RIP Ric Ocasek

[Bubbler]

What a shame. The Cars are great, and as Typefitter mentioned, he produced quite a bit of great power pop and rock.

His solo career wasn't bad either. "Emotion In Motion" was a bigger hit, but this song is a lot better.

 

[Chef2]

13 top-40 hits.

 

[Baron Scicluna]

“Hello Again” also is a good song.

RIP

 

[cyclingwriter2]

Cars were a hit machine with Ocasek mixing pop aimed directly at teens as well as stuff that went deeper. Not my favorite song, but my favorite lyric of theirs was from “all I can do.”

“When I was crazy/i thought you were great.” Perfectly sums up bad relationships that could have been better.

 

[Matt1735]

I'll go for Magic.

 

[Neutral Corner]

One of the better debut records you'll ever hear.

RIP Ric.

 

[Scout]

One of the better debut records you'll ever hear.

RIP Ric.

Jesus.

I know eight of the nine songs on that album from various sources.

One of the better? ****. That’s Beatles level.

 

[cyclingwriter2]

Looking through old photos of the cars...did they ever smile? I remember the videos being so goofy and fun, but literally they look mildly annoyed in every damn group photo.

 

[maumann]

We knew of "new wave" from England but it really hadn't supplanted disco until "The Cars" album hit the radio. What an amazing debut album, and the followup "Candy-O" was nearly as good.

Sharp guitars. Crazy drum off-beats. Synth. Driving bass. They had the whole package.

"My Best Friend's Girl" is still my favorite and never tire of hearing it. "Let's Go" gets cranked up every time I hear it on SiriusXM. "Moving In Stereo" should have received more airplay. Absolutely sounded like nothing on the radio at the time.

The second British Invasion was on its way, but The Cars prepared our ears for what was to come. Kraftwerk with lyrics.

 

[Neutral Corner]

Jesus.

I know eight of the nine songs on that album from various sources.

One of the better? ****. That’s Beatles level.

I played that record to death. Flat loved it. Still do.

Beatles level? You'd need to understand that I absolutely wore out "Meet the Beatles" and "The Beatles Second Album" from the time I was eight years old on. Those two records gave me Chuck Berry, Little Richard, Motown, Lennon/McCartney, and a lifelong love of 4/4 rock and roll. I find it incredibly difficult to put any other record at that level.

I'd put Elvis Costello's "My Aim is True" at about the same level as "The Cars". Fabulous records that established a band's sound, came out of nowhere. Amazing stuff.

 

[Jake from State Farm]

****
RIP

 

[ChrisLong]

Candy-O

A friend of mine has fronted a Cars cover band with that name for probably more than 20 years.

 

[jr/shotglass]

Yeah, this would have to be No. 1 on my top-10 list of why I'll miss Ric Ocasek.

Summer of '85, he's playing at an island venue in town. We were front row by the speakers. The backstage steps were in plain view of everyone up there.

The Cars begin the intro to "Hello Again," but Ocasek isn't done with his joint. He sucks away at it with one long leg up on a step until the last possible minute, then flicks the joint out to my feet, sprints to the mike and starts singing without missing a beat.

The doob? Yes, it was very good.

 

[DanOregon]

The Cars were an "MTV band" before MTV existed. That's not a knock - they had style before bands having a style was a thing. Agreed on threading the needle from 70s rock through disco to the synth sounds of the 80s. Not many fledgling bands made through the disco era.

 

[Elliotte Friedman]

This sucks. Loved Ocasek and The Cars

 

[wicked]

Inside The Cars’ secret clubhouse on Newbury Street - The Boston Globe

 

[britwrit]

****
RIP

That's actually Benjamin Orr - the Cars other lead vocalist - singing on that.

Tough to go when you're at some indeterminate age between 70 and 75. Worse when you're 53 and get hit by cancer.

 

[Neutral Corner]

The Cars’ Ric Ocasek: 17 Essential Songs

 

[swingline]

I believe I read that Porizkova arrived on a plan in the US wearing a Dead Kennedys (?) shirt sayin Too Drunk To ****.

 

[Starman]

According to the USA Today story and Wiki, Porizkova split from Ocasek in 2017.