Todd Rundgren was at the height of his solo career in 1973 with Wizard A True Star and the ambitious Todd double LP when he decided to form Utopia, a musically adventurous band in which he was simply a member. Or at least that's what Rundgren wanted fans to think. In reality, Utopia was simply another Todd Rundgren solo outlet, featuring mostly songs written and sung by Rundgren. In the beginning, Utopia was a progressive rock outlet, with six to 15 minute instrumentally driven tracks created for late night FM playlists. By the time the band released its fourth album, Oops, Wrong Planet, with songs like "Love Is The Answer," it had essentially become a pop band, brandishing the same style of Top 40 hits that Rundgren had made famous on his solo albums. By 1985, Rundgren saw no real benefit in doing both projects, and he broke up Utopia, only to reunite once in 1992 with the band for a Japanese tour.
Throughout his career, Rundgren would write and record a number of successful albums, and some less-than-successful experimental projects, both as a solo artist and with Utopia. Many of his songs would end up being hits for others, including "Can We Still Be Friends?" (Robert Palmer), and "Love Is The Answer" (England Dan & John Ford Coley). He also built a solid career as a producer for the Tubes, Hall & Oates, and others.
Today, in addition to making his own music, Rundgren can be found fronting the revived version of the Cars with Greg Hawkes and Elliott Easton from the original line-up. There is talk of a Utopia reunion for 2009.