Ric Ocacek & Benjamin Orr- Pre-Cars Demo Sessions 1974-1975

 

Many years later, as members of a popular band called, The Cars.

 

In the early days of this blog, a semi-regular feature called, "Before We Was Famous" (...Before He/She) featured recordings from musicians before they gained wider success or attention. Sometimes there were demos (Lou Reed, Uncle Tupelo), independent, self-produced recordings (Kathleen Edwards, The Refreshments, Emily Haines), early ignored releases (Mary Lou Lord, Norah Jones) or before a name change (The Shins (Flake), Fountains of Wayne (Pinnwheel), Electrocutes (The Donnas), Bangles (The Bangs), just to name a few that I can remember. I've always been fascinated by artist's early works and how they may or not differ from later works. Sometimes the music differs a lot, maybe through a direction change or an attempt to have more commercial appeal. I often wonder if some artist's early works display their "true" sound and how and what influences their direction. Sometimes it's just a matter of polishing up their sound, with better production or a producer that can act as an editor that presents a more cohesive sound.

 

Benjamin Orr And Ric Ocasek had played in a variety of bands (Milkwood, released one album) before forming, The Cars and they recorded several demos with different lineups as, Richard and the Rabbits, Ocasek & Orr and Cap'n Swing. What we have is a sampling of some of the songs recorded during those sessions that included other future Cars, including Greg Hawkes (Richard and the Rabbits, Ocasek & Orr) and guitarist Elliot Easton (aka: Elliot Steinberg- Cap'n Swing). The info file includes the complete lineups of the groups that recorded these demos. My initial impression of these songs is that it sounds nothing like the Cars, even though the Cars would form in 1976. The sound of these demos are full band, fully produced songs and the sound quality is good. Their style sounds like the early 70's, slick, over-produced, something Todd Rundgren would put out. Interesting, but not overly original or anything that stands out. It's a respectable collection of songs and somehow Orr, Ocasek, Easton, Hawkes and former Modern Lovers drummer, David Robinson altered and revamped their sound to produce a much more unique and appealing sound on the Cars debut album, which is considered one of the best debut albums from the 70's.

Enjoy!

Please do NOT sell or profit from this recording!

Do NOT convert to lossy formats, except for personal use

Please share!

 

Ric Ocasek
Benjamin Orr
Demo Sessions Circa 1974-75
Studio Unknown
Location Unknown but presumed Boston, MA

JEMS Transfer: 1970s Demo Cassette > Nakamichi CR-7A (azimuth adjustment) > Sound Devices USBPre 2 > Audacity 2.0 capture 2496 > MBIT+ resample to 1644 > iZotope RX8 > iZotope Ozone 8 > Audacity > TLH > FLAC

01 Harlequin (Richard and the Rabbits)
02 Sam’s Decision (Richard and the Rabbits)
03 Mid Spring
04 Your Always Brighter (with guest vocals and different than the Cap'n Swing version)
(recorded as "She's Always Brighter" by Richard and the Rabbits at some time)
05 Never Gonna Get Over You (different than circulating Ocasek & Orr version)
06 Twilight Superman (different than circulating Richard and the Rabbits & Cap'n Swing versions)
07 Everyday (same as circulating Ocasek & Orr version)
08 Start It All Again (a Richard and the Rabbits version was recorded at some time)

RIC OCASEK and BENJAMIN ORR- 1974-1975 The Pre-Cars Demo Sessions FLAC. rar

R.I.P. Ric Ocasek- Day 3: The Cars Live In 1978

I'm sure you've heard or read about this already, but Ric Ocasek, frontman for the band, The Cars passed away on September 15th of "natural causes" while recuperating from surgery. The official cause of his death was hypertensive and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, in other words heart disease caused by high blood pressure. Days before Ocasek death we had already lost classic rocker, Eddie Money and indie-eccentric, Daniel Johnston so it was a tough week for music fans. Money's music is still played often on the classic rock stations I listen to at work and I even saw him live during an outdoor concert at Assiniboia Downs 40 years ago (with Max Webster and Burton Cummings). I've only listened to a limited amount of Johnston's work, but the Cars have always been on my radar for reliable go-to music, especially on road trips. I remember buying the first Cars album after listening to a friend's copy. It was instantly catchy and infectious and being the unsophisticated music fan at the time, it was unlike anything I had heard before. I grew up listening to a lot of AM radio in the mid-seventies, along with Elton John, the Beatles, Stones and later FM radio crap like Boston, Foreigner, Cheap Trick, VH etc. So to hear cool keyboards and that "new wave" sound it opened my ears to the sounds of Joe Jackson, Elvis Costello, Squeeze and Nick Lowe-related bands. When I think of albums that changed my life (both musically and socially), that first Cars album was an important record that widened my musical tastes and tolerances.

As a tribute to Ric Ocasek and the Cars, I'm presenting a FM broadcast of a Cars show from 1978, featuring their debut album. According to the notes about the show, this is probably one of the more widely circulated live recordings of the Cars, but this version is sourced from the master tape so the sound is much improved, in fact the sound is flawless. Also according to the notes, this is a rare show where they perform a cover and Elliot Easton sings lead. The Cars released some great albums (and some not-so great), but if you're like me and want to hear the complete first album and more live, this is not to be missed.
Enjoy!

#13yearsoftrouble
Please do NOT sell!
Do NOT trade this in lossy format.
Convert to lossy for personal use only.

THE CARS
The Agora
Cleveland, OH
July 18, 1978
FM Broadcast

01. Good Times Roll
02. Bye Bye Love
03. Nightspots
04. I'm In Touch With Your World
05. My Best Friend's Girl
06. Moving In Stereo
07. All Mixed Up
08. Take What You Want
09. Don't Cha Stop
10. You're All I've Got Tonight
11. Just What I Needed
12. Hotel Queenie
13. Something Else (Looky Here)

THE CARS- 1978-07-18 The Agora, Cleveland, OH FLAC. rar