Ric Ocasek – This Side of Paradise – 1986 Opening with an abstract, paranoid soundscape, “Keep on Laughing” suggests that it might be Ocasek’s Low or Lodger but, in no time, those familiar Cars tropes kick in, the steady, mechanical beat, the airless, futuristic, spacey environs, this time buttressed up against Continue Reading
Elliot Easton – Change No Change [File Under: The Cars]
Who knew Elliot Easton could sing? Or even warble? I certainly didn’t think he would be the first non-Ocasek Car out of the garage with a solo album. Co-written with Jules Shear, I’ll say this for it, it tries. The entire MO seems to be to let Easton out of Continue Reading
The Cars – Heartbeat City [File Under: The Cars]
The Cars – Heartbeat City – 1984 Hello.Hello Again. Dumping their longtime producer, The Cars hooked up with hitmaker Mutt Lange, got back to what made them great in the first place, namely, catchy songs, became the darlings of MTV, had Andy Warhol direct and co-star in a video and Continue Reading