Love Is All That I Ever Needed. Chapter 29. Could It Be Forever..

On May 1st, 1989 David Cassidy and Sue Shifrin performed together in a very unusual place, behind the Iron Curtain, in Moscow. 

The May Day Celebration was one of the most important communist holidays. They were invited because Sue was one of the top American songwriters who took part in the ‘Music Speaks Louder Than Words’ project. That was the first ever collaboration between American and Russian songwriters. They sang ‘Treat Me Like You Used To’, a song they wrote together. It was obvious that David was a much better performer and singer than Sue, but there was a real chemistry between them on stage.

David looked very happy and healthy. In May 1989 he had enough new material and demos to start thinking seriously about the new album. That month he was a guest on the Mark & Brian Show, which was at the time the most popular morning show aired weekday morning from KLOS-FM in Los Angeles. 

There is a story how Mark and Brian started talking about David Cassidy on the air, and David was listening at home. He phoned the show and they invited him to come to the station. He came with the demos, and the songs were played. They were so good that the fans gathered outside, and record labels phoned and wanted to release a new David Cassidy’s album. 

It’s true that Mark Thompson and Brian Phelps were David Cassidy’s fans. Their show was extremely popular, and we would never know the whole truth behind that story. (Before David, the Monkees were guests too ..)

The fact is that David, after taking part in that radio show, chose Enigma as his new recording label. Enigma Records was founded in 1980, an independent label focused at the beginning on punk rock, alternative and heavy metal music. In 1986 it moved their distribution to Capitol/EMi, and was formally acquired by them in 1989. In the Enigma catalog were Poison, Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Redd Kross, Devo, Slayer but also Berlin, Al Stewart and David Cassidy. 

Making that album took David at least 2 years of his life. He started writing songs for it with Sue in London in 1987. He recorded some demos and everything took time and money. At the recording studio he worked with a group of great professionals and outstanding musicians, including John Wetton, Jeff Baxter and Mark Spiro. 

The album called ‘David Cassidy’ was impeccably produced by Eric Throngren and Phil Ramone. David co-wrote eight songs out of ten. 

In September 1990 the single ‘Lyin’ To Myself’ was released in the USA, first as a cassette, and later as CD. For the single, a music video was produced and released. On November 17, 1990, ‘Lyin’ To Myself’ peaked at number 27 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. David Cassidy’s first Top 30 hit in 18 years in his own country. 

This is just incredible how hard he worked promoting his comeback album. Thirty-nine TV appearances in 1990 are listed on The David Cassidy Website, and probably were more. He was on morning programs and the most popular talk shows. On MTV he talked about the price of fame and his new projects. He performed live singing his new songs. He looked like a rock star, usually in black, in great shape, slim, with long hair. A lot of radio interviews, sometimes lasting for hours, and very often David was talking with his fans on air. 

Everybody was so happy that he returned and he heard many times how fans loved him and his new music.  He told ‘Billboard’ about appearing on the radio: ‘I like the intimacy of the radio much more than television. Doing radio promotion is exhausting, I was in three cities yesterday (..) I’m willing to go out and do what it takes because I want people to have an opportunity to know what I’m doing today.(..) I’m happy to send myself up and be irreverent, but some people take it too far. (..) I made it clear that I’m not going to sing ‘I Think I Love You’ at 7 in the morning.’ 

 He personally visited about 150 radio stations across the country and delivered his record. He was signing the album for many hours at Sam Goody’s store in New York. He gave awards and took part in charity events. There were a lot of press interviews, also in Rolling Stone. 

The songs David recorded were all new except one. ‘All Because Of You’ which was sung with Sue. It was first recorded by Cher for her 1989 album, ‘Heart Of Stone’. Sue Shifrin co-wrote it with Jon Lind. Maybe it would have been better if, instead of using that known and rather average song, David Cassidy had recorded a dramatic and haunting rock ballad, ‘Crazy Over You’. That song was never released. 

The album was wonderfully produced. There were new, great songs, elegant AOR, sincere and interesting lyrics, and David’s strong, mature, wonderful voice. Ballads and rock numbers. Highly enjoyable music. Something to dance to, but also something to think about. 

The album was released in October 1990, in the USA (on CD and cassette), Japan and Germany. It spent 12 weeks on the Billboard 200 chart, and peaked at number 136. 

David wrote in his book: ‘By the time the single was a bona fide hit on the Billboard chart, the record company unexpectedly closed its doors. It went belly up. And without a strong company behind you, pushing your record, stores aren’t going to stock it and disc jockeys aren’t going to play it. It was devastating.’

 There were also other reasons for that disappointment. A lot of similar albums were recorded in the late 80s, and ‘Lyin’ To Myself’ wasn’t worse than Cher’s comeback hit from 1989, so it was unlucky timing for David. In 1990 music started changing, his album belongs more to the 80s. And last but not least. For some young people, potential new fans, David Cassidy and his music weren’t cool enough. Very mainstream soft rock. 

On the other hand some of the old fans wanted David to play the kind of music he recorded in the 70s. They didn't want him to grow. His own fans. It was a bitter pill to swallow. He hoped another single would be launched. He later tried to move the album to another label. There were negotiations, but nothing came of it.

David Cassidy was a man who when he worked, it was more than 100%. Not only did he have a new album, but he also had a movie. ’The Spirit of ‘76’ premiered on October 12, 1990. It was a crazy comedy about three time travelers (David played one of them) who were sent on a mission to the year 1776, but instead they ended up in 1976. It wasn’t a big hit in 1990, but after 30 years it achieved a cult status. It was a two-family project. 

 Roman Coppola was one of the producers. His sister, Sophia, designed costumes. Lucas Reiner directed it. His brother Rob, the famous actor and director, took part in it. His father, great actor Carl Reiner too. Rob in 1970 guest starred on The Partridge Family and they became friends with David. The cast was impressive including two global teen idols from the 70s, David and Leif Garrett. Some very popular young musicians from LA, members of Devo and Redd Kross, were starring in the movie. Great soundtrack from 1976. 

David Cassidy always had great comedy timing, he was very good and charming, and made fun of his former self. 

1990 was very busy. Maybe his comeback wasn’t as big as he expected, but suddenly it turned out that his career was not the most important thing in his life. David was happy with Sue Shifrin. They lived and worked together, but he was in no hurry to make their relationship more formal. Both of them were career oriented, ambitious and hard working. They never really thought about having their own kids, besides Sue was over 40 and was told that she couldn’t have children. But love and life are unpredictable, and she became pregnant. They both were scared and very happy. 

The time came for some important decisions. First, at the beginning of the new year, 1991, they got married, and in the morning of February 8, David witnessed how he, Sue and their baby son, Beau, became a family. He felt that at last, he found true love, and the kind that really could be forever