wea
• ASIN: B0000032PJ
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #259,453 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

This CD is an out of print collectible! It is the original Rhino/Bearsville release. Catalog RNCD 70875. There is a punch hole through the top right corner of the booklet.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting, upbeat pop with bit of Reagan-era commentary., March 26, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Swing to the Right (Audio CD)

As always, a team effort from the band. Interesting songs which rise above the amusing, straight-forward, uncomplicated pop-rock on "Adventures In Utopia."

A number of the songs are social commentary on attitudes of the Reagan-era (I know Todd was no Reagan fan!). But the messages are by no means obnoxious (even if you're a staunch conservative!) and deal with money and greed in society (and the record industry). (Last Dollar on Earth, For the Love of Money, Swing to the Right and Junk Rock (Million Monkeys).) The theme is not distracting or overbearing (this is no rock opera) and all of the songs are good standing alone.

Kasim and Todd split most of the lead vocals while Roger gets a turn as usual (though Roger is more valuable as a keyboard player than a vocalist!). Todd's vocals are nicely featured on Only Human.

All in all, one of the best albums from the Rundgren, Sultan, Powell, Wilcox version of Utopia.

(Note: as a Todd/Utopia disciple, I give it 5 stars! But for most people this is not what you'd call a Sgt. Pepper! But, still, a nice effort from a fun bunch of guys.)

9 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Stinging sarcasm and political bite to a rock'n'roll groove., March 14, 2000

By 

yygsgsdrassil "yygsgsdrassil" (Crossroads America) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Swing to the Right (Audio CD)

What intrigued me when I first ran into this years back was the "rock'n'roll (da Beetles, in particular) is the devils music" bonfire shot--with the album's cover superimposed as the offending product...Jiminy Crunketts, what chutzpah! Then I was afforded a listen by my friendly neighborhood record store clerk...I liked it immediately, but I was never a big fan of Todd Rundren before this. "Lysistrata" is a personal favorite, 'cause that's actually what is sorta what's happenin', but no one's had the...uh...chutzpah to say it. "One Million Monkeys" and "Shinola" are catchy skewerings of the music industry, but the Gamble/Huff "For the Love of Money" and "Last Dollar On Earth" are "anti-Greed is Good" anthems if I ever heard one. Listening to this now makes one realize that things have not changed that much from them Reagan years, the game's the same but the faces have changed...also, do we have anybody besides these boys and Joanie Baez to lay it on the line and tell the people the real deal?

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars These are your leaders, just take a look, they lie, cheat, steal and sell the rights to the book, July 17, 2008

By 

Dark Star-The Other One (The Bus To Never Ever Land) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Swing to the Right (Audio CD)

This remains one of my favorite Utopia albums since it's release back in '82. The last Todd solo album Healing left me somewhat cold and so this was a nice surprise. Utopia's last album had been the Beatles inspired farce Deface the Music so I was somewhat surprised and happy to find this the band's most serious album. Dealing with the changes brought on by the first year of President Reagan and the moral majority, this is the band's most political album. The album deals with recession, inflation, racism, covert military activity and censorship. From the dripping sacastic wit of the title track to the emotionalism of Only Human to the joy of One World, this is one to get.