BY MIKEY MIGO
Every so often, I enjoy taking a few hours out of a day or two and listen to the entire discography of a band I'm not familiar with. I ask friends, rack my brain, and look around the internet for popular bands of the past and present that I never really listened to. These aren't cases like Nickelback where I'd avoid their music, but rather just a situation where my ears and their music were just never properly introduced. I've heard many of the hit singles for these bands, but some of the time I didn't even know they were the ones who recorded it. It's fun to expand one's music lexicon and listen to something potentially great for the first time. Today I'm going to be giving a proper "first impression" to the six studio albums of "The Cars".
Album: The Cars
Year: 1978
Duration: 35:40
The album starts off with "Good Times Roll". I know I've heard this song before, but I can't recall where originally. I have a feeling that I'll know a handful of song, but just didn't know who it was. It's just flat out a good rock song and dare I say "iconic". The chorus of the chorus is hard to forget. And again I know another song. This might be a pretty odd "first impression" at this rate. I've heard "My Best Friend's Girl" before. I'm a fan of the lyrics and vocal delivery. It reminds me of David Byrne with a tad more conventionalism. The musicianship feels simple, but it's done in a way that makes it catchy as hell. Making it 3 for 3, I know "Just What I Needed". This is by far one of their biggest songs. The synth in it is what carries it, but the simple rhythm holds it together. I didn't know or relate these songs to "The Cars". Maybe I just never really thought of it. Finally, "I'm in Touch With Your World" plays, a song I DON'T know. I must say that besides the weird whistle and cranky noises, I might actually like this song more than the songs I do know they've done. Things get kind of "Devo-cheesy" once "Don't Cha Stop" hits. "You've All I've Got Tonight" starts off like it's going to be a bad ass song, but doesn't really go anywhere until the chorus and guitar bridges. It sounds familiar, but I can't really say how. "Bye Bye Love" is interesting to listen to because of how it's composed, but it just feels sorta "there". "Moving in Stereo" instantly makes me feel uncomfortable, as if I'm doing something I shouldn't be doing. It then hit me, this is the song that Phoebe Cates was naked to in Fast Times. Wow. The Cars instantly got cooler in my book. The album ends with "All Mixed Up", which is one of the best songs on the album. It's got more of a "darker" feel to it and it's easier to take serious. The first three songs are heavy rotation on classic rock stations and often used in movies, but the rest of the album was a good listen. There's some stuff that sounds "dated", but there's great stuff spread throughout the album.
Album: Candy-O
Year: 1979
Duration: 36:25
This album starts off the same as the last. I've heard "Let's Go" many times before. The opening to it is hard to forget. I hate to be "that guy", but I always thought the song was titled "I like the night life baby". "Since I Held You" comes and goes without hooking me. For me, it felt like filler. Filler so early isn't a good sign. "It's All I Can Do" is a fairly decent track, but just really repetitive. "Double Life" is about the same. Before getting into the next song, I tried an experiment. I let "Double Life" play and skipped around back and forth throughout the song. The guitar chord never progresses or changes at all. The vocals and composition is good, but the repetitive chord is kind of bothersome. Then I do jump the next track and I'm all "what the eff is this?!" "Shoo Be Doo" is only about a minute and a half, but it's by far the coolest and most interesting part of this album so far. It's got a darker "new wave" sound to it and seems pretty instrumental for them based off the album and half we're through so far. This brings us into the title track, "Candy-O" and it's like a whole new album. There are chord changes, penetrating synths, and loads of awesomeness. It's like as if they went into a time machine to check out Bowie's work in the 90's that's not "I'm Afraid of Americans" and took it back to 79 and added synth to it. It's definitely a highlight. "Night Spots" has synth so serious in it that it makes me feel like I'm having a bad acid trip. It's almost too much to take with headphones on. "You Can't Hold On Too Long" and "Lust For Kicks" are both solid songs. I'm not that excited or rocking out, but I can't help but find my head bouncing along to "Lust For Kicks". "Got A Lot On My Head" wasn't that bad. It was an enjoyable up tempo song that I'll not remember this time next week. Also like the last album, it ends on a good note. "Dangerous Type" is a strong finish. This album shifted big time about half way through to be a respectably okay experience. I find myself thinking about Revenge of the Nerds though. This kind of music is sprinkled throughout its soundtrack. I can appreciate that, but I don't know for how long.
