Cars Roll On

Review Score: (10/10)
The first Cars album was a blast of fresh air combining the Velvet Underground, Roxy Music and Big Star, Badfinger into one mish mash of amazing sound. The band provided a unique mix of influences to create a coherent, stark sound for American new wave. Just as witty as Elvis Costello and full of as many hooks as the Beatles, this first album has aged extremely well. The glacial sound of the album acts as an ironic counterpoint to these tales of modern love.

Their first album ranks amoung the best albums of the 80's and the songwriting, although it got a little more detailed, never got any better than this. The out takes and demos are well worth the price of admission simply because they illuminate (much as the XTC outtakes do for their albums) the creative process (and sometimes roads not taken...).

Ric really needs to reform the band. His solo career, although interesting, shows a real lack of progression. It would be interesting to see the original members get back together and see what sort of heat (or cold) they generate together.

Now let's see something similiar done with the other two great albums (pick any of your favorites and insert them here).

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