Front Row & Backstage

Front Row & Backstage

Share this post

Front Row & Backstage
Front Row & Backstage
Audio Autopsy, 1980: New Wave "Wasp"๐ŸThe Unlikely Shaun Cassidy Album Produced by Todd Rundgren

Audio Autopsy, 1980: New Wave "Wasp"๐ŸThe Unlikely Shaun Cassidy Album Produced by Todd Rundgren

Unheard then, forgotten now: Unlike his half-brother David, Shaun actually CHOSE to become a record-making teen idol, and enjoyed a couple hits. Suddenly, a hard turn, and I don't think he signaled.

Brad Kyle's avatar
Brad Kyle
Jan 18, 2023
โˆ™ Paid
7

Share this post

Front Row & Backstage
Front Row & Backstage
Audio Autopsy, 1980: New Wave "Wasp"๐ŸThe Unlikely Shaun Cassidy Album Produced by Todd Rundgren
10
Share
9 things you didn't know about the once-majestic Astrodome | For The Win

โ€œI played the Houston Astrodome for like 50,000 people and said goodnight, and I thought Iโ€™d probably do another concert in the next year or so. I didn't know Wasp would be the last record Iโ€™d make, but it was.โ€

Some reports claim Shaunโ€™s Astrodome audience actually swelled to 55,000. Shaun appears here from that Dome show in 1980, all but spray-painted into his leather pants. Six years before, he was a teenaged lead singer of a Hollywood punk band, Longfellow, and frequented Sunset Blvd. haunts with rock stars. A year or two after that final show, I bumped into Shaun and new wife (they wed in December 1979 when Shaun was 21), Ann Pennington (who had just left Rod Stewartโ€™s arms), at a San Fernando Valley restaurant, each of us waiting for tables. Not much was said (they were exceedingly pleasant), although I think I managed to mention I interviewed David six years prior.๐Ÿ“ธCorbis/VCG via Getty Images

For the EXCLUSIVE EXTENDED EDITION of this article (with 50% more content and info, plus more rare photos!), click here๐Ÿ‘‡

๐Ÿ’ฅEXCLUSIVE EXTENDED EDITION! Audio Autopsy, 1980: New Wave "Wasp"๐ŸThe Unlikely Shaun Cassidy Album Produced by Todd Rundgren

Brad Kyle
ยท
January 17, 2023
๐Ÿ’ฅEXCLUSIVE EXTENDED EDITION! Audio Autopsy, 1980: New Wave "Wasp"๐ŸThe Unlikely Shaun Cassidy Album Produced by Todd Rundgren

Read full story

Shaun Cassidy, in the above quote, was reflecting in a 2020 interview with Lyndsey Parker, YahooMusicโ€™s Editor-in-Chief, on what turned out to be his recording career swan song, 1980โ€™s Wasp album, produced by Todd Rundgren. Shaun spent the early โ€˜70s as a young teen spending countless nights rubbing punk elbows with his favorite British and American rockers. For example:

From the We Wish We Had Been There Dept., West Coast Division: Hollywood debauchery, circa 1973/4: Shaun, in plaid jacket, center, is surrounded by his garage band Longfellow mates (Shaun was lead singer). When pix like these showed up in CREEM and Hit Parader magazines, Shaun was nothing more or else than โ€œDavid Cassidyโ€™s kid brother,โ€ hanging around Hollywood with famous rockers: Here, and from l-r are New York Dollsโ€™ bassist, Killer Kane, with whom I became good buds in my two weekends spent with the Dolls in Texas in September 1973 (when Killer had a cast on his left arm, and needed a roadie named Peter, to fill in onstage), a couple Longfellows, Dolls lead singer, David Johansen, whose puckered lips are coming dangerously close to Shaunโ€™s 15-year-old left cheek, โ€œbaby groupieโ€ supreme, Sable Starr (with headwrap). Platinum blond Iggy Pop, drink in hand, is being hugged from behind by a thumbs-up Kim Fowley, about a year from discovering and managing the teenage Runaways.

He signed his recording contract with Curb/Warner Bros. Records before graduating from Beverly Hills High, and released five albums before calling it an eventual quits after Wasp was released to thunderous indifference. Weโ€™ll discover how the songs on Wasp were selected, and how and why Shaun chose eventual (2021) Rockโ€™nโ€™Roll Hall Famer, Todd, to produce. We took a deep-dive snapshot of Shaunโ€™s first 5 albums here:

That's Pop'n'Roll: Shaun Cassidy and His 1970s Teen Idol Recording Career

Brad Kyle
ยท
January 11, 2023
That's Pop'n'Roll: Shaun Cassidy and His 1970s Teen Idol Recording Career

โ€œI'm going to call one of my heroes, Todd Rundgren!โ€ Shaun was talking to Lyndsey Parker of Yahoo! Entertainment in 2020, and recounting his 6-albums-in-4-years pop star recording career that peaked, teeโ€ฆ

Read full story

Share

Wasp, and Its Resultant Buzz

Shaun, touring in โ€˜22.

Lyndsey Parker, in her 2020 interview with Shaun, put Album #6, and the playersโ€™ rationale for its need to exist into tight perspective: โ€œTo say that the new wave album was a departure from what both his record label and fanbase expected would be a massive understatement.

โ€œProduced by the legendary Todd Rundgren [and featuring Toddโ€™s proggy side band, Utopia, backing him up], Wasp boasted a slew of hip cover tunes โ€” David Bowieโ€™s โ€œRebel Rebel,โ€ Talking Headsโ€™ โ€œThe Book I Read,โ€ the Whoโ€™s โ€œSo Sad About Usโ€ [released as the second single from the album], the Animalsโ€™ โ€œItโ€™s My Life,โ€ Ian Hunterโ€™s โ€œOnce Bitten, Twice Shy,โ€ even the Four Topsโ€™ โ€œShake Me, Wake Meโ€ โ€” as well as four fiery, feisty, funky originals written or co-written by Rundgren himselfโ€ [including โ€œCool Fire,โ€ with lyrics by Todd and music composed by Shaun.]

The Bands Scheduled to Play the Full Vans Warped Tour | Todd rundgren, Pop  rock bands, Pop culture

Toddโ€™s Utopia featured (above, l-r) Kasim Sulton on bass, Todd on sax, guitar, bass, and drums, Roger Powell on various keyboards, and Willie Wilcox, drums. All but Kasim sang background vocals.

Keep reading with a 7-day free trial

Subscribe to Front Row & Backstage to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.

Already a paid subscriber? Sign in
ยฉ 2025 Brad Kyle FRONT ROW & BACKSTAGE
Privacy โˆ™ Terms โˆ™ Collection notice
Start writingGet the app
Substack is the home for great culture

Share