Just What I Needed: The Cars Anthology

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Just What I Needed: The Cars Anthology
Compilation album by
ReleasedNovember 7, 1995
Recorded1977–1987
GenreNew wave, pop rock, rock
Length2:31:54
LabelRhino
ProducerThe Cars, Roy Thomas Baker, Robert John "Mutt" Lange, Mike Shipley, Ric Ocasek
The Cars chronology
Door to Door
(1987)
Just What I Needed: The Cars Anthology
(1995)
Shake It Up & Other Hits
(2001)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
Encyclopedia of Popular Music[2]

Just What I Needed: The Cars Anthology is a two-disc, career-spanning compilation album of songs by the American new wave rock band the Cars. It features most of the band's singles, as well as many album tracks, non-album B-sides and unreleased songs.

Background[edit]

Whereas the 1985 Greatest Hits album contained the band's most popular hit singles, Just What I Needed includes an album's worth of rarities and unreleased tracks, in addition to deeper album tracks and the requisite hits.

This album contains the original album version of "I'm Not the One" from 1981's Shake It Up, while the rendition on Greatest Hits was a 1985 remix. "Heartbeat City" is the only song on Greatest Hits that was excluded from this album.

Rare and unreleased tracks[edit]

"That's It" (B-side of 1979's "Let's Go"), "Don't Go to Pieces" (B-side of 1980's "Don't Tell Me No" & 1981's "Gimme Some Slack") and "Breakaway" (B-side of 1985's "Why Can't I Have You") are non-album single B-sides that appear on CD for the first time in this collection.

"Take Me Now", *"Cool Fool", *"Ta Ta Wayo Wayo" &"Leave or Stay" were recorded as demos in 1977. "Leave or Stay" and "Ta Ta Wayo Wayo" were eventually re-recorded for the band's 1987 album Door to Door. The other two tracks were never re-recorded. All four songs were previously unreleased recordings.

The early version of "Night Spots" from 1978 is an unfinished outtake from the band's first album, featuring only Ric Ocasek and Greg Hawkes. It was eventually re-recorded for 1979's Candy-O.

The previously unreleased "Slipaway" was recorded as a 24-track demo by The Cars between their first and second albums in 1979. Rather than record a finished studio version, the Cars gave the song to Ian Lloyd, who issued his version later in 1979.

Previously unreleased cover songs[edit]

Demo covers of The Nightcrawlers' "The Little Black Egg" & Iggy Pop's "Funtime" were initially made as backing tracks for Bebe Buell to record vocals over for her 1981 EP Covers Girl.[3][4] These versions feature lead vocals by Ric Ocasek and Benjamin Orr, respectively, and were previously unreleased.

Track listing[5][edit]

All tracks are written by Ric Ocasek, except where noted

Disc one
No.TitleOriginLength
1."Just What I Needed"The Cars (1978)3:46
2."My Best Friend's Girl"The Cars3:46
3."Good Times Roll"The Cars3:48
4."You're All I've Got Tonight"The Cars4:16
5."Don't Cha Stop"The Cars3:05
6."Moving in Stereo" (Greg Hawkes, Ocasek)The Cars4:47
7."Take Me Now"Previously unreleased4:01
8."Cool Fool" (Elliot Easton, Ocasek)Previously unreleased2:42
9."Let's Go"Candy-O (1979)3:36
10."Candy-O"Candy-O2:39
11."Dangerous Type"Candy-O4:32
12."Double Life"Candy-O4:26
13."Got a Lot on My Head"Candy-O3:01
14."It's All I Can Do"Candy-O3:47
15."Night Spots" (original demo version)Previously unreleased; re-recorded for Candy-O3:09
16."Slipaway"Previously unreleased3:43
17."That's It"B-side of "Let's Go" (1979)3:24
18."Panorama"Panorama (1980)5:46
19."Gimme Some Slack"Panorama3:35
20."Don't Go to Pieces" (Hawkes, Ocasek)B-side of "Don't Tell Me No" (1980)/"Gimme Some Slack" (1981)4:03
Disc two
No.TitleOriginLength
1."Touch and Go"Panorama4:58
2."Don't Tell Me No"Panorama4:02
3."Shake It Up"Shake It Up (1981)3:35
4."Since You're Gone"Shake It Up3:33
5."I'm Not the One"Shake It Up4:15
6."Cruiser"Shake It Up4:58
7."The Little Black Egg" (Chuck Conlon)Previously unreleased2:54
8."Funtime" (David Bowie, Iggy Pop)Previously unreleased3:10
9."You Might Think"Heartbeat City (1984)3:08
10."Drive"Heartbeat City3:57
11."Magic"Heartbeat City4:00
12."Hello Again"Heartbeat City3:49
13."Why Can't I Have You"Heartbeat City4:05
14."Breakaway"B-side of "Why Can't I Have You" (1985)3:47
15."Tonight She Comes"Greatest Hits (1985)3:57
16."You Are the Girl"Door to Door (1987)3:56
17."Strap Me In"Door to Door4:26
18."Door to Door"Door to Door3:20
19."Leave or Stay" (1977 demo version)Previously unreleased; re-recorded for Door to Door3:02
20."Ta Ta Wayo Wayo" (1977 demo version)Previously unreleased; re-recorded for Door to Door2:48
Total length:2:31:54

Personnel[edit]

  • Elliot Easton – lead guitar, backing vocals
  • Greg Hawkes – keyboard, backing vocals
  • Ric Ocasek – rhythm guitar, lead vocals on disc one tracks: 2, 3, 4, 5, 11, 12, 13, 15, 16, 18, 19; disc two tracks: 1, 3, 4, 5, 7, 9, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20
  • Benjamin Orr – bass guitar, lead vocals on disc one tracks: 1, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 14, 17, 20; disc two tracks: 2, 6, 8, 10
  • David Robinson – drums, percussion

References[edit]

  1. ^ Prato, Greg. "The Cars: Just What I Needed: The Cars Anthology Review". AllMusic.
  2. ^ Larkin, Colin (2011). "Cars". The Encyclopedia of Popular Music (5th concise ed.). Omnibus Press. ISBN 978-0-85712-595-8.
  3. ^ Yuan, Jada (September 23, 2011). "152 Minutes With Bebe Buell". New York (magazine).
  4. ^ "Covers Girl". Bebe Buell Official Site.
  5. ^ "The Cars: Just What I Needed: The Cars Anthology". Discogs.