Todd Rundgren has too much talent for a single project, so in addition to his acclaimed solo work, he has led bands like Runt, Nazz, and Utopia. Utopia formed in 1973 as a prog rock outift, after Rundgren achieved his biggest hit as a solo artist when "Hello, It's Me" peaked at #5 that same year. Utopia soon shifted to power pop and rock, releasing acclaimed albums until 1985, but they did not enjoy the chart success they deserved. During their time together, Utopia landed only one minor Top 40 hit with "Set Me Free," which reached #27 in 1980. They followed this up with "The Very Last Time," which stalled at #76. The band's final chart appearance arrived 3 years later when "Feet Don't Fail Me Now" reached #82. Despite the attention radio denied them, their songs caught the ears of others like England Dan & John Ford Coley, who took "Love Is The Answer" to #10 in 1979. "Crybaby" is from the band's 1983 album "Oblivion," and features some of their trademark harmonies.
Since the dawn of the 1970s, singer and songwriter Todd Rundgren has been a major force in the music biz. Aside from his own extensive catalogue, he's produced many classic albums by famous artists from Badfinger to Meat Loaf to XTC. In addition to his solo work, Rundgren has been at the helm of the bands Runt, Nazz, and Utopia. His biggest hit came in 1973 when "Hello It's Me" peaked at #5, a remake of a song originally done by Nazz that only hit #66 in 1970. "Time Heals" is an excellent tune from his 1981 album, "Healing." This song, which sounds a lot like a Hall & Oates tune, failed to chart. But Rundgren had one more song crack the Top 100 in 1983: "Bang The Drum All Day" reached #63.
Arguably one of the most underrated power pop bands to emerge on the scene in the late 80s was Canada's The Pursuit of Happiness (TPOH). TPOH was led by the lovably snarky and sarcastic singer/songwriter Moe Berg, whose catchy songs were augmented with gorgeous harmonies from sisters Tamara and Natasha Amabile. Early days of the band generated enough buzz to attract Todd Rundgren as producer for their debut album, "Love Junk." TPOH seemed to get off to a good start with their edgy and funny anthem, "I'm An Adult Now." It received a decent amount of airplay, but did not chart in the US. "She's So Young" was a great choice for a follow-up single, but the song surprisingly went nowhere. After the band's sophomore record, 1990's "One Sided Story" (also produced by Rundgren) failed to gain traction, the band fell off the radar. They recorded three more studio records since then, but nothing new since 1996.
In the 80s, there was an Australian/New Zealand band named Dragon that had a lone chart hit in the US with "Rain." By the late 80s, the band, which featured the Hunter brothers and none other than guitar extraordinaire Tommy Emmanuel, released records in the US under the name Hunter. It didn't help get them back on the chart. But "Dreams Of Ordinary Men," the title track from their 1987 effort, should have put the band back on the radio in the US. Produced by Todd Rundgren, this album contains plenty of pop rockers that should have been popular back in the day.
England Dan & John Ford Coley had a string of successful singles in the late 70s, starting big with their #2 smash, "I'd Really Love To See You Tonight" in 1976. Some other highlights from their career include "Nights Are Forever Without You" (#10), "We'll Never Have To Say Goodbye Again" (#9), and "Love Is The Answer" (#10, written by Todd Rundgren). "There'll Never Be Another For Me" is an underrated gem from this pop duo's 1976 record, "Nights Are Forever".
