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Post by jrmugz on Jan 13, 2016 3:48:43 GMT
Strangely enough, the song sounds a lot like David Bowie. I'm sure Ric Ocasek was influenced by him. It's different from his songs with The Cars. It seems to borrow more from 70's glam than 80's new wave. Yeah, if anything for The Cars, it sounds like it might have fit somewhere on their first album, like in the spot where "I'm In Touch With Your World" is. And yeah, I can see where it does seem like Bowie influence for sure. Jim
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Post by Platypus on Jan 14, 2016 0:21:29 GMT
Thanks for the alternative links, I can access most of them. I had found some on YouTube.
Ric was a name I knew, but I would not have been able to nominate any of his work. The Cars I knew vaguely.
Guitar driven rock isn't something I'm strongly drawn to, but as has been said I can notice a hint of Bowie character, but that might be more a Brit pop/rock thing, not sure.
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Post by jrmugz on Jan 14, 2016 16:20:06 GMT
Here is my quick breakdown of the songs. 1. "Crackpot" - Is this guy into drugs or what? ba-doom-kshhh!! But seriously folks, I really like the intricate guitar expressions and the bridge part(s) in what would otherwise be a basic song. Very expressive.
2. "Bottom Dollar" - Move over Annie, let Ric take over. Nice positive tune of optimism, with a great chorus. 3. "Don't Lose Me" - A great jam that to me reflects the universal sentiment of how we don't want people to give up on us, it seems.
4. "In A Little Bit" - Keeps the feel of the CD going good.
5. "Silver" - Moving tribute to his deceased friend and Cars singer and bassist Benjamin Orr. Very authentic and nicely done. Good epxression of loss and appreciation.
6. "Come On" - Maybe kind of like "Shake It Up" with it's just go for it kind of attitude.
7. "I'm Thinking" - Great tune that would sound nice with the full Cars treatment someday.
8. "Carousel" - Also a great tune that would sound good with the full Cars treatment someday, though Greg Hawkes does some guitar on this one I believe.
9. "Heard About You" - Great hooks, really like the drums on it, not sure if they are real or electric.
10. "Please Don't Let Me Down" - Slow expressive tune, where the hooks work.
11. "It Gets Crazy" - Maye the most Cars-y song, would have fit great on the "Heartbeat City" CD, with the full Mutt Lange treatment.
star rating: 4.5 out of 5 prime cuts: "Bottom Dollar", "I'm Thinking", "Heard About You", "Carousel" bottom line: Very expressive and great hooks, etc., reflection of a great artist whose brought us a lot of hits over the years.
Jim
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Post by jrmugz on Jan 15, 2016 20:29:14 GMT
No feedback yet? Jim
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Post by unomusette on Jan 16, 2016 21:08:54 GMT
The Cars always had a reputation as pioneers so I'm expecting more of the same here. Crackpot: Slightly ploddy for an opener, the lyrics put me in mind of recent Alice Cooper (but then he does look somewhat like the Coop in the photo so I might be influenced there) Trademark vocals much in evidence, not many other people sing quite like Ric Bottom Dollar: Much livelier and the snappy '80's sound is much closer to The Cars. In both this and Crackpot I do like the heavy guitars when they come in. Catchy little tune, I like it. Don't Lose Me: Another poppy song which trips along nicely. I like the guitar solo but as a whole it's not a stand out track. Reminds me of something Tom Petty might do. In a Little Bit: "Video Not Available" - couldn't find it on Youtube Silver: "Video Not Available" - found it here Plods a bit but has interesting sounds on it in the background which lift it somewhat. Come on: Again not a stand out track for me but a solid foot-tapper I'm Thinkin: Sung in a more mainstream way, again quite Petty-esque. Pretty tune. Carousel: "Video Not Available" - found it here Vocals here remind me of Lloyd Cole, I like the distorted background and the whole surreal sound of it, good one. Heard about You: "Video Not Available" - couldn't find it on Youtube Please don't let me down: Again a more "normal" vocal style, I would never guess this was Ric Ocasek. This one is quite Beatle-y, pleasant but not earth-shattering. It gets Crazy: "Video Not Available" - found what I think is it here More Cars-alike and original, one of the best tracks on the album I'd say. I like the jangly guitars which remind me of one of Jeff's more recent songs, I think it's Take Me On and On. I get the impression from the lyrics that most of these songs are quite personal, of course Jim did prompt us with this in the intro too. Had to go searching for some of the tracks, for which the videos were not available here, strangely these turned out to mostly be the best on the album for me. When he's singing more in a Cars style the songs tend to be more original and interesting. I'd give it 6 out of 10, it's not the sort of genre I'd normally listen to but it's really good to have a taste of something out of my comfort zone, thanks jrmugz
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Post by Chippa on Jan 17, 2016 3:53:50 GMT
Crackpot – This is what The Cars would have sounded like had they stayed together past 1987. Great guitar sounds. Modern, but with that familiar sound.
Bottom Dollar – Not crazy about the drum machine. A bigger, fuller sound would have helped this song quite a bit.
Don’t Lose Me – Real drums! I like the relentless, driving guitars. Decent melody, but could have used a few more chord changes.
In A Little Bit – Very different. It’s like a classic Cars song, with a slightly tropical flavor.
Silver – Apparently, this song is about the late Cars bassist/vocalist Benjamin Orr. Very poignant, with a somewhat dark musical feel.
