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The Cars: Deluxe Edition

The Cars - The Cars: Deluxe Edition Audio CD

A fair review of the The Cars "The Cars: Deluxe Edition" 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: The Cars: Deluxe Edition
Rating:

Release Date: 1999-05-04
Media: Audio CD

Tracks: 1: Good Times Roll 2: My Best Friend's Girl 3: Just What I Needed 4: I'm in Touch With Your World 5: Don't Cha Stop 6: You're All I've Got Tonight 7: Bye Bye Love 8: Moving in Stereo 9: All Mixed Up 10: Good Times Roll [Live] 11: My Best Friend's Girl [Demo Version] 12: Just What I Needed [Demo Version] 13: I'm in Touch With Your World [Demo Version] 14: Don't Cha Stop [Demo Version] 15: You're All I've Got Tonight [Demo Version] 16: Bye Bye Love [Demo Version] 17: Moving in Stereo [Demo Version] 18: All Mixed Up [Demo Version] 19: They Won't See You [#][Demo Version] 20: Take What You Want [#][Demo Version] 21: Wake Me Up [#][Demo Version] 22: You Just Can't Push Me [#][Demo Version] 23: Hotel Queenie [#][Demo Version]

A must have for collectors, fans, and hi-fi nuts
But, if you're a Cars fan and want to hear this album as if it's brand new again the deluxe edition is for you. If you're content with an MP3 and hear enough Cars on the radio you don't need to get this CD. I've been collecting remasters of many 60s, 70s, and 80s albums. The list of material that sounded better on vinyl than the CD is shrinking with remastering of some of them. While there's only so much that could be done with this one thanks to rather noisy master tapes this version does breathe new life into it. If you've liked what remastering has done for some others you're bound to enjoy The Cars, deluxe edition.

Take what you want
This is a great package. O-MY-GOD. The price is great. The music is great.
The second CD has got the early raw stuff on it, and is just incredible. This is a must have for Cars fans.

Deluxe Edition does The Cars' debut justice
I. THE BAND: Ric Ocasek (vocals, rhythm guitar), Elliot Easton (lead guitar), Benjamin Orr (R. P. vocals, bass), Greg Hawkes (keyboards, percussion, saxophone), David Robinson (drums & percussion).

THE DISC: Originally released in 1978 (one disc, nine tracks) and lasting just over 35 minutes. This digitally remastered "Deluxe Edition" released in 1999 includes a 2nd disc containing 56+ minutes of material. Disc-2 features one live track, eight demos (songs from this 1st album), and four unreleased demos. The cardboard package itself unfolds horizontally, then vertically. Included with the discs is an extensive 22-page booklet containing song titles/times, numerous band photos, all song lyrics from both discs, a 5-page intro (shortened from "The Cars Anthology", 1995), Billboard chart success, band members and original black & white photos/artwork. Recorded at Air Studios, London (Feb '78). Label - Elektra/Rhino.

COMMENTS: The Cars were never better than this debut album. Rock and pop with a synth/techno alternative flavor. Classic songs that sounded like nothing else at the time. The Cars were "New Wave" before there was New Wave (which hit in the early 80's). Nine songs - with only one question mark (filler?) in "I'm In Touch With Your World". The other eight tracks were gold (the album reached #18 on the Billboard Pop charts and has sold over 6 million units). Ric Ocasek's quirky voice teamed with bassist Ben Orr's smooth voice worked well together. Greg Hawke on keyboards made & pulled this band tighter. The hit songs that made it to major air-waves were "Let The Good Times Roll", "My Best Friend's Girl", and "Just What I Needed". But, check out tracks 6-9. . . "You're All I've Got Tonight", "Bye Bye Love", "Moving In Stereo" and "All Mixed Up" run together fluidly - these are awesome album tracks. Sure this band looked like a bunch of geeks, but man when they came together with their instruments, they really made some beautiful music. Looking at The Cars catalog of albums, in my opinion, only their sophomore album "Candy-O" (1979) came close to making the bold statement of their 1st album. The Cars' debut is ranked #282 on Rolling Stone Magazine's list of 500 all-time greatest albums. Disc-2 is good on first listen. . . the demos presented here are what got them their record deal in the 70's. The bonus/unreleased tracks are decent as well - but be prepared to -not- be blown away by them. As fun as the demos are to hear, the playing is pretty raw, some instruments are to loud and others too soft, and the demo "tape" itself is somewhat limited as far as highs (treble) and lows (bass) go. The unreleased tracks fall into the category as many other bands and their unreleased tracks. . . they're unreleased for a reason. . . they were not good enough to be released at the time, so into the vault they went. With that being said though, the long time fan should get a kick out of them over the first few listens (and then filed back in the vault). The Cars have several compilations - the best being their "Complete Greatest Hits" (2002) and the 2-disc set "Cars Anthology". . . and both compilations feature 6 of the 9 tracks from their debut. Rhino did it correctly in leaving the originally album by itself on disc-1, and the bonus material on disc-2. The Car's debut is a classic disc and this "Deluxe Edition" does it justice (5 stars).
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Debut Album with Lots of Extras
With Ric Ocasek generally taking the lead vocal, The Cars combined wonderfully wordsmithed lyrics with a solid rock beat to become one of the best New Wave groups. The Cars hit a formula right from the very start. Some people have argued that The Cars, along with Devo and several other groups, created New Wave.

This album is a remarkable debut, with three of the songs released as singles and three others released as flipsides for a incredible 6 of 9 songs appearing as singles - something that few other groups have managed to achieve. The songs are: "Just What I Needed"/"I'm in Touch with Your World" (5/29/78), "Best Friend's Girl"/"Don't Cha Stop" (10/10/78), and "Good Times Roll"/"All Mixed Up" (2/27/79).

I've always had a great appreciation for The Cars' lyrics. They are typically artfully evocative and more intended to evoke emotion than to convey a concept directly. As an example, look at the opening lyrics of "All Mixed Up":

she shadows me in the mirror
she never leaves on the light
and some things that I say to her
they just don't seem to bite

When you read The Cars' (typically Ric Ocasek's) lyrics you feel surrealistic. Once you understand you are to picture images of feelings, or feel the feelings yourself, you gain an understanding of how the singer/songwriter is feeling. It helps that some lyrics are also playful or ironic, which makes some of this music fun.

This CD is probably not a must for your collection if you have the original version. However, the second CD with demo versions and previously unreleased tracks is a great addition to any fan's collection of Cars' music, particularly if you are a big fan.

The Cars insisted they are music performers and not an "act", preferring to be known for their music rather than their ability to look flashy or jump around on stage. Fortunately for us, the listeners, that desire translates into musical quality and sincerity. This music has a pop feel to it, but with enough of a hard edge that pushes it towards the boundary between pop and hard rock.

The musical style is somewhat dated, feeling like the late 70s music that it is, but it has aged to the point where it is now classic rock. This CD is very solid music for anyone a fan of The Cars, of late 70s or 80s music, or anyone looking for something a bit out of the mainstream that has a good solid rock beat.
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You Gotta Get This CD
This is all about disc 2 - the demo versions of the songs are great to listen to and it's fun to see what changed from the demo to the final album versions of the tracks. Of course you already have The Cars' debut album. There are even some bonus tracks of demo songs that were never released, a few are quite good.

Get this CD, throw it in your car and let the good times roll!.

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.