The Cars (album)

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This article is about the debut album by the Cars. For albums with similar titles, see Cars (disambiguation) § Albums.

The Cars
Studio album by
the Cars
ReleasedJune 6, 1978 (1978-06-06)
RecordedFebruary 1978
StudioAIR (London)
Genre
Length35:20
LabelElektra
ProducerRoy Thomas Baker
The Cars chronology
The Cars
(1978) 		Candy-O
(1979)
Singles from The Cars
  1. "Just What I Needed"
    Released: May 29, 1978
  2. "My Best Friend's Girl"
    Released: October 10, 1978
  3. "Good Times Roll"
    Released: February 20, 1979

The Cars is the debut studio album by American new wave band the Cars, released on June 6, 1978, by Elektra Records. The album was managed by longtime producer Roy Thomas Baker, and spawned several hit singles, including "Just What I Needed", "My Best Friend's Girl", and "Good Times Roll", as well as other radio and film hits such as "Bye Bye Love" and "Moving in Stereo". The Cars peaked at number 18 on the US Billboard 200 albums chart, and has been certified six-times platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).

Background[edit]

Formed in Boston in 1976, the Cars consisted of Ric Ocasek, Benjamin Orr, Elliot Easton, David Robinson, and Greg Hawkes, all of whom had been in and out of multiple bands throughout the 1970s.[1] After becoming a club staple, the band recorded a number of demos in early 1977. Some of these songs later appeared in finished form on The Cars, such as "Just What I Needed" and "My Best Friend's Girl", while others were saved for a later release, such as "Leave or Stay" and "Ta Ta Wayo Wayo" (both of which later saw release on their 1987 album Door to Door).[1] The demos for "Just What I Needed" and "My Best Friend's Girl" were often played on Boston radio by DJ Maxanne Sartori, giving the band frequent airplay.[1]

Both Arista and Elektra attempted to sign the band, but in the end, Elektra was chosen, due to its lack of new wave acts, allowing the band to stand out more than they would have had they signed with the new wave-heavy Arista.[1] Robinson said of the choice, "Here they had the Eagles and Jackson Browne, and along comes this crazy Boston band who wanted a black-and-white photo collage on their cover."[1]

Music and lyrics[edit]

Musically, The Cars has been described as new wave,[2][3] power pop,[4] and synth-rock.[4] It featured a large amount of technology on many of its tracks, due to the band's appreciation for new equipment. Robinson said, "We'd always get the latest stuff from music stores even if it would be obsolete in two months. It reached the point where I'd have 10 or 12 foot switches to hit during a short set."[1] The album also is notable for frontman Ocasek's use of irony and sarcasm. Keyboardist Hawkes said, "There was definitely a little self-conscious irony in there. We started out wanting to be electric and straight-ahead rock, and it kind of turned into an artier kind of thing."[1]

Artwork[edit]

The cover model was Nataliya Medvedeva, a Russian-born model, singer, writer, and journalist.[5]

Unlike many of the Cars' album covers, the cover for The Cars was designed by the record company, rather than drummer Robinson.[6] Robinson said in an interview that he "had designed a very different album cover [for The Cars] that cost $80.00 to design." He continued, "I remember the price exactly. It was completely finished and everything, but it was a little more bizarre than the cover that they had in mind, so they changed some of it because of copyright problems and put it in as the inner sleeve. But I think that was way more how we envisioned who we were then."[6] The cover was not well liked by the members of the band, however.[6] Robinson said, "I thought that when the Elektra came out it was way too slick. The pictures of us I didn't like."[6] Guitarist Elliot Easton expressed dislike for "that big grinning face", saying, "Man, I got tired of that cover."[6]

Release[edit]

The Cars peaked at number 18 on the Billboard 200 in March 1979, spending 139 weeks on the chart.[7] The record was also ranked number four on the Billboard 200 year-chart for 1979.[8]

Three singles were released from the album: "Just What I Needed" (number 27 in the US, number 17 in the UK), "My Best Friend's Girl" (number 35 in the US, number three in the UK), and "Good Times Roll" (number 41 in the US), all of which enjoyed heavy airplay on AOR radio stations.[9] Aside from the singles, album tracks "You're All I've Got Tonight", "Bye Bye Love", and "Moving in Stereo" all became radio favorites.[10]

Reception and legacy[edit]

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[3]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music[11]
Q[12]
Record Mirror[13]
Rolling Stone[14]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[15]
Spin Alternative Record Guide8/10[16]
The Village VoiceB+[17]

The Cars was well received by music critics.

