The Cars – Shake It Up – 1981
More of the same.
Better production, though.
The muddled sounds of early 80’s cocaine induced production are gone. I’m not saying they were doing anything, this band seems like the last one to partake in anything mind altering save keyboards. But, that’s what the production of the last album sounded like.
Actually, Shake starts off sort of promising.
“Since Your Gone” is a prelude to the album, of sorts. Easton’s guitar sounds like it’s being played on an e-bow to sound more synth-like (or it’s a synth….) adds to the mourn-pop that adorns Ocasek’s Bowie-lite persona.
And the album really takes off with the smash hit, “Shake It Up”, an infectious calliope of New Wave sounds.
But, after that….more mournful ballading in “I’m Not the One”, and the lazy, euro-trashy, “Victim of Love” take their toll. It’s not until the Side One closer, “Cruiser” that I realized what was missing from this record: guitars. Easton may play one lick throughout with some crunchy bar chords but it’s a welcome respite from the banal music we’ve come to expect. Things take a turn for the worse on Side Two, “Dream Away” suggests that Ocasek is more in love with Hawkes’ sound than being in a rock band. Pilfering a synth line from Laurie Anderson’s Big Science album, “Dream Away” wants to be something so much more than what it is, but what it is is an arty pop, studio creation. And it’s dull.
Slowing further, “This Could Be Love” really tested my patience and made me remember what we did with this cassette: Listen to the first two tracks, turn it over and fast forward. Because the penultimate track, “Think It Over” is an attempt to return to a quarter note driven, guitar rock, hand clap riddled sound of yore. And the giant percussion of “Maybe Baby” seems to be a response to my imagined complaints on David Robinson’s part of having…NOTHING TO DO.
You might remember Shake It Up fondly but that’s because of the hit song that came with it. It’s not very good in the overall and all you need from it you can get on compilation albums.
Grade: C
ASide: Shake It Up, Since You’re Gone, Cruiser
BlindSide: Maybe Baby, Think It Over,
DownSide: Dream Away, Victim of Love
