Complete Greatest Hits (Cars Album)
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Complete Greatest Hits (Cars Album)
''Complete Greatest Hits'' is a greatest hits album by American rock band the Cars, released on February 19, 2002, by Elektra Records and Rhino Records. It contains 20 singles and notable album tracks in chronological order of their original release. Sales of the album reignited following Ric Ocasek's death in September 2019. The album was also released with different artwork entitled "The Very Best of the Cars". In Europe the album was issued as "The Definitive". The track listing was the same although the running order was altered. Track listing Personnel Credits adapted from the liner notes. The Cars * Ric Ocasek – vocals, rhythm guitar * Elliot Easton – lead guitar, backing vocals * Greg Hawkes – keyboards, percussion, sax, backing vocals * Benjamin Orr – vocals, bass guitar * David Robinson – drums, percussion, backing vocals Technical * Roy Thomas Baker – production * Robert John "Mutt" Lange – production * The Cars – production ; compilation producti ...
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The Cars
The Cars were an American rock band formed in Boston in 1976. Emerging from the new wave scene in the late 1970s, they consisted of Ric Ocasek ( rhythm guitar), Benjamin Orr (bass guitar), Elliot Easton (lead guitar), Greg Hawkes (keyboards), and David Robinson ( drums). Ocasek and Orr shared lead vocals, and Ocasek was the band's principal songwriter and leader. The Cars were at the forefront of the merger of 1970s guitar-oriented rock with the new synthesizer-oriented pop that became popular in the early 1980s. Robert Palmer, music critic for ''The New York Times'' and ''Rolling Stone'', described the Cars' musical style: "They have taken some important but disparate contemporary trends—punk minimalism, the labyrinthine synthesizer and guitar textures of art rock, the '50s rockabilly revival and the melodious terseness of power pop—and mixed them into a personal and appealing blend."Palmer, Robert. "Pop: Cars Merge Styles" ''The New York Times'' August 9, 1978: C17 T ...
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Just What I Needed
"Just What I Needed" is a song by American Rock music, rock band The Cars from their The Cars (album), self-titled debut album (1978). The song, which first achieved radio success as a demo, took inspiration from the Ohio Express and the Velvet Underground. The song is sung by bass player Benjamin Orr and was written by Ric Ocasek. "Just What I Needed" was released as the band's first single in 1978, reaching number 27 on the US Billboard Hot 100, ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and charting in several other countries. Appearing on numerous compilation albums, it has become one of the band's most popular songs and has been received positively by critics. Background Like several other tracks on ''The Cars'', "Just What I Needed" originated as a demo tape recorded by the band in 1977. Ocasek had originally written the song in the basement of the commune he lived in at the time. Cars keyboardist Greg Hawkes recalled the first time he heard the song in an interview, saying, "I remember hearin ...
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Panorama (The Cars Album)
''Panorama'' is the third studio album by American rock band the Cars, released on August 15, 1980, by Elektra Records. Like its predecessors, it was produced by Roy Thomas Baker and released on Elektra Records. Background The record marked a change from the upbeat pop rock and hard rock of the group's previous albums, representing a more aggressive and experimental sound. ''Billboard'' said that while ''Panorama'' retained The Cars' minimalist approach from their debut album, it sounded sufficiently different to avoid having the group sound like a caricature of itself. ''Panorama'' peaked at number five on the ''Billboard'' 200 and has been certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). The album's lead single, " Touch and Go", reached number 37 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. Track listing Personnel Credits adapted from the liner notes of ''Panorama''. The Cars * David Robinson – drums, backing vocals * Greg Hawkes – keyboards, saxophones ...
