Pet_Sounds

Do the debut, #1 Record. It's the natural place to start, and I think you're more likely to enjoy it than Radio City or Third. Plus, if you like it, you can listen to all three in chronological order and thus hear their evolution.

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Josef K

Radio City rocks harder and it has their best song. Pick that one.

Trollheart

Okay, will add to the list. Anyone else any opinion on which one I should do?
Noted thanks. Not looking forward to PIL, so anything that makes it less of an ordeal is welcome.
If youses guys don't decides I'm just gonna flips a coins!

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Trollheart

Title: Crooked rain, crooked rain
Artiste: Pavement
Year: 1994
Chronological position: Second album
Previous experience of this artiste?: Zero
Why is this considered a classic? Cos Surell says so!

My thoughts
One minute (or thereabouts in) ---- Good, great, bad, meh, still waiting or other? Good
One track in --- Good
Halfway through --- Good
Finished --- Good

Comments: There’s been some recent discussion as to which of Pavement’s albums I should listen to, and I can’t say as I have never even heard of them before. But Surell asked me to listen to this one, so I’m honouring that request despite some attempts to change my mind. Nice driving rhythm to start us off with a heavy striding guitar, and the vocal then reminds me of early Bono (shut up) … which gets a little on my nerves rather quickly I must admit. I don’t like “Stop breathin’” much; the sort of off-tune guitar is a little annoying. Mind you, the guitar interlude in the middle is quite nice, and sort of makes up for it. Yeah but then it goes out of tune again. Teeth grinding.

“Newark wilder” is a nice tune, low-key, laidback, sort of like something the Eagles would do in their bluesier moments maybe, nice keys on it. “Unfair”’s good too, lot more energy to it, good riffs, but I don’t know; maybe I’m just getting harder to please. I’m not feeling it here at all. The jazzy Waits-style piano instrumental doesn’t help, though “Range life” does. I really like this one. Definitely my favourite so far. “Heaven is a truck” is pretty good too. Looks like they saved the better material for nearer the end of the album.

Ah, but then “Hit the plane down” is another teeth-grinder, bloody hate it, which leaves us with one more track, thankfully finishing on a high note with a nice lazy almost acoustic ballad.

Favourite track(s): Silence kid, Newark wilder, Range life, Heaven is a truck, Fillmore jive
Least favourite track(s): 5-4=Unity, Gold soundz, Cut your hair, Hit the plane down

Final impression --- At times I didn’t care, at other times it was an ordeal. There were some bright spots but not enough for me to have considered this a positive experience. I wouldn’t say I hated it but I certainly did not love it.

Do I feel, at the end, A) I wish I had listened to this sooner
B) I'm sorry I bothered
C) I might end up liking this
D) Have to wait and see
E) Bit underwhelmed; was ok but a classic?
F) Definitely enjoyed it, but again would I consider it a classic?
G) Enjoyed this album just purely on its own merits
H) Glad I listened to it

I think I would have to say E at this point.

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Josef K

If I can offer a brief rebuttal to Pet_Sounds:
Eh. All three are sort of different beasts. I think you can easily enjoy Radio City without having heard #1 Record first (although I probably wouldn't listen to Third without having heard the first two).
I disagree - like I said, Radio City rocks harder, plus it's more consistent as an album. It's a little weirder, I guess, but it has their two best straightforward pop-rock songs, "Back of a Car" and "September Gurls", on it.
He's already said he's only listening to one. Therefore priority should be which one he'll most immediately like, and that's Radio City.

(Also, #1 Record has "The India Song", so yeah that's the one bad Big Star song.)

Trollheart

Title: The Cars
Artiste: The Cars
Year: 1978
Chronological position: Debut album
Previous experience of this artiste?: Heartbeat City, Door to door, Move like this plus the Greatest Hits compilation
Why is this considered a classic? Their greatest hits were on it, it introduced the world to the band and a new sound, and it sold over a million copies within a year.

