Customer Reviews

Cars (Deluxe ed.)

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The Cars (1978.) Cars first album.

In the late seventies, rock was fast losing its grip on the music industry, and a new style of music was conquering - disco. It seemed rock and roll may finally have been beaten out after a quarter century in power - but then, the rock and roll revival began. Bands like Boston and Foreigner began bringing rock back to the mainstream, and in 1978, an interesting little new band entered the mainstream - The Cars. These guys were an interesting band because they were the perfect fusion of rock and the new wave stylings that would dominate the next decade. How does the band's 1978 self-titled debut album measure up? Read on and you shall see.

The opener, Good Times Roll, is a solid classic rocker in which the band's new wave stylings are almost nonexistant. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, though. If you want straight-up classic rock, this song doesn't fail to deliver. My Best Friend's Girl is the band serving up a typical one of those "pop songs about losing a lover." Fortunately, The Cars take on this styling was several times better than that of other bands of the day. Just What I Needed was One of the biggest hits to emerge from the album. Though this one is, for the most part, straight-up classic rock, it's got that touch of new wave to it that makes The Cars so great a band. I'm In Touch With Your World, Don't Cha Stop, and All Mixed Up never became big hits, but they are just as good as everything else the album has to offer. Don't overlook them just because they never achieved any true popularity. You're All I've Got Tonight is an interesting little track. While the songs by The Cars generally tend to lean toward either rock or new wave, this little tune just happens to be the happy medium between the two stylings. The keyboards and the chorus in this track are just killer. Bye Bye Love is, for the most part, straight-up classic rock, but it's got keyboards backing it up - and they do a damn good job. An excellent song. Though Moving In Stereo was reasonably popular at the time of release, it wasn't until 1982, four years after the release of the album, that it gained extreme popularity, due to its being featured in an extremely memorable scene in the film Fast Times At Ridgemont High. The stylings of this song are similar to those of the previous track, but this one generally has a "darker" feeling to it. Excellent track, don't pass it by. All in all, a damn good album.

The Deluxe Edition of the album features a bonus disc of extra material. You get a live take on Good Times Roll, as well as early demo versions of the other tracks which are previously unreleased. There are even demos of tracks that never made the final version of the album! The album alone is five-star worthy, no question, but this bonus disc is the icing on the cake.

To put it simply, The Cars 1978 self-titled debut album is one of both rock and roll and new wave's greatest masterpieces. Ric Ocasek, Benjamin Orr, and all the rest certainly knew how to rock and roll, and this album demonstrates that beautifully, nine times over. If you don't like this album, you don't deserve to live!

"The Cars" was a classic debut and one of the first bands with a new wave association to actually make it big. Their blend of Roxy/Bowie ironic pop and AM radio hooks made "My Best Friend's Girl" and "Just What I Needed" sound like Top 40 classics from play one, and the rest of the album skirted experimental stuff like "Moving In Stereo" with the classic nervy album rock ready sounds of "Good Times Roll." But it took the remaster/reissue wizards at Rhino to bring out the best in an already classic record. Roy Thomas Baker's spare production is given a sharper focus in this remaster, and it makes what originally leapt from the speakers sound fresh as that first day you tore the shrink wrap from your twelve inch LP. It's really that much of a revelation.

But even more of a reason to own this is disc two. I am rarely one for bonus features on CD's, but this stuff is great. Basically, a demo for demo (excluding "Good Times Roll" played live) version of the album in its running order, it's a stunning look at the work in progress. Frankly, "The Cars" pre-label signing didn't sound that different from "The Cars" except with a better recording budget and a touch less polish.

For an album that still gets regular play on my stereo, that says a lot. If you love this album as much as I still do, pony up the extra couple of bucks and be prepared to be wowed, loud. Now how about deluxe versions of "Candy-O" and "Heartbeat City"?

I love Disk 2's Demo Tracks. Actually, I prefer The Cars' Demo disc to the fully produced/released disc. Sorry, Mr. Baker!

This set is awesome. I was amazed at how much I enjoyed the Demo Disc over Disc 1. The bonus tracks are great too.

