Individually, they were all top-notch musicians, but as a group they created a body of work that is pretty impressive.

I suppose many of you couldn't get past David Robinson's use of electronic drums, but he was one of the pioneers in doing so.

Ric Ocasek -- the guy with the weird voice who was a top-notch songwriter and producer.

Benjamin Orr -- Ocasek's foil, with an excellent voice and the looks. He also played bass rather well.

Elliot Easton -- an experimenter, and an underappreciated guitarist. A master at brilliant, succinct and distinctive solos.

Greg Hawkes -- the keyboardist, and the creator of the otherwordly squeaks, sqawks and assorted sonic layers that were so much a foundation of the Cars' sound.

Their influence on what became "the 80s sound" is not fully understood. To me, they were a great rock n roll band that looked into the future, and channeled it into traditional stylings. True innovators, IMHO.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2007-04-30 01:05 by bassplayer617.

Hey Bassplayer. Funny you bring up The Cars. I just listened to their greatest hits album the other day. I posted that in the what are you listening to thread and thought I would get hammered. But I guess nobody really cared.lol....But yeah they were very entertaining. That abysmal reunion with Todd Rundgren was awful. I don't know why Ric Ocasek wouldn't do it. It's not like he's doing much else.

"It's just some friends of mine and they're busting down the door"



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2007-04-30 03:10 by sweetcharmedlife.

I saw them in 1979 at a big outdoor show in Atlanta called the Champagne Jam....Elmo was there too.....and I think they had just come out with their second album Candy-O......they were GREAT!!!! I remember Benjamin Orr or maybe Elliot Easton was left handed and was on the left of the stage similar to the way the Beatles positioned Paul McCartney on stage. They played some trippy music as the sun was setting. My favorite was Benjamin Orr singing "It's All Mixed Up." "Moving In Stereo" was also a mind blower.

You folks DO know that Ben Orr died of pancreatic cancer in 2000, right?. I suppose this was the main reason Ocasek nixed participating in a reunion. It's perfectly understandable, given that sad fact.

"drive" by the cars is a great pop ballad. that song has such an interesting mood to it.

Elliot Easton is a criminally underrated soloist. Is he still playing with the Creedence rhythm section as CCR Ltd. or whatever they're called?

The Cars had lots of great songs but they're just so... sterile. I know that was part of the aesthetic of the day but I just with they'd been a little looser and grittier.

I love "drive" too, ryan......an Orr tune.....yeah I knew he died bassplayer.


I also saw them in 1984 or so, around the time "drive" was popular.....their warm up act was Wang Chung.....remember them?

LOL wang chung! ah yes. I actually I do. when i was very small I remember their song "dance all days"? i think it was called, on the radio. when I was older I learned that wang chung sang that.

That's "Dance Hall Days", ryanpow.

My favorite Cars song is It"s All I Can Do.



"When I was crazy,I thought you were great"

Lukester wrote:

saw them in 1979 at a big outdoor show in Atlanta called the Champagne Jam....Elmo was there too.....and I think they had just come out with their second album Candy-O......they were GREAT!!!! I remember Benjamin Orr or maybe Elliot Easton was left handed and was on the left of the stage similar to the way the Beatles positioned Paul McCartney on stage. They played some trippy music as the sun was setting. My favorite was Benjamin Orr singing "It's All Mixed Up." "Moving In Stereo" was also a mind blower.


I was there that day too. The Cars were cool. I had seen them opening for Foreigner a year or so earlier. Mother's Finest really rocked too. It was "Baby Jean" Kennedy's birthday.

Some of this is captuptured on Mother's Finest Live and the ARS (Atlanta Rhythm Section) CD "Are You Ready".

ARS did a version of "So Into You" which segued into "Miss You". Wish I had a copy.

Oh, yeah, the opening to "Best Friend's Girl" apes "Wild Weekend" and "Just What I Needed" steals the opening to "Yummy Yummy Yummy".

Summer 78 - Some Girls, 1st Cars, 1st Van Halen, Jackson Browne's Running On Empty. Great memories of a fun time. 17 years old!

"No Anchovies, Please"

Ever noticed how much Benjamin Orr looked like Deborah Harry?
The only song I liked by the Cars was "Touch and Go". And "Drive" was one of those songs that is impossible not to like.
They were craftsmen, Elliott Easton is a totally underrated guitarplayer but I just hated Ocasek, his songwriting.

"...no longer shall you trudge 'cross my peaceful mind."

I love the Cars, got their Greatest Hits not long ago. They made a big splash I think in their time.

The 1st one and Candy-O were really good, so was Shake It Up. The others were fair to middlin'.

Saw Easton with CCRevisited (opening for the fake Beach Boys - Mike and Bruce) - he can play Fogerty's licks, but should be ashamed for prostituting his talent like that. Hell, I should be ashamed for going, but my kids wanted to.

