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ivan@stellysee.de
| From | "Jeff" <jeff.teez@comcast.net> |
| Subject | Re: 25 albums...and more... |
| Date | Sun, 25 Nov 2007 17:47:05 -0500 |
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Gosh, I've always enjoyed (most of) "Deface The Music". I took my
favorite 8 songs from the recored, ripped 'em from vinyl and added them
as a mini-set to a mix disc, and I always look forward to that part of
the disc. Here's a positive review from AMG (don't they make bowling
balls?): just move on, damn it, if you're not interested <grin> ...
jeff t.
Review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Having just scored their first big hits with Adventures in Utopia,
Utopia inexplicably took a step into arcana with its follow-up, Deface
the Music. Foregoing the radio-ready style of Adventures, Utopia delves
deeply into Beatlemania, creating a swift, brutally funny and insanely
catchy send-up of the Fab Four's entire career. Clearly, the high
(nearly arty) concept makes Deface the Music the first Utopia album
since Another Live to sound like it is solely the work of Todd Rundgren.
The music is so savvy, it's clear that these songs are primarily the
work of Todd, even if they're credited to Utopia. Rundgren is able to
write songs that evoke specific eras of the Beatles' career and have
them be funny without being a slave to parody. Like the Rutles, this
music works well on its own merits and, unlike the Rutles, Rundgren is
as credible with "Penny Lane" psychedelia ("Hoi Poloi") or "Eleanor
Rigby" chamber-pop ("Life Goes On") as he is with Merseybeat ("I Just
Want to Touch You," "Crystal Ball"). Unlike the Rutles, it sounds like
it was recorded in 1980, not the '60s, which intensifies the feeling
that Deface the Music is merely a curiosity or an exercise for Rundgren,
but since the entire thing is finished in just over a half hour, it
feels more like a burst of cynical joy that is damn near impossible to
resist.
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