Elliot Easton - guitar; Greg Hawkes - keyboards; Ric Ocasek - vocals, guitar; Benjamin Orr - vocals, bass; Dave Robinson - drums
Skinny ties and slip-on Vans are back! One more crucial element to those halcyon days of the late '70s / early '80s is the sound - and if it's '80s music, it's gotta be The Cars!
Mixing arena-sized power pop with artsy angularity, The Cars became the top selling act of the American punk/new wave movement. Their glossy, mod-esque image and futuristic, ambient textures leant themselves well to the burgeoning medium of music video - all helping the band to basically define the look and sound of mainstream music in the "Me Decade."
But here we have The Cars in their early years, fresh off the assembly line, performing during the decade preceding the one with which they would forever be associated. This set features all the classic hits from their eponymous 1978 debut, as well as a few favorites that would show up on their next two releases, Candy-O and Panorama. Because so many of these songs have been in heavy radio rotation for nearly thirty years, the highlights are some of the more obscure tracks, among them the raucous "Gimme Some Slack" and the eerie "Moving in Stereo" (remember that scene in Fast Times at Ridgemont High?).
By the dawn of the '90s, The Cars had disintegrated under the increasing demand of outside projects, but not before leaving an indelible mark on the face of popular music. Even with all the crazy synth noises and funny haircuts, there is something timeless about this music. So listen in, and (here it comes) Let the Good Times Roll!