Boston's new wave The Cars: band history, hits, clips and facts

When The Cars released their debut album, the world quickly took notice. It also didn't take them long to release the music that made them famous and immortalised their names in history: they got together in 1976, released their debut album two years later and, thanks in large part to a Boston-based DJ called Maxanne Sartorihave been a resounding success!

Their story is unrivalled, with millions of records sold, weeks at the top of the charts and a plethora of musicians who have followed them and considered them a major source of inspiration. Indeed, there's nothing better than knowing that your creative endeavours don't just mean something in the moment, but will be persist and inspire.

The Cars have done pretty well for themselves, but have not been able to avoid some of the catastrophic events that destroy many bands. When the lead guitarist Elliot Easton asked what was wrong with the Machins' career, he replied with a smile:

"We've always been great! I can't complain about anything..."

Nevertheless, no success story would exist without regrets. And The Cars is no exception.

Rick Ocasek's troubled childhood.

About childhood Rika OkasekaThe band's lead singer is virtually unknown. However - according to his wife, the clues could always be found straight away "on the surface."in the lyrics of the songs he sang. According to her, Rick always tried to forget about his childhood and never return to it again. One day he even said the following phrase:

"As a rule, I prefer to live in the future rather than the past..."

It is known that Rick's early years were spent in BaltimoreHis parents were constantly quarrelling, his mother drank a lot and his father did not show the slightest interest in his son. His parents quarrelled constantly, his mother drank a lot, and his father showed no interest in his son at all. No one encouraged his interest in music, and as a child he felt so lonely that he would sometimes run away from home for weeks at a time, finding random places to play. places to stay... When he grew up, Rick finally travelled to Cleveland, where he met the Benjamin Orr. And so began the story of the Machines ....

Fame is not the only vector

Theirs debut album of the same name With each new record the band got one step closer to the Olympus. Despite the fact that they have released only 7 albums in their career (the last one was released in 2011), they managed to sell out millions of copies all over the world, to record a number of hits, as well as to gain a fervent and loving public, which does not forget about the band to this day (judging by the many millions of views of clips on YouTube).

The Cars quickly achieved impressive success, but even at the height of their fame, when their songs held high chart positions, Rick was having a hard time... At one point, the singer turned to producing, recruiting bands from the underground art and music scenes. According to the keyboardist. Greg HawkesRick did it not only because he wanted to support talented musicians, but also because he was trying to separate myself from The Cars.

"He always wanted something more majestic, more artistic... Some of our hits he didn't like at all despite their success, other songs he thought were frankly ridiculous and meaningless... He saw the music in his head in a completely different way."

In the same interview, Hawkes continued:

"For a while it inspired him, but eventually the fame started to tire him out. He stopped enjoying the process of recording or performing. Perhaps he felt doomed at some points..."

Years of separation and regret

Formed around Rick Ocasek and Ben Orr.The Cars have remained loyal mates for more than 10 years. What's more: close acquaintances in the showbiz world have described The Cars as "inseparable friends". But as it often happens, even in such a friendly environment, there was room for discord. Eventually, in 1988, the band split due to external pressures and internal personality conflicts. Part of the slow burn that led to the end of a long-standing friendship was the stress of recording the album "Door to Door.". Keyboardist Greg Hawkes reminisced:

"The atmosphere was extremely tense... The frequent disagreements made it seem like someone was about to explode!"

By the time they started their final tour, they couldn't even bear to be travelled on the same bus. According to Ocasek, alcohol, unwillingness to get into other people's ideas and the control he could not share with Orr were to blame. Alas, in the early 2000s, Orr was gone: he died of pancreatic cancer. Although Rick tried not to show his real emotions, it was obvious: he was very sorry for two things: he lost a friend, and he lost so many years that he could have spent with his friend in the same band....

The potential has not been utilised to its full potential

As it usually happens, after many years, the truth comes to people... It happened to the participants too The Cars: they realised that they never used their full potential. Yes, they have had a few reunions since the 2000s. But the connection between them (and some of the members, actually) is already forever were lost.

Today it is becoming evident that "Cars." could release a lot more good music and inspire even more followers. As guitarist Elliot Easton:

"If it wasn't for Rick and Orr's confrontation, we would have done more work together. We had a great time at the Rock Hall of Fame induction (in 2018), and that reignited the spark! But it's gratifying at least that we parted on a pleasant note..."