"The pop songs are wonderful", Rolling Stone critic Kit Rachlis stated in his 1978 review, adding: "Easy and eccentric at the same time, all are potential hits."[14] He found that "the album comes apart only when it becomes arty and falls prey to producer Roy Thomas Baker's lacquered sound and the group's own penchant for electronic effects."[14]

Robert Christgau of The Village Voice wrote, "Ric Ocasek writes catchy, hardheaded-to-coldhearted songs eased by wryly rhapsodic touches, the playing is tight and tough, and it all sounds wonderful on the radio. But though on a cut-by-cut basis Roy Thomas Baker's production adds as much as it distracts, here's hoping the records get rawer."[17]

In a retrospective review, AllMusic's Greg Prato praised The Cars as "a genuine rock masterpiece" and stated that "all nine tracks are new wave/rock classics", concluding: "With flawless performances, songwriting, and production, the Cars' debut remains one of rock's all-time classics."[3]

Elliot Easton said of the album, "We used to joke that the first album should be called The Cars' Greatest Hits. We knew that a lot of great bands fall through the cracks. But we were getting enough feedback from people we respected to know that we were on the right track."[1]

Retrospective rankings[edit]

In 2000, it was voted number 384 in Colin Larkin's All Time Top 1000 Albums.[18] Rolling Stone ranked The Cars at number 282 on its 2003 list of the "500 Greatest Albums of All Time",[19] with the ranking slipping to number 284 in the 2012 update of the list, and to number 353 in the 2020 update.[20][21]

Accolades[edit]

It was inducted into the National Recording Registry on April 16, 2024 for being "culturally, historically or aesthetically significant".[22]

Track listing[edit]

All tracks are written by Ric Ocasek, except where noted

Side one
No.TitleVocalsLength
1."Good Times Roll"Ocasek3:44
2."My Best Friend's Girl"Ocasek3:44
3."Just What I Needed"Benjamin Orr3:44
4."I'm in Touch with Your World"Ocasek3:31
5."Don't Cha Stop"Ocasek3:01
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)VocalsLength
6."You're All I've Got Tonight" Ocasek4:13
7."Bye Bye Love" Orr4:14
8."Moving in Stereo"
Orr4:46
9."All Mixed Up" Orr4:14
Total length:35:11
1999 remastered reissue bonus disc[23]
No.TitleWriter(s)VocalsLength
1."Good Times Roll" (live at the Paradise Theater, Boston, November 13, 1978) Ocasek3:39
2."My Best Friend's Girl" (demo) Ocasek3:52
3."Just What I Needed" (demo) Orr3:27
4."I'm in Touch with Your World" (demo) 
  • Ocasek
  • Orr
3:28
5."Don't Cha Stop" (demo) Ocasek3:19
6."You're All I've Got Tonight" (demo) Ocasek4:05
7."Bye Bye Love" (demo) Orr4:07
8."Moving in Stereo" (demo)
  • Ocasek
  • Hawkes
Ocasek5:02
9."All Mixed Up" (demo) Ocasek4:50
10."They Won't See You" (demo, previously unreleased) Ocasek3:56
11."Take What You Want" (demo, previously unreleased) Ocasek6:04
12."Wake Me Up" (demo, previously unreleased) Orr3:52
13."You Just Can't Push Me" (demo, previously unreleased) Orr3:27
14."Hotel Queenie" (demo, previously unreleased) Ocasek3:08
Total length:56:16

Personnel[edit]

Credits adapted from the liner notes of The Cars.[24]

The Cars[edit]

Technical[edit]

Artwork[edit]

  • Ron Coro – art direction
  • Johnny Lee – design
  • Elliot Gilbert – photography

Charts[edit]

Certifications[edit]

