Amazon.com essential recording
Buddy Holly-meets-Roxy Music was the hook-filled formula Ric Ocasek and crew fell into on their classic 1978
debut--and it's one they continued to milk throughout the first half of the '80s. As in any formula, it seemed to dilute a bit with each subsequent release.
Heartbeat City, however, saw the Cars shaking things up a bit and scoring three hit singles in the process. "You Might Think" does have that same old Cars pop sound, but "Magic" and especially "Drive" sound unlike anything the Boston band had previously recorded. The album proved to be a rebirth of sorts...as well as a final hurrah. Following their
Greatest Hits package, the Cars would fade away following 1987's
Door to Door.
--Bill Holdship