History Music / TheCars

On October 3, 2000, Ben died of pancreatic cancer at 53. Ric was still uninterested in any sort of Cars reunion, so in the mid-2000s, and with Ric's blessing, Elliot, Greg and David put together The New Cars with Music/ToddRundgren as lead singer. Ric continued his solo career, and in 2010, he put together a set of songs that he really liked. A call with Elliot led to an official Cars reunion, and ''Move Like This'' was released in May 2011. Greg and producer Jacknife Lee filled in on bass. ''Move Like This'' is a return to the sound of the first two albums. In 2018, the band were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame; the band reunited to play a four-song set, with Music/{{Weezer}}'s Scott Shriner on bass guitar. On September 15, 2019, Ric died of atherosclerosis at 75.

On October 3, 2000, Ben died of pancreatic cancer at 53. Ric was still uninterested in any sort of Cars reunion, so in the mid-2000s, and with Ric's blessing, Elliot, Greg and David put together The New Cars with Creator/ToddRundgren as lead singer. Ric continued his solo career, and in 2010, he put together a set of songs that he really liked. A call with Elliot led to an official Cars reunion, and ''Move Like This'' was released in May 2011. Greg and producer Jacknife Lee filled in on bass. ''Move Like This'' is a return to the sound of the first two albums. In 2018, the band were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame; the band reunited to play a four-song set, with Music/{{Weezer}}'s Scott Shriner on bass guitar. On September 15, 2019, Ric died of atherosclerosis at 75.

They released a best-of in '85, with one new song, "Tonight She Comes". They took another break in '86; Ric, Ben, and Elliot released solo albums. They reunited in '87. ''Door to Door'', produced by Ocasek, brought them back to their roots as an early New Wave band with a lot of {{Punk|Rock}} influences. They tried to get away from the mechanical sounds of their previous albums, but they didn't make it. Critics panned it, and sales were modest, nothing compared to ''Heartbeat City''. The tour was difficult, with the band drifting apart and a lot of empty seats at each venue. It was enough to give Ric a [[HeroicBSOD nervous breakdown]], and so The Cars broke up for what appeared to be the last time in February 1988. 1995's best-of and rarities collection ''Just What I Needed'' was intended to be the final nail in the coffin. But the band members remained friends, ready to reunite any time Ric was ready.

On October 3, 2000, Ben died of pancreatic cancer at 53. Ric continued his solo career, and in 2010, he put together a set of songs that he really liked. A call with Elliot led to a reunion, and ''Move Like This'' was released in May 2011. Greg and producer Jacknife Lee filled in on bass. ''Move Like This'' is a return to the sound of the first two albums. In 2018, the band were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame; the band reunited to play a four-song set, with Music/{{Weezer}}'s Scott Shriner on bass guitar. On September 15, 2019, Ric died of atherosclerosis at 75.

Ric and Ben [[VocalTagTeam shared lead vocals]]; it can be hard to tell them apart. [[spoiler:Ric is the neurotic one, Ben is the sexy one.]]

* TallDarkAndHandsome: Ric.

* DoesNotLikeShoes: "Let's Go":
-->''She's so beautiful now''\\
''She doesn't wear her shoes''

* FadingIntoTheNextSong: "Think It Over" to "Maybe Baby", "Coming Up You" to "Wound Up On You", "Night Spots" to "You Can't Hold On Too Long".

* RecordProducer: [[Music/QueenBand Roy Thomas Baker]] produced the first four albums, and Creator/RobertJohnMuttLange produced ''Heartbeat City''.

* TextlessAlbumCover: The vinyl LP of ''Candy-O''.

They recorded some demo tapes, which caught the ear of WBCN DJ Maxanne Sartori, giving them national exposure and leading to a deal with Creator/ElektraRecords. They went to UsefulNotes/{{London}} in early 1978 to record their first album with producer Roy Thomas Baker, who had previously worked with Music/{{Queen}}. He gave The Cars' songs the same lush multi-tracked vocal arrangements heard on "Bohemian Rhapsody", and this became a signature of their work.

* RecordProducer: [[Music/{{Queen}} Roy Thomas Baker]] produced the first four albums, and Creator/RobertJohnMuttLange produced ''Heartbeat City''.

->''"You can't go on,\\
Thinking nothing's wrong,\\

* TheSouthpaw: Elliot Easton, lead guitarist

* UncommonTime: "Touch and Go"'s verses make use of a polymeter[[labelnote:?]]Two or more time signatures playing simultaneously, [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metre_(music)#Examples like so.]][[/labelnote]]: Orr and Robinson are playing in 5/4, while Ocasek, Easton and Hawkes are playing in 4/4.