David Cassidy returns with a mid-80s sound

After shucking off his teen-idol career, Cassidy recorded a trio of albums for RCA that garnered little stateside success. When his third RCA album, Gettin’ it in the Street, was shelved, Cassidy retreated from the recording world for nearly a decade, and concentrated on his stage acting career and headlining inLas Vegas. He reengaged his music career with this 1985 album for Arista, spinning off hits in Europe (most notably “The Last Kiss,” featuring Wham’s George Michael on answer vocals), but going unreleased in theU.S. due to label turmoil. Much like his updated look on the album cover, the music was updated by producer-songwriter Alan Tarney with mid-80s synthesizers. Cassidy’s vocals took the chill off the backing tracks, and matched Tarney’s grander constructions note-for-note. Real Gone’s reissue, the first U.S. release of this title, includes the album’s ten original tracks, full panel reproductions of the front and back covers, song lyrics, and liner notes by Michael Ragogna. [©2012 Hyperbolium]