Album Summary
The Cars is the debut studio album by American rock band the Cars, released on June 6, 1978, by Elektra Records. Produced by Roy Thomas Baker, the album spawned the singles "Just What I Needed", "My Best Friend's Girl", and "Good Times Roll". It peaked at number 18 on the US Billboard 200 and has been certified six-times platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).
Reviews
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Date
Feb 10 2022
Author
in the world of cars this album would be a ford focus.
straight down the middle.
not particularly fast, but not slow.
not particularly good looking, but not hideous.
not particularly economic, but not a gas guzzler.
not particularly interesting, but not boring.
not particularly cool, but not a ssanyong.
just middle.
May 18 2021
Author
I mean, each track is a 5 star track, so what more can really be said about this album? Musically, The Cars nails
The mix on Moving in Stereo is fun and meta as they play with the left and right channels.
There's a high toned keyboard melody in All Mixed Up that punches out of the left speaker in such a delightful way.
Feb 05 2021
Author
Ok, so.... this is New Wave. BUT. It's also full of iconic tracks for a reason. The Cars might be the best of the new wave movement. Good Times Roll, My Best Friend's Girl, You're All I've Got Tonight, Just What I Needed... monsters of the era. It's synthy but not bloopy. And the guitar tones on You're All I've Got Tonight and Bye Bye Love are killer no matter the genre. It's got an edge and an energy that is just missing from the vast majority of new wave albums. I expected to hate it but didn't. Solid album.
Oct 12 2021
Author
I'm going to out on a limb and say that more albums have been ruined by off the rack synths than by any other single factor. And yet The Cars, on their debut album, managed to make off the rack synths sound not just funny, like Devo, but actually--gasp--cool! How the hell did they do it? Most importantly, they used synths for either single note contrapuntal lines or color, never chords. Secondly, guitarist Elliot Easton was almost always way up front in the mix. These are very guitar oriented tunes--the synths are generally secondary. The arrangements are like the interlocking gears of a watch, cunningly constructed. There are no extraneous lines or pieces. Everything fits together perfectly. It turns out that Roy Thomas Baker was the perfect producer for The Cars. There is a clarity in the production that encourages the listener to pick out the separate lines in the arrangements. The only way that Baker deviates from this plan is with the vocal choruses, which are big, full, and vibrant. It's a magical combination. Notice I haven't said a thing about the tunes themselves yet. That's because if the elements I mentioned hadn't been present, this album would have sucked big time. As it is, the music gods were smiling down on The Cars because every last tune is a knockout with strong melodies and big fat, rhythmic hooks, performed to perfection by the band, so that the album comes off as loose, hip, modern and most of all fun. And to top it all off, the lyrics are simple enough to understand on a first listen and yet sardonic and multi-layered. There are plenty of albums that are more complex, more ambitious, and more innovative than The Cars' debut, but it would be hard to find one more perfect.
Jun 18 2021
Author
One of my favorite albums of all time, perhaps my favorite pop album of all time. Just an absolute titan from beginning to end
5/5
Jan 15 2021
Author
Let the good times roll
Apr 10 2024
Author
Starts really slow in my opinion but closer to the end the better. Last two tracks (Moving in Stereo and All Mixed Up) are cherry on top of this record.
Solid four stars.
Jan 22 2021
Author
I didn't realize how many classic rock songs came from this one album.
Feb 01 2021
Author
Wall to wall bangers.
Jul 06 2021
Author
Every track is a banger
Jan 31 2021
Author
Incredible. One of the best debut albums of all time.
Mar 18 2021
Author
This album is so good. No skips. Every song is so fun and iconic, this album is one of my favorites of all time
Dec 14 2023
Author
Gee whiz, what’s that zipping along the highway, clearing the road in 35 minutes flat with 9 bangers? It’s only “The Cars”! Har har har! WITTY.