"No Anchovies, Please"

I remember when Ric Ocasek on Saturday Night Live was on Church Chat and the Church Lady (Dana Carvey) introduced him as Keith Richards.
Cars have lots of great songs like My Best Friends Girl, Drive and Tonight She Comes off of their Greatest Hits album.
Has Ocasek been with Paulina Porazkova since she appeared in the Drive video?

Anybody ever heard the Unsolved Mysteries send-up of Ric and Paulina? Now that was funny!

Of course "You Might Think" is a good one too. just real fun 80's music. One of those songs that when It comes on the radio, I have to turn it up.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2007-04-30 04:18 by ryanpow.

Elmo Lewis Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Lukester wrote:
>
> saw them in 1979 at a big outdoor show in Atlanta
> called the Champagne Jam....Elmo was there
> too.....and I think they had just come out with
> their second album Candy-O......they were
> GREAT!!!! I remember Benjamin Orr or maybe Elliot
> Easton was left handed and was on the left of the
> stage similar to the way the Beatles positioned
> Paul McCartney on stage. They played some trippy
> music as the sun was setting. My favorite was
> Benjamin Orr singing "It's All Mixed Up." "Moving
> In Stereo" was also a mind blower.
>
>
> I was there that day too. The Cars were cool. I
> had seen them opening for Foreigner a year or so
> earlier. Mother's Finest really rocked too. It was
> "Baby Jean" Kennedy's birthday.
>
> Some of this is captuptured on Mother's Finest
> Live and the ARS (Atlanta Rhythm Section) CD "Are
> You Ready".


Elmo, that was a hell of a concert wasn't it? With Aerosmith playing as the final act. I remember my buddies and I left a party in the mountains of NC around midnight the night before the concert, on a whim, and drove all night fueled by strong hallucinagens and Canadian Mist whiskey. Somehow we arrived safely at Georgia Tech Stadium for this horrendously hot summer show. Along the way we managed to get kicked out of a Waffle House for setting off bottle rockets from our table. We continued onward and scored some opium at the show and again set off bottle rockets, this time at the stage while Mothers Finest was performing. We limped back to the hills the next day without any money or pyrotechniques......since then one of my buddies went to prison, another found Jesus in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, and the third guy is still at large.....we sing about him around campfires. Me? I settled down with a couple of kids and high speed internet......aint life great?



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2007-04-30 06:49 by Lukester.

... ocasek's solo tape 'this side of paradise' is fine... his and the cars stuff are real good to paint pictures by... dont forget 'heartbeat city's tracks, they line up perfectly.....

the cars were here and then gone, like a lost wallet., that you'd want to see returned...

I don't have a lot of their stuff- just a greatest hits album and the debut album. They had some great songs. My favorite is probably "Touch And Go".

saw the cars on the 'shake it up' tour at the boston garden. one and a half hours on stage, no encore, and they never moved...one song into the next...elliot easton has some really crisp guitar solos, candy-o, shake it up,your all i've got tonight...on the heart beat city album he was alittle subdued,,,

Lukester, we'll talk more about this day when we get together at the ballgame. I have an interesting story too. No bottle rockets involved though!

Heartbeat City was a good albu. There were some good rockers in there I seem to recall. You Might Think, the title track and Drive. Good stuff. I liked Ocasek - he was different in a way...

Great band.

Benjamin Orr was a great bassist and stellar vocalist. Sang a bunch of the Cars hits (Just What I Needed, Let's Go, Drive . . .) Played rock & roll till the day he died (literally). That's how he wanted to go out. When he died, they played Drive throughout the R & R Hall of Fame in memoriam. (Will most likely be inducted this year). So sad.

Ric has nothing to do with the "New Cars". He still produces (Weezer, No Doubt), and played one of CBGB's last shows. During the show, he dedicated "Drive" to Benjamin, and had one of his bandmates (a girl) sing the vocals. It was very emotional. (PS - He's still married to Paulina - how many rock stars are still married to their first wife?!)

And don't forget about "Moving in Stereo" in Fast Times at Ridgemont High! (The Phobe Cates bikini scene.)

Did not know that Benjamin sang so many of their hits. I understand he was considered the producer you wanted to land in Boston. I heard an interview with Aimee Mann. She was talking about her own early days. The plan was "Make a demo, get it to Ric Ocasek, be famous".

"...no longer shall you trudge 'cross my peaceful mind."

I just don't get tired of listening to their first 3 albums.

Just What I Needed, My Best Friends Girl... ...lol!

Excellent!

Rolling Stones Tribute

Play Rolling Stones

I just heard that The Cars started out in Cambridge, Massachusetts in 1973 and were originally called "Richard and the Rabbits." Good thing they dropped that name! Anyone here can verify?

Great studio band - miserable live