Origins & Early Years of the Cars:
The Cars formed in Boston in 1976 at the same time as punk rock scenes began to explode in New York and London, but the band drew only slightly from that rebellious new style in forging its highly accessible, tuneful pop/rock sound. Pretty soon pop and album rock radio embraced the band and helped launch its ascent to '80s music royalty, aided by the addition of the band's demo for "Just What I Needed" to the playlist of influential Boston radio station WBCN. Before long the popularity of the Cars' keyboard-guitar pop attack helped establish new wave as a major '80s music presence.
Group Members:
- Ric Ocasek - Lead Vocals, Guitar, Primary Songwriter, Backing Vocals
- Greg Hawkes - Keyboards, Backing Vocals
- Elliot Easton - Guitar, Backing Vocals
- Benjamin Orr - Bass Guitar, Lead Vocals, Backing Vocals
- David Robinson - Drums
Vital '80s Statistics:
- Placed four Top 10 studio album releases on the Billboard pop charts.
- Enjoyed four Top 10 singles on the Billboard pop charts.
- Charted on the Billboard singles or album chart all but two of the 10 years the band was together.
Debut Album:
After signing with Elektra Records, the Cars released their self-titled debut album. Fueled by the hit singles "My Best Friend's Girl" as well as "Just What I Needed," the album climbed the charts quickly, peaking at No. 18. Filled with rock radio staples, The Cars still stands as a landmark album, and its genius lies in its marriage of Easton's blistering fretwork, Hawkes' inventive synthesizer work, and Ocasek's tight songwriting. The album's pair of singles may have failed to make the Top 20, but the career of the Cars had enjoyed a majestic start.
Ongoing Consistency:
Over the course of the next 10 years, the Cars would be constant occupants of the pop charts, MTV music video playlists and disparate record collections. Their videos in particular, for songs such as "Drive" and "You Might Think", became MTV mainstays and continued to increase the band's exposure. Meanwhile, the group's output avoided a significant decline in quality, as each subsequent album with the exception of 1987's Door to Door was guaranteed to contain at least two brilliant, near-perfect pop songs.
Breakup, Dormancy, Reunion?:
Following the Cars' disappointing final album, the group disbanded. And while Ocasek became ever more involved in pop music production, his former bandmates quietly pursued smaller projects. Almost 20 years later Hawkes and Easton began entertaining the possibility of reforming the band. Though Ocasek and Robinson amicably rejected the idea, the other two Cars turned to friend and longtime star Todd Rundgren, a partnership that in 2006 resulted in a supergroup, aptly called The New Cars.
The Cars - Legacy & Loss:
Even with so much time past since their last release, the Cars have always remained a vital and thriving anchor of rock radio. And their lightly edgy pop/rock continues to influence a new batch of musicians, as modern alternative acts such as Franz Ferdinand and the Killers continue to expound upon the innovative, accessible sound pioneered by this highly original American band. It's just too bad Ben Orr, who died of cancer in 2000, couldn't be around to make his own choice about reforming.
