''Wasp'', released by teen idol

Shaun Cassidy Shaun Paul Cassidy (born September 27, 1958) is an American singer, actor, writer, and producer. He has created and/or produced a number of television series including '' American Gothic'', '' Roar'' and ''Invasion''. Cassidy currently serves as ...

in 1980, was his fifth and final studio album. In an attempt to salvage a sinking pop career, Cassidy recruited

Todd Rundgren Todd Harry Rundgren (born June 22, 1948) is an American multi-instrumentalist, singer, songwriter, multimedia artist, sound engineer and record producer who has performed a diverse range of styles as a solo artist and as a member of the band Ut ...

to help "reinvent" his music career. Members of Rundgren's group

Utopia A utopia ( ) typically describes an imaginary community or society that possesses highly desirable or nearly perfect qualities for its members. It was coined by Sir Thomas More for his 1516 book ''Utopia (book), Utopia'', describing a fictional ...

also played on the record, and the work had a decidedly "new wave" feel. The majority of tracks featured on ''Wasp'' were

cover songs In popular music, a cover version, cover song, remake, revival, or simply cover, is a new performance or Sound recording and reproduction, recording by a musician other than the original performer or composer of the song. Originally, it referr ...

. The album featured a version of

David Bowie David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known professionally as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer-songwriter and actor. A leading figure in the music industry, he is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the ...

's song, "Rebel Rebel," in which Cassidy included a passage from

The Crystals The Crystals are an American vocal group that originated in New York City. Considered one of the defining acts of the girl group era in the first half of the 1960s, their 1961–1964 chart hits – including " There's No Other (Like My Baby)", ...

' "He's a Rebel." Other covers included

The Who The Who are an English rock band formed in London in 1964. Their classic lineup consisted of lead singer Roger Daltrey, guitarist and singer Pete Townshend, bass guitarist and singer John Entwistle, and drummer Keith Moon. They are considered ...

's "

So Sad About Us "So Sad About Us" is a 1966 song by British rock band the Who, first released on the band's second album ''A Quick One''. Originally written for the Merseys, "So Sad About Us" has likely been covered more frequently than any other song on the alb ...

," Ian Hunter's "

Once Bitten, Twice Shy "Once Bitten, Twice Shy" is a 1975 song written and recorded by Ian Hunter, from his debut solo album '' Ian Hunter'', which reached No. 14 in the UK Singles Chart. The song was included in the 2017 feature-length biographical documentary, ...

," the

Talking Heads Talking Heads were an American rock band formed in 1975 in New York City and active until 1991.Talkin ...

' "The Book I Read,"

The Animals The Animals (also billed as Eric Burdon and the Animals) are an English rock band, formed in Newcastle upon Tyne in the early 1960s. The band moved to London upon finding fame in 1964. The Animals were known for their gritty, bluesy sound and ...

' 1965 hit " It's My Life," and

The Four Tops ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

' 1966 hit " Shake Me, Wake Me." All of the other songs were written by Rundgren and various members of his band. Unlike his previous four albums where he wrote at least one song, Cassidy was given a co-writing credit on "Cool Fire." The reinvention of

teenybopper A teenybopper is an early teenage girl who follows adolescent trends in music, fashion, and culture. The term may have been coined by marketing professionals and psychologists, later becoming a subculture of its own. The term was introduced in ...

Cassidy as an edgy new wave artist was not enough to capture the attention of audiences. The album was Cassidy's second album not to chart on Billboard, effectively ending his pop music career. Cassidy would score a final hit in Europe in 1989 with the standalone single "Memory Girl." The album was released on CD in 2012 on Curb Records.

Track listing

Rebel, Rebel "Rebel Rebel" is a song by English singer-songwriter David Bowie. It was released in the UK in February 1974 by RCA Records as the lead single from the album ''Diamond Dogs''. Written and produced by Bowie, the song is based around a distinctiv ...

" (

) #"Cool Fire" (John Wilcox, Roger Powell,

) #"The Book I Read" (

David Byrne David Byrne (; born 14 May 1952) is a Scottish-American singer, songwriter, record producer, actor, writer, music theorist, visual artist and filmmaker. He was a founding member and the principal songwriter, lead singer, and guitarist of ...

) #"Pretending" (Todd Rundgren) #" Shake Me, Wake Me" (

Holland–Dozier–Holland Holland–Dozier–Holland was a songwriting and production team consisting of Lamont Dozier and brothers Brian and Eddie Holland. The trio wrote, arranged and produced many songs that helped define the Motown sound in the 1960s. During ...

) #" It's My Life" (Roger Atkins, Carl D'Errico) #"

" (

Pete Townshend Peter Dennis Blandford Townshend (; born 19 May 1945) is an English musician. He is co-founder, leader, guitarist, second lead vocalist and principal songwriter of the Who, one of the most influential rock bands of the 1960s and 1970s. Townsh ...

) #"Wasp" (Todd Rundgren) #"Selfless Love" (Todd Rundgren) #"

" ( Ian Hunter)

Personnel

*Shaun Cassidy - vocals *

- guitar, bass, drums, saxophone * Roger Powell - keyboards, synthesizer, backing vocals *John "Willie" Wilcox - drums, backing vocals *

Kasim Sulton Kasim Sulton (born December 8, 1955) is an American bass guitarist, keyboardist and vocalist. Best known for his work with Utopia, Sulton sang lead on 1980's "Set Me Free," Utopia's only top 40 hit in the United States. As a solo artist, Sulton ...

- bass on "Selfless Love" {{DEFAULTSORT:Wasp (Album) Shaun Cassidy albums 1980 albums Albums produced by Todd Rundgren Warner Records albums