New Cars/Blondie

[Dave Bryce]

So, it seems that The Cars are touring...well, sort of...

 

The lineup does have Greg Hawkes and Elliot Easton, but the other three members are Todd Rundgren, Kasim Sultan and Prairie Prince! They're calling themselve The New Cars.

 

They\'re touring with Blondie this summer - I bought tix yesterday.

 

Anybody else planning on seeing this show?

 

dB

[Jeff Klopmeyer]

I had very mixed feelings when I heard this. Ric Ocasek gave his blessing, apparently, and this line-up is very cool in some ways (I'm a fan of both Elliot and Greg).

 

But no Ben Orr and no Ric means no Cars. I think of it as a different band that's going to do some probably cool renditions of Cars tunes.

 

I do love me some Cars, though.

 

- Jeff

[DanL]

I heard they were doing some Todd songs as well. Should be interesting. Kasim and Prarie Prince are both long time Todd sidemen.

[JeffLearman]

I like the idea of Todd actually playing some pop music for a change. He's such a genius at it, but disdained it because it was so easy (for him) -- and instead played stuff most of which I think is egocentric crap.

 

I bet it's a good show.

[Mike Davis]

They should have called it NazzCar...

[Dave Bryce]

Originally posted by Mike Davis:

They should have called it NazzCar...

 

..or Cartopia...

 

dB

[Botch.]

Originally posted by Mike Davis:

They should have called it NazzCar...

Oh damn you, I just spit iced tea all over the place!

[Mike Davis]

I'm glad it wasn't hot tea

[nursers]

I'm pleased to hear about it - hopefully they may record some new material? And hey, could someone ask em to tour down here

[NoahZark]

Originally posted by Jeff Klopmeyer:

But no Ben Orr and no Ric means no Cars.

I felt the same way when I heard that "Queen" was touring with Paul Rodgers as lead vocalist. Granted, they named their tour "Queen and Paul Rodgers," but as far as I'm concerned Queen, the band, died with Freddie Mercury (R.I.P.).

 

Noah

 

P.S. I know that other bands have continued to have great success after their lead singers died (AC/DC, for example) or quit touring (The Beach Boys, for example), but for some reason, to me at least, Freddie Mercury so totally defined who Queen was that it besmirches the band's legacy to tour under that name without him.

[Mark Zeger]

I saw The New Cars "Not Tonight" video on VH1 a few days ago. It's about what you'd expect and wouldn't have sounded out of place on "Heartbeat City".

 

I like both The Cars and Rundgren so the live show is probably something I'll catch if/when the come to my neighborhood during the summer. I don't care to see Blondie 25+ years past their prime.

[JeffLearman]

So does this mean the original band is now the "Used Cars"?

[Geoff Grace]

Originally posted by Dave Bryce:

Originally posted by Mike Davis:

They should have called it NazzCar...

 

..or Cartopia...

 

dB

Cartubes?

 

Asia ?

 

Best,

 

Geoff

[mildbill]

Originally posted by Mark Zeger:

[QB] I saw The New Cars "Not Tonight" video on VH1 a few days ago. It's about what you'd expect and wouldn't have sounded out of place on "Heartbeat City".

................

what? you didn't like heartbeat city?

 

i like the cars, but i don't usually like amputated versions of original bands - maybe they'll do a decent job of it tho.

 

Car Ryon?

[AUSSIEKEYS]

Oh being a BIG BIG fan of the Cars I think the name the "New Cars" is a shame being that half the band still is playing.

It reminds me what they did to my FAVORITE BAnd the Monkees "you may laugh,go on laugh"

they formed a revival band called the NEW MONKEES a bunch of young bloods I believe?

 

Im a fraid this "NEW CARS" name smacks of that.

 

I think they could haVE still used the "Cars" with that lineup...if acceptable to other former members.