“The Cars” represents a combination of all the up-and-coming alternative music in 1978. There’s catchy power-pop, various jagged punk stylings, quirky oddball vocals ala Bryan Ferry or David Byrne, and a prominent focus on new-wave-leaning lead synth lines. The album’s three singles all burst out one after the other at the very beginning of the album: “Let The Good Times Roll” is more of a saunter than a galloping start, but immediately boasts excellent chorus vocals and good prominence of analog lead synth lines. But then, “My Best Friend’s Girl” is pure pop perfection: I wouldn’t have thought twice if I’d read it was originally by Buddy Holly, or the Beatles, or Tom Petty, or Ramones. It has a guaranteed place in rock history, with a glorious melody, obligatory handclaps and a lovely trebly fingerpicking accompaniment to boot. And everything you’ve heard about “Just What I Needed” is true: it’s a classic with a killer chorus that digs into my brain the more I listen to it.
Nothing else quite matches the opening stretch, but there’s no shortage of very good tracks across the rest of the record. “Moving in Stereo” is a fantastic gear shift towards new-wave, with programmed drums, whistling synths and an enigmatic, mid-tempo hook. “Bye Bye Love”, all chugging verses and then clicking into place with a restless staccato chorus, could have been another hit. “Don’t Cha Stop” may be a little lightweight, but it does have an excellent outro with more exhilarating guitar work. The others are admittedly more of a mixed bag (particularly the off-piste “I’m in Touch with Your World” and the fairly generic “You’re All I’ve Got Tonight”) but they’re always spirited and sprightly, not allowing anything to become too bogged down.
If it all comes across as a relentlessly assured, effortless selection of tracks, it’s perhaps because this was not Ric Okasek’s first rodeo. Aged 34 at the time of the album’s release (but lying to Rolling Stone and claiming he was 29), Okasek had met bassist Benjamin Orr in 1965 and played in various bands throughout the intervening years. They were relatively old hands by “The Cars”, surrounded by younger band mates and newly emerging trends to hop on. The songwriting is matched by great production by Roy Baker, known (by me) for some stellar work on the first four Queen albums: here, he establishes The Cars as a sharp, crisp and tight new wave band. It’s shiny, pristine and sleek as a brand new car: all sharp edges, perfect clarity and separation, well-rounded sound. There’s the perfect amount of space left for the harmonies and jangly guitars (see “My Best Friend’s Girl”, “Bye Bye Love”) to come leaping from the mix. And there’s some liberal use of effects (flange in “Don’t Cha Stop”, gimmicky panning and rotary in “Moving in Stereo”) for some extra spice.
They’d have flashes of the same success in subsequent albums, but “The Cars” has really impressed me as a great debut from a band who arrived fully-formed out of the box.
Nov 16 2023
Author
Basic. Boring. This is really not a great album. It doesn't belong on this list. Nothing of any real interest going on here. Sounds and feels hollow.
Oct 06 2021
Author
Hit after hit! If you had asked me to name a Cars album, I couldn't have done so, but it turns out I know half of these. Great stuff.
Jul 08 2021
Author
Great album from beginning to end. Some of the best power pop ever recorded. Sadly, The Cars never released another LP of this caliber.
Apr 03 2021
Author
Groundbreaking and fun. Perfect little album.
Jan 18 2021
Author
Another awesome selection from the generator. We do just what I needed in the band I’m in. Love the cars. Such feel good music
Nov 16 2023
Author
Sounds like the very definition of american FM rock. Kinda sounds bland to me.
Jan 25 2022
Author
Best debut album ever. The invention of top 40 radio rock. Let the good times roll.
So its only 1978(!) and new wave rock already never sounded better than on this Cars album full of catchy songs, all played in their typical highly effective style - somehow they managed to get it right, right from the start. The first three songs are winners and is hard to imagine why one would not instantly like this album very much.
