151. THE CARS (self-titled)

Continuing with the theme of debut albums that could be considered greatest hits in and of themselves, I'd like to take a look/listen at this 1978 record by that new wave/power pop band from Boston - The Cars. Growing up listening to this album, one thing that I didn't realize is that the vocals are split almost 50/50 between "lead singer" Ric Ocasek and bassist Benjamin Orr. Their vocals are so similar that I had just assumed that Ocasek sang every song. It wasn't until many many years later (I'm embarrassed to say just how many) that I came to learn about Orr's contributions to this record. Getting back to the fact that essentially every song is a hit, it's hard to pick just a few for the new (or revisiting) listener to start out with. However, here goes:  Ocasek singing on 'My Best Friend's Girl' and 'Don't Cha Stop' (guitarist Elliot Easton's solo to close out the last 40 or so seconds of the song is worth the price of admission); and, Orr showcasing his vocal talents on 'Bye Bye Love' and 'Moving in Stereo' (the latter's obligate reference to that infamous scene in Fast Times at Ridgemont High not withstanding).

Postscript:  In celebration of the new (and hopefully better) year, I've completely redesigned the website. My hope is that the new format will foster more engagement from you, the reader, in that when reading a particular entry you will be presented with other similar records to check out on the left and a long list of genre tags for you to explore on the right.

If you're reading this in the emailed newsletter, just click on "view online" up top. If you're reading this on the site, well then you're already there!