The Cars

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

Let the good times roll

I didn't realize how many classic rock songs came from this one album.

Wall to wall bangers.

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.

Every track is a banger

Incredible. One of the best debut albums of all time.

This album is so good. No skips. Every song is so fun and iconic, this album is one of my favorites of all time

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.

Great album from beginning to end. Some of the best power pop ever recorded. Sadly, The Cars never released another LP of this caliber.

Groundbreaking and fun. Perfect little album.

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

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.

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

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.

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.

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..

enjoyed this - wee bit dated, but good tunes and tight band.

A new wave masterpiece

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.

Every song on this album is a banger! Thoroughly enjoyed listening to this one.

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.

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.

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!

-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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Already listened! A personal favorite

Straight jams back to back.

A great one from my youth.

Classic. Great songs and sounds.

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.

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.

Love the hits on this album!

Pretty close to a 5.

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.

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!

Devo for people who wear pea coats. Excellent synths on this record, though.

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.

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.

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

There's only one good Cars song (Drive) and it's not on this album. L +

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.

Sounds like the very definition of american FM rock. Kinda sounds bland to me.

bingo!

Top notch

I have never paid attention to The Cars until last year. But it happened one song at a time, due to references, movies, and so on... slowly, i have ended up with several of this album's songs added to many different of my playlists. I think it became obvious that i love the album!! It is one of these albums that have some sort of "overall vibe" that it is undeniably fun to go through. The sound of the guitar is incredibly great, easy to hook on. The melodies, riffs... all. Perfect album i would say.

own

I'm embarrassed to admit how much I love this album. The Cars was the first love concert I ever attended so there's a lot of nostalgia here. After all these years, I knew I'd like it but didn't know I'd want to listen to it straight through 3 times in a row! Does that mean I'm about to give this a 5?? Yep, I guess it does.

The Cars are synonymous in my mind with that ever so gentle and utterly polished with 80s smudge Drive you home song. I knew there was more to them from how others have spoken of them in glowing terms. Not sure what I was expecting but it wasn't glam infused post punk.. I recognise My Best Friends Girl of course, and Just What I Needed. The latter especially as Car Seat Headrest were particularly light-fingered with it on Not What I Needed, from Teens of Denial (a cracking album). These backing vocals are straight out of Fox on the Run by Sweet. Guitars and production are straight out of many post -punk bands of this era too numerous to mention. A perfect bridge between the two. Hmm, this is banger after banger isn't it. Yep. On second listen this is an absolute classic.

This record has to be one of the greatest debut records from any band ever. It is filled with high energy and style, and each song is as memorable as the last. Special shout-out to the incredible guitar solo on "Don't Cha Stop".

You think it has one great titty song, but really every track is a great titty song.

Oh, dang. I can’t remember the last time I listened to this entire thing. It starts out STRONG. The quality drops off a bit, but not enough to drag this down to a four for me. What a nice surprise. I thought this would be a 3, maybe a 4.

What a great timeless album. Do you like fun? You'll like this.

This was just what I needed, it really let the good times roll, and assorted puns. Truthfully, this is a monster album, not a single bad song on it.

Lots of hits on this one.

A fun album full of cool pop-y synth energy! The vocals, guitars and all arrangements work so well together. Lyrics are a bit silly sometimes, but honestly, it's just one good song after another. Reminded me a bit of Weezer at times, and sometimes talking heads. Overall great album that holds up to today.

This is still a really good album after all these years. 5 stars or A-.

Just brilliant.

Just about every song on here can be on their greatest hits album.