And its massive influence is obvious. Think New Pornographers, Weezer, Urge Overkill, the Strokes etc etc
Aug 26 2024
Author
The Cars' debut album was one of the first albums to get the "New Wave" genre name. It therefore was incredibly influential as New Wave became one of the biggest and most important genres of 80's. But did it age good if it was so big and "ground breaking" to begin with? No, in fact, it aged horribly. It's a bland and one dimensional listen full of boring moments that leave you more uninterested than before. Even the "good" songs this has to offer are boring to a point of exhaustion that leaves the desire to sleep rather than listen to more.
The album starts with the annoying and downright stupid 'Good Times Roll'. It tries so hard to be Rocky and "cool" but ends up being the same thing that MGK tries with his "Rock" stuff today. It is stupid, useless, annoying and just not a good song. The chorus is weak, the synths annoy the whole time, the verses so bland that boiled chicken reminds you of spicy Mexican food and the songwriting feels so repetitive that some Techno feels like the most dynamic music of all time. It sounds like they took some Billy Joel, some Boston, some Television and some Blondie, mixed it and decided to take the things that didn't work and applied them to the nonsense they made thus far. If you haven't realised it yet, I do not like this song. It's not terrible, it doesn't make my ears bleed but it is so basic in comparison to what similar music from a similar time sounded like. It's just a bad song, that's it.
Hopefully, the second song 'My Best Friend's Girl' does things better, right? No, it's the same thing but with verses that feel forced and weird rather than funny and quirky. It's not as dreadful but it is as bad. Just take the same thing I said for the first song and apply it here. What is different is that the guitar bridge isn't totally bad but the synths in there just destroy the whole thing.
Most people point to 'Just What I Needed' as THE song from the album and I do think that it is a fairly good song in comparison to the rest of the album. In fact, it is the best song. It's quite enjoyable and not as annoying, the verses are passable and the chorus is okay. It's still not good but it's an okay song that I don't mind listening to even if it does strech towards the end which isn't a good thing when the song isn't even 4 minutes.
'I'm in Touch With Your World' goes a little "Experimental" and "Post-Punk" and I do like what they were going for BUT this type of music has to be done right and with enough edge to it. When it's turned overly Pop, it is turned into something that is simply bad and doesn't work. The sound they tried to do here isn't fitting with the style they end up doing. It's like if the Talking Heads decided to go full on Madonna in the middle of Remain in Lights. Not a good idea. If you want an example of a song like this to be done right, go and listen to 'Mother' by The Police.
Luckily, 'Don't Cha Stop' tunes the Post-Punk a little bit more back and lets more of the Power Pop shine through. The result is a fairly okay song, maybe a little over the top and it definitely tries way too hard but it's alright. It's got some nice energy throughout and it isn't annoying except for the hook but you cannot ask for everything, right? An alright ending to the albums first half.
Side 2 is opened with 'You're All I've Got Tonight' which interestingly features some quite "Hard Rock" sounding guitars even if they sometimes sound very, very dissonant and not in a good way. The song is mainly boring with a listenable chorus which overall doesn't really make the song much better. It's just there, a little bit hard to get through because it streches the moment the first chorus ended but alright.
'Bye Bye Love' keeps sonically a lot from the song before and it actually sounds pretty much the exact same. If the chorus was removed you could replace them and noone would notice. The song's boring without anything interesting, not even the chorus, that makes this somewhat listenable. It's just not good, like genuinely terrible, just dreadful.
At least 'Moving in Stereo' is a slight even if its a very slight step up to the previous song. The artistic approach with some Post-Punk elements are done much better than on Track 4 even if it turns out as boring as that. It's a song you don't mind. It's definitely not good but it isn't terrible either. For every moment that is okay to listen to, there is a moment that just sucks but it evens out into a bad but not truely terrible song.
