The Cars

Door To Door

very strong--lots of catchiness & great performances

Review Score:

(8/10)
It`s pretty hard for me to understand why the Cars' final album, 1987's "Door to Door", is so commonly referred to as a disappointment. Accusations such as this being a "last gasp" or that the band was "done" are typical with this album--that's incredibly unfair & inaccurate because this is really a strong album. Ironically, although a lot of music from this era suffered from `synth-mania' & bad production in general, this album actually uses modernized production values to its advantage--the album was produced by Ric Ocasek with additional production from his band-mate Greg Hawkes, & they did a great job, providing the album with a sound that jumps out at you without being annoying. Although "Door to Door" is certainly not without similarity to the previous album "Heartbeat City", the overall vibe is considerably different, & maybe that's part of what turns fans off--here, there's more of an emphasis on Rock & less of an emphasis on synth-pop, despite the fact that there are, unsurprisingly, a lot of synthesizers on here. "Double Trouble" is a great, moody rocker--it largely wavers back & forth between two power chords, but it has an arresting, ominous feel & a great lead vocal from the late Benjamin Orr. The catchy "Everything You Say" is an up tempo, yet haunting minor-keyed song with some jangly guitar chords & terrific atmospheric synthesizer from Greg Hawkes. The album closes with the propulsive, fast-paced title track which has an irresistible song-opening guitar riff--it's kind of a cross between hardcore punk & speed metal--it sure does sound a heck of a lot different than anything on "Heartbeat City", but it works. The mid-tempo "Strap Me In" is a characteristic Ocasek rocker, but it's a solid, catchy tune & has a great guitar solo from Elliot Easton. There are a couple great ballads--the contemplative "Would Up On You" has some chord changes that are unusually imaginative for Ocasek, & the arresting "Fine Line" is another haunting song, with its effectively gloomy sounding keyboards, & Easton's brilliant guitar work. The up tempo, wistful & breezy "Go Away" is another gem--it was co-written by Ocasek & Hawkes--the rest of the album was written solely by Ocasek. "You Are the Girl" does very much recall the feel of "You Might Think" from "Heartbeat City", & it's sugary, but it's a fun feel-good tune. "Coming Up You", with its drum machine & `toy' keyboard sound, strongly recalls the "Shake It Up" era, & it's a bit tired sounding, but it's still nicely tuneful. A couple tracks--"Leave Or Stay" & "Ta Ta Wayo Wayo"--had originally been recorded by the group in 1977 & were re-recorded for this album--"Leave Or Stay" is quite dumb & has a frustratingly slight chorus, but it's still energetic & fun, and the upbeat, rocking, ultra-catchy "Ta Ta Wayo Wayo" is even more fun. Overall, "Door to Door" is a really engaging album from the Cars, & I really don't see why so many listeners are so hard on it. Although fans will likely hate me for saying this, Ric Ocasek, although a solid songwriter, was also quite a limited songwriter--he had a real tendency to be annoyingly derivative of his own songs that had appeared on previous albums, leaving you with a frustrating "I've heard this before" feeling. "Strap Me In" strongly recalls "True To You" from his "This Side of Paradise" solo album, & "A Little Closer" from Ocasek's 1993 album "Quick Change World" is extremely reminiscent of "Everything You Say" just to name a couple examples. Still, there's no denying Ocasek had a knack for hooks, & "Door to Door" demonstrates this amply & offers excellent performances as well. With all of the great material that this album contains, it's strongly recommended.

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