''Panorama'' is the third studio album by American

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

band the Cars, released on August 15, 1980, by

Elektra Records Elektra Records (or Elektra Entertainment) is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group, founded in 1950 by Jac Holzman and Paul Rickolt. It played an important role in the development of contemporary folk and rock music between the 1 ...

. Like its predecessors, it was produced by Roy Thomas Baker and released on

Background

The record marked a change from the upbeat pop rock and

hard rock Hard rock or heavy rock is a loosely defined subgenre of rock music typified by aggressive vocals and distorted electric guitars. Hard rock began in the mid-1960s with the garage, psychedelic and blues rock movements. Some of the earliest hard ...

of the group's previous albums, representing a more aggressive and experimental sound. ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

'' 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 The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...

(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, backing vocals *

Benjamin Orr Benjamin Orzechowski (September 8, 1947 – October 3, 2000), known professionally as Benjamin Orr, was an American musician best known as the bassist, co-lead vocalist, and co-founder of the rock band The Cars. He sang lead vocals on sever ...

– vocals, bass guitar * Ric Ocasek – vocals, rhythm guitar * Elliot Easton – lead guitar, backing vocals

Technical

* Roy Thomas Baker – production * Ian Taylor – engineering * John Weaver – engineering assistance * Jason Corsaro – engineering assistance * Thom Moore – production assistance

Artwork

* David Robinson – cover design * Paul McAlpine – photography

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Panorama (The Cars Album) 1980 albums Albums produced by Roy Thomas Baker The Cars albums Elektra Records albums