Is there a thread for classic albums you never bothered to listen to because you've heard almost all of the songs already? I feel ashamed that I have no idea what "I'm in Touch With Your World" and "All Mixed Up" sound like, should remedy that soon
― Vinnie, Thursday, 19 September 2019 01:16 (four years ago) link
duuuuude get on that asap
― Squeaky Fromage (VegemiteGrrl), Thursday, 19 September 2019 01:17 (four years ago) link
Voted for Bye Bye Love. The pre-chorus is one my favourite Cars moments.
― kitchen person, Thursday, 19 September 2019 02:20 (four years ago) link
Orangy sky
― timellison, Thursday, 19 September 2019 02:24 (four years ago) link
Wow, both those songs are great. "I'm in Touch With Your World" has a charming feel, suddenly cut by that cool synth/ guitar explosion on the "such a lovely way to go" parts. And "All Mixed Up" has one of the best Orr vocals I've heard. And a sax solo! I can see why you like it so much, vg
Of course, that only makes this poll harder
― Vinnie, Thursday, 19 September 2019 03:01 (four years ago) link
Ocasek did a demo w his own vocals on All Mixed Up - still great but def a different feel. It’s Orr’s gorgeous lilting vocal fluctuations that really get me
― Squeaky Fromage (VegemiteGrrl), Thursday, 19 September 2019 03:22 (four years ago) link
I always thought I'm In Touch With Your World was the unpopular song but seemingly not here
― PaulTMA, Thursday, 19 September 2019 10:15 (four years ago) link
eh it’s the least best imo - closest thing to filler/intermission on this very very tight record
― Larry Elleison (rogermexico.), Thursday, 19 September 2019 11:24 (four years ago) link
didn't vote for it but i have a soft spot for 'all mixed up', which, perhaps embarrassingly, i knew first as a red house painters cover― mookieproof
― mookieproof
But to be fair, I'm also in the camp of people who didn't realize (until today) that Ric Ocasek didn't sing every Cars song except 'Drive'.
Just re-listened, and still have no idea how to vote -- the level of consistency on this album is staggering.
― enochroot, Thursday, 19 September 2019 14:36 (four years ago) link
Watching live videos - each note in place, each solo just like the record. I'm sure Orr wasn't granted much leeway for interpretation on anything, so that's why it can be hard to distinguish who's singing the songs. They're so tight as a band, each part weaving around the other, but once the arrangement was set, it was set.
― bendy, Thursday, 19 September 2019 15:09 (four years ago) link
I had never really watched live videos before. Man, Greg Hawkes is small!
― confusementalism (Dan Peterson), Thursday, 19 September 2019 15:13 (four years ago) link
The silver lining of Ric's death is how much people are realizing Orr was underappreciated in terms of vox/musical ability. I can't remember if there was an obit thread on here or not, time to search the archives...
― Jersey Al (Albert R. Broccoli), Thursday, 19 September 2019 15:48 (four years ago) link
There was no mention of Orr's death when he passed. :-( The first post about him is classic AlexInNYC:
The Cars managed to straddle the chasm between 'new wave' and 'accessible classic rock,' which was no mean feat a the time. Hardly timeless music....and very rooted in the era in which it was recorded (which is to say that the music of the Cars has not aged well at all), but still...some of their singles still merit a repeated spin. "Just What I Needed," "Moving in Stereo" (whoops, not actually a single, but an album track...and the soundtrack to Phoebe Cates removing her bathing-suit top in "Fast Times at Ridgemont High") and "Since You're Gone" are all pretty great. Purportedly, the Cars were *THE MOST BORING* live band to ever stride on a stage. Benji Orr is dead. Ric Ocasek is married to Paulina Porizkova and Elliot Easton the guitarist now plays in a Creedence Clearwater Revival cover band.― Alex in NYC, Tuesday, April 3, 2001 5:00 PM (eighteen years ago)
― Alex in NYC, Tuesday, April 3, 2001 5:00 PM (eighteen years ago)
The Cars: Classic or Dud?
― Jersey Al (Albert R. Broccoli), Thursday, 19 September 2019 15:53 (four years ago) link
I was an angry young man in 2001. I'm an angry old man in 2019, but I was a bit more charitable earlier this week. Rest in peace: https://vassifer.blogs.com/alexinnyc/2019/09/no-one-turns-off-the-cars.html
― Alex in NYC, Thursday, 19 September 2019 16:47 (four years ago) link
Heh, you mentioned that Phoebe Cates scene in both write-ups.
― enochroot, Friday, 20 September 2019 02:08 (four years ago) link
Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.
― System, Saturday, 21 September 2019 00:01 (four years ago) link
Don’t cha stopSuch a cool fucking riff and also skin skin
― valet doberman (Jon not Jon), Saturday, 21 September 2019 08:02 (four years ago) link
Purportedly, the Cars were *THE MOST BORING* live band to ever stride on a stage.
I don't know. I went down a YT Cars rabbit hole last night and found all kinds of awesome live footage:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=msAcTMKMSKA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UIUqaaZz-8k
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dhzrQzCdSH8
― Darin, Saturday, 21 September 2019 15:28 (four years ago) link
Also, I'm going to be a contrarian dickhead and say that Orr has a better voice that Ocasek.
― Darin, Saturday, 21 September 2019 15:32 (four years ago) link
oh for sure. and in those '78 clips you can see that he was kind of a babe. i feel like by the mid 80s he was bloated and weird and wore too much makeup.
― A-B-C. A-Always, B-Be, C-Chooglin (will), Saturday, 21 September 2019 16:43 (four years ago) link
Orr was v pretty back in the day, it’s true
― Squeaky Fromage (VegemiteGrrl), Saturday, 21 September 2019 16:43 (four years ago) link
"Stay the Night" was a jam! I loved Benjamin Orr even before I realized he was the guy from the Cars. What a sonorous voice he had.
― valet doberman (Jon not Jon), Saturday, September 21, 2019 3:02 AM (eight hours ago)
yes! lol
i had a thought while i was playing cars song after cars song the last week -- for a long time i had a hard time putting together the cars that sang "magic"/"shake it up"/fun or cute songs and the cars that sang "you're all i've got tonight"/"just what i needed"/kinda sleazy songs because they sounded like they had been written by completely different people. it was confusing and hard to reconcile without seeing videos and i knew they were the same band but didn't know what exactly was going on with the cars. also i was a kid.
i love all the good cars memories. they are one of my mom's fave bands!
― weird woman in a bar (La Lechera), Saturday, 21 September 2019 17:00 (four years ago) link
We took a weekend trip to MA to go to the Big E fair and it’s all cars all the time rn
― valet doberman (Jon not Jon), Saturday, 21 September 2019 17:15 (four years ago) link
It’s like we pledge allegiance To the chequered flagOf the fakkin cahs
― valet doberman (Jon not Jon), Saturday, 21 September 2019 17:23 (four years ago) link
Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.
― System, Sunday, 22 September 2019 00:01 (four years ago) link
Good turnout
― Our Borad Could Be Your Trife (James Redd and the Blecchs), Sunday, 22 September 2019 00:02 (four years ago) link
every track deserves 1,000 more votes
― Non stop chantar (crüt), Sunday, 22 September 2019 00:35 (four years ago) link