The album closes with 'All Mixed Up' which is quite interesting in comparison. The synths are quite passable and the performances as well are okay. The song is nearly good. It would've needed some added work but it isn't totally off. I am happy that the album at least ended with an okay song and not another downright dreadful piece.
favourites: Just What I Needed, All Mixed Up, Don't Cha Stop
least favourites: Bye Bye Love, I'm in Touch With Your World, Moving in Stereo, Good Times Roll, My Best Friend's Girl
Rating: decent 3
https://rateyourmusic.com/~Emil_ph for more ratings, reviews and takes
Nov 21 2023
Author
There's only one good Cars song (Drive) and it's not on this album. L +
Jul 20 2022
Author
Fantastic rock album. Each song in the first half can be a hit in its own right, with the second half more experimental.
The synth and harmonies paired up with their straight rock n roll sound makes this such a classic and it many way timeless as almost a first pop punk album, closer to early 2000s rock than contemporary albums.
Sep 29 2021
Author
Great album start to finish. The Cars have a certain sound and a certain formula that can be heard across most of their songs, but it just WORKS. The beginning of Good Times Roll is such a great opening and the song is simply cool all the way through. In fact, the first three tracks (GTR, My Best Friend's Girl", and "Just What I Needed") are such classics I'd call this a 5 just on those tracks alone, but the rest keeps me interested and wanting to hear this album again and again (and of course "You're All I've Got Tonight" and "Bye Bye Love" are also classics). I'll also point out that this is a great pairing with Blondie's Parallel Lines which we randomly got a few days back. Perfect one-two punch of new wave.
Jul 02 2021
Author
The Cars fait partie de ces groupes formés de l'article "The" et d'un nom commun au pluriel (exemple: The Doors et son imperturbable organiste Manzarek).
Pour autant, ce n'est pas aux Doors que le style des Cars nous fait penser mais bien à celui de Queen.
L'album s'ouvre en effet sur une introduction intitulée "We Are The Winners" suivie du titre "Don't Block Me Now".
Quelques pistes plus tard apparaît soudain le titre "Nonconformist Rhapsody".
Pas assez flagrant pour vous peut-être ? Alors comment expliquez-vous que le dernier morceau s'appelle "We Will Move You" et que l'on voit dans son clip le batteur taper deux fois ses mains sur ses cuisses avant de les taper une fois entre elles ?
Rendez-vous à l'évidence..
May 07 2021
Author
enjoyed this - wee bit dated, but good tunes and tight band.
Sep 29 2025
Author
I GUESS YOU'RE JUST WHAT I NEEDED (JUST WHAT I NEEDED)
Jul 14 2025
Author
I was never into The Cars, but their influence is undeniable.
Jul 14 2025
Author
Really good! Mainstream rock, but with a hefty injection of "new wave" (aka synths and minor chords). There's something about 1978: loads of bands from that year sound so, erm, 1978 (the Vapors, Boomtown Rats, Elvis Costello & the Attractions, etc etc). (Mainly) blokes in suits, not quite punk but lots of energy; bit of synth in there. Anyway, to me, the Cars fit in to that gang, and are among the best of them. Some real tunes here. In fact it seemed to get better and better; side 2 was even better than side 1. I'd shamefully neglected The Cars, apart from a couple of big hits, so this was a great discovery. (Also, it's mad that music like this is nearly 50 years old. Despite sounding very 1978, it also sounds pretty fresh in places.) 9 out of 10 but I'll round up cos it's all good, tbh.
Jul 14 2025
Author
Just what I needed amongst all the metal, rap and beardy 70s men with guitars
Jul 12 2025
Author
There are a handful of rock bands whose first album is both a classic of the genre, and as good or better than anything they have ever done: Led Zeppelin, Van Halen, Black Sabbath and Devo come immediately to mind. This record belongs in that category. I’m not necessarily a Cars listener, but I really like this album. Elliott Easton is on point. Some of the songs are a little puerile, but the best rock usually is.
