Complete Greatest Hits

Performer: The Cars
Distributor: WEA (Distributor)

Notes: The Cars: Ric Ocasek (vocals); Elliot Easton (guitar); Greg Hawkes (keyboards); Ben Orr (bass); David Robinson (drums). Producers: Roy Thomas Baker, Robert John "Mutt" Lange, Mike Shipley, Ric Ocasek, The Cars. Compilation producer: The Cars, David McLees. Recorded between 1977 & 1987. Includes liner notes by Brett Milano. Digitally remastered by Dan Hersch (Digiprep). Personnel: Benjamin Orr (vocals, bass guitar); Ric Ocasek (vocals); Elliot Easton (guitar, background vocals); Greg Hawkes (saxophone, keyboards, percussion, background vocals); David Robinson (drums, percussion, background vocals). Audio Remasterer: Dan Hersch. Liner Note Author: Brett Milano. Photographers: Ebet Roberts; B.C. Kagan; David Robinson ; Brian McLaughlin. This collection by one of the definitive bands of the new wave era is squarely centered on the hits. Fortunately for both us and them, the Cars had plenty of those. The amazing thing about this Boston-based quintet was the fact that they managed to achieve huge mainstream success without ever losing their "hip" credibility. The hits included on this collection show exactly what made the band so appealing; a mix of irresistible hooks, zippy synths, '60s-influenced guitar riffs, and the quirky vocals of Ric Ocasek and Ben Orr. Were it not for the bright, electronic sheen covering "My Best Friend's Girl," the song could have been a lost Buddy Holly Gem. The melodic beauty of the ballad "Drive" would have sounded at home in any era of pop music. All the historical nods aside, it was the angularity and futurism of the band's image and sound that made them seem so fresh after years of endless Led Zep marathons, and "Moving in Stereo," "It's All I Can Do" and "Dangerous Type" all make good use of the semi-robotic distance in Orr's vocals, Ocasek's elliptical lyrics, and Greg Hawkes's Kraftwerk-influenced electronic coloring. All these facets put together are what make the Cars' music so memorable, and this collection so useful.

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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