The Cars

The Cars are an American rock band that emerged from the early New Wave music scene in the late 1970s. The band consisted of lead singer and rhythm guitarist Ric Ocasek, lead singer and bassist Benjamin Orr, guitarist Elliot Easton, keyboardist Greg Hawkes and drummer David Robinson. Over the years they have released six studio albums, six compilation albums and 23 singles.

The Cars were at the forefront in merging 1970s guitar-oriented rock with the new synth-oriented pop. The Cars started with their debut album The Cars which went on to go platinum in late 1978. The most successful and well known song from the album, "Just What I Needed", started as a demo in 1977. "My Best Friend's Girl" and "Good Times Roll" soon followed, charting on the Billboard Hot 100.

The band commissioned famed Playboy artist Alberto Vargas to design the sexy illustration for the cover of their second album, Candy-O, released in 1979. Hits from that album included "Let's Go", "It's All I Can Do" and "Dangerous Type."

A more experimental album, Panorama, was released in 1980, charting only one Top 40 hit with "Touch and Go". In 1981, the Cars purchased Intermedia Studios in Boston, renaming it Syncro Sound. The only Cars album recorded there was Shake It Up. It was their first album to spawn a top 10 single with the title track, and included another hit "Since You’re Gone". Following their 1982 tour, the Cars took a short break and went to work on solo projects.

The Cars re-united and released their most successful album, Heartbeat City, in 1984. The first single, "You Might Think", helped The Cars win Video of the Year at the first MTV Video Music Awards. Other hit singles from the album included "Magic", "Hello Again", and "Why Can’t I Have You". Their most successful single, "Drive", gained particular notability when it was used in a video of the Ethiopian famine prepared by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation and introduced by David Bowie at the 1985 Live Aid concert at Wembley Stadium in London.

After the resulting period of superstardom and another hit single, "Tonight She Comes", a #7 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 and a #1 hit on the Billboard Top Rock Tracks chart, from their Greatest Hits, the Cars took time off again to pursue solo projects.

In 1987, the Cars released their sixth album, Door to Door. It contained their last major international hit, "You Are the Girl", but the album failed to approach the success of their previous albums. They announced the group's breakup in February 1988.

In 1995, Rhino Records released a 2-CD set Just What I Needed: The Cars Anthology, containing all the group's hits mixed with rarities. They followed up with the releases of The Cars: Deluxe Edition in 1999, their debut album in 2-CD format, and Complete Greatest Hits.

Ocasek continues to perform as a solo artist, having released over seven studio albums. Robinson retired from music and spent most of his time working in his restaurant. In 2005, Easton and Hawkes combined their talents with Todd Rundgren, Prairie Prince, and Kasim Sulton in a revamped lineup, The New Cars, to perform classic Cars songs along with selections from Rundgren's solo work and some new original material.

In 2010, the founding members of The Cars suggested a reunion when Ric Ocasek, Elliot Easton, Greg Hawkes and David Robinson placed a photo of the four members together in Millbrook Sound Studios, Millbrook, NY on their Facebook page. The new album, Move Like This, was released in May 2011 and debuted at #7 on Billboard's album charts. The album's first single, "Sad Song", was released to radio stations March 1.

Music Videos

 * Blue Tip
 * Dangerous Type
 * Double Life
 * Drive
 * Free
 * Hello Again
 * Just What I Needed
 * Let's Go
 * Magic
 * My Best Friend's Girl
 * Panorama
 * Sad Song
 * Shake It Up
 * Since You're Gone
 * Strap Me In
 * Tonight She Comes
 * Touch and Go
 * Why Can't I Have You
 * You Are The Girl
 * You Might Think