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The Cars (album)

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Untitled
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic[1]
Robert ChristgauB+[2]
Pitchfork5.7/10[3]
Rolling Stone[4]

The Cars is the eponymous debut studio album by American rock band The Cars. It was released on June 6, 1978 on Elektra Records. With the popular tracks "Just What I Needed" and "My Best Friend's Girl" getting heavy airplay on AOR radio stations, the album sold one million copies by the end of the year and steadily climbed the charts, peaking at number 18 on the Billboard 200 chart in March 1979.[5] The album was ranked number 4 on Billboard's "Top Albums of the Year" chart for 1979.[6] The Cars remained on the album chart for 139 weeks with four more tracks: "Good Times Roll", "You're All I've Got Tonight", "Bye Bye Love", and "Moving in Stereo", which all became radio favorites.

The album was critically well-received. Allmusic reviewer Greg Prato described the album as "a genuine rock masterpiece", and that "all nine tracks are new wave/rock classics" in their retrospective review.[1] Rolling Stone magazine ranked the album No. 279 in its "500 Greatest Albums of All Time" list.

Cover art

The cover model is Natalya Medvedeva, a Russian-born model, journalist, and musician.

Track listing

All tracks are written by Ric Ocasek, except where noted

Side one
No.TitleVocalsLength
1."Good Times Roll"Ocasek3:44
2."My Best Friend's Girl"Ocasek3:44
3."Just What I Needed"Benjamin Orr3:44
4."I'm in Touch with Your World"Ocasek3:31
5."Don't Cha Stop"Ocasek3:01
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)VocalsLength
6."You're All I've Got Tonight" Ocasek4:13
7."Bye Bye Love" Orr4:14
8."Moving in Stereo"Greg Hawkes, OcasekOrr4:41
9."All Mixed Up" Orr4:14
1999 CD reissue bonus tracks
No.TitleWriter(s)VocalsLength
10."Good Times Roll (Live)" Ocasek3:39
11."My Best Friend's Girl (Demo)" Ocasek3:52
12."Just What I Needed (Demo)" Orr3:27
13."I'm in Touch With Your World (Demo)" Ocasek3:28
14."Don't Cha Stop (Demo)" Ocasek3:19
15."You're All I've Got Tonight (Demo)" Ocasek4:05
16."Bye Bye Love (Demo)" Orr4:07
17."Moving in Stereo (Demo)"Hawkes, OcasekOcasek5:02
18."All Mixed Up (Demo)" Ocasek4:50
19."They Won't See You (Demo)" Ocasek3:56
20."Take What You Want (Demo)" Ocasek6:04
21."Wake Me Up (Demo)" Orr3:52
22."You Just Can't Push Me (Demo)" Orr3:27
23."Hotel Queenie (Demo)" Ocasek3:08

Personnel

The Cars
Production

Chart performance


Album

Title Released Peak Chart Position, Weeks On Chart
US UK AU NZ
The Cars June, 1978 18 139 29 15 35 42 5 85

Singles

Title Released Peak Chart Position, Weeks On Chart
US UK AU NZ NL
"Just What I Needed" May, 1978 27 17 17 10 96 1 38 2 -
"My Best Friend's Girl" October, 1978 35 15 3 10 67 10 - 40 4
"Good Times Roll" March, 1979 41 10

Notes:
line through box = did not chart
empty box = not released

Certifications

Organization Level Date
RIAA – U.S. Gold October 16, 1978
RIAA – U.S. Platinum December 27, 1978
CRIA – Canada Platinum June 1, 1979
CRIA – Canada Double Platinum June 1, 1979
RIAA – U.S. 6x Platinum April 5, 1995

References

  1. ^ a b Greg Prato. "The Cars". Allmusic. Retrieved 17 February 2012.
  2. ^ Robert Christgau. "The Cars". robertchristgau.com. Retrieved 17 February 2012.
  3. ^ Ryan Schreiber (20 April 1999). "The Cars". Pitchfork. Retrieved 17 February 2012.
  4. ^ Kit Rachlis (17 June 1997). "The Cars". rollingstone.com. Archived from the original on 9 July 2008. Retrieved 17 February 2012.
  5. ^ Billboard March 24, 1979: 139
  6. ^ "Top Albums of the Year". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media: TIA-12. 22 December 1979. ISSN 0006-2510.
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