Yeah, it’s a long title, but then again if you want to know everything you’ll ever need to know about Todd Rundgren and his band Utopia, A Dream Goes On Forever, The Continuing Story Of Todd Rundgren Vol.2: The Utopia Years is the only book you’ll ever need. In this nearly 400-page paperback, we pick up on Rundgren’s story basically at around the mid 70s (being as this is the second volume of his story). It’s full steam ahead about the new Utopia band and where Rundgren was at during this point in his a career.
The book opens with an informative forward by Utopia bassist Kasim Sulton, one of the few people who was around to not only experience all the ups and downs of being in Rundgren’s “other band” as he calls it, but also to have experienced the music scene of New York City back in the late 60s and early 70s.
As intriguing as Sulton’s story is, the book pretty much documents what was happening with Rundgren’s solo career and Utopia’s failed attempt to break into the big time. Along the way, we get music reviews of albums and live shows (both solo Rundgren and Utopia). One section alone is dedicated to what music marketing mavens hoped at the time would be Rundgren’s own Frampton Comes Alive, the live album Back To The Bars, which was recorded on both the East and West coasts of the U.S. There also are reviews of albums such as Rundgren’s’s 1978 solo effort Hermit of Mink Hollow and a chapter of Utopia’s second LP, 1977’s Ra album, and the supporting tour of 1977-78.
You have to love the information and anecdotes regarding Rundgren’s career as a world-class producer. There are stories about working with Patti Smith, Rick Derringer and an entire chapter on Meat Loaf’s Bat Out Of Hell. There is a lot of material quoted from Loaf’s own bio To Hell and Back, but you can never know enough about how his biggest record was made. Here, we get a lot of insider information from Rundgren himself.
Books like this are never complete without a true chronological listing of shows played and A Dream Goes On Forever – The Continuing Story of Todd Rundgren Vol.2: The Utopia Years provides such a listing in painstaking detail.
There is no denying Todd Rundgren’s talent and star power, but reading this book you learn about the equally impressive talents of Rundgren’s band Utopia (which also included keyboardist Roger Powell and drummer John “Willie” Wilcox). At the heart of the band’s story is how they both complimented or detracted from one another. In the end, it’s easy to figure out Utopia left an indelible imprint on the career of Todd Rundgren, as well as on popular music in general.
~ Ralph Greco, Jr.