Jul 11 2025
Author
Yeah I mean I don’t know if there is a more perfect album. For a while I thought this was a greatest hits album it is that good. Guitar playing could be my fav part. What a perfect power pop album
Jul 11 2025
Author
Insane awesome album great first three for my mile long run. Best friend’s girl!
Mar 29 2025
Author
Classic album! I love the cars and this is my favorite of theirs! It's literally got so many of their best songs on it! My best friends girl, just what I needed classic!
Jan 15 2025
Author
My Dads first album
If you only knew how many times my Dad told me the story of him buying his first album. My brothers and I eventually made a game out of it - who could call a Car’s song out the fastest and make the quote before my Dad could “tHIs WAs tHE fiRST aLBum I eVeR BAhT” 😂😂
This album is actually great. Moving In Stereo still gives me special thoughts reflecting on Fast Times At Richmond High. Bye Bye Love, Let The Good Times Roll, Youre all Ive Got… hits on hits
Jan 06 2025
Author
A stone cold classic. One of those rare (debut!) albums that plays like a greatest hits comp
Jan 02 2025
Author
Overall: 10/10
:) :) :) :) :) :)
After ending 2024 with a 1 star album, 2025 is off to a good start cause this is one of my all time favourite albums. When I was in high school I decided I wanted to get into records and my mom gave me all of her old records since she didn't listen to them anymore. I remember looking through her records and being intrigued by this album cover. There's something about it that just instantly felt iconic to me. It ended up being the first album I ever listened to on vinyl and I think it's an understatement to say that it was life changing for me. As soon as the opening chords of Good Times Roll came in I was entranced. You might think I'm crazy for saying this but it's a core memory for me. To this day (about 12 years since I first heard it) I still listen to it at least once a month. Every single song is a banger and Benjamin Orr was such a rockstar 😍 Ugh, gonna go listen to it 20 more times today
Fav Song: Moving in Stereo
Least Fav Song: ????? Impossible, are you nuts?
Oct 01 2024
Author
A new wave masterpiece
Sep 19 2024
Author
A classic. Ocasek and the boys did a phenomenal job on this album. This also has my all-time favorite Cars song "Moving in Stereo". IYKYN.
Aug 05 2024
Author
Every song on this album is a banger! Thoroughly enjoyed listening to this one.
Aug 03 2024
Author
This made me realize how many singles from the Cars I actually knew. That being said it does make the album a little top heavy, but the rest of the tracks are pretty great too. I wish I found this sooner.
Apr 06 2024
Author
It always blows my mind to go back and see how many great songs came off the first album of classic bands. The Cars is no exception. This album makes me love the Cars al over again. I can’t imagine anyone not liking it.
May 29 2023
Author
Pretty much a perfect pop-rock album. I frequently make the mistake of thinking it a key album of the 80s but, of course, it pre-dates the 80s - which speaks even more highly of its achievement, I think, in setting a strong tone for many other releases that followed it. It's not an album I turn to very often, but every time I do I'm reminded that it's just so damn good!
Oct 05 2022
Author
-S Tier-
Good Times Roll
My Best Friend’s Girl
Just What I Needed
I’m in Touch with Your World
Don’t Cha Stop
You’re All I’ve Got Tonight
Bye Bye Love
Moving in Stereo
-A Tier-
All Mixed Up
AVG SCORE: 4.89 / 5.0
- - -
Not only is there not a single skippable song on this album, this is one the closest albums to musical perfection as far as I’m concerned. Absolutely transcendent.
Aug 31 2022
Author
Perfect timing, since I was fantasizing about a smokin' Phoebe Cates coming out of the pool and removing her top. So I guess you could say this was...just what I needed.
Aug 04 2022
Author
Heartbeat City was one of my absolute favorite albums when I was a teen. I was less familiar with this one, but many of its songs are well known classics to me.
I really enjoyed this trip to their origin point! It does feel like they helped create the sound of the 80s by going beyond guitar-bass-drum rock. "Moving in Stereo" really feels like we're there already.
