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Door to Door

The Cars - Door to Door Audio CD

A fair review of the The Cars "Door to Door" Audio CD. Please note that the below review is the views of the authors, and authors only. You can get a complete list of all The Cars reviews here, or go back to the The Cars tabs.

Band: The Cars
Title: Door to Door
Rating:

Release Date: 1990-10-25
Media: Audio CD

Tracks: 1: Leave or Stay 2: You Are the Girl 3: Double Trouble 4: Fine Line 5: Everything You Say 6: Ta Ta Wayo Wayo 7: Strap Me In 8: Coming up You 9: Wound up on You 10: Go Away 11: Door to Door

Under-rated Cars album
Then they had the typical 80s era, when they released some very successful singles, but in my opinion, those singles were surrounded on the albums with some music I can't stand to listen to, such as Hello Again or I Refuse from Heartbeat City. To me, The Cars had two eras, the initial two albums which released a ton of good songs. Door to Door comes out as having the album quality of the first era with the 80s music of the 2nd era.

Door to Door gets panned by many because it lacks good guitar or lyrics or whatever. . . as if the previous albums were masterpieces of lyrical art. Door to Door maintains a significant amount of power and energy and sometimes exhibits a raw sound to it. To me, this is the bands third best album as a whole (their first two being the top two obviously). While Heartbeat City has some great tunes, there is some seriously bad songs on it. I can listen to the entire Door to Door album without feeling embarrassed.

This album may be hit or miss with the listener, but I feel there is certainly enough good within the album to warrant giving it a change. There are many reviews here that both bash and praise the album, so is the world of music. .

Underrated sure but not illogically so...
It's lyrics are somewhat faceless, inoffensive and are nearly generic in stance. For all intents and purposes, Door To Door is the black sheep of all Cars albums. Which is a shame because it doesn't have too much in common with anything else in The Cars discography. The Cars were a band that moved with the times. This was bad for a few reasons. Hair bands were all the rage at the time as was bland synth-rock. So we got Ric Ocasek's almost watered-down versions of both. David Robinson's big booming drums have all but disappeared seemingly replaced by the non-intrusive beeps and taps or electronic drums (re: half of the album's songs I found myself asking "who thought it was a good idea to release recordings of the band accompanying a drum machine"). Greg Hawkes whose keyboard parts in the past were generally accompanying both guitars now spill all over the arrangements - which are in and of themselves, pretty unimaginative. The only things to indicate that it is in fact a Cars album are Ocasek and Benjamin Orr's vocals.

The lead single "You Are The Girl" is inoffensive if not anemic. "Double Trouble" is a generic Orr-sung rocker with an annoying keyboard part which is intended to flesh out the chorus. Oddly, the song ends up being a highlight. The singles "Coming Up You" and "Strap Me In" are both effective and are perhaps the best songs on the album. Re-recordings of two of the bands earliest songs ("Ta Ta Wayo Wayo" and "Leave Or Stay") sound out of place and inferior to their original versions. Their appearances here also indicate that perhaps Ocasek's creative juices were not flowing as freely as they had before. And the title-track is perhaps the Cars worst song, if not worst recording of a song (again, what's with the sped up drum machine?).

It wasn't perhaps the best album to bow out on but it's by no means a total embarrassment and certainly worth hearing (or purchasing at a discounted price). One has to wonder why the band let other musical technological fashions dictate their own as much as they did. Real drums always win in rock bands (as time has proven). I'm glad The Cars are not remembered for this album, but their vastly superior prior output.

A criminally underrated album that needs to be rediscovered
Ever the singles band, The Cars cranked out a few more albums with great hits and lots of filler before making a big splash on MTV with Heartbeat City. The commonly accepted storyline concerning The Cars goes like this: The band storms out of New England with a classic first album which contains many radio-friendly rock staples still on playlists today. Finally, the band tanked with Door To Door, one of the worst albums of the 80s.

There's a problem with this story. It's all wrong. The Cars' first album was great, but it wasn't their best (in my opinion that goes to the superb Shake It Up), they were much more than a singles band (check out "It's Not The Night," "Cool Fool" or "Cruiser" to see how good this band was apart from the hits), and Door To Door was not a total disaster.

Door To Door isn't a perfect album, either. But it does have plenty on it that makes it worth hearing. To start off, the album's hit "You Are The Girl" is one of the best pop songs The Cars ever produced. Door To Door features several great songs with a harder edge to them, like "Leave Or Stay," "Double Trouble," "Strap Me In," and the punkish title track. Plus, there's the wonderfully weird "Ta Ta Wayo Wayo" and "Everything You Say," with its Johnny Marr-esque guitar line that suggests The Cars weren't just reproducing their old sounds.

Not everything works. As usual, the slow songs are the weakest (which is consistent with all Cars albums, the only possible exception being "Drive" from Heartbeat City), and so "Fine Line" and "Wound Up On You" are disposable. The light pop of "Coming Up You" also doesn't work well. However, it doesn't tarnish Door To Door completely.

The fact of the matter is that The Cars' final effort has been unfairly maligned and disparaged over the years, and it deserves a second look.

Great Album - but different from Cars Previous
But in trying to understand the mixed reviews, you have to go back a few years. First, this is a great album.

