Sometimes it seems hard to believe that so much time has passed
\nsince I reviewed a certain artist. The last time we featured The
\nCars on “The Daily Vault” was back in January — we were not even a
\nmonth old then.<\/p>\n
So when reader Daniel Hooks wrote in and requested we review the
\nband’s 1978 debut album, I thought it was about time to dig into
\nthe Pierce Memorial Archive (where we’re burning Bears head coach
\nDave Wannstedt in effigy every night) and dust off the works of Ric
\nOcasek and company.<\/p>\n
In one sense, I do dread reviewing anything by The Cars, simply
\nbecause they’ve become so overplayed that I cringe whenever I hear
\na song by them come on the radio. However, after listening to
\nThe Cars<\/i>, it’s interesting to hear how well all these songs
\nsound when they’re attacked in their own environment.<\/p>\n
Formed in 1976, The Cars were one of the bands that defined
\nnew-wave. Armed with synthesizers, sharply dressed and, from what
\nI’ve read, remaining virtually motionless on stage, they hit the
\nscene at the right time. And the nine songs on their debut album
\nnot only have hardly aged in 19 years, they also are a guilty
\npleasure to listen to… even for an old curmudgeon like me.<\/p>\n
Over half of this album can be heard on a classic rock station
\non any given day. The leadoff track, “Good Times Roll,” serves up a
\nhealthy dose of Elliot Easton’s guitar work and Greg Hawkes’s
\nkeyboard prowess. And while Ocasek’s vocal style is the most
\nup-front, it is the backing harmonies that capture my attention
\nmore often. The bombast of them reminds me a lot of Queen – not
\nsurprising, seeing that producer Roy Thomas Baker also produced
\nQueen.<\/p>\n
Probably the best-known song on
\nThe Cars<\/i> is “My Best Friend’s Girl,” a song which
\nsuccessfully mixes both new-wave and bubblegum. Hearing Ocasek
\nsinging about unrequited feelings for a former love is something I
\nthink that everyone can relate to. And while I still wish that
\nHawkes’s keyboard work would rise above “dit-dit-dit” lines on this
\none, it doesn’t detract from the rest of the song.<\/p>\n
Other songs that you’ve probably heard on the radio include
\n“Just What I Needed” (which shows itself off to be a better track
\nhere than I’ve normally given it credit for) , “You’re All I’ve Got
\nTonight” (same story) and “Bye Bye Love.” Of these, only “Bye Bye
\nLove” is one that I can’t say I enjoy any more with the other
\ntracks than just hearing it on the radio.<\/p>\n
One other track I think I’ve heard on the radio, but the way
\nthat “Moving In Stereo” blends in with “All Mixed Up” seamlessly
\ncauses me to question that memory. “Moving In Stereo” is a sparse
\ntrack more centered on Hawkes’s keyboardds than lyrics. By the time
\nbassist Benjamin Orr takes over the microphone on “All Mixed Up”
\nthe transformation of the track is through – and you wouldn’t know
\nit happened unless you were either reading the lyric sheet or
\nwatching the display on the CD player. (At least I think the CD
\nwould divide the two songs; I reviewed the record.)<\/p>\n
The two tracks that may be unfamiliar, “I’m In Touch With Your
\nWorld” and “Don’t Cha Stop,” both have their own strengths,and are
\nby no means throwaway tracks. Rather, The Cars took every quality
\nmoment they could scrape together (save for the one mistake, “Bye
\nBye Love”) and put out an incredible 35-minute slab of music
\nhistory.<\/p>\n
If I remember Daniel’s original e-mail correctly, he mentioned
\nthat this is the ultimate album to listen to while cruising down
\nthe freeway. While this judgment may be a matter of taste, there is
\nno denying that
\nThe Cars<\/i> is a worthy addition to any respectable rock
\nlibrary. Here’s hoping I don’t allow another six months pass before
\nwe review the band again.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":24538,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"artist":[5637],"rating":[5613],"class_list":["post-35741","review","type-review","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","artist-the-cars","rating-rating-a-minus"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/review\/35741","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/review"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/review"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=35741"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/review\/35741\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/24538"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=35741"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"artist","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/artist?post=35741"},{"taxonomy":"rating","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rating?post=35741"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}