#ricocasek

Cars fans are u there…….

1944 - HAPPY BIRTHDAY! #RicOcasek el cantante, compositor, músico y productor estadounidense miembro de #TheCars. Sus primeros éxitos incluyeron 'Just What I Needed', 'My Best Friend's Girl' y 'Good Times Roll'. Su № 3 de EE. UU. de 1984 y № 4 de Reino Unido de 1985 "Drive" se utilizó como parte de la banda sonora del concierto #LiveAid. #Ocasek fue encontrado muerto en su apartamento de la ciudad de Nueva York el 15 de septiembre de 2019, tenía 75 años. #RadioUnion https://www.instagram.com/p/CbdOmLwpeaO/?utm_medium=tumblr

23/04/1944 | Happy Birthday Ric Ocasek 1984 | The Cars - Drive Elektra 12“ | 45rpm #ricocasek #thecars #elektrarecords @thecars @elektrarecords https://www.instagram.com/p/CbcJPrfsyDm/?utm_medium=tumblr

Yesterday, I found 10 minutes to stop in at a favorite record haunt and find this—a syndicated radio show from the 80s all about the Beatles, hosted by the late New York radio legend Scott Muni. He famously became pals with the Beatles when they first came to America and he was on AM radio (pretty sure it was WINS, which was pop radio back then; this is all waaaaay before I was even alive) and was a revered fixture on the city’s airwaves until his passing sometime in the 1990s I believe. Anyway, few bands understood the concept of the pop song as balance of invention, structure and melodic form as well as the Beatles—but you could put Boston’s own The Cars in that category, too. That group’s songs were as sleek, engineered and muscular as the band’s name suggests. So when I found this radio show on vinyl, my digging for the day was done—those two bands together, along with “the professor” as host, was an instant “must-grab.”

Album Number Two Hundred One “Shake It Up” is the fourth studio album by the Cars, released in 1981. It was the last #thecars #thecarsband record to be produced by #roythomasbaker . A much more pop-oriented album than its predecessor, its title track became their first Billboard top ten hit. Spin Magazine included it in their "50 Best Albums of 1981" list. In 2021, Rhino Entertainment re-released the album on neon green vinyl. My copy is on #elektrarecords - 5E-567 Maintaining their classic lineup: #ricocasek - rhythm guitar, lead vocals (1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 9) #ellioteaston – lead guitar, backing vocals #greghawkes – keyboards, backing vocals #benjaminorr – bass guitar, lead vocals (5, 7) and #davidrobinson – drums, percussion. #davidrobinsondrummer #rockandroll #poprock #the80s #eightiesmusic #shakeitup https://www.instagram.com/p/CWtHEh8JyZz/?utm_medium=tumblr

Album Number One Hundred Ninety Eight “The Cars” is the eponymous debut studio album by this rock band out of Boston, released on June 6, 1978, by #elektrarecords . Produced by #roythomasbaker , 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). My copy is on Elektra Records - 6E 135 (Yes, side 2 is blurry. Can’t fix it right yet) Formed in 1976, #thecarsband consisted of #ricocasek , #benjaminorr , #ellioteaston , #davidrobinson , and #greghawkes , all of whom had been in and out of multiple bands throughout the 1970s. Both Arista and Elektra attempted to sign the band, but in the end, Elektra was chosen, due to its lack of new wave acts, allowing the band to stand out more than they would have had they signed with the new wave-heavy Arista. Robinson said of the choice, "Here they had the Eagles and Jackson Browne, and along comes this crazy Boston band who wanted a black-and-white photo collage on their cover." #rockandroll #synthrock #powerpop #newwave https://www.instagram.com/p/CWlP8NJJf9u/?utm_medium=tumblr

My last Cars related post is Ric Ocasek’s 2nd album, “This Side of Paradise.” Despite the occasional presence of the other Cars’ members and Ocasek’s distinctive voice, this is not just another Cars outing. The songs are intricately crafted and feel much more personal and deep than most of the groups’ repertoire. Ocasek brought some stellar performers on board as well including guitar maestro Steve Stevens of Billy Idol fame, Tom Verlaine from Television, Tony Levin from King Crimson and G.E. Smith from SNL. It had been a significant number of years since I last listened to this album and despite it solidly sitting in the New Wave category, it still holds up quite well, remaining interesting, intriguing, and entertaining. RIP Ric. #ricocasek #thecars #vinyl #vinylcollection #vinylcommunity #vinylrecords #newwave #newwavemusic #turntable https://www.instagram.com/p/CRokHZHhw8q/?utm_medium=tumblr

Classic rock rarity alert! Folk trio Milkwood was The Cars before they became The Cars. The songs on the band’s lone 1972 album, “How’s The Weather,” were written and sung by Richard Otcasek (AKA Ric Ocasek) and Benjamin Orzechowski (AKA Ben Orr), and there’s even some guest musician work by Greg Hawkes—on saxophones, not keyboards. The cover is beat up (and written on; thanks for that, Cheryl, wherever you are) and was subjected to one of the worst shipping packaging jobs I’ve ever seen (saran-wrapped, then taped to some flimsy cardboard folded over a few times), but it made it here in one piece.