Kasim Sulton talks about Todd Rundgren, Meatloaf and his upcoming PPV

Good memory! You're probably thinking of this article:

http://home.comcast.net/~toddstuff/articles/TR-198304-Musician/TR-198304-Musician.html

"Utopia's problem of existing in Todd Rundgren's shadow recently came to a head when Bearsville Records refused to release Swing to the Right for a year and a half. By rejecting Utopia product, Bearsville kept extending Todd's obligation to the label (which would otherwise expire after Swing) -- an obligation Rundgren maintains the label wanted fulfilled with Todd's solo work.

"Finally Rundgren agreed to do two extra solo LPs for Bearsville (Tortured Artist Effect is the first) in exchange for finally releasing Swing to the Right and releasing Utopia from the label. "

 

You're on to something here. The Todd-Willie dynamic was not good at this time. And it didn't improve.

 

Wow. I did not know that. I've always had a soft spot for Kaz, such a nice voice and seems like a really cool guy. Utopia always seemed so overshadowed by Todd, it's sort of like Wings - they could never really be more than Macca's backing band. It's a shame I suppose 'cos Utopia's albums are really excellent by-and-large and as a band they really worked well.

Thanks for the interview post, Butch and thanks for the info below tspit.

 

Kasim is going to be a part of Yellow Matter Custard! Just announced on Mike Portnoy's web forum, here's the link:
http://www.mikeportnoy.com/forum/tm.aspx?high&m=2629262&mpage=1#2629262

For the uninitiated, Yellow Matter Custard was a one-off Beatles cover band featuring Mike Portnoy, Neal Morse, Paul Gilbert, and Matt Bissonette.
Kas will take the spot previously held by Matt Bissonette. This I wish I could see (please do a video like the original YMC show - please).

 

Bingo! Thanks for posting that, I haven't read it in about 25 years. Great piece.

 

I kept up with his career throughout the years so I was aware of all the twists and turns in his career. Most people only peg him as a bass player BUT he's far more than that.As much as one would have the inclination to only ask him about both Todd and Utopia only,I wasn't just going to concentrate on only those two gigs alone.

 

Mates, I can only say what I've been saying on the Weller threads for the longest time. There are a lot of behind the scenes machinations that go on that would sour most music fans. Before Soundscan the chart was so contrived it was utterly laughable. The people at the record companies were in a lot of cases "aiding" the chart success of their music in various ways.The problem Bearsville had with Rundgren was most definitely a lack of consistency.Kasim's point about following Adventures in Utopia with Deface The Music sums it up in a nutshell:" everybody scratched their head and said why on earth would we do that?" Todd followed his muse in an extremely diverse manner. It would be hard for almost anybody in a record company to "work" an album that was so different from the last one. And this particular issue had happened on a regular basis to say the least....

 

OK then, what was Todd doing on Bearsville? I know about the Woodstock, Albert Grossman, Dylan, The Band connection but who else had signed to Bearsville? Foghat was the only other seller afaik on Bearsville. Why wasn't Todd signed to Atlantic, Columbia, Warner, whatever? Why didn't some large company swoop in when Hello It's Me, I Saw The Light, came out and buy out his contract with Bearsville?

I must be missing something.

 

Bearsville was a subsidiary of Warners.

 

Very nice interview. I like to hear what an artist thinks best represents a band or themselves. Very nice to hear that Kasim spoke so favorably about the Network album, I don't know how or why that wasn't a bigger hit.

 

Close to every song on that Network album sounds like a potential hit to me. But I don't know if Network was even affiliated with one of the major record cos, and it was very difficult to score a hit without such pull.

 

When I was at Oberlin I found a copy of this LP in the radio studio where a DJ had written "FORGOTTEN BUT NOT GONE" over the cover of that record. Sad but true.

 

Network was a new label started by longtime biz exec Al Coury (RSO, Capitol); they were part of the Elektra division of the then-Warner/Elektra/Atlantic major. Story is that Elektra closed up offices in whichever city the Network label was HQ'ed and threw a major wrench into promotion of product - which of course at that moment was that Utopia album.

Roger Powell once told me a story about the band shopping for a deal after leaving Bearsville (prior to settling in with Network). Apparently Arista was one of the labels they talked with, and Powell recalled the lunch meeting with Clive Davis. Clive told Rundgren that Utopia simply needed to make an album like "Bat Out Of Hell," to which Todd snarkily replied: "Clive, it don't work that way."

 

Here are some Youtube links that to me show how good Kasim is.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DgKLDFll6jM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u1GwUaek98M&feature=related

 

Which, of course, is the name of a song on the album. So maybe the jock wasn't writing them off but liked the tune!

 

I was sitting next to the guy who recorded the second clip! It was a fun show.

 

Agree wholeheartedly about the Network LP. I bought it as soon as it came out and loved it. Played it for my friends and they loved it. Libertine, Bad Little Actress and Princess Of the Universe had hit single written all over them. I was surprised after searching for years and finally finding it that the CD was made by some unknown label from Canada, Unidisc Music Inc. What's up with that?

 

Fine work… here, at the Rundgren album thread, and especially with your Weller threads…

Dr. Weber (early-onset AD)

 

DR W thanks for the props. I wonder what had happened to you. I hope that things are OK for the time being.

 

I see Kasim is playing locally tonight at John & Peter's in New Hope. Anyone know what I should expect from a show like this, or have a setlist from another recent solo gig?

 

This from 1/13:

Sacrifice
The Traveler
Summer's GOne
Set Me Free
Over FOr Now
Yellow Cab
before She Was GOne
Drive
Are You Happy Now
Libertine
There Goes My Inspiration
Lady Madonna
Cliche
Love Alone
The One SUre Thing
Someone Who WIll Watch Over Me (Gershwin song)
Across The Universe
One World

 

thanks!

 

Two Beatles songs and Drive from The Cars, Utopia stuff ...interesting mix. Thanks, Drew.

 

After all this talk about Kasim I happened to go to the Drum Pad in Palatine, IL on Monday and see a video of his Beatle tribute band Yellow Matter Custard. They are playing in Palatine Feb 27.

 

P I was listening to Sports talk radio last night and Yellow Matter Custard was mentioned BUT not Kasim!:thumbsdn: The news reader on WFAN's overnight is Harris Allen who NYC area posters will know from the his WNEW-FM days. The host Adam The Bull and Allen mentioned almost everybody BUT Kas......