''Quick Change World'' is the fourth solo album released by

Ric Ocasek Richard Theodore Otcasek (March 23, 1944 – September 15, 2019), known as Ric Ocasek, was an American singer-songwriter, musician, and record producer. He was the primary co-lead vocalist, rhythm guitarist, songwriter, and frontman for the rock ...

, who was the lead singer and songwriter for

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), ...

. This was his second and final release for

Reprise Records Reprise Records is an American record label founded in 1960 by Frank Sinatra. It is owned by Warner Music Group, and operates through Warner Records, one of its flagship labels. Artists currently signed to Reprise Records include Enya, Michael ...

. Ocasek's fourth solo album was originally intended to be ''Negative Theater'', an album consisting of a double CD and a book of poetry. However, in North America, Reprise Records declined to release the CD in Ocasek's original form. Instead, the company had him record 7 additional tracks with producer

Mike Shipley Michael Shipley (6 October 1956 – 25 July 2013) was an Australian mixing engineer, audio engineer, and record producer. Shipley's music career spanned more than 30 years – mostly working in Los Angeles. At the Grammy Awards of 2012 he ...

, and added them to 7 tracks from Ocasek's ''Negative Theater'' project. The resulting 14-song record was issued as ''Quick Change World'' in North America only. (The Shipley-produced tracks comprise the "Right Side" of ''Quick Change World''; the "Left Side" consists of Ocasek-produced ''Negative Theater'' tracks.) Stylistically, the right side represents

pop rock Pop rock (also typeset as pop/rock) is a fusion genre with an emphasis on professional songwriting and recording craft, and less emphasis on attitude than rock music. Originating in the late 1950s as an alternative to normal rock and roll, earl ...

in the vein of

(the song "Hard Times" was initially intended for the Cars' album '' Heartbeat City'') while the left-side represents

experimental music Experimental music is a general label for any music or music genre that pushes existing boundaries and genre definitions. Experimental compositional practice is defined broadly by exploratory sensibilities radically opposed to, and questioning of, ...

. '' Negative Theater'' was issued as a 15-track CD in Europe only. It includes the 7 "Left Side" tracks that were issued on ''Quick Change World'', and 8 tracks that are exclusive to the ''Negative Theater'' album.

Track listing

All tracks composed by Ric Ocasek
Right side # "The Big Picture" # "Don't Let Go" # "Hard Times" # "A Little Closer" # "Riding Shotgun" # "Feeling's Got to Stay" # "She's On" Left side # "I Still Believe" # "Come Alive" # "Quick Change World" # "What's on TV" # "Hopped Up" # "Help Me Find America" # "Telephone Again" (hidden bonus track)

Personnel

*Ric Ocasek - vocals, guitar, keyboards, artwork, photography *Thad Bernard, Charlie Pettus, Darryl Jenifer - bass *

Eric Schermerhorn Eric Schermerhorn is an American guitarist and composer. He played with Iggy Pop on the ''American Caesar'' and ''Naughty Little Doggie'' albums, and David Bowie on the Tin Machine ''It's My Life Tour'' (as background vocalist and guitarist), an ...

- guitar, E-bow *Roger Greenawalt - guitar *

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 ...

- keyboards *Milton Sutton - drums

Notes

Ric Ocasek albums 1993 albums Albums produced by Ric Ocasek Albums produced by Mike Shipley Reprise Records albums {{newwave-album-stub