This is one to have... and listen to.


Good musicianship   July 21, 2007
Jeffrey J.Park (Massachusetts, USA)
6 out of 6 found this review helpful

This 1977 follow-up to the great 1974 debut (Todd Rundgren's Utopia) covers somewhat similar ground (American proggy hard rock), although the lineup had been stripped back and there was a higher proportion of shorter pieces. While I do not feel that RA is as consistently good as the debut, there is some excellent musicianship and fantastic melodies that make this album a worthwhile addition to the prog rock collection.

The huge, electric "orchestra" present on the debut had been reduced to a four-piece comprised of Roger Powell (synthesizers, piano, organ, and vocals); Todd Rundgren (electric and acoustic guitars); Kasim Sulton (electric bass guitar and vocals); and John "Willie" Wilcox (drums percussion, and vocals). This lineup was great and there is some impressive proggy ensemble work on RA. The abilities of each member are showcased on the lengthy track Singring and the Glass Guitar (An Electrified Fairytale) - they all get a 1-2 minute unaccompanied solo. Of the solos, I liked Roger's synthesizer workout the best.

The seven tracks on RA range in length from 3'28" to the lengthy 18'24" Singring and the Glass Guitar. The music on RA is very much in the vein of what you might expect from the early Utopia albums: Olympian-scale feats on individual instruments; dense ensemble work; great vocal harmonies; and the occasional pop hook or two...or three. In general, I am fine with the music although I do not think that Singring works very well from a composition perspective: while there are excellent main themes and some great ensemble work at the beginning and end, about half of the piece is comprised of unaccompanied solos, a few of which are just a bit dull. My favorite tracks include Overture: Mountaintop and Sunrise/Communion with the Sun along with Sunburst Finish, although all of the pieces have something to offer. The odd track out is Magic Dragon Theatre which merges a scene from an imaginary "play" (complete with dialog), with some good prog. Very interesting overall.

In terms of the concepts on RA, quite literally, everything under the "sun" is taken on. Of these concepts, the one that I latched on to (or at least loosely embraced) is that presented on Singring. There is a narrator on Singring that is supposed to be a Middle Earth dweller (an elf) that narrates the tale of Singring in what sounds like a mock Scottish accent on helium. I have to admit it is actually pretty funny, although I can imagine that most prog fans would raise their eyebrows at this track. As far as the actual concept goes, Singring tells the tale of four brave souls that locate the four keys needed to open up a glass guitar that contains an imprisoned and weeping spirit (Singring). I may be way off here (I am a Biologist), but it seems that Todd may have been bemoaning the loss of urgency and "spiritual vitality" in music in the late 1970's - "if you take a look around, harmony is dying" - and that this was his attempt to "rescue" the vitality and urgency of rock music. If this is what the band was aiming for then hats off to them.

In terms of the CD package, Rhino/Bearsville did a pretty good job and the CD booklet features each of the band members dressed up in Egyptian garb and posed in odd (quasi-ritualistic?) stances - with the exception of the drummer who simply stands with his arms folded over his chest. The lyrics to each of the songs are printed on the inner sleeve. The sound quality is excellent.

All in all, while RA is a good album of interesting prog rock and nice pop tunes, there were aspects of the album that just did not sit too well with me, although I am very forgiving and was able to overlook them. I would recommend this album to hardcore proggers as the last album of its type to be released by Utopia. After RA, the band plunged headlong into pop territory with Oops, Wrong Planet (1977). For those folks that are starting out with Utopia, definitely snag the 1974 debut album - it is a great listen.


"How about a little fanfare?"   August 12, 2003
7 out of 8 found this review helpful

I first heard this piece of work sitting on the patio of a friend shortly after it came out. I was extremely impressed at the time and didn't think that anything Todd Rundgren could do would impress me more than the double album, Todd. This album, however, did just that and if you had the good fortune to see this concert tour then I don't have to tell you anything about this album, you already own it. Seldom do I like every song on an album but Ra is one that I can play and enjoy even now . I'm glad it's now in the CD format but I still have the old album...there's no way a CD cover can compete with "Album Art". If you are a Todd Rundgren fan, old or new, Ra is one of the mandatory albums to own.


RA gets an A in my book!   November 25, 2001
Michael J Harrington (Phoenix, Arizona USA)
14 out of 18 found this review helpful

As a lot of the other reviews say, yes a lot of this CD from Todd's alter-ego Utopia is somewhat 'dated', but heck, so is a LOT of music from this era that I STILL listen to today because a LOT of today's music is just not 'making the cut'.

Ra is Utopia at their very best - very creative, inventive yet still keeping the pop sensibilities that Todd brings to the show. I always thought that Utopia was Todd's outlet for experimentation, and he always let other members of the band contribute equally to the effort.

If you were to only own 1 Utopia CD, this is IT. Some of the earlier stuff is great but 'out there', and a lot of the later stuff was just too commercial/pop for me. Ra is the perfect mix of great pop (Eternal Love), rockers (Communion with the sun) and a classic prog-rock fairy tale (Singring). To me, this is a must-have for any serious rock music fan that dares to listen to something out of the ordinary.


Utopia's Peak   September 23, 2004
Richard Martin (Tampa, Florida)
5 out of 6 found this review helpful

A masterpiece. Todd takes his spot as only one fourth of Utopia and as a unit they are remarkable. The tour production that accompanied this album was one of the greatest concert events of my lifetime. This album showcases the unique musicianship and vocaL abilities of the entire band. Sadly, most of Utopia's other output pale's in comparison to this masterwork. Fans of progressive pop/rock should make this disk a "must own."