Well if it doesnt work they can call it

"CAR WRECK"

"Scrap Yard"

"CAR PARK"

"CARTOON"

"CAR.. BON COPY"

"CAR..ACHATURE"

"CAR..slagenic"

"CAR..Bolic"

 

anyway heres to the CARS one of the bands who influenced me the most.And IM still singing thier stuff.I loves ya'

[Mark Zeger]

Originally posted by mildbill:

Originally posted by Mark Zeger:

[QB] I saw The New Cars "Not Tonight" video on VH1 a few days ago. It's about what you'd expect and wouldn't have sounded out of place on "Heartbeat City".

................

what? you didn't like heartbeat city?

 

i like the cars, but i don't usually like amputated versions of original bands - maybe they'll do a decent job of it tho.

I liked "Heartbeat City". (I liked much of often maligned "Panorama", too.)

 

The new song, IMO, reminded me more of "Hello Again" & "You Might Think", or "Tonight She Comes" (which came after "Heartbeat City"), than songs from the earlier Cars albums.

 

YMMV.

[Jeff Klopmeyer]

Jeff's Top 10 Cars Songs (not that you asked...):

 

- Bye Bye Love

- Candy-O

- Just What I Needed

- Let's Go

- Dangerous Type

- You're All I've Got Tonight

- Since You're Gone

- Touch & Go

- Good Times Roll

- Best Friend's Girl

 

Can you tell I prefer the early stuff?

 

- Jeff

[yabbadabbadoo]

Originally posted by NoahZark:

I felt the same way when I heard that "Queen" was

touring with Paul Rodgers as lead vocalist.

Yes, although I've not heard any of the PR stuff, the various celebs singing his stuff on tribute shows and the like have at least demostrated how good a singer he was.

 

They seem to have become a bit of a parody of themselves with a few tribute programs bleating on and on about Bohemian Rhapsody [and the other singles] and Freddie Mercury's "showmanship" [which obviously existed and was a factor in their success and live show - Robbie Williams has made a fortune copying it] But FM could sing and penned the numbers he was jumping about to. Plus, the albums are, imo, full of material that is better than the stuff they chucked out on singles.

 

P.S. I know that other bands have continued to have great success after their lead singers died (AC/DC, for example)

Yes, but his death after highway to hell and before Back in Black [which is one of the best selling albums ever isn't it?] must have been a large part of that. If they'd released some of the albums they've released since BiB as the first BJ one, perhaps not, IMO.

 

I know they have the die hard acdc fans [as many heavy rock/metal groups do], that probably buy power supplies because they have the bands name on it, which ensures a certain level of success. But those 2 albums in particular, everyone I knew at the time when I was into HM owned even if they weren't particularly into acdc.

 

I know speaking for myself, around 1984-1986 when I was a teenager, I was buying BiB / HtH [as well as plethora of stuff written in the late 60s/70s, led zep, jethro tull, pink floyd and so on] and not the stuff they actually released in those years [the same's true of Ozzy too I bought Black Sabbath and the Randy Rhodes stuff when he was releasing Bark at the moon and so on]

[NoahZark]

Originally posted by Jeff Klopmeyer:

Jeff's Top 10 Cars Songs (not that you asked...):

 

- Bye Bye Love

- Candy-O

- Just What I Needed

- Let's Go

- Dangerous Type

- You're All I've Got Tonight

- Since You're Gone

- Touch & Go

- Good Times Roll

- Best Friend's Girl

 

Can you tell I prefer the early stuff?

 

- Jeff

Jeff:

 

No "Moving in Stereo"? In addition to being a great song, it's the backing track to the greatest topless movie scene of all time: Phoebe Cates in Fast Times at Ridgemont High.

 

Noah

[Jeff Klopmeyer]

Originally posted by NoahZark:

In addition to being a great song, it's the backing track to the greatest topless movie scene of all time: Phoebe Cates in Fast Times at Ridgemont High

It almost made the list for that reason alone!

 

- Jeff

[AUSSIEKEYS]

QUOTE "I know they have the die hard acdc fans [as many heavy rock/metal groups do], that probably buy power supplies because they have the bands name on it, which ensures a certain level of success."

 

oh please!

well perhaps they'd buy some of the bricks from the local schools ACDC played at here[australia]as the garage band they were. just because they played at them.I think I could find a few for em'

 

Struth!

