Regarding Todd Rundgren: Your right, Black Maria is a unique jewel...
Black Maria was originally released on Something/Anything in 1971. This predates Utopia and probably even the conception of Utopia. This is Rungren at the peak of his "pop" affinity. He came away from Nazz with 2 releases, Runt with the Sales brothers, Hunt & Tony (a la Soupy Sales as the father), then The Ballad of Todd Rundgren, and then Something/Anything. The 2 intial efforts followed up with the excalmation point of S/A (referred to as a masterpiece by critics with a more disserning ear than myself) was what established Todd as a Pop Rock "Wizard and True Star". Appropriately, that was Rundgren's later follow-up 2 record album. It was not quite S/A and it certainly foreshadowed the progressive nature and out-of-the-box approach Todd would take into the future. If you take anything from this response... pick up Runt, Ballad and Something/Anything. They are the foundation of everything that followed.