Come On –Urgent vibe to the music. Again, I wish there was some more to the melody. Good, but good have been much better with some different chord changes.
I’m Thinking – First thing that hit me was how much this sounds like a Tom Petty song. Good melody to this one, with a catchy chorus.
Carousel – Reminds me of a more laid back “Candy-O”, with a chorus similar to “Tonight She Comes”.
Heard About You – This is like a 90’s alternative song (think Third Eye Blind, or Gin Blossoms). Not bad, but again, a bit underdone.
Please Don’t Let Me Down – Good chorus, if only the verses were as good. I wonder what a Jeff Lynne/Ric Ocasek collaboration would sound like, cause this is the type of song Jeff could have a heyday with.
It Gets Crazy – This is the most Cars-like song on the record, and I love it. Definitely my favorite on the album. Great melody. Good production and overall sound.
Overall, this gets a 6. Good songs, but most of them could use a kick in the pants to make them better.
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Post by jrmugz on Jan 17, 2016 21:52:52 GMT
Enjoyed the reviews uno and chippa. Interesting thoughts enjoyed reading them.
Jim
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Post by queenofthehours on Jan 20, 2016 19:45:38 GMT
1. Crackpot - A great opening track. Reminds me of so many things, other songs. I’m not too keen on the drums here but the guitar is terrific.
2. Bottom Dollar – Again not keen on the drums but the bass is good. A nice song overall.
3. Don't Lose Me – Favourite so far. I could hear this as a later ELO track. Has a bit of a rockabilly feel.
4. In A Little Bit – Couldn’t get this one to work, sorry!
5. Silver – This opening reminds me of something. Something good anyway but I don’t know what. It’s the guitar I think. Probably my favourite so far.
6. Come On – Not a bad track but the weakest one for me so far.
7. I'm Thinking – This sounds the most modern of the album so far. A little ELO too if you changed the singer. I could see this in the charts.
8. Carousel – This is an ok track. I like it but it’s not the best I’ve heard.
9. Heard About You - Couldn’t get this one to work, sorry!
10. Please Don't Let Me Down – This one sounds a bit different to the others, it’s the guitar I think, the melody. Again it could be an ELO hit if only Jeff was singing it.
11. It Gets Crazy – Oh this sounds very 80s! I like that. The best saved until last. And again rather ELO-ish. Maybe I’ve got ELO on the brain (and who doesn’t?) but I can certainly hear elements of Jeff in the music side here. Also hear a lot of The Smiths, particularly in the bass and the guitar. I liked this album more than I thought I would. Even though the album has an overall "sound" each track is different enough from the others to make it's own mark. It reminds me very much of New Order c2000. Perhaps that's why I enjoyed it so much!
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Post by jrmugz on Jan 21, 2016 2:03:36 GMT
1. Crackpot - A great opening track. Reminds me of so many things, other songs. I’m not too keen on the drums here but the guitar is terrific.
2. Bottom Dollar – Again not keen on the drums but the bass is good. A nice song overall.
3. Don't Lose Me – Favourite so far. I could hear this as a later ELO track. Has a bit of a rockabilly feel.
4. In A Little Bit – Couldn’t get this one to work, sorry!
5. Silver – This opening reminds me of something. Something good anyway but I don’t know what. It’s the guitar I think. Probably my favourite so far.
6. Come On – Not a bad track but the weakest one for me so far.
7. I'm Thinking – This sounds the most modern of the album so far. A little ELO too if you changed the singer. I could see this in the charts.
8. Carousel – This is an ok track. I like it but it’s not the best I’ve heard.
9. Heard About You - Couldn’t get this one to work, sorry!
10. Please Don't Let Me Down – This one sounds a bit different to the others, it’s the guitar I think, the melody. Again it could be an ELO hit if only Jeff was singing it.
11. It Gets Crazy – Oh this sounds very 80s! I like that. The best saved until last. And again rather ELO-ish. Maybe I’ve got ELO on the brain (and who doesn’t?) but I can certainly hear elements of Jeff in the music side here. Also hear a lot of The Smiths, particularly in the bass and the guitar. I liked this album more than I thought I would. Even though the album has an overall "sound" each track is different enough from the others to make it's own mark. It reminds me very much of New Order c2000. Perhaps that's why I enjoyed it so much!
Enjoyed the thoughts, qoth, and guess I'll have to check out New Order's turn of the century stuff sometime. Jim
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Post by jrmugz on Feb 13, 2016 2:20:28 GMT
Well I must declare my bias. I'm gonna have a huge soft spot for this ...my first ever picture disk was 'best friend's girl' and Cars have had a massive influence on Weezer which I will always love them for. First time of hearing, I immediately like it. Everything in the right place, the distinctive voice, a smart tight little song. 'Bottom Dollar' the next track is even better in my opinion. Thank you for posting this. I had completely forgotten about the Cars and Ric Ocasek On the strength of these two tracks alone, I will buy this album and it is sure to be in my car for a long time! Very cool dwillyn, and sorry I missed this post when you first posted it. Yeah, you sound just like me, really gravitate to the Cars / Ocasek sound. Yeah I forgot about ocasek, but then one time I.looked up his stuff on amazon and noticed some positive reviews for this one and liked the samples and then like you was a fish that immediately took the bait, and glad I did! :-) Jim
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