I absolutely love The Cars, and I've been anxiously waiting for this album to pop up for me. I know this album really well from start to finish, and since I own it on vinyl, I love throwing it on pretty regularly. What a perfect way to spend a Wednesday, let's get into it! This album is absolutely fantastic from start to finish. With guitars driving the overall sound, keyboards filling out the sound, and simple but catchy lyrics, The Cars' self-titled debut is the pinnacle of late seventies new wave albums. The guitar hooks sound so simple, but the way the lead, rhythm, and bass guitars are layered adds incredible depth to the overall sound. The Cars have such a signature sound, but each song on this album is unique and instantly recognizable. In my opinion, no other new wave artist has guitars that sound anything like this. Going back to the keyboards, I love how they don't drown out or take over the overall sound of this album. This is guitar music, and the album never lets you forget that. The way that everything on this album is layered makes it one of the most accessible new wave albums of all time. As far as the individual songs go... I guess I'll just have to go track by track. "Good Times Roll" is such an interesting lead-off track to me. The song's title elicits a sense of something really up-tempo, but the song takes its time, adding layers to the sound as it progresses. The bright keyboard riff that kicks in about halfway through the song is pure genius. "My Best Friend's Girl" has some of my favorite guitar playing on the album, especially the lick at the end of the chorus. In conjunction with the handclaps at the beginning, this song has a retro feel that harkens back to fifties doo-wop or rockabilly. I imagine this is what the woman on the cover is listening to. "Just What I Needed" has my favorite keyboard playing on the album. That sawtooth sound is perfect, but it fills in the sound perfectly, still allowing the guitars to stay front and center. "I'm in Touch with Your World" is my least favorite song on the album, but it's still great. With Ric Ocasek's echo-y vocals, excellent vibraphone usage, and a space-like keyboard riff, it's easily the most experimental song on the album. "Don't Cha Stop" lives up to its name, with a fast tempo, great rhythms, and some superbly distorted guitar playing, accompanied by a great keyboard riff. "You're All I've Got Tonight" is an excellent blend of some of the best elements from the first three tracks, all with a great rhythm section. "Bye Bye Love" features an excellent blend of guitars and keyboard playing. This song is one of the best examples of this album's superb mixing. "Moving In Stereo" is my favorite track on the album, but by a slim margin. The guitar distortion, the opening vocals, and the simple drum beat give this song a haunting sound that sets it apart from the more pop-forward songs on the album. It doesn't hurt that I associate this song with Fast Times at Ridgemont High. "All Mixed Up" is a great closer, and I love the saxophone and keyboard arrangements on it. With a darker tone similar to "Moving In Stereo," it's a great closing track, and possibly the most underrated song on the album. Overall, this album is perfect. Every song is brilliant, and there's enough diversity to keep this album interesting. The Cars are a fantastic band, and it's honestly a shame that Heartbeat City hasn't made it into any edition of the list.

Such a strong debut album. The first three out of the gate are timeless classics, and with 5-6 of the 9 getting regular radio rotation from its release through the 80’s and beyond this is a hands down 5 for me. This album helped define the rock/pop sound bridging into the 80’s. Classic album cover too.

Power-pop synth rock at its finest. With 7 of the 9 songs charting and getting routine radio play it’s hard not to rate this all in. An incredibly strong debut that at the time had some saying it should’ve been called “The Cars: Greatest Hits” given the massive appeal. I’m sure this hits home more for those that grew up with these songs, but the strength of them still holds today. And who could forget the iconic scene in Fast Times at Ridgemont High with Phoebe Cates emerging from the pool with “Moving In Stereo” playing?

The first few tracks of this felt like a greatest hits album. I've always enjoy The Cars without realizing I enjoyed The Cars (if that makes sense). I was curious how the rest of the album would hold up to the opening slate of radio hits. There are quite a few songs (including the hits) that sounds same-same but different. But, that's fine. It's definitely a cool sound mixing the riffs and vocals of the 70s (very Tom Petty-ish) with the incoming synth-sounds of the 80s. I especially appreciated the songs that deviated from the formula, like "Moving in Stereo". The album finished really strong. I wish I could give 1/2 stars because this is clearly a 4.5 for me; however, it's good enough that I'm going to bump it up to 5.

I have The Cars' Complete Greatest Hits, a double album that should have been stripped down to a single album. Still, there are plenty of great tunes on it, including my very favorite of theirs, "Drive." I always think of the Cars as ushering in a new 80's sound, where keyboards were added to guitar rock. I'm impressed that this debut album was released in 1978; they were ahead of the curve. The first three songs were worthy of their release as singles, starting off the album with a grounded understanding of what they are going for. I've always loved the guitar picking on "My Best Friend's Girl", a precise technical feat that sneaks into a tight propulsion of a pop song. We see the keys move from background ambiance to sharing center stage in "Just What I Needed," where they feature their own lead melody line. Kooky psychedelia is added to the Talking Heads vibe of "I'm In Touch With Your World," and "Don't Cha Stop" has the frantic energy of Sparks, though with less shifting of gears. "You're All I've Got Tonight" and "Moving In Stereo" are other hits, the latter really exemplifying their use of synths in catchy guitar rock. "Bye Bye Love" is a softer but no less up-tempo rocker. The Cars create a post-punk, pre-new wave sound that was pioneering in its day and remains unique to this day. Noone else sounds like them, especially in 1978. What the hell, here's a 5.

Great album. Emblematic of an era. Every song is memorable.

Hat mir sehr gut gefallen. Cooler Sound. Songs der Playlist hinzugefügt: Good Times Roll, Just what i needed

Maybe it's because I grew up in New England, but all of these songs are radio singles to me. So when I listen to this album, it sounds like a Best of The Cars, Vol. 1.

Did not use a private Spotify session for this album, definitely listened to it before. Ric Ocasek said something along the lines of "we did our greatest hits first", good line and some truth to it. Lots of classics in this album.

