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gotdablouse
RIP
Always found him to be pretty "peculiar". Some great lasting songs and until I listened more closely I must admit I wasn't aware of how stellar the lead guitar player was/is.

Apparently there was a bit of a a WW3 going on in the band too since RO declared in an interview that "there was a cold war between Ben and me for 23 years, I'm not sure why". Might have been a bit of a "joke" considering Ben died in 2000!

Fuller context...the interview was from 2011 at the time of the band's reunion album and tour. My interpretation of the 23 years comment is perhaps the cold war lasted from the beginning of the band (1977) all the way up until Ben's passing in 2000.

In an interview, Ocasek was asked whether the band would have reunited if Ben Orr had still been alive. Ocasek responded "Ben and I had a real cold war going that lasted about 23 years. I could never really figure out exactly why, but I think there was a lot of jealousy because I wrote the songs and I got a lot of attention. And there was all kinds of weird stuff, like he said, 'My girlfriend writes songs, let’s use one of those or two of those.' I said, 'No, that’s not the Cars.'"

When asked if he spoke to Orr before his death in 2000, Ocasek said, "I saw him maybe a few months before he passed away. It was just a solemn little meeting. We kind of got back to the point of no grudge at the moment, and he was being strong and wonderful. But how much can you make up in a day after you haven't seen each other?"

Two songwriters in a band not getting along .... sounds familiar!

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Hairball
"How can a Stones fan the like Cars "??

And that's how a Stones fan can like The Cars.

EDIT: Should have added Tony Bennett, Beethoven, and Dianna Ross to my list....it's all about the variety.

And Slayer too! ><
This is not an attempt at trolling but can I humbly remind you that the Cars were basically unknowns outside of the US continent...

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dcba

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Hairball
"How can a Stones fan the like Cars "??

And that's how a Stones fan can like The Cars.

EDIT: Should have added Tony Bennett, Beethoven, and Dianna Ross to my list....it's all about the variety.

And Slayer too! ><
This is not an attempt at trolling but can I humbly remind you that the Cars were basically unknowns outside of the US continent...

Well I was referring back to my High school playlist back in '79/'80...Slayer hadn't even formed yet, but I could have added Motorhead!
As for them being basically unkonwns outside the US, perhaps so, but the original post I was replying to was comparing them w/ the "rebellious" Stooges, The New York Dolls, Mc 5 - all US bands.
There was also a mention of the Faces in the same sentence, but how they can be deemed "rebellious" is sort of lost on me....maybe because they liked to party hard?

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Rip this joint, gonna save your soul, round and round and round we go......



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 2019-09-19 20:48 by Hairball.

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dcba

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Hairball
"How can a Stones fan the like Cars "??

And that's how a Stones fan can like The Cars.

EDIT: Should have added Tony Bennett, Beethoven, and Dianna Ross to my list....it's all about the variety.

And Slayer too! ><
This is not an attempt at trolling but can I humbly remind you that the Cars were basically unknowns outside of the US continent...

Not when Heartbeat City took off. They were quite big by then.

I guess some folks NEVER learned to live by the old saying " If you don't have something nice to say ( especially about the DEAD), say NOTHING at all." GEEZ, why would SOME PEOPLE feel it's OK to say vile things about a man who many really liked and respected?
Quick story: it was mid-80's in NYC and I was there for a long weekend and found myself riding the escalator in Macy's Herald Square store. I looked up and saw Ric about 6 steps ahead of me and the Cars were HOT then so I decided to see where he was going. He got off on the floor with all the bedspreads & pillows etc. No one was around...I saw him standing amongst a pile of pillows and so I wandered over, trying to be casual, and I said Hello and introduced myself saying how much I loved his music...which I did, and still do...he was so sweet, shy and just very normal and nice. I didn't want to disturb his shopping and longer than necessary so I just asked if I could take a quick photo and he grinned and said sure..I still have the photo, it actually came out great! Now I regret not FINDING a clerk to take my picture with him...oh, well, lost opportunity but a very nice encounter with a genuinely great guy,

A very nice story. Like Elvis Costello, Ric seemed to be strongly influenced by Buddy Holly, not just in appearance though, but also his vocal style. Elliot Easton had licks that recalled John Fogerty in his prime. The New Wave keyboards meets retro look and sound was rather brilliant. I thought it was said perfectly above, so I'll echo it...I never owned an album, but I rarely skip them on the radio.

Long but interesting interview from 2000 with all five members (filmed for a DVD bonus feature)...Ben was very ill by this time (tough to see) and passed away a month later, but I'm glad they all got together one last time.

video: [youtu.be]

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Jah Paul
Long but interesting interview from 2000 with all five members (filmed for a DVD bonus feature)...Ben was very ill by this time (tough to see) and passed away a month later, but I'm glad they all got together one last time.

video: [youtu.be]

That was great, thanks Jah Paul. Best moment is at 43:15 where Ric reaches out and touches Ben. There was real love there, even if they had a cold war going.

