JPF Home Page Forums General Messages Musician Message Forum R.I.P. Ric Ocasek

Holy Chit, he was 75???????? Had no idea he was as old as The Who and The Stones????

https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment...ric-ocasek-dead-at-age-75-055926820.html

I remember The Cars bursting on the scene in the late 70's and 80's

The debut album "The Cars" to me was one of the greatest rock/new wave/punk/pop albums of all time. Not a dud on there. They never made a better album inmho

ga head listen to whole thing right here in youtube. Gee back then you actually had to buy the album. Im pretty sure i used paper route money to buy that album and the cassette version too

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IGz1k-L4gpo&list=PL1gLT2gwYzAHrPJaFj67VnW1GrtnVYCOA

Great band, in the true sense of the word "band". I too, was a bit surprised at his age.

He almost singlehandedly created New Wave. His music and style defined it—the chunky, downbeated rhythm guitar, the loony synthesizer lines, the irony, the warbly voice and lack of macho posturing, and most of all the FUN. Always fun and not so serious.

People think that's easy. It ain't.

RIP to a great songwriter, one of the greatest. He moved so many, with a light heart.

That first album still pleases, I listened to the whole thing. Man, some great songs. My Best Friends Girl, was one of the first things I learned on guitar, Just what I needed, You're all I got tonight, Moving In Stereo. All Mixed up.... just a great album!

I remember also listening to Let's Go THOUSANDS of times, it just never got old, and the song had a way of keeping on going....hence lets go. Never wanted it to end.

I may have played that as many times as The Who's You Better You Bet, if not it would be a close second.

Yeah Ocasek was cool, he kind of blended Roy Orbison, with The Ramones, Lou Reed, into his own unique look and sound.

True original, so many great catchy songs.

Just what I needed, You're all I’ve got tonight, Moving in stereo, Bye Bye love.... Genius!

.....candy-o, dangerous type, all I can do,....I mean the list is huge.......!

And.......most songs mentioned here have ben orr at the vocal wheel.

Tragic how ben and rik were estranged at the end.

Happens to the best of them.

One thing that gets overlooked about the cars was the great harmonies! Great production, but still great harmonies, power pop at its finest.

Hell, none of that was overlooked by me, but in general....yes.....as with most great bands.

The fuggin cars were part of a small circle of bands that opened doors for what I heard in my head back then, how to put the pieces together.

Lessons learned through osmosis.

My guys were orr and easton.

Not to dull the shine from the rest of the band in any way.....just the two that impressed me most.

I'd say they were masters of hooking the listener. Cool guitar, keyboard, and lyrical hooks that rocked. Great production always. You felt cool singing along with them. They had good pop lyrics too.

Ahh yes, "The Cars" debut has to be in my top 20, of favorite albums, maybe higher.

I even liked the later stuff like Shake it up and Magic, not quite as much as the earlier stuff cause it was more commercial.

But I dig me some Cars

You've got your nuclear boots
And your drip dry glove
Ooh when you bite your lip
It's some reaction to love, o-ove, o-ove
(Here she comes again)

all those non word melodic hooks

Classic!

Sad to hear he passed away :-(

Ric Ocasek had previous experience to The Cars in a folk duo with major label ties. He definitely had an ear for sounds. Even though The Cars debut and Heartbeat City first got my attention, Panorama was probably the most pivotal in the music scene at the time. Something extra ordinary.

Not a mention of the album DOOR TO DOOR (1987) with You Are the Girl, Strap Me In, Double Trouble, and the like. Pity the record and the tour for it didn't do as well as others (they were playing in half-full venues, even in their hometown of Boston), leading up to the band announcing they had called it quits in early 1988. Sometime before they made DOOR TO DOOR, the Cars sold their Syncro Sound studio, claiming it was becoming a money pit.

Markus,

They had a niche of their own creation then got eaten by it. Happens a lot to ground breakers. Usually they get no benefit or credit at all so at least they had the spotlight for 5 years give or take.

Brian