Ra (Utopia album)
Ra is the second studio album and third release by Utopia on Bearsville Records, released in 1977. Replete with an elaborate $250,000 stage show featuring a 22-foot-tall (6.7 m) pyramid and golden sphinx which took 18 months of prep, Ra was Rundgren's most ambitious live undertaking.
| Ra | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | February 4, 1977 | |||
| Recorded | at Bearsville Sound Studio, Utopia Sound and Turtle Creek Barn | |||
| Genre | Progressive rock, art rock | |||
| Length | 53:04 | |||
| Label | Bearsville | |||
| Producer | Todd Rundgren | |||
| Utopia chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Ra | ||||
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| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |    [1] |
| Christgau's Record Guide | D+[2] |
The cornerstone of the album and show is "Singring and the Glass Guitar," which comprises solos by each band member battling the elements: water (drums), wind (bass), fire (keyboards), and earth (guitar).
The album was modestly successful, peaking the Billboard Top 200 at #79.[3]
Track listing
A number of test pressings (and a very limited amount of vinyl and 8 track tape pressings) were made using a rejected master that includes alternate mixes of the some of the tracks on the album. The songs "Communion with the Sun" and "Sunburst Finish" are almost entirely different takes- "Communion with the Sun" has a more aggressive drum track, alternate vocals and instrumental solos; "Sunburst Finish" has lead vocals that are similar but different backing vocals (with some present in the commonly released mix missing completely). "Singring and the Glass Guitar" is missing the intro to Willie Wilcox's drum solo. All the other tracks on this pressing are indistinguishable from the commonly released master.
With the exception of the European pressing, the only way to tell if a particular copy of an LP (or tape) was pressed from the rejected master is by playing it. In Europe, A1 or B1 will be written into the dead wax of the vinyl of these initial pressings. It is unknown exactly how many pressings from the rejected master were manufactured.
Side one
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Overture: Mountaintop and Sunrise/Communion with the Sun" | Herrmann / Rundgren | 7:15 |
| 2. | "Magic Dragon Theatre" | Rundgren, Sulton | 3:28 |
| 3. | "Jealousy" | Rundgren, Wilcox | 4:43 |
| 4. | "Eternal Love" | Powell, Sulton | 4:51 |
| 5. | "Sunburst Finish" | Powell, Rundgren | 7:38 |
Side two
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Hiroshima" | Powell, Rundgren | 7:16 |
| 2. | "Singring and the Glass Guitar (An Electrified Fairytale)" | Powell, Rundgren, Sulton, Wilcox | 18:24 |
Personnel
- Todd Rundgren - guitar and vocals, piano and saxophone on "Magic Dragon Theatre"
- Roger Powell - keyboards and vocals
- Kasim Sulton - bass and vocals
- John "Willie" Wilcox - drums, percussion and vocals, harmony guitar on "Jealousy"
Production
- Producer: Todd Rundgren for Alchemedia Productions, Inc.
- Engineer, Calligrapher, & Voice of the Story Teller: John Holbrook
- Assistant Engineer: Tom Mark
- "Communion with the Sun" & "Jealousy" recorded at the Turtle Creek Barn using custom equipment owned and operated by Yes engineer Eddie Offord
- Musical arrangements by Utopia
References
- Erlewine, Stephen Thomas (2011). "RA - Utopia | AllMusic". allmusic.com. Retrieved 8 July 2011.
- Christgau, Robert (1981). "Consumer Guide '70s: U". Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies. Ticknor & Fields. ISBN 089919026X. Retrieved March 17, 2019 – via robertchristgau.com.
- Ra in the Billboard Charts, Allmusic. Retrieved July 31, 2011.