Unbelievably solid album that withstands the test of time. 5/5

Mabye this was the best of the first American new wave acts, more accessible and pleasurable than the Talking Heads; more consistent and better-rounded than Blondie. This record set an extraordinarily high bar that few other bands could ever get over, making it seem so easy and being so unabashedly stylish – this was how to put the final nails in the coffin of bloated arena/classic rock. The debut is a minor masterpiece, a clear agenda (non-grandiose) just about perfectly executed, way exceeding what was to come (spots of which were quite excellent indeed). Every song works – actually every note and sound effect – and the three or four stone-cold classics have lost not a bit of their tight and hooky sheen. Style and content forever!

After the scourge of punk came the tide of the new wave and The Cars were one of the plethora of bands that took to the change of scenery with gusto. Their beyond impeccable debut album does that and then some and more in regards to delivering the goods and even the lesser renowned songs on here (I'm in Touch With Your World, Don't Cha Stop, Bye Bye Love) feel like world-beaters. What's even more impressive is that the progress of the album as it were, in form of the demos, not only arrive fully formed but in some cases succeeds in being better than the finished product. Surely the songs that wound up not making the album (Take What You Want, You Just Can't Push Me, Hotel Queenie) offer up a tantalizing glimpse into a alternate Cars universe, but it is what it is. This is a new wave masterpiece, all killer no filler from start to finish.

Great album, Every song is a banger. Every track in every song is perfectly mixed and the production is super tight.

Pre-listening thoughts: actually kind of hyped for this one. I know a few songs from it and this is solid 80s pop/rock Post/during listening thoughts: this album bangs bro. Radio friendly music at its best. It’s quirky, it’s upbeat, it’s short, it’s definitely not like groundbreaking but I don’t think it needs to be. It’s just a good time overall. And baby, let the good times roll. 9/10 DID I NEED TO HEAR THIS BEFORE I DIE: conflicted on this cause like need? No. Want? Yes Fav tracks: My Best Friend’s Girl, Just What I Needed, Don’t Cha Stop, Bye Bye Love, All Mixed Up (but I enjoyed the whole album fr) Least fav tracks:

Fantástico disco de debut de los Cars. Power Pop de altura con nueve cortes a cuál mejor. La fusión de los sonidos de la nueva ola con el rock duro da como fruto en este disco temas de gran altura como el exitoso "Just What I Needed". No le van a la zaga "Good Times Roll", "My Best Friend's Girl" o "Moving in Stereo". Me gusta mucho el tema de cierre, "All Mixed Up".

New wave classic loved it

Album rules. I’ve had this one in my library for a while, and I’ve adored The Cars for years, so it’s likely this will get a 4 or 5. It really strikes me as one of the best pop-rock/power-pop albums ever made. It just has some great tunes, a wonderfully dry and crispy production, and extremely charming performances. How do you top the first three tunes? “Good Times Roll,” “My Best Friend’s Girl,” “Just What I Needed.” I mean, wow. But the vibe continues through the whole thing. “I’m In Touch With Your World” is silly and fun. “You’re All I’ve Got Tonight” is almost on par with the initial trio of bangers. “Moving In Stereo” is a moody vibe, and its seamless transition to “All Mixed Up” is killer. Honestly, it’s a lot like the Boston album…it sets up a high bar of quality and maintains it all the way through. It’s the execution that pushes it to 5 territory.

after the dross of recent days this is Just What I Needed

have you ever heard a song and it ever made you think it could be used for a arcade machine because that's what i thought of the song just what I needed by THE CARS I think the song was good because it gave me kinda of an arcade kinda vibe and the rest was pretty good because of the singers voice i think this song was good and recommend listening to their albums

Yaaaa

Knew it already. I like the cars

So many hits on one album. It's nuts that they're not a bigger band

Great album! So many hits on one album.

Still rips. No skips. Quintessential early 80's rock. Learn it, Know it, Live it. (And anyone not thinking of Phoebe Cates during "Moving in Stereo" needs to fire up Fast Times at Ridgemont High, stat.)

Five star album… nuff said

This is an excellent album. The hits just keep coming. I have heard this album many times and enjoy listening to it every time.

Masterpiece my friends....

Excellent

Not just a 5, but a contender for my favorite album of all time. Just chock full of amazing songs and fabulous instrumentation.

I really enjoyed this album. Yes, very tame, very non-unique, but it truly suited my mood and was equally pleasant in the background too.

One of those perfect and timeless albums. Plays like a greatest hits and it’s their debut. Absolute magic. Oh yeah and the Rhino HiFi vinyl is AMAZING.

Doo-wop style songwriting meets synthesized instrumentation, and the ‘80s are born! It’s one thing to be prescient, but then, on top of that, every track’s a banger.

Brilliant, really enjoyed this.

Still outstanding. Even the weird stuff. So fortunate to see Greg Hawkes play these on the original devices in 2023. So rad!