It's interesting to hear they were criticized for being so different from each other, image-wise. Kind of reminds me of another 5-man band whose individual members are so different. As Keith said, "Line 'em up against a wall ..."

Drew

I'd just found this long 2000 interview while looking for a documentary on the band (No "Where are they now" it seems) and RO explains how they decided who would sing, and he mentions the "songs that needed a nice voice" for Ben that's been mentioned in a few places at [youtu.be]

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IORR Links : Essential Studio Outtakes CDs : Audio - History of Rarest Outtakes : Audio

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DandelionPowderman

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GAFF

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schillid
You say o-CAY-sik
I say o-CAH-sik


Which is correct?

The former.

Sounds like a name of czech origin . My guess is "o-CAH-check".

Not sure I agree, sounds Italian to me. You should double-czech that.

Lol...

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Rip this joint, gonna save your soul, round and round and round we go......

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steffiestones
How can a Stones fan the like Cars ??

Some of the catchiest hooks in music history.

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The Stones were Rebellion between 68 and 73
The Stooges,The Faces, The New York Dolls, Mc 5 were the Real Deal!
The 80"s sounded very plastic to me..Mainstream sucks

The Stones were never rebellion but I suppose some people here still believe in Santa Claus too.

Favorite Cars song

[www.youtube.com]

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dcba

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Hairball
"How can a Stones fan the like Cars "??

And that's how a Stones fan can like The Cars.

EDIT: Should have added Tony Bennett, Beethoven, and Dianna Ross to my list....it's all about the variety.

And Slayer too! ><
This is not an attempt at trolling but can I humbly remind you that the Cars were basically unknowns outside of the US continent...

The Cars were BIG in New Zealand too

…………..



ROCKMAN



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2019-09-24 13:15 by Rockman.

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drewmaster

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Jah Paul
Long but interesting interview from 2000 with all five members (filmed for a DVD bonus feature)...Ben was very ill by this time (tough to see) and passed away a month later, but I'm glad they all got together one last time.

video: [youtu.be]

That was great, thanks Jah Paul. Best moment is at 43:15 where Ric reaches out and touches Ben. There was real love there, even if they had a cold war going.

It's interesting to hear they were criticized for being so different from each other, image-wise. Kind of reminds me of another 5-man band whose individual members are so different. As Keith said, "Line 'em up against a wall ..."

Drew

Yes, thanks for posting. Still can't believe that two of them are gone. We were spoiled. Absolutely spoiled.

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Rocky Dijon
A very nice story. Like Elvis Costello, Ric seemed to be strongly influenced by Buddy Holly, not just in appearance though, but also his vocal style. Elliot Easton had licks that recalled John Fogerty in his prime. The New Wave keyboards meets retro look and sound was rather brilliant. I thought it was said perfectly above, so I'll echo it...I never owned an album, but I rarely skip them on the radio.

I always found him to be very influenced by Bryan Ferry. Matter of fact it is what turned me against the Cars early on. His look, the timbre and style of his voice, and often the lyrics struck me as a low-rent Ferry. (The early-Roxy-Ferry).
But I was of course wrong. What was special about Ocasek was his producing, and his vision. It did not hurt that he had Benjamin as a singer and Elliott as a CRIMINALLY underrated lead guitarist.
Lots of hits, but my fave Cars song was always "Touch & Go". Love the staccato beat of verses and the big chorused chords; sort of like "Walking on the Moon" by Police.

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Palace Revolution 2000

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Rocky Dijon
A very nice story. Like Elvis Costello, Ric seemed to be strongly influenced by Buddy Holly, not just in appearance though, but also his vocal style. Elliot Easton had licks that recalled John Fogerty in his prime. The New Wave keyboards meets retro look and sound was rather brilliant. I thought it was said perfectly above, so I'll echo it...I never owned an album, but I rarely skip them on the radio.

I always found him to be very influenced by Bryan Ferry. Matter of fact it is what turned me against the Cars early on. His look, the timbre and style of his voice, and often the lyrics struck me as a low-rent Ferry. (The early-Roxy-Ferry).
But I was of course wrong. What was special about Ocasek was his producing, and his vision. It did not hurt that he had Benjamin as a singer and Elliott as a CRIMINALLY underrated lead guitarist.
Lots of hits, but my fave Cars song was always "Touch & Go". Love the staccato beat of verses and the big chorused chords; sort of like "Walking on the Moon" by Police.

Jah Paul's link led me to this:

Cars, Guitars, and Elliot Easton
[www.youtube.com]