The Cars- The Cars – Taking The Baton

I followed up the Rolling Stones album with this one. I realized that the only track I knew by the Cars was their big hit “Just What I Needed”. This is an album that will definitely stay in rotation quite frequently, in full.

Now, I don’t know why I picked this album in particular to listen to. I think I went down a classic rock playlist and looked for artists who’s albums I hadn’t heard in full or genuinely don’t remember how the whole album sounded. This album, after heard sticky fingers literally right before it, felt like the natural progression of what the Stones were doing. The Cars saluted their predecessors and took what they did to the next level.

The album’s first two tracks “Good Times Roll” and “My Best Friends Girl” come off as tracks that the Stones could have easily done. I can hear Mick Jagger singing “My Best Friends’ Girl” which comes off as the inspiration for Rick Springfield when he sang “Jessie’s Girl”. Where the Cars took it to the next level is with tracks like “Just What I Needed, and “You’re All I’ve Got Tonight.” These tracks are soaked in synthesizers that really make this album stand out. Of course, the former is the lead hit single from this album, and the Cars’ claim to fame, but the latter is a song I’m surprised was not a single. It really stands out in this entire album and has a real similar sound to “Just What I Needed.”

This album doesn’t out stay it’s welcome, and while it has a track or two that I won’t revisit (Looking at you, “Moving in Stereo.”), the album as a whole is really solid and I can see the influence that The Cars had on music. Their use of synth definitely helped usher in new wave and gave sonic freedom to a lot of artists to follow.