Album: Panorama
Year: 1980
Duration: 40:11
The album starts off with the self titled "Panorama". It's got a different tempo than what I'm used to so far, but it's definitely more my cup of tea. It's got a more mellow approach and reminds me of a lot of more modern bands. "The Killers" and "Franz Ferdinand" come to mind. I'm a fan of both so take it for what you will. "Touch And Go" comes next, which I guess is the only single from this album. I can honestly say that I've never heard this one. The chorus is delivered the same way as "My Best Friend's Girl" and it even rhymes. It almost feels like a remix of it. "Gimme Some Slack" has catchiness to it that I'd assume would have made for a good single. I'm a big fan of the keys here even if they are kind of loud. "Don't Tell Me No" is another solid track, but it's on the creepy side. If I saw the title without hearing the song, I'd think it's a song about "forceful relations". That was me being nice about it, but I meant "rape". It's the first time I find myself nodding along to the album. Vile double-meanings aside, I find myself liking it. "Getting Through" is only two and a half minutes, but it's a fun track. I'd be all "this is awesome!", but there are some bizarre sound effects that remind me of generic arcade games. "Misfit Kid" will probably stick in my head for awhile. The lyrics here are good, but the way it's delivered is what makes it hook you in. The effects in "Down Boys" are almost comical, which sucks because other than that it's a pretty decent song. "You Wear Those Eyes" is the best down tempo track thus far. Musically and lyrically it's a great track. This song is specifically enough for me to want to continue with the rest of this task. "Running To You" isn't bad at all, but it's not as impactful as the song before it. Luckily, the last track "Up and Down", finishes us off with a healthy dose of bad ass. It's a bit more experimental, but I liked the results. It's less jarring to my ears compared to some of the "sonic bounce" stuff that's all over the first two albums. Of course the hit singles of the first album are iconic, but as an album I think I like this one most of the three we've gotten through.
Album: Shake It Up
Year: 1981
Duration: 40:42
"Since You're Gone" kicks off the fourth album by "The Cars". It's another single that I've never heard. It's a fair enough song, but nothing to write home about. Next is the quite famous "Shake It Up". I've heard this one that's for sure. Honestly, I remembered it being better than what I'm hearing as I type this sentence. It doesn't come as alive as much as I thought it'd be. It's a disappointment. How many songs do The Cars have where they just simply repeat the title of the song a few times and call it a chorus? It's all redemption though as we get to an intriguing down tempo song titled "I'm Not The One". It's like a song that "Mahoney" would play during a romantic scene in "Police Academy". I'm sorry for all the 80's movie references, but this stuff sounds REALLY dated. Pretty much the same can be said for "Victim of Love", but "Cruiser" is pretty okay. It's a good up tempo song that gets my head nodding a long. It reminds me A LOT of a "Queens of the Stone Age" song. The opening drum pads of "A Dream Away" instantly made me giggle. Musically, it's cheesy as they come. That said, I love the vocal delivery and lyrics. If made with fewer layers, this Lou Reed sounding song would have been a lot cooler. "This Could Be Love" surprised me. I like it a lot. The first notes and build up is really cool. It's "darker" sounding and the synth has less of a pop build to it. I also like how "Think It Over" starts and where it ends up going. I'm surprised it wasn't a bigger hit single. Outside of the "repeat the title and call it a chorus" thing on it, it's pretty catchy and has a good hook. Call me crazy, but I think it's even better than the hit "Shake It Up". Keeping up with the trend they established, this album finished strong. "Maybe Baby" is as good as anything else on this album and better than most. Five out of the nine songs on this album were singles. I think it's safe to say that The Cars were pretty successful at this point in time. I can hear their music maturing and evolving, but I'd still go with "Panorama" over it. There's too much on this album that made me laugh AT it. I like laughing with my music, not at it.
