Ra – Utopia

The MARK’S VINTAGE VINYL page features something from Mark’s collection of recordings from over the years. Most of it is on vinyl – hence the name – though there will be a few entries from his CDs (remember those?).

Ra, by Utopia

• Second studio album by Utopia, released in 1977.
• Utopia is a progressive rock band with Todd Rundgren as its frontman. Rundgren had established himself with a solo career in the early 70s, particularly with the classic rock standards Hello It’s Me and I Saw the Light. He produced and engineered his own recordings, sometimes producing albums where he played all of the instruments.
• Rundgren’s work evolved into a bigger art rock sound, and he needed accomplished musicians to make it happen. Hence, Utopia was formed. Their second album, Ra, named after the Egyptian god, was supported with a stage show complete with a 22 foot tall pyramid and a golden sphinx.
• The album was moderately successful at best – it peaked at #79 on the Billboard 200 album chart. But I was getting hooked on progressive rock, I was impressed by how “big” this album sounded.
• Here’s my favorite track from the album – Hiroshima. It’s a haunting song about the horror of the atom bomb – “Hiroshima, no one could imagine, not the victors nor the victims, pitiful survivors, nor the pawn of a man who had the button under his hand.”