[Review] Utopia: Deface the Music (1980)

Utopia burgles The Beatles in broad daylight for a lark.

Kronomyth 6.0: There’s nothing you can do that can’t be done.

For their last album, Adventures in Utopia, the group gave themselves the assignment to write songs based on the chart-toppers of the day. On some rainy day, I may get around to pairing those tracks with their inspiration. Deface the Music is a similar exercise, only this time the assignment is to write material based on the songs of The Beatles. Unlike Faithful, where Todd Rundgren and the band sought to re-create note-for-note copies of “Rain” and “Strawberry Fields Forever,” the songs on Deface the Music are loosely patterned on famous Beatles tunes. So, you get “I Want to Hold Your Hand” re-imagined as I Just Want to Touch You, “Drive My Car” re-cast as Take It Home, “Penny Lane” merged into Hoi Poloi, “Getting Better” re-worked as Feel Too Good, et cetera. Using a roughly chronological approach to the Beatles’ career, Deface the Music takes the listener on a musical journey from Meet the Beatles (the album cover is actually based on With the Beatles) through Hey Jude. While The Beatles are the obvious parallel here, it’s interesting how much this album ends up sounding like latter-day XTC (Rundgren, of course, was later tapped to produce that band for their Skylarking album). Like all Utopia records, this is a group effort, but it’s a particularly strong showcase for Kasim Sulton, who sings lead or lead harmony on eight of the album’s thirteen tracks. I have trouble distinguishing his voice from Rundgren, which is meant as a compliment. Roger Powell only takes one lead vocal (on Silly Boy), Willie Wilcox on two songs (Always Late and Life Goes On). I’ll admit, I found the idea of a Beatles tribute album initially offputting. Over the years, however, I’ve found myself humming “Hoi Poloi” or “I Just Want to Touch You” many times, and it is a ridiculously fun album to listen to if you can get past Utopia’s unabashed looting of the Beatles’ treasures (as opposed to the clandestine looting that had been taking place by various pop bands for years).

Original elpee version

A1. I Just Want to Touch You (2:00)
A2. Crystal Ball (2:00)
A3. Where Does the World Go to Hide (1:41)
A4. Silly Boy (2:20)
A5. Alone (2:10)
A6. That’s Not Right (2:37)
A7. Take It Home (2:53)
B1. Hoi Poloi (2:33)
B2. Life Goes On (2:21)
B3. Feel Too Good (3:04)
B4. Always Late (2:22)
B4. All Smiles (2:27)
B6. Everybody Else Is Wrong (3:38)

All songs written by Utopia.

Original 8-track version
A1. I Just Want to Touch You
A2. Crystal Ball
A3. Where Does the World Go to Hide
A4. Silly Boy
B1. That’s Not Right
B2. Take It Home
B3. Hoi Poloi
C1. Feel Too Good
C2. Always Late
C3. All Smiles
D1. Alone
D2. Life Goes On
D3. Everybody Else Is Wrong

The Players

Roger Powell, Todd Rundgren, Kasim Sulton, John “Willie” Wilcox. Produced by Todd Rundgren and Utopia; engineered and mixed by Roger Powell.

The Pictures

Art direction by John Wagman. Cover illustration by Jane Millett. Photography by Kenneth Siegel.

The Plastic

Released on elpee, cassette and 8-track on September 24, 1980 in the US and Canada (Bearsville, BRK/M5/M8 3487), the UK (Island, ILPS 9642), France (Bearsville/Carrere, 67593) and Germany (Bearsville, 202 994) with picture innersleeve. Reached #65 on the US charts.

1. Re-issued on elpee, cassette and compact disc in the US (Rhino, RNLP/RNC/R2 70873).
2. Re-issued on compact disc in Japan (BMG, VICP-60276).
3. Re-issued on compact disc in the EU (Essential, ESMCD 760).
4. Re-issued on remastered compact disc on June 28, 2006 in Japan (Bearsville, VICP-63463).