Album: Heartbeat City
Year: 1984
Duration: 38:41
This album is supposed to be one of their bigger ones. Let's see what happens. "Hello Again" starts the album off with a very familiar synth sound. It's more of an up tempo montage song if anything. Taking the year into consideration, I could imagine this one being a big single. I'm surprised no one has sampled this for a pop song. It's catchy and not a bad way to start off album number five. I feel like I've heard "Looking For Love" before. This might me one of the only times I think the music is better than the vocals. I've heard "Magic" many times. Since we're getting into the MTV era stuff, I'm going to assume I'll be having a few "wow, that's THEM?" experiences. That being said, "Drive" is easily the best song of the entire discography. It's probably one of the best 80's songs, but its still a timeless song. Most of The Cars sounds like 80's, but "Drive" doesn't have that stigma. I had a feeling that the next song wouldn't live up to "Drive" and with "Stranger Eyes", I was right. Then we're back to "You Might Think", a song that anyone over 23 should know already. "It's Not the Night" is another downward drop on The Car rollercoaster. I do like the breakdown about two or so minutes in, but that's about it. The last single of the album, "Why Can't I Have You" isn't one I remember, but it's still pretty solid. "I Refuse" is the first time on this album I found myself nodding my head along, which is surprising for a "second to last" song. The final and title track, "Heartbeat City" isn't that great of a finish. This throws the "at least they finish strong" thing out the door. The singles are classic, the rest feels like bad montage music. These songs are clearly the most polished and well orchestrated. The lyric approach seemed to be maturing nicely and the music composition it tighter and fancier. I like the singles of this one more than any of the other albums, but I'm still going with "Panorama" as best overall album.
Album: Door to Door
Year: 1987
Duration: 46:43
The final studio album of "The Cars" begins with "Leave or Stay". It's definitely in the same vein as their other stuff, but it grabs my ears a bit more. "You Are The Girl", the first single on the album, kind of reminds me of the stuff from the first album… just more developed. We kick it into montage rock with "Double Trouble". I find myself nodding along to the rock riff and wanting to shake a fist to the rhythm. Could this be my favorite "montage song" of "The Cars"? Quite possibly. "Fine Line" start off like an effin' "Jodeci" song. That threw me for a loop. The organ sounds, down tempo, and tone is really melodramatic. Kidding aside, this song should have been a single. This late in the discography, I'm pretty sure "Fine Line" is my favorite "non-single" track. "Everything You Say" is another down tempo track, but it's also another pretty good song. "Ta Ta Wayo Wayo" has an odd title, but it has me doing a little dance in my chair. It's just a fun track and the keys on it are pimptastic. "Strap Me In", a single, isn't a bad one either. "Coming Up You", "Wound Up On You", and "Go Away" is a little to "easy listening" for me. If these were playing in an elevator, and I'm sure it is somewhere, I'd take the stairs. The guitars and actually ROCK portion of The Cars is highlighted in the last track. It might be the hardest song of their catalog, which is weird for an album with a lot of really dull elevator stuff. I read that this album was panned by critics and that's kind of surprising. I've been saying "Panorama" is their best "complete album", but the first half of this one gives it a run of its money. The second half is pretty horrible. I'd be willing to bet that if this was NEW album that today it would be reviewed in bit higher praise. Maybe it's a case of being ahead of their time. After a few hours of less than pleasant song experiences, I really enjoyed the first portion of the album. For a final album, it ends on an up note for this listener.
THE VERDICT
The Band: The Cars
Year: 1978 - 1987
Duration: Apx. 4 Hours
I'm surprised I didn't know that some of these awesome songs were by The Cars. I've played U2, Queens of the Stone Age, and a few other bands for people and they had the same "Wow, I didn't realize that was them! They have a lot of singles", response before. I looked it up and they have twenty three singles within six albums. That's pretty impressive. They deserve all the praise, credit, and love they get. I can hear "Devo", "Talking Heads", "Queen", and a lot of other great bands in the music of "The Cars", but I personally didn't enjoy them as much as those mentioned. Some of the lesser known stuff is that for a reason. I found myself zoning out rather often as songs just seemed to carry on and on without much change to them. The highs are high, but the lows are really really low. Maybe if they didn't put an album out every year for a four year period, they could of condensed. The Cars put out six albums, but if they'd of taken more time with shaping the albums they'd of had about four REALLY solid albums. Maybe I'm missing something, but there seems to not be a lot of substance to a good portion of what they've put out. I may be way off here, but they're sorta like the "new wave" ZZ-Top. I didn't go back and count, but I'd say that at least a good 75% of the songs had chorus's that were basically just repeating the title of the song a couple times. I know that's common in music, but on here it just felt repetitive, lazy, and sadly sometimes lame. So lame that at times it feels like I'm listening to elevator music. I feel bad because I feel like I'm mocking the band unfairly. I know this is mainly a "I'm 26 and too young to really enjoy it" issue, but there's just not much of their work that translates to today's style or even on a "timeless" level. The dozen or so songs I liked, I loved. The rest I can live without. I can respect being a fan of "The Cars", but it's just not for me. Their discography probably won't find a home in "Casa Del' MiGo", but those dozen or so songs I loved will surely end up on my random play lists.
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