I've played this for 2 friends who then ordered their copies!

The Cars started with a bang, and this their debut cd, would remain their best for several years. The deluxe edition, just made it better. Disk one is the orginal disk, remastered, and does it sound good. All the songs sound as if it were recorded yesterday. And for the most part, their songs very seldom sound old or tired. "My Best Freinds Girlfriend" and "Just What I Needed" sound as catchy today, as they did 20 plus years ago. Rest of the songs hold their own, too. Very seldom do debuts sound this tight. Disk two has the orginal demos for this cd, and you can hear that the group, and their sound, are not made up from the producer. The group made their music. The unreleased songs are ok. Skip buying the orginal cd, and buy the 2 cd deluxe edition. Really is more music, for the buck.

I have never seen a set like this ever! This 2 disc set contains this:

Disc One: The Cars (Original Album) Remastered (sounds awesome by the way)
Disc Two: The Cars (Original Album) Demos of all the original album's songs with the exception for Good Times Roll which is presented in a live version. Plus on the 2nd disc you get 5 unreleased (until now) demos which sound okay but definitely not remastered. Great set! I recommend this to all Cars fans. They are definitely the definition of 80's rock! Reminiscent of the B-52s in a way. Forget the price, just pick this up you will not regret it!

CALLING ALL CARS FANS! This double CD could be the beginning of a new music trend. Not only has their 1978 debut album "The Cars" been remastered - and it sounds FANTASTIC - but a second CD has been added with all the songs in their original demo form (except for a live recording of "Good Times Roll") in their identical running order. The booklet included with the CD's explains that demos actually played a major part in their initial success. A radio station in Boston played their demo of "Just What I Needed" repeatedly .... They were signed to a recording contract and the rest is history. Who hasn't heard the hits "Good Times Roll," "My Best Friend's Girl," "Just What I Needed," "You're All I've Got Tonight" and my personal Cars favorite "Bye Bye Love?" ....This collection has them all in remastered original and demo forms. And to top it off, five previously unreleased Cars songs are also included in demo form. How nice it would be if this became a trend and is done with other great albums by The Cars and others. ...get the double - CD "The Cars Deluxe Edition." One of the best records of the 1970's is now better indeed!

The Cars debut album still sounds fresh and new despite the fact that it was released 22 years ago. The album cruises along like a Ferrari and it is a perfect combined of new wave sounds with pop tendencies. The hooks are plentiful from the chriping guitars on "Good Times Roll" to the pounding "Just What I Needed" to the frenzied "Don't Cha Stop" to the one-two punch of "Bye Bye Love" and the hypnotic "Moving In Stereo". The remastered package enhances the sounds to top shelf quality. The second disk of demos, outtakes and live tracks is a great bonus, but the meat is on the original release.

The first Cars album was a blast of fresh air combining the Velvet Underground, Roxy Music and Big Star, Badfinger into one mish mash of amazing sound. The band provided a unique mix of influences to create a coherent, stark sound for American new wave. Just as witty as Elvis Costello and full of as many hooks as the Beatles, this first album has aged extremely well. The glacial sound of the album acts as an ironic counterpoint to these tales of modern love.

Their first album ranks amoung the best albums of the 80's and the songwriting, although it got a little more detailed, never got any better than this. The out takes and demos are well worth the price of admission simply because they illuminate (much as the XTC outtakes do for their albums) the creative process (and sometimes roads not taken...).

Ric really needs to reform the band. His solo career, although interesting, shows a real lack of progression. It would be interesting to see the original members get back together and see what sort of heat (or cold) they generate together.

Now let's see something similiar done with the other two great albums (pick any of your favorites and insert them here).

Not only a copy of the Cars first album remastered but you can hear it again as a generous set of demos and live cuts. A wonderful look at a work in progress. This edition comes with a great CD booklet which details the making of and impact of this album. Only thing missing was the interior collage art.

From what I understand, this is not a greatest hits package...it's their great first album with additional tracks from those sessions...still a must for fans...