The Cars
Biography
Blondie may have had a string of number one hits and Talking Heads may have won the hearts of the critics, but the Cars were the most successful American new wave band to emerge in the late '70s. With their sleek, mechanical pop/rock, the band racked up a string of platinum albums and Top 40 singles that made them one of the most popular American rock & roll bands of the late '70s and early '80s. While they were more commercially oriented than their New York peers, the Cars were nevertheless inspired by proto-punk, garage rock, and bubblegum pop. The difference was in packaging. Where their peers were as equally inspired by art as music, the Cars were strictly a rock & roll band, and while their music occasionally sounded clipped and distant, they had enough attitude to cross over to album rock radio, which is where they made their name. Nevertheless, the Cars remained a new wave band, picking up cues from the Velvet Underground, David Bowie, and Roxy Music. Ric Ocasek and Ben Orr's vocals uncannily recalled Lou Reed's deadpan delivery, while the band's insistent, rhythmic pulse was reminiscent of Berlin-era Iggy Pop. Furthermore, the group followed Roxy Music's lead and had artist Alberto Vargas design sexy illustrations of pinups for their record sleeves.
Selected Discography
The Cars
1978
If you don't have Cars tunes on your ipod, then you need some serious therapy.
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I always think about 9th grade art class when i hear The Cars. Love Ben Orr's voice. A band that could be great in any generation.
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Grew up listening to The Cars! How can any of us forget "LETS GO"? always loved them, cried when Ben died. The Cars will always be one of my favorites!
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The Cars are my all-time favorite group. Listening to them brings back lots of high school memories. I wish Benjamin Orr was still here and making music.
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Remember that video where Ric Ocasek's head was on a fly? That would send me screaming from the room when I was little.
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I had tired of pop music by the late seventies.
Had given it up. Yecch. Bored out of my mind. Until a friend lent a Cars album to me. WOW!!!! Finally... something different but good. (different is usually not good) And, they opened up a new direction which prepared me for many great artists and sounds to come through the early MTV era. Way to go Ric. |
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You can't even compare The Cars to The Cure....tota l l y different genres....
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Benjamin Orr and Ric Ocasek could still kick some of the neubie' butts. This was a great time and great TUNES
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It's a tossup between the Cars and the Cure for the best band of the 80s, I think.
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This was most definitely the sound track for my "coming of age". I don't even know where to start.
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Ric Ocasek is a genius, The Cars are great, have all the vinyl, grew up listening to it on the radio and became a fan by the time I was in high school
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The late 70s gave reason to doubt the direction music might head... even indicating that the momentum created in the 60s might finally come to an end. But along comes the Cars and we now had a 'transition' group to help bridge the 70s to the 80s. Thank goodness for their music. Their 'sound' helped train our ear to new directions heading our way!
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Late 70's and 80's music was the s**t! Rap and the hip hop junk out there now is destined to bomb.
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HEY PEN MAN- METAL CAME FROM CLASSIC ROCK (R0CK ON) ALL YOU METAL HEADS. LOL
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Love these guys
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Hey 13ig Man if we are all sad asses then you must be too considering you have a DOKKEN and JANE'S ADDICTION station..... . . . . . . now thats sad
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Good band. Good memories. But first the reviewer says "Let's Go" was a top ten hit, and later he says "Shake It Up" was their first top 10 hit.
Never got to see the Cars, but I did see Ben Orr in concert, shortly before his death. It was a good show. He had Liberty Devito on drums (played drums for Billy Joel), and they did many Cars songs. |
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Cruisin' through Georgetown in the middle of the winter with the sunroof open in my girlfriend's mom's baby blue Cadillac. The Cars and youth, oh my.
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i will never foget the awesome days listening to the cars going 100+ miles an hour with my top down in my 69 gto goat convertable and blowing out the speakers listening to all the cars songs... the gto was made for cruisin and so are the cars........ . . . . a l l my best and thanks for the wonderful memories to ben and rick and the rest of the band
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