May 05 2022
Author
I really like this album so far. Easy to listen to, very catchy on the first listen. I've heard one of their bigger hits (Just What I Needed) before, but The Cars were not a band that I was explored previously. I will definitely be looking into some of their other albums. Moving in Stereo is a jam!
May 13 2021
Author
Love this album. The first 3 tracks are absolute gold and it doesn't really drop off too far from there. I've loved Just What I Needed for years and can't believe it's taken this long to give the rest of the record a run. Amazing.
May 06 2021
Author
I love the cars, but it's one of those bands I never know it's them until someone points it out. It helps that I love the first song on the album.
OOOOOO I know the 2nd one too.
Yeah no doubt, I like this album a lot.
Jan 14 2021
Author
Already listened! A personal favorite
Mar 25 2021
Author
Straight jams back to back.
Jul 21 2021
Author
A great one from my youth.
Jan 03 2021
Author
Classic. Great songs and sounds.
Dec 10 2024
Author
I had heard this album a few times before, and don’t know why I didn’t purchase it back in the day. I really like it, and it takes me back to my old college days. The only reason that I don’t give it 5 stars is because I seem to tire of it somewhat quickly. But all in all, it’s excellent.
Dec 10 2024
Author
I went in with pretty low expectations, figuring that Just What I Needed, a song I adore, would be the only real highlight, but to my shock and pleasure this is really fucking good! To begin with, I forgot about Good Times Roll and My Best Friend's Girl, two songs I don't frequently play but still dig a lot. Those, combined with the aforementioned brilliance of JWIN, made for a severely underrated opening three track run. The deeper cuts didn't disappoint either; I'm In Touch With Your World and You're All I've Got Tonight were splendid, and the groove on Moving in Stereo (not a deep cut based on YTM play counts but still one I forget about often) is absolutely amazing. The only track that didn't really click on first listen was Don't Cha Stop, and I wouldn't be surprised if that changed with time.
Very impressive listen. Several classic hitters of the early new wave scene, a song that scratches my favorites list, and a VERY tight runtime make me a very happy camper. I might have to poke around some more of the group's work sometime.
Apr 10 2024
Author
Love the hits on this album!
Apr 09 2024
Author
Pretty close to a 5.
Mar 19 2024
Author
I love the Cars. This is a tremendous (debut) album, chock full of hits. Punchy pop, immediately puts me in a good mood. Rock on.
Oct 23 2023
Author
for me, The Cars are probably the definition of a Greatest Hits band, classic singles but the sound is so characteristic that the album tracks become a bit samey. Probably unfair on this album as it's their debut and 2/3 of the tracks are played to death on the radio but there you go. Great album, buy the Greatest Hits!
Sep 23 2023
Author
Devo for people who wear pea coats.
Excellent synths on this record, though.
Dec 15 2021
Author
I dig this so much...in spots. No one swallows his histrionics the way Ric Ocasek does. To me, this music is all the updated swing and swagger of 50s rock for the contemporary new wave crowd. This must be one of the earliest examples of power pop, and it's all just so pure. Yep. "Moving in Stereo" would be the perfect song to strip to.
Oct 19 2025
Author
Pretty nice, but nothing the local rock band couldn't come up with.
Sep 01 2025
Author
My first impression of The Cars is a slightly less weird version of Talking Heads, like if Ric Ocasek was a simple streaker compared to David Byrne’s compulsive public masturbator. A sticky analogy, but the late 70s were a weird time.
Unlike the new wave and power pop albums that came out in the early 80s, this album thankfully largely avoided that canned sound that instantly dates so many otherwise stellar Reagan-era albums. ¨My Best Friend’s Girl¨ sounds like what ¨My Sharona¨ would have sounded like with a better mind behind it. The guitars, jangly and subtle, make me want to pull out a Smiths album.
