Customer Reviews

Swing to the Right

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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.)

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?

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.

Every song on this CD is outstanding. Memorable melody after hummable hit, this CD combines fabulous musicianship with pointed -- but not preachy and never cliche -- political commentary. All but one of the songs has something to say about either politics, the music business, war, greed, and more. "The Up" might be in that category as well but it's such a rollicking number that the message could be easily overlooked.

But I wanted to point to a possible subtext by Todd and the Utopians. After talking about a Swing to the Right, book-burning, capitalism, money-grubbing, war, the welfare society, and similar things, they finish the CD with a typical Rundgren anthem, One World. What's going on here? Have the political issues been resolved in the boys' favor? Or have the forces of darkness triumphed and it is now truly One World...but not the kind you might want? "Mickey and Margaret make the clothes that we wear" and they get their hair colored, but I maintain Utopia is warning that we are on a knife's edge and could go either way, not singing about a happy ending. Are we at the same point in late 2010 as we were in 1982? You be the judge.

Anyway, you don't need to ponder this too closely. Just get this mp3 download -- less than half the price of the CD -- and enjoy ten of the catchiest and engaging songs almost anywhere.

I didn't realize when I was in high school how these songs would follow me in life. Brilliant; atypical Todd Rundgren. Though basically anti-establishment, some may notice some songs have been used by major companies (i.e. Nissan among others) in ads of the past ten years. A sleeper in the best sense. You should have this in your CD collection. A precursor to bands such as BNL and Phish, Utopia's sense and sendiments can be shared and felt by all who listen.

A 5 Star album. The music is great stuff. And the messages are as relevant today as they were then.

Recording from 1981-82, the beginning of the Reagan presidency. It's not really an indictment on our 40th president. Rather, it's a regurgitation of liberal fears of what a Reagan administration would be like: war ("Lysistrata"), the elimination of the welfare safety net ("Only Human"), corporate greed ("Last Dollar", "Love of Money", the title cut), and censorship ("Fahrenheit 451"). History reveals that Utopia were better artists than prognosticators (don't quit your "Day Job", Todd!). It's hard to argue with the tunes, however, many of which are infectious, and almost convincing (almost!). Which proves that, by definition, rock music is "feel" music, best served from the left.