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Touch And Go (The Cars Song)
"Touch and Go" is a song by American rock band the Cars from their 1980 album ''Panorama''. The song was written and sung by bandleader Ric Ocasek. Composition The song's verses feature the use of polymeter. The bass and drums are playing in a time signature of , while the vocals, keyboards, and guitar are playing in . The guitar solo was played over music similar to the chorus, but with some sections extended to give Elliot Easton more measures on the chords E minor, F major, and G major, to build his flashy, melodic solo which resolves to a C major seventh chord. Release "Touch and Go" was released as the debut single from ''Panorama''. It reached number 37 on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart in 1980, making it the highest charting American single from ''Panorama''. Its follow-up singles, " Don't Tell Me No" and " Gimme Some Slack" failed to chart. "Touch and Go" has consistently appeared on many of the Cars' compilation albums, including ''Greatest Hits'', '' Just What I Nee ...
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Dangerous Type
"Dangerous Type" is a 1979 song by the Cars from their second studio album, ''Candy-O.'' It was written by Ric Ocasek. Background The core guitar riff that "Dangerous Type" is centered on resembles the T. Rex song, "Bang a Gong". The song features Ric Ocasek on lead vocals. AllMusic critic Tom Maginnis compared the song to " All Mixed Up", a track on The Cars' self-titled debut album, as they both were the final track on their respective albums, with both tracks "vamping on an upsweep of grand chord changes as the group's entire sonic palette eventually fills the tape to capacity for the big finish." Although "Dangerous Type" never was released as a single, the song has since become a fan favorite. It has appeared on numerous compilation albums, among them '' Just What I Needed: The Cars Anthology'' and '' Complete Greatest Hits''. Reception "Dangerous Type" has received positive reception from music critics. AllMusic critic Greg Prato said it was one of the "plenty of other st ...
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It's All I Can Do
"It's All I Can Do" is a song by the American rock band the Cars. It is the third track from their 1979 album ''Candy-O''. It was written by the band's leader and songwriter Ric Ocasek, and features bassist Benjamin Orr on vocals. Sound and genre "It's All I Can Do" is a new wave influenced pop rock song. According to Brett Milano, writer of the '' Just What I Needed: The Cars Anthology'' album notes "'It's All I Can Do' was an affecting, straight-ahead piece of romantic pop, give or take a line like 'When I was crazy, I thought you were great.'" The track was described as "gentle" by AllMusic reviewer Greg Prato, while Hamish Champ, writer of ''The 100 Best-Selling Albums of the 70s'' called the song "laidback". The bass lines and the G major guitar riffs have a major rock feel, but the song is softened down with Benjamin Orr's vocals and Greg Hawkes keyboard and synth lines. Release "It's All I Can Do" was released as the follow-up to the " Let's Go" single on September 25, 19 ...
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Candy-O
''Candy-O'' is the second studio album by American rock band the Cars, released on June 13, 1979 by Elektra Records. Produced by Roy Thomas Baker, the album spawned two singles, " Let's Go" (number 14 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100) and "It's All I Can Do" (number 41). The album outperformed the band's debut, peaking at number three on the US ''Billboard'' 200. The cover art was done by pin-up artist Alberto Vargas. Background Unlike the first album, ''Candy-O'' was created under a more democratic approach. Ric Ocasek said of this, "When one of my songs goes to the band in barest cassette form, we sit around and talk about it. If I'm outvoted, we don't do it. We almost didn't include 'Double Life' on the new album, it had been dropped. I think everybody in the Cars is open-minded and creative enough that they would do anything – nobody's holding anything back. Everybody appreciates the more radical, experimental kinds of music and likes it. But sometimes, when you're put toge ...
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Let's Go (The Cars Song)
"Let's Go" is a song by American rock band the Cars, written by Ric Ocasek for the band's second studio album, ''Candy-O'' (1979). A new wave rock song, the song's hook was inspired by the Routers. The song's vocals are performed by bassist Benjamin Orr. "Let's Go" was released in 1979 as the debut single from ''Candy-O'' on Elektra Records. The single was a chart success, reaching number 14 in the United States and charting in multiple other countries. It has since appeared on several compilation albums and has seen critical acclaim. It was the 100th video to be played on the first day of MTV on August 1, 1981. Composition "Let's Go" was described by Brett Milano as "another double-edged anthem" in the liner notes for '' Just What I Needed: The Cars Anthology''. The song's signature hook is a series of claps followed by a shouted "Let's go!", which is derived from the 1962 song " Let's Go (Pony)" by the Routers, as well as a simple synth melody played by Greg Hawkes, using th ...
