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Ric Ocasek and the Cars Reunite, Work on New Album


Jahfin

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From RollingStone.com:

224782_cars.jpg

By Daniel Kreps

The rumors floating around since July have finally been confirmed: After a 23-year break, the Cars have reunited with original frontman/songwriter Ric Ocasek and are working on their first album together since 1987's Door to Door. On on their Facebook page the band recently posted a 73-second clip of themselves in the studio working on a new track called "Blue Tip," and Billboard reports that the Cars are recording a new album and may be planning tour dates.

In July the Cars hinted at a possible reunion with Ocasek, who previously said he'd never take part in one, when they posted a photo of the four surviving bandmembers together in a Boston studio. In 2005, keyboardist Greg Hawkes and guitarist Elliot Easton launched the New Cars with Todd Rundgren at the microphone, but that project ended in 2007. Any hopes for a full Cars reunion ended in 2000 when bassist-singer Benjamin Orr passed away from pancreatic cancer. The Cars' official website is currently "under construction," so more information is likely to come.

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I was never a huge fan but do have a soft spot for some of the early deep album cuts like Moving In Stereo. I lost complete interest over the years as their sound never seemed to expand much (or at all). With stuff like this you never know, after all these years of being on the sidelines perhaps he (Ric) has something new to bring to the table.

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  • 6 months later...

Never was a big fan of The Cars (nor did I hate them) but it sounds like they haven't missed a lick. Pretty remarkable for a band that's been gone for 24 years (the Rundgren-fronted "New Cars" not withstanding).

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Sounds pretty good, but probably has too much of that 80's and new wave sound to it. I saw them back in '84 in New Haven and it was one of the most boring concerts if not the most I ever saw. They just play and hardly recognize their audience. I hope they change this now.

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Sounds pretty good, but probably has too much of that 80's and new wave sound to it.

If it didn't have that "80s and New Wave sound" it wouldn't be the Cars.

I saw them back in '84 in New Haven and it was one of the most boring concerts if not the most I ever saw. They just play and hardly recognize their audience. I hope they change this now.

I saw the Grateful Dead 4 times between 1984 and 1995 and I don't think they ever acknowledged the crowd once at any of those shows. It didn't deter my enjoyment of the concerts one iota.

Like I said, I was a casual fan at best and what I find remarkable is that, strange as it may sound, they still sound like the Cars. That they do so without sounding dated or without a hint of nostalgia is quite an achievement. Not to mention the very notable absence of the late Ben Orr.

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^ I agree. They sound just like they could have recorded this back in the 80's. Not a huge Cars fan, but they were one of the few 80's "New Wave" bands I could listen to. Thanks for the link - it provided good background music while I was getting some work done. Good effort Ric & Co!

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^ I agree. They sound just like they could have recorded this back in the 80's. Not a huge Cars fan, but they were one of the few 80's "New Wave" bands I could listen to. Thanks for the link - it provided good background music while I was getting some work done. Good effort Ric & Co!

Not a huge fan either but I'll probably be adding their first two albums to my collection sometime in the near future mainly because they were such an essential part of my soundtrack back then. Since I love compiling playlists via iTunes it would simply be remiss without them, especially the deeper cuts such as "Moving In Stereo" (not to even mention the infamous Phobe Cates scene from Fast Times At Ridgemont High). By the time we got to Heartbreak City in the mid 80s I was pretty much burnt out on them but that probably had just as much to do with MTV playing them too much as well as radio.

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Sounds pretty good, but probably has too much of that 80's and new wave sound to it. I saw them back in '84 in New Haven and it was one of the most boring concerts if not the most I ever saw. They just play and hardly recognize their audience. I hope they change this now.

I saw them in 82 or 83 (Richmond) and had the exact same experience. They stood there motionless and played; didn't talk to the audience and the songs sounded exactly like the record. Probably the most disappointing concert I've seen, considering how much I enjoyed their music back then.

This tour is getting good reviews though:

The Cars Unleash Ferocious Live Show

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