Certifications for The Cars
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[31] 2× Platinum 140,000^
Canada (Music Canada)[32] 2× Platinum 200,000^
New Zealand (RMNZ)[33] Platinum 15,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[34] Silver 60,000^
United States (RIAA)[35] 6× Platinum 6,000,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h Milano, Brett (1995). Just What I Needed: The Cars Anthology (liner notes). The Cars. Rhino Records. R2 73506.
  2. ^ Zimmerman, Lee (September 8, 2016). "The 50 Best New Wave Albums – 13. The Cars: The Cars (1978)". Paste. Retrieved October 25, 2019.
  3. ^ a b c Prato, Greg. "The Cars – The Cars". AllMusic. Retrieved February 17, 2012.
  4. ^ a b Zaleski, Annie (August 4, 2017). "They were just what we needed: Why The Cars matter". Salon. Retrieved October 26, 2019.
  5. ^ Bratersky, Alexander (February 7, 2003). "Writer, Singer Medvedeva Dead at 44". The Moscow Times. Archived from the original on March 11, 2015. Retrieved October 20, 2014.
  6. ^ a b c d e The Cars Live: Musikladen 1979 (DVD). 2000.
  7. ^ a b "The Cars Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved September 19, 2019.
  8. ^ a b "Top Albums of the Year". Billboard. Vol. 91, no. 51. December 22, 1979. p. TIA-12. ISSN 0006-2510 – via Google Books.
  9. ^ "The Cars Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved February 14, 2021.
  10. ^ Whitburn, Joel (2002). Rock Tracks. Record Research Inc. p. 325. ISBN 0-89820-153-5.
  11. ^ Larkin, Colin (2011). "Cars". The Encyclopedia of Popular Music (5th concise ed.). London: Omnibus Press. ISBN 978-0-85712-595-8.
  12. ^ "The Cars: The Cars". Q. No. 155. August 1999. p. 122. ISSN 0955-4955.
  13. ^ Hall, Philip (August 26, 1978). "Albums" (PDF). Record Mirror. p. 10. ISSN 0144-5804 – via World Radio History.
  14. ^ a b c Rachlis, Kit (June 17, 1997) [September 21, 1978]. "The Cars: The Cars". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on December 24, 2007. Retrieved February 17, 2012.
  15. ^ Sheffield, Rob (2004). "The Cars". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). New York: Simon & Schuster. p. 140. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
  16. ^ Sheffield, Rob (1995). "Cars". In Weisbard, Eric; Marks, Craig (eds.). Spin Alternative Record Guide. New York: Vintage Books. pp. 76–77. ISBN 0-679-75574-8.
  17. ^ a b Christgau, Robert (September 4, 1978). "Christgau's Consumer Guide". The Village Voice. Retrieved April 29, 2013.
  18. ^ Larkin, Colin (2000). All Time Top 1000 Albums (3rd ed.). Virgin Books. p. 146. ISBN 0-7535-0493-6.
  19. ^ "500 Greatest Albums of All Time: The Cars – The Cars". Rolling Stone. November 18, 2003. Archived from the original on December 20, 2010. Retrieved November 4, 2020.
  20. ^ "500 Greatest Albums of All Time". Rolling Stone. May 31, 2012. Retrieved October 22, 2020.
  21. ^ "The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time". Rolling Stone. September 22, 2020. Retrieved November 4, 2020.
  22. ^ "National Recording Registry Inducts Sounds of ABBA, Blondie, The Cars, The Chicks, Juan Gabriel, Green Day, The Notorious B.I.G. and Lily Tomlin". LOC.gov. Library of Congress. Retrieved April 16, 2024.
  23. ^ "The Cars [Deluxe Edition] – The Cars". AllMusic. Retrieved February 14, 2021.
  24. ^ The Cars (liner notes). The Cars. Elektra Records. 1978. 6E-135.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  25. ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 56. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  26. ^ "Top RPM Albums: Issue 0025a". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved February 14, 2021.
  27. ^ "Charts.nz – The Cars – The Cars". Hung Medien. Retrieved September 19, 2019.
  28. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved November 4, 2020.
  29. ^ "Top Selling Albums of 1979". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved February 14, 2021.
  30. ^ "Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 1980". Billboard. Archived from the original on February 21, 2020. Retrieved December 21, 2021.
  31. ^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2005 Albums" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved December 27, 2021.
  32. ^ "Canadian album certifications – The Cars – The Cars". Music Canada. June 1, 1979. Retrieved September 19, 2019.
  33. ^ "New Zealand album certifications – The Cars – The Cars". Recorded Music NZ. July 8, 1979. Retrieved February 14, 2021.
  34. ^ "British album certifications – The Cars – The Cars". British Phonographic Industry. May 9, 1979. Retrieved February 14, 2021.
  35. ^ "American album certifications – The Cars – The Cars". Recording Industry Association of America. April 5, 1995. Retrieved September 19, 2019.
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