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Greg Hawkes
Gregory A. Hawkes (born October 22, 1952) is an American musician best known as the keyboardist for the rock band The Cars. Hawkes, a native of Fulton, Maryland, United States, attended Atholton High School where he played in a band called Teeth. He then attended Berklee College of Music for two years, majoring in composition and flute. He left to play in various bands, including Martin Mull and his Fabulous Furniture, where he played flute, saxophone, and clarinet. He also played in a band called Richard and the Rabbits, which included future Cars bandmates Ric Ocasek and Benjamin Orr. He was the last member to join the Cars. Hawkes was also in the New Cars with original Cars member Elliot Easton, along with vocalist/guitarist Todd Rundgren, bassist Kasim Sulton, and drummer Prairie Prince. In 2018, Hawkes was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of the Cars. The Cars Hawkes's most notable involvement is with The Cars. Hawkes pushed the limits of availabl ...
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Moving In Stereo
"Moving in Stereo" is a song by the American rock band the Cars. It appeared on their first album, ''The Cars'', released in 1978. It was co-written by Ric Ocasek and the band's keyboard player Greg Hawkes, and sung by bassist Benjamin Orr. Reception Although not released as a single, "Moving in Stereo" received airplay on album-oriented rock radio stations in the United States, often coupled with the song " All Mixed Up" which it segues into on the album. The song continues to receive airplay on classic rock Classic rock is a US radio format which developed from the album-oriented rock (AOR) format in the early 1980s. In the United States, the classic rock format comprises rock music ranging generally from the mid-1960s through the mid 1990s, prima ... radio stations. Donald A. Guarisco of AllMusic described the song as "one of the Cars' finest experimental tracks," noting that it "sounds like a new wave update of Brian Eno, Eno-era Roxy Music." A demo version recorded in 1 ...
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Bye Bye Love (The Cars Song)
"Bye Bye Love" is a song by the American Boston-based rock band The Cars. The song appears on the band's 1978 debut album The Cars. It was written by bandleader Ric Ocasek and sung by bassist Benjamin Orr. The song was featured in the 2011 science-fiction film Super 8. Background "Bye Bye Love" is one of The Cars' oldest songs, dating back to the mid-1970s. The song was first performed, and recorded as a demo, by the band Cap'n Swing, which featured Ocasek, Orr, and guitarist Elliot Easton as members. In this early version, the recurring keyboard theme between the verse lyrics was significantly different. The song was later revived to appear on ''The Cars'' in 1978. Although the song was not released as a single, it has received regular airplay since the album was released. Reception ''Rolling Stone'' critic Kit Rachlis said in his review of ''The Cars'' that "the songs bristle and -- in their harsher, more angular moments ('Bye Bye Love,' 'Don't Cha Stop') -- bray." Jaime Welt ...
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You're All I've Got Tonight
"You're All I've Got Tonight" is a song by the American rock band the Cars, from their debut album, ''The Cars''. Like " Bye Bye Love" and "Moving in Stereo", two other songs from the album, it continues to receive airplay on classic rock stations today despite never having been released as a single (although it did see release as the B-side to " All Mixed Up" in the Netherlands). Background "You're All I've Got Tonight" was written and sung by the band's frontman, Ric Ocasek. Keyboardist Greg Hawkes said of the song, "Ric's got a knack for taking a common phrase like 'You're All I've Got Tonight' and making a great song out of it." Composition The song opens with a tom-tom drum beat processed with a distinctive flanging effect, leading to a power chord riff played on distorted guitars that also have a distinctive flanging effect. Initially, the rhythm guitar plays a chromatic riff of power chords ascending from A, to A♯, to B, then E to B, and repeating. The riff gives way to ...
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