My thoughts
One minute (or thereabouts in) ---- Good, great, bad, meh, still waiting or other? Great
One track in --- Great
Halfway through --- Great
Finished --- Great

Comments: Well even though Unknown Soldier wants to disown me and tar and feather me for not having heard this album, I have heard most of it through the compilations and singles, so tracks like “My best friend's girlfriend”, “Just what I needed” and Good times roll” are all well known and liked by me. Love the Queen-like chorus on the opener, possibly thanks to their producer having come from working with that band earlier. Funnily enough, they're described as a new-wave band; I would never have thought that. To me they were just an AOR or rock act. I guess the amount of synthesisers and effects contributed to that tag. Still, I wouldn't have put them in the same arena as Cabaret Voltaire, Flock of Seagulls or any of that lot.

I do however agree with the sleeve being very annoying; that woman couldn't close her stupid mouth? She looks like a cartoon, or as if she's totally high. Meh. I find the quality suddenly dipping though when “I'm in touch with your world” hits; it's just such a comedown after three powerful tracks. Maybe it was too much to expect that everything would be of the same calibre, but still, a bit disappointing that it dips so early. Perhaps it's just a blip. Well, “Dont'cha stop” sounds a bit like Martha and the Muffins' “Echo beach”, but it's a hell of a better song than the previous as it gets the tempo kicking again. As does “You're all I've got tonight”, really rocks along and again you can hear the Queen influence there but not so much that it seems like the Cars are ripping Freddie and Co. off.

“Bye bye love” is okay but I feel it's again lacking something, but “Moving in stereo” gets us back on track; kind of a dark, grindy feel to it with some cool effects. Probably the closest I would say they come to what I would think of as new wave. Closer then is another good rocker, kind of mid-paced and “All mixed up” takes us to the finish line. Interesting, and perhaps a brave decision, not to have a single ballad on the album. I know they made hits out of ballads later, so the fact that this album sold so well without one is quite impressive.

Favourite track(s): Good times roll, My best friend's girlfriend, Just what I needed, You're all I've got tonight, Moving in stereo, All mixed up
Least favourite track(s): I'm in touch with your world

Final impression --- I think the Cars were very lucky in that they had two ready-made, but entirely different, singers in Ben Orr and Ric Ocasek, Now there's only one of course, but back then you could get a great mix from the two of them swapping vocal duties. A great debut and it certainly pointed the way towards the bright lights that would eventually lead The Cars to their destination, Heartbeat City.

[i]Do I feel, at the end, A) I wish I had listened to this sooner
B) I'm sorry I bothered
C) I might end up liking this
D) Have to wait and see
E) Bit underwhelmed; was ok but a classic?
F) Definitely enjoyed it, but again would I consider it a classic?
G) Enjoyed this album just purely on its own merits
H) Glad I listened to it

That's a H I think and I rate it

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Unknown Soldier

As you quite like it I won't now.

Obviously not enough as it was 'girl' and not 'girlfriend'.

Well its the perfect example of an American new wave record at that time along with the likes of Blondie, the Knack, Television and Devo. Some of those bands leaned more towards punk and other more to electronic music and the Cars I'd say were smack bang in the middle of those two styles. Now a Flock of Seagulls I'd put as a 'second wave new-wave' band as they came along later. But I can see the AOR appeal as it fits into with what an AOR fan would like to hear on an album.

The album cover is iconic Cars and the type of album cover that they wanted, it displays the playful fun of the band for this album, even though they were always a band of darker undertones.

That's the weakest track on the album.

Btw I think the b-side of that album is stronger than the a-side.

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Trollheart

[pedant]Now I know how people feel about me pointing out little errors! [/pedant]


It was a surprise to me, as I always considered the cars AOr or even pop/rock. I guess I don't know enough about New Wave...

Unlike many of The Cars' album covers, the cover for The Cars was designed by the record company, rather than drummer David Robinson.[2] The cover was not well liked by the members of the band, however.[2] Robinson said, "I thought that when the Elektra came out it was way too slick. The pictures of us I didn't like."[2] Guitarist Elliot Easton expressed dislike for "that big grinning face," saying, "Man, I got tired of that cover."

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