All in a row, 10 great songs. Individually, 8 of them stand on their own. All in all, I have always liked this album.

I first got it when I was in my hard rock/metal phase, when just about everything I bought was either hard rock or metal. I’d read good things about Utopia, and liked their song “Caravan”, so I tried out this LP when I saw it for cheap at Half-Price Books at their old Richardson location off of Belt Line. I bought it, raised an eyebrow at the preppy look of the band on the cover, put it on the turntable, and got hooked.

My favorite from the album is still “Caravan”, but I also keep a warm spot for “Set Me Free”, “Rock Love”, and “Second Nature.” The overall style of the album is accessible pop, edged in the last days of progressive rock and the first glimmers of electronica. Todd Rundgren always finds a way to innovate without alienating with his projects, and this album shows that talent at its best. It’s fun, the overall mood is bright, and only some of the songs make me want to skip them after I’ve listened the album 7 or 8 times in a row. 9 out of 10 for this one.