Unfortunately, the further into the album you go the more 80s it sounds, with synths and other tricks from that period. I guess that makes it ahead of its time, but that’s the aural equivalent of investing in Beanie Babies after 1998. Do I hate 80s music? A bit.
Regardless of poor production choices, I do love big hooks and simple-seeming but clever lyrics, and The Cars do deliver. Are they weird? Yes. Does it sound dated? Sort of. Worth listening? Yes.
Apr 19 2025
Author
не моя вабще музика. спочатку здалося що це нагадає мені про фільм хеві метал, але по ітогу це звучання нагадало мені про nitw. а ще навіяло якісь думки про те як було б класно жити в 70-80х в америці і тусуватися в якомусь локальному рок бенд. хз вобщем. звучання недостатньо рокове але і хуйней не назвеш.
Jan 14 2025
Author
car
Dec 23 2021
Author
This is good fun, but not necessarily essential. It is fun new wave catchy singalong pop. Good driving (no pun intended) rhythms with occasional proper long guitar solos! The vocal hooks are bubblegum! A very high 3, maybe a 4 with more familiarity.
Nov 01 2025
Author
crazy to learn all these songs come from the same album and even crazier that they're all songs I've always disliked
Mar 02 2024
Author
As much as I hate to say it, this album is super overrated. The thing is I really wanted to love this album. I love the concept behind it. Meaning I love the album cover, band name, and the very simple drums, guitar, bass, and the honestly beautiful synth. Sadly, it just feels like standard rock and roll with no experimentation. Maybe when the album dropped it was vastly different than anything else but listening now feels like a chore. Every song (except "I'm in Touch with Your World") sounds like any basic pop rock and roll hit you'd hear on the radio. Again, conceptually I should adore this band, but the execution is not what I expected. Maybe I'm a dumb douche who doesn't know anything. Idk.
Jan 02 2024
Author
Like a car, you hear it coming, you hear it going, you never need to hear it again
Nov 24 2025
Author
While the U.K. had punk and new wave America had this. And Boston and Journey. The awful last knockings of classic rock was shrill vocals, lack of harmony, keyboard flourishes and if all ideas run out fill the space with unwanted guitar frills The spandex clad glam metallers that followed must have heard cash tills amongst this ill executed cacophony.
America produced some of the greatest music of all time in the eighties but it was made a long long way from the cars.
Nov 28 2023
Author
Solid pop but incredibly overrated by critics. The tamest of the New Wave. You really need a narrow US worldview or nostalgia to think this stands out. Any UK or German New Wave surpass them without even speeding.
Nov 29 2025
Author
It’s so great - a real classic - I can listen to this whenever
Nov 29 2025
Author
Another late 70s albums that can be listened to from start to finish
Nov 29 2025
Author
Pretty much perfect. Just what I needed slaps so hard
Nov 26 2025
Author
I can confidently say that this is one of my favourite albums from the 70’s. It’s just so good
Nov 25 2025
Author
What would the 80s have looked like if the Cars didn't set the stage in 1978? Iconic perfection.
Nov 24 2025
Author
A perfect 80s rock/punk/pop combo with tunes you never want to go away.
Nov 21 2025
Author
Flawless
Nov 17 2025
Author
I adore this album from beginning to end. I love the Cars. They were so ahead of their time. And this is their DEBUT album.
Nov 17 2025
Author
The Cars come out with confidence and swagger and make a debut album for the ages. It’s New Wave, but it still rocks, I want to slip a cassette of this into a shitbox car sing all the song with my buddies while we talk about the girls we’ve got crushes on. Let the good times roll.
Nov 17 2025
Author
So many great songs! Brought me lots of joy
Nov 15 2025
Author
Etched into my consciousness. So uncool that it's perfectly cool.
Nov 15 2025
Author
Asymptotically close to perfect.
