Utopia 1977-84 Retrospective

Customer Reviews:

Early videos have their charm.......2006-11-22

If you're as much a fan of Utopia as the solo Todd Rundgren, then this video shouldn't disappoint you. It's very dated in it's visual ideas, but hey this stuff was really up to date in 1977! Personally I think it's a great time capsule and cool to see the guys hamming it up in videos like "Magic Dragon Theatre" or Kaz (as a TV newscaster)in "Set Me Free". Great add to your DVD collection. What's that big old hunk of duct tape though that Todd pulls off the bottom of his shoe during the live shoot of "It Wouldn't Make Any Difference"? Bleccch! LOL!

Early Todd/Utopia Videos.......2002-12-31

Trivia question: What was the SECOND video every played on MTV? Everyone knows that Video Killed the Radio Star was the first, but not too many folks know that Time Heals by Todd Rundgren was the second. Sure the pic and sound quality isn't the greatest, but it is Todd. The average schmo should pass on this, but for Todd's pioneering efforts in the video field, I gotta give it 4 stars.

For the die-hard fan, Only!.......2002-07-22

The only people who should buy this DVD are the die-hard fans who must own everything by Todd Rundgren. Live in S.F., Live at The Royal Oak, and Redux '92 are all great. And based on the sound quality of the CD, Live in Tokyo (due out in August) should be even better. On this DVD, the sound and video quality are poor and the special effects used to cover up poor quality video are distracting, if not insulting. In the opening song, Communion with the Sun from the RA tour, they show Todd climbing the pyramid during a guitar solo. Anyone who saw that tour live will remember that he climbed the pyramid during Singring and the Glass Guitar. It is very obvious that the sound and video are not from the same song. That's lame. The videos from the early MTV days were mildly entertaining, but pretty lame. Sorry, Todd. I would pass on this DVD.

About Time!.......2000-03-25

It's about time someone released some Utopia on DVD. "Retrospective" includes concert footage and music videos. All songs are presented in their entirety with the exception of "Utopia's Theme". The DVD looks like it's dubbed directly from a VHS copy so the video quality gets only 2.5 stars. The audio choices are stereo and a new 5.1 mix. Since I don't have a 5.1 system yet the stereo mix gets 4 stars. Performace 5 stars. I have Todd's "T.E.P.T.A.E." DVD and prefer "Retrospective" because it has more concert footage (T.E.P.T.A.E. has only only 1 live song; "Real Man"). This DVD is killer; a must have for any Todd or Utopia fan. Just hope that "Live in Japan", "Redux' 92", "An Evening With Utopia", and "Live at the Royal Oak" are released on DVD soon. Are you listening DVD manufacturers?

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