Heartbeat City

Performer: The Cars
Engineer: Nigel Green
Producer: Robert John Lange; The Cars
Distributor: WEA (Distributor)

Notes: The Cars: Ric Ocasek (vocals, guitar, keyboards); Ben Orr (vocals, bass); Elliot Easton (guitar, background vocals); Greg Hawkes (keyboards, background vocals); David Robinson (drums, percussion). Recorded at Battery Studios, London, England. MTV had become a major marketing tool by 1984, and the Cars were one of the first bands to use the new video medium to their advantage. The band's fifth album, Heartbeat City (Elektra), spawned several imaginative and memorable videos, which translated into massive chart and commercial success, making it one of the biggest releases of the year. Produced by hitmaker John "Mutt" Lange (AC/DC, Def Leppard), the album included two Top Ten singles -- the ballad "Drive" and the charismatic "You Might Think" -- plus an additional two that landed in the Top 20: the summer anthem "Magic" and the eccentric "Hello Again." But it didn't just stop there, plenty of other tracks could have been hits as well, such as the sparse rocker "It's Not the Night" and the breezy pop of "Looking for Love." Other highlights included the ethereal title track, the melodic rocker "Stranger Eyes," and the moderately paced love song "Why Can't I Have You." Although the Cars experienced their greatest success yet with Heartbeat City, it would unfortunately not last for long -- after just one more studio album (1987's spotty Door to Door), the band split up. ~ Greg Prato Coming off the 1981 hit album and single SHAKE IT UP, the Cars took the next few years off to pursue other areas of interest (Ric Ocasek released his '82 solo debut, BEATITUDE) and record it's follow-up. Buoyed by the high-gloss production sheen of Robert John "Mutt" Lange, HEARTBEAT CITY yielded such hit singles/videos as the the moody, transcendent "Drive," the poppy, almost ELO-like "Magic," and "You Might Think," which hews closest to the band's previous work. Though the band peaked artistically in 1980 with PANORAMA, this was the Cars' commercial pinnacle. Both "You Might Think" and "Magic" were anthems for the summer of 1984, while "Hello Again" showed that the band could still be quirky and achieve chart success.

CMJ (1/5/04, p.14) - Ranked #2 in CMJ's "Top 20 Most-Played Albums of 1984"

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.

Click Here for Shipping Options and Policies

Shipping or Dimension weight in pounds: 0.25