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The roots of the band The Cars can be traced back to the
early 1970's, when Ric Ocasek and Benjamin Orr began performing in a
band together in Ohio. After moving to Boston and hooking up a few
more band members, the group Milkwood was created. Milkwood
released on album in 1973 on the Paramount label (How's the Weather).
As time weathered on, so to speak, the duo of Ocasek and Orr found
themselves playing in several other bands, with names like Richard and
the Rabbits, Orphan, and Martin Mull and his Fabulous Furniture, and
Cap'n Swing. It was the band Cap'n Swing that eventually turned
into The Cars.
After playing the clubs and bars of New England, Elektra
Records signed the band after hearing a demo version of the single "Just
What I Needed" being spun on a local radio station. The bands self-titled
debut hit shelves in 1978. In addition to "Just What I Needed",
the album also featured the hit songs "My Best Friend's Girl" and "Good
Times Roll". The band's follow up album, Candy-O (1979),
featured the hit songs "Let's Go", "It's All I Can Do", and "Dangerous
Type". The bands 1980 release, Panorama, was considered
more experimental and did not do as well (however, you may remember the
song "Touch and Go"). The Car's 1981 release, Shake It Up,
was their first album to feature a number 1 hit single (the title
track). It also featured the hit song "Since You're Gone".
After a short hiatus to pursue solo projects, The Car's
came back together to release Heartbeat City (1984), their most
successful release. This album featured a number of hits,
including "You Might Think", "Hello Again", "Magic", "Drive", and "Why
Can't I Have You". The song "Tonight She Comes" was released on
their 1985 greatest hits album. Again a few of the members,
including Ocasek, went back to releasing solo albums until 1987, when
The Car's released Door to Door. This album featured the
song "You Are the Girl".
Shortly after, the band broke up as members went back to
solo careers. They would not reunite again until 2010, when a new
album (Move Like This) was released. At the time of this
writing, The Cars Discography is as follows:1978: The Cars
1979: Candy-O
1980: Panorama
1981: Shake It Up
1984: Heartbeat City
1985: Greatest Hits
1987: Door to Door
1995: Just What I Needed: The Cars Anthology
2001: Shake It Up & Other Hits
2002: Complete Greatest Hits
2005: The Essentials
2008: Classic Tracks
2011: Move Like This |
