Swing To The Right
Encyclopedia
Swing to the Right is a Utopia
(featuring Todd Rundgren
, Roger Powell, Kasim Sulton
, and Willie Wilcox) album from 1982. It followed the well-intentioned Beatles
parody/homage Deface the Music
. Swing to the Right swings into hard-edged commentary on corporate raiders, warmongers, political villains, and despicable music industry moguls. There is little in the way of progressive rock
on this album, which is limited to its title track.
Utopia, took this material on the road for a full year begging audiences to petition reluctant Bearsville Records
execs to release it. The true irony of this chapter for the band is that the subsequent new label release, the self-titled LP on Network Records, was for all intents and purposes the record Bearsville always wanted them to make.
The cover photo is a retouched and tinted reproduction of a well-known photograph taken at a public burning of Beatles
records, which took place in 1966 in the American South in response to John Lennon
's controversial "bigger than Jesus" remark. It depicts a group of youths standing around a bonfire, while in the foreground a boy holds an LP which is about to be thrown into the fire. In the original image, the album the boy holds is the American version of The Beatles debut LP Meet The Beatles, but on the Utopia cover this has been photographically replaced with an image of the Swing To The Right cover (thereby creating the illusion of an endless regression of the same image).
Some CD reissues include the bonus track "Special Interest".
Utopia (rock band)
Utopia was an American progressive rock band, led by Todd Rundgren that toured and recorded from 1973 to 1986.-History:The first two albums, Todd Rundgren's Utopia and Another Live featured lengthy, complex and highly arranged progressive rock pieces, performed by a six-piece multi-instrumentalist...
(featuring Todd Rundgren
Todd Rundgren
Todd Harry Rundgren is an American multi-instrumentalist, songwriter and record producer. Hailed in the early stage of his career as a new pop-wunderkind, supported by the certified gold solo double LP Something/Anything? in 1972, Todd Rundgren's career has produced a diverse range of recordings...
, Roger Powell, Kasim Sulton
Kasim Sulton
Kasim Sulton is an American bass guitarist, keyboardist, and vocalist. Best known for his work with Utopia, Sulton sang lead on 1980's "Set Me Free," Utopia's only top 40 hit in the United States...
, and Willie Wilcox) album from 1982. It followed the well-intentioned Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
parody/homage Deface the Music
Deface the Music
Deface the Music is a 1980 album by the band Utopia featuring Todd Rundgren, Roger Powell, Kasim Sulton, and Willie Wilcox. The concept of the album was to pay homage to The Beatles and create songs which sounded very similar to the Fab Four's tunes throughout the various stages of their career...
. Swing to the Right swings into hard-edged commentary on corporate raiders, warmongers, political villains, and despicable music industry moguls. There is little in the way of progressive rock
Progressive rock
Progressive rock is a subgenre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s as part of a "mostly British attempt to elevate rock music to new levels of artistic credibility." John Covach, in Contemporary Music Review, says that many thought it would not just "succeed the pop of...
on this album, which is limited to its title track.
Utopia, took this material on the road for a full year begging audiences to petition reluctant Bearsville Records
Bearsville Records
Bearsville Records was founded in 1970 by Albert Grossman. Artists included Todd Rundgren, Elizabeth Barraclough, Foghat, Halfnelson/Sparks, Bobby Charles, Randy VanWarmer, Paul Butterfield's Better Days, Lazarus, Jesse Winchester, and NRBQ. The label closed in 1984, two years before Grossman's...
execs to release it. The true irony of this chapter for the band is that the subsequent new label release, the self-titled LP on Network Records, was for all intents and purposes the record Bearsville always wanted them to make.
The cover photo is a retouched and tinted reproduction of a well-known photograph taken at a public burning of Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
records, which took place in 1966 in the American South in response to John Lennon
John Lennon
John Winston Lennon, MBE was an English musician and singer-songwriter who rose to worldwide fame as one of the founding members of The Beatles, one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music...
's controversial "bigger than Jesus" remark. It depicts a group of youths standing around a bonfire, while in the foreground a boy holds an LP which is about to be thrown into the fire. In the original image, the album the boy holds is the American version of The Beatles debut LP Meet The Beatles, but on the Utopia cover this has been photographically replaced with an image of the Swing To The Right cover (thereby creating the illusion of an endless regression of the same image).
Track listing
All songs by Utopia unless otherwise noted.- "Swing to the Right" – 4:21
- "Lysistrata" – 2:43
- "The Up" – 4:08
- "Junk Rock" – 3:13
- "Shinola" – 5:21
- "For the Love of MoneyFor the Love of Money"For the Love of Money" is a soul/funk song written by Kenneth Gamble, Leon Huff, and Anthony Jackson; and recorded by Philadelphia soul group The O'Jays for the album Ship Ahoy. Produced by Gamble and Huff for Philadelphia International Records, "For the Love of Money" was issued as a single in...
" (Kenneth Gamble, Leon HuffGamble and HuffKenneth Gamble and Leon A. Huff are an American songwriting and record production team who have written and produced over 170 gold and platinum records. They were pioneers of Philadelphia soul and the in-house creative team for the Philadelphia International record label...
, Jackson) – 3:40 - "Last Dollar on Earth" – 4:13
- "Fahrenheit 451" – 2:47
- "Only Human" – 5:11
- "One World" (Rundgren, Utopia) – 3:24
Some CD reissues include the bonus track "Special Interest".
Personnel
- Todd RundgrenTodd RundgrenTodd Harry Rundgren is an American multi-instrumentalist, songwriter and record producer. Hailed in the early stage of his career as a new pop-wunderkind, supported by the certified gold solo double LP Something/Anything? in 1972, Todd Rundgren's career has produced a diverse range of recordings...
– vocals, guitar - Roger Powell – keyboards, synthesizer, vocals
- Kasim SultonKasim SultonKasim Sulton is an American bass guitarist, keyboardist, and vocalist. Best known for his work with Utopia, Sulton sang lead on 1980's "Set Me Free," Utopia's only top 40 hit in the United States...
– bass, keyboards, vocals - Willie Wilcox – drums
Charts
Album - Billboard| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1982 | Pop Albums | 102 |