![]() ![]() So where do I start? Well, let's try at the beginning, you great fool. The normally optimistic Davies takes a bit of a cynical path when it comes to musing over the ultimate fate of the human race – and I'm not talking about the ridiculous global T-Mobile ad either. There are also some refreshingly grim aspects to this story too, which take Doctor Who into some very dark areas indeed. I've come to appreciate it a lot more than when I did back on its original transmission, and in the light of current world events, it's a story that proves to be startlingly topical. ![]() Which is a shame, since for its faults, Utopia Drums Time Lords is a breathtaking bit of telly. Like some of the overburdened '80s stories, it sometimes feels like there are too many boxes to tick and not enough plot to deliver. Rearrange Mister Saxon, and you get Master No Six! Clever, huh? The DVD box set of New Beginnings should have hinted at things to come when it was released in January 2007. Actually, the return of the Master was possibly one of the worst kept secrets in Doctor Who. In this case, not only do we get the return of the Master, we also get Captain Jack back in the fold, say goodbye-ish to Martha, and wrap up all of the loose ends in this season. Looking at this monster three-parter, it's a bit reminiscent of the '80s stories in which John Nathan Turner would provide quaking writers with great big shopping lists of requirements. Utopia Drums Time Lords (which sounds like a lost album from the Todd Rundgren-led '70s/'80s prog band) is another of Russell T Davies' ambitious season finales in which he's gradually throwing in more and more wacky concepts and ideas – some of which work, some of which don't. It's a big finale that brings back the Doctor's wretched nemesis, the Master, who's now wreaking havoc in two forms: an apparently genial old fossil on a futuristic planet and then in a hyperactive, manically vicious younger version. The last story of the 2007 season is the equivalent of an old school six-parter. For many reasons, it's a story that still rings unnervingly true in 2018. Having just uploaded the review for Buffy The Vampire Slayer's Gingerbread (which tackles mob mentality, fact aversion etc), here comes the big Season 3 finale for NuWho. Note: "Utopia" is titled "Utopia Theme" on later editions.Talk about coincidence with these blog entries. The performance is also heavy on songs from the Todd album which were not performed until 1974. ![]() Previous performances from the 1973 tour have a marching band feel during the quiet sections that were reworked into a looser feel for the subsequent 1974 tour. There has been confusion as to which date is correct, because the performance date was erroneously listed as Novemon the original broadcast LP from the radio show Retrorock that aired in 1983 that features a reworked version of "Utopia". After a bootleg of the entire concert circulated amongst collectors for many years, the recording was officially released as Live at the Fox 1973 in 2015 by RockBeat Records. "Utopia" was recorded live in concert at the Fox Theatre in Atlanta, Georgia on April 25, 1974. This may have happened as a result of legal action against Rundgren by Tony Sales for appropriation of the song in 1976, for royalties of $100,000 or more. On the first reissue of the album, released in 1978, the title of "Utopia" was changed to "Utopia Theme" and publishing credits were changed from Earmark Music to Earmark Music and Screen Gems - Columbia Music. At almost an hour in length, the sound needed to be compressed in order to fit it onto one record, resulting in a decline in audio quality. ![]() Like Rundgren's solo albums A Wizard, a True Star (1973) and Initiation (1975), the album pushed the limits of vinyl. The album peaked at number 34 on the Billboard 200 and critical reaction towards it was mixed. Most of the album was recorded in the studio except "Utopia", the opening track, which was recorded live in concert in 1974. He assembled a six-piece group that featured three keyboardists and toured as a live act. The band was formed in 1973 by musician, songwriter, and producer Todd Rundgren who decided to expand his musical style by moving from pop-oriented rock towards progressive rock. Todd Rundgren's Utopia is the debut album by the American rock band Utopia, released in October 1974 on Bearsville Records. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |