The Cars

Performer: The Cars
Engineer: Geoff Workman
Producer: Roy Thomas Baker
Distributor: WEA (Distributor)

Notes: The Cars: Ric Ocasek (vocals, guitar); Benjamin Orr (vocals, bass); Elliot Easton (guitar, background vocals); Gregg Hawkes (keyboards, saxophone, percussion, background vocals); David Robinson (drums, percussion, background vocals). Recorded at AIR Studios, London, England in Feburary, 1978. All tracks have been digitally remastered using HDCD technology. The Cars: Ric Ocasek (guitar, vocals), Elliot Easton (lead guitar, background vocals), Gregg Hawkes (keyboards, saxophone, percussion, background vocals), Benjamin Orr (bass, vocals), David Robinson (drums, percussion, background vocals). Recorded at AIR Recording Studios, London, England in February, 1978. Digitally remastered by Steve Hoffman (February 1993). The Cars: Ric Ocasek (vocals, guitar); Benjamin Orr (vocals, bass); Elliot Easton (guitar); Greg Hawkes (keyboards); David Robinson (drums). Producer: Roy Thomas Baker. Compilation producer: David McLees. The Cars' 1978 self-titled debut, issued on the Elektra label, is a genuine rock masterpiece. The band jokingly referred to the album as their "true greatest-hits album," but it's no exaggeration -- all nine tracks are new wave/rock classics, still in rotation on rock radio. Whereas most bands of the late '70s embraced either punk/new wave or hard rock, the Cars were one of the first bands to do the unthinkable -- merge the two styles together. Add to it bandleader/songwriter Ric Ocasek's supreme pop sensibilities, and you had an album that appealed to new wavers, rockers, and Top 40 fans. One of the most popular new wave songs ever, "Just What I Needed," is an obvious highlight, as are such familiar hits as "Good Times Roll," "My Best Friend's Girl," and "You're All I've Got Tonight." But like most consummate rock albums, the lesser-known compositions are just as exhilarating: "Don't Cha Stop," "Bye Bye Love," "All Mixed Up," and "Moving in Stereo," the latter featured as an instrumental during a steamy scene in the popular movie Fast Times at Ridgemont High. With flawless performances, songwriting, and production (courtesy of Queen alumni Roy Thomas Baker), the Cars' debut remains one of rock's all-time classics. ~ Greg Prato Ric Ocasek's songs were influenced by the Velvet Underground and the punk rock movement, but had a slick pop/rock sheen which proved very successful. After a demo version of "Just What I Needed" became a listener favorite on WBCN in Boston (the bands' homebase), they were pursued by record companies. THE CARS was recorded in 2 weeks in London, England. This ranks as one of the best debut albums from a rock band. The Cars are filed under rock, but they are closer to power pop than any other genre. Ric Ocasek sounded like a cross between the Raspberries and Television, punk sound with a pop attitude. The giveaway was the irresistible harmony-ridden hooks in just about every one of his songs. Listen again to "You're All I've Got Tonight," "Just What I Needed" or "My Best Friend's Girl" and be thrilled. Lots of chunka chunka guitar and Mamas And Papas harmonies, and rarely a dull moment. They managed only six albums in 20 years, but they never bettered this. In the late '70s and early '80s, the Cars were the commercially acceptable face of American new wave. The fact that they were hailed as both pop breakthrough and aesthetic success speaks volumes about their singular artistic vision. As evidenced by their 1978 debut, they achieved this by combining old (AOR-inspired vocal harmonies and choruses, Elliot Easton's guitar) and new (Ric Ocasek's alienated lyrics and deadpan delivery, Greg Hawkes swooping, bleeping synths, drummer David Robinson's mix of acoustic and electronic sound sources). In that spirit, traditional rock subjects/structures are given an irony-laden new wave sheen on "Let the Good Times Roll" and "My Best Friend's Girl." At the same time, the Cars ventured further into the future of rock & roll with modoy, futuristic-sounding tunes like "I'm in Touch With Your World" and "Moving in Stereo," marked by Ocasek's trademark elliptical wordplay.

Q (8/99, p.122) - 4 stars (out of 5) - "...coming across like a new wave band, while acheiving mainstream success....Their slick, sparse, proto-synth-studded sound [is] effectively captured..."

Debuting in 1978, the Boston-based Cars managed to achieve both massive commercial success and New Wave credibility with their mix of power pop, Roxy Music-influenced art-rock, and melodic synth hooks. Despite his fame, leader Ric Ocasek proved to be a champion of the underground, producing albums by Suicide, Bad Brains, and Peter Dayton (later he produced hit records by Weezer and No Doubt). The band dissolved in the mid-'80s, and hopes of a reunion were complicated when singer/bassist Ben Orr passed away in 2000. Yet in 2005 the remaining members, sans Ocasek, enlisted the talents of pop guru Todd Rundgren and became The New Cars.

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