We look back at some of Ric Ocasek's greatest songs, both with the Cars and on his own
Ocasek didn’t keep all his good songs for himself. He gave this 1979 single, about a free-spirited girl who won’t settle down, to bassist Benjamin Orr to sing. The track, with hand claps, a futuristic synth line, and dual guitar mastery, became their first Top 20 hit, and the first single for their second albumThe band again worked with producer Roy Thomas Baker, who famously produced Queen’s classics, but Ocasek said they tried for a rawer approach than on their first album.
. “On the second album, it was easier to say, ‘Roy, let’s not do the multi-tracked harmonies this time.'”“We started out wanting to be electric and straight-ahead rock, and it kind of turned into an artier kind of thing,” Cars keyboardist Greg Hawkes once said of the way the band fine-tuned its sound in the early days. Case in point, “Candy-O.
of the tune seems entirely fitting. Ocasek provided a small clue as to the song’s unsettling mood when he once said of the title, “The ‘O’ stands for ‘obnoxious.'”Ocasek uses repetition for maximum impact in “Dangerous Type”: He runs through the four-line hook 10 different times in four-and-a-half minutes. Ocasek’s keen grasp of pop-music architecture sometimes gave him pause. “I feel cold sometimes about what’s going on,” he toldin 1980.
Australia Latest News, Australia Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Ric Ocasek, The Cars Frontman, Dies at 75Ric Ocasek, frontman of the popular late 1970s and 1980s band the Cars, was found dead in his New York home on Sunday. He was 75. The NYPD confirmed that he was found dead after they received a cal…
Read more »
Ric Ocasek, lead singer of The Cars, dies at 75JUST IN: Ric Ocasek, whose sound was synonymous with the late 1970s and '80s as lead singer of the band The Cars, has died at age 75.
Read more »
Ric Ocasek, singer for The Cars, dies at 75: reportsRic Ocasek, lead singer of the 1980s hook-heavy hitmakers The Cars, has died at ...
Read more »
Ric Ocasek, Lead Singer of The Cars, Dies at 75Ric Ocasek, founding member and lead singer of The Cars, has died in New York City. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2018
Read more »
Cars' Ric Ocasek on the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Missing Benjamin Orr'It's a good cap to the bottle.' Revisit our 2017 interview with Ric Ocasek where he spoke with us about the Cars' induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
Read more »
Ric Ocasek, Cars Singer Who Fused Pop and New Wave, Dead at 75Ric Ocasek, the Hall of Fame Cars singer who fused pop, rock and New Wave into indelible hits, has died at the age of 75
Read more »