Nov 15 2025
Author
A 5 isn't good enough for this album. The Cars were my favorite rock band when I was a teen. Still one of my faves and this is in my top 10 best albums of all time. Just What I Needed is a song I never tire of hearing. I will forever regret missing them at the Cumberland County Civic Center in 1987.
Nov 15 2025
Author
No matter how many times I hear them, those first chords of Just What I Needed put me on a beach on the Cape with my dance group in the summer of 1978 (the best year for music ever).
That said, this is not a nostalgia rating. The genius of The Cars is that they all grew up in different times and places with different musical interests--one was in the Modern Lovers and worshipped VU, one grew up listening to classic country--and created something that sounded totally new. That may not be evident to the youngsters who file them under New Wave, but they invented that sound. And while everyone goes on about Elliot's solo in Just What I Needed, it's his country jam in Best Friend's Girl that really gets me.
Nov 14 2025
Author
Classic front to back. One of the best debut albums and helped define the new wave sound
Rating: 4.9
Nov 13 2025
Author
Solid Classic Rock album.
Nov 13 2025
Author
This had at least four stars locked in but damn this album is even better than I realized.
Nov 13 2025
Author
Probably the best album we’ve had on this godforsaken endeavor.
Nov 10 2025
Author
Banger after banger. Made my day when this came up as the day's album.
Nov 08 2025
Author
Didn’t realize how good this album was. Singles are straight bangers. Rest of the album was really good as well. Great lyrics, great vocals, great music.
Nov 04 2025
Author
Absolutely chock-o-block filled with hits and hooks that never end. I’ve been a fan of this album since it came out.
Oct 30 2025
Author
Great music from a great band
Oct 30 2025
Author
Ok! Typisch für die bald 80er!
Oct 29 2025
Author
Good Times Roll - Solid enough to warrant a headbop. 7/10
My Best Friend's Girl - This is a vibe! I love the guitar work, and the vocals suit extremely well. 8/10
Just What I Needed - Good! I love the synths in the instrumental break, almost reminds me of Weezer's "I Just Threw Out The Love of My Dreams". 8/10
I'm In Touch With Your World - I don't mind this. Vibey yet eccentric. 6/10
Don't Cha Stop - How is this the second least listened to track? It fuckin' HITS!! - 9/10
You've All I've Got Tonight - Yes!! Genuinely amazing, at a loss for words rn lmao 9/10
Bye Bye Love - VERY solid. Not as good as the 9s on the record, but still incredibly INCREDIBLY well done. 8/10
Moving In Stereo - I fuck with this so much. It's very very good. 9/10
All Mixed Up - Takes a little long to build up but I do enjoy it! 7/10
ALL IN ALL: A very very timeless record. Ahead of its time in many regards.
Oct 27 2025
Author
It's hard to hear this with fresh ears, this and Jimmy Buffet were the soundtrack to the backseat of my Mom and Dad's car. Such a great album, this album is just hit after hit after hit.
Oct 21 2025
Author
YES!!!!!!!!!
Oct 20 2025
Author
Catchy, fun, pretty much perfectly written pop songs. Even the more experimental, less catchy songs like I’m in Touch With Your World, and Moving in Stereo are great. I love when a band can mix some ingenuity with infectiously catchy songwriting. It’s hard to think of anything I don’t like about this album. I love a lot of bands in the realm of New Wave but somehow I hadn’t really given The Cars a fair chance. I love most of their hits, but I hadn’t listened to one of their albums in its entirety yet. I see myself coming back to this record a lot.
Oct 20 2025
Author
Super solid album. It may not be my favorite album in the world, but it's a lot of fun. I know so many of these songs. I like the way the songs are structured. Yes, they tend to get a little samey, but that happens with most bands. The Cars have a sound, that is for sure. Feels like a best of because there are no real stinkers here. 5 stars!
Oct 19 2025
Author
Credo sia il primo 5 che do a un album che non avevo mai ascoltato prima. Alcuni pezzi molto belli, è proprio l’essenza della new wave