I preferred the band to Todd's solo albums.
More rock, less balladry and fantabulous 4-part harmonies.
I'm not being a wiseguy when I say that I felt the same way about Utopia / Todd solo, until I hit 20. I didn't soften up, but I did realize that Todd's strength lay in his sentiment, and that (with few exceptions), the only Utopia songs worth listening to are TR's. His solo records are often amazing from start to finish, wherein Utopia records are usually a pretty patchy affair.
I will say that Utopia seemed to get more interesting as they grew. Their first two were basically prog, which seemed to work w/ the help of TR's hook-writing genius. The next two were (excepting a couple of gems) a mess. It seemed to improve for them as the 80's rolled in.
In any case, I would seriously suggest you revisit your analysis now that some years have passed.
TR album I highly recommend:
Runt: The Ballad of Todd Rundgren
A Wizard, A True Star (1973)
Todd (1973)
Initiation (1975)
Faithful (1976)
Healing (1981)
The Ever Popular Tortured Artist Effect (1983)