Original Cars albums were very very unique in sound. This was due mainly to the influence of Ocasek, the lead singer and songwriter. The band had a sound that mixed punk and rock, with enough pop elements that they churned out some really popular songs that were fun to listen to. Some songs, invariably the ones that you never hear because they never hit charts, were in my opinion songs that you had to be in a whacky/crazy mood to listen to, but are popular nonetheless with Cars fans. But these guys had a talent for cranking out some great must-have material on an album-by-album basis.

So you have two major shifts on this album, and shifts like this will always lead to mixed reviews for Cars fans. The now-deceased Benjamin Orr sings the majority of the tracks - and his smooth pleasant singing voice contrasts greatly with that of Ocasek, who has a very unique contrasting voice. Ocasek has a strange-sounding voice, but it works, and it is integral to the distinctive and instantly recognizable 'Cars Sound'.

I couldn't imagine Ocasek singing many of the tracks on Door to Door. On the flip side, I have trouble seeing Ben Orr sing most of the earlier Cars style of music, but he seems the natural fit for the songs on this album.

Door to Door is different, and this is why you see the mixed reactions/reviews from fans that invested years into the Cars and generally expect consistency in sound. With this different frontman, and songs that aren't as punk as the 70s songs, there s some great stuff on this album, and I still don't understand why they never got more promotion and exposure. I do think the album might have been an effort to set Ben Orr up for some success after the band s split, especially after he sang the hit 'Drive' from Heartbeat City. It's a shame he didn't live longer. .

Crossing the finish line under a chequered flag

While this CD does not have the glitz of prior releases it does have some quality tracks that would be considered powerful if attached to other albums. The Cars' final studio release, 1987's "Door to Door," is often dismissed as a throwaway by many and is often equated with the band's sudden termination. As a huge fan of the band, I can understand the criticism of this effort. It didn't reach the lofty expectations coming off the wildly popular 1984 release "Heartbeat City," the darling of MTV, or have the appeal for commercial radio due to the absence of radio-friendly pop hits.

As this CD has now reached legal drinking age of 21, it remains a sweet mix of fun and maturity and will forever be a guilty pleasure.

A breakdown of the songs:

1. "Leave or Stay" -- Perhaps not the best choice for the album's opener. There were better options to serve that purpose but though not a memorable track it isn't without merit. Ric O does lead vocals.

2. "You are the Girl" -- Chosen as the first single to be released, the song was weak compared to previous singles that introduced the band's other efforts. Perhaps a bit on the mushy side, the song can be somewhat catchy though not sensational. Ric O does the singing.

3. "Double Trouble" -- The first song on the CD that is delivered with the vocals of Benjamin Orr, this is a terrific song that should be considered among the band's tightest efforts. For fans of "Shake it Up" think the song "Cruiser" with a bit of a twist. It rocks. The song would be a staple on classic FM radio if it were part of another CD.

4. "Fine Line" -- Singer Ric Ocasek did a masterful job with this tune. A very mellow song that borders on very dark; it would have been a perfect companion to a "Miami Vice" episode. The conclusion of this song has some crafty yet distinct musicianship. Excellent song. Listen to the subtlety that is Elliott Easton's guitar. Not flashy, but distinctive. Cool and mature. Sexy, eerie, dark.

5. "Everything You Say" -- Again Benjamin Orr's vocals are phenomenal with a sort of country-esque appeal. It is to the Cars' what "Hot Dog" was to Led Zeppelin. It is right around here that the CD kicks it up a notch. A nice little ditty.

6. "Ta Ta Wayo Wayo" -- A weird title for a song that actually injects some frivolity to this release. In just under three minutes, this song is reminiscent of earlier efforts which instantly makes the listener want to tap fingers and toes. Fun and irreverant.

7. "Strap Me In" -- Ocasek has a virtual masterpiece with this song. What an outstanding track. A true classic! This should be considered one of the band's best songs ever but will never get its just rewards because of the lack of support achieved by this CD. This is a crafty song. Listen and enjoy. It is what rock and roll is all about.

8. "Coming Up You" -- Orr's vocals were impressive here. The song isn't a classic but it is tough to overlook. While soft in tempo, Orr delivers his usual home run.

9. "Wound Up on You" -- A typical Cars' love song, this works because of Ocasek's quirkiness. Very mellow, very charming, very good.

10. "Go Away" -- Perhaps the best choice for the lead single on this album, this song is a steady and solid effort. Orr's voice is one for the ages. Sadly lost for the future, Orr's magnitude will never be forgotten and it is on songs like this where he is above the traditional singer.

11. "Door to Door" -- I love this song! The Cars unleashed. The title track is the anti-"Panorama. " Nor is it similar to their other title tracks "Shake it Up," "Heartbeat City" or "Candy-O. " This is, well, as a DJ once said jokingly "Did the Cars just go heavy metal?" Not quite. But this song is a very different production for the band and it roars with pleasure. It certainly is a very unique effort. The perfect finish for the song, the album and the band -- the final sounds are of a door slamming shut. And that was that! .

You can see a complete list of all The Cars discography, or go back to the The Cars tabs. There is also a good guide on how to read guitar tabs here.