Member:
singring
Date:
2/12/2008
It is not too often that an artist chooses to release new material in the format of a live recording, so Utopia's Another Live is a bit of an oddity from the outset. The material was culled from a series of concerts featuring the 'three keyboard' lineup of the band. Consequently, the result sounds a lot more like the first Utopia album and Todd's solo material of the time (Initiation, Todd) than the more polished and focused Ra that was to follow.
The second half of the album is made up of covers - a musical classic (Bernstein's “Something's Coming” from West Side Story), a pop song ("Do Ya" was originally recorded by The Move) and some of Todd's solo live staples. The arrangements are quite standard and have no big surprises, so it can be assumed that they were basically there to stretch the album out to full length - not that they are particularly bad, but in the context of Utopia's extravagant prog displayed on side one they are neglectable.
So why even consider getting this album, you ask?
For anyone who likes Utopia's first album or more jazzy/aggressive prog in general, the first three tracks here are worth the price of admission. “The Seven Rays” and “Another Life” are great ensemble pieces that feature multiple key and time signature changes, lots of synth and guitar pyrotechnics and some quite stunning melodies. Of course, the patchy quality of a live recording robs these pieces of some of their brilliance but at the same time the big sound supplied by the six-man band and a host of background singers lends them a lot of raw energy.
“The Wheel” is a true Todd classic, a lengthy solo piece featuring Todd and his acoustic guitar underscored very delicately with some background percussion. The lyrics are a first indication that Todd was getting a bit restless in his spiritual searches - or perhaps the lines “let us off this wheel of karma, let us stop the hands of time” are a reflection of Todd starting to feel overwhelmed by his own ambitions. To round off side one Roger Powell gives his synths a real workout on his solo spot “Mister Triscuits”.
Overall this is a strong album, if a bit patchy being the live album that it is. Should appeal to anyone who enjoyed Utopia's first album and who isn't too concerned about the lackluster sound of the live recording. However, in the overall perspective of Todd's and Utopia's body of work, this is definitely one of those that will usually be found only in a completist's collection.
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