Their first album was a great example of what was to come from The Cars. It almost serves as a “Best Of” album given the number of hits it contained (3 in Billboard Top 100) and airplay that the other songs received. If you’re familiar with the Cars, you will know most of these songs well.
This album was released in June, 1978. Punk & New Wave were underway, and The Cars did a great job of staking out their own turf by blending aspects of these styles and traditional rock & pop elements. The Cars’ song & lyric writing was a refreshing new take, and when you heard this album you knew you were onto something really good.
“Candy-O” was released in 1979 and continued The Cars success. While this, & subsequent albums, had some strong songs, I feel their first album is their best and stands the test of time.
RIP Ric Ocasek & Benjamin Orr.