Id have to wish far more sucess on the CARS than our local heroes? [but good luck to em anyway]

The CARS mix between guitars and keys was musical mastery,

I still can't understand accadacca's unbelievable success especially when they really turned dare i say POP or should I say commercial.

At least thier early stuff brings back good memories of me chasing girls around the skating rink [why didnt they slow down] and I guess they are part of my past.

Accadacca brings back memories of my garage bands playing at parties and performing accadacca cause it was easy.

The cars brings back memories of my first sucessful band playing originals and covers including the cars...hence my real influence by the cars.God singing and playing the riffs...helped me in learning to coordinate the two.

thankls again guys.

 

Lets hope people will buy automobiles now just cause they are called CARS.

[Geoff Grace]

Originally posted by AUSSIEKEYS:

The cars brings back memories of my first sucessful band playing originals and covers including the cars...hence my real influence by the cars.God singing and playing the riffs...helped me in learning to coordinate the two.

AussieKeys, you just brought back a memory for me too. The first song I ever sang lead vocals on in public was "Just What I Needed." I strapped my new Moog Liberation over my shoulder, stepped out from behind my keyboards and up to the lead vocalist's mic, center stage.

 

Man was I nervous!

 

I have to admit that it was a little difficult at first to play one melody line on my Liberation while singing another; but everything went fine, and soon, I was singing two lead vocals a set.

 

The year was 1980.

 

Good times

 

Best,

 

Geoff

[AUSSIEKEYS]

geoff

 

yea exactly...wow a moog liberation now thats exciting too

mine was a korg RK 100 i think it was called but i think that was later? I think i was using a Korg Trident [god that never really covered the sounds but I payed a bomb for it so that was that.]

 

yes just what i needed ,best friends girl,let the good times roll etc

well recently i dragged out all my albums,my song notes and started relearning them and other songs off thier albums for duo/solo work [health permitting damn],and if not for gigs where smoke doesnt affect me.

man it fits me like an ol,glove,but hey maybe ill let the midifile player cover more than i did in the old band....besides the singing takes priority now in clubs,[but ill see what i feel like.hah]

Ironically you never hear any cars covered here in aus ,yet in there time they were big here.

Thats why i dragged them out....gee i might have been on to something if they come back.

Thank god i bought all thier early song books.

Unfotunately after heartbeat city they seemed to dissapear here.

i did later have a Roland JX 10 which gave me many of thier sounds

unfortunately sold it but am now looking for the module here in aus?

if they come to aus ill be hoping to catch em.

[nursers]

I just listened / watched their latest video - 'Not Tonight' and all i can say is - WOW.

 

I think they may have done an AC/DC and managed to pull off something that's equal to the original. YMMV.

[Les Mizzell]

Originally posted by learjeff:

I like the idea of Todd actually playing some pop music for a change.

Well, I'm showing my age, but I saw Tood and Utopia on the "RA" tour. Freaking amazing and from what I remember, I wasn't using any mind altering drugs at the time, so if I remmeber it "good", then it was.

 

What's Roger Powell doing these days? He absolutely ripped on Minimoog back then ...

 

Even with all the amazing folks playing with Todd back then, a highlight was him just sitting there with a Tascam 4 track and playing "Hello It's Me" by himself.

 

Hmmmm - memory lane....

[Dave Bryce]

Originally posted by AUSSIEKEYS:

wow a moog liberation now thats exciting too

mine was a korg RK 100 i think it was called but i think that was later?

Oh, man - the two heaviest strap-on keyboards of all time. You needed to work out at the gym to waer those bad boys...

 

...and yes, the RK100 MIDI controller was a few years after the Liberation (which had it's own onboard sound generator).

 

dB

[workstationM.I.]

Oh man,"Parallel Lines" such good music,and I do mean music.

 

"Heart of Glass" is classic.

[b3keys]

I have mixed feelings about both bands.

 

Blondie - without Jimmy Destri in the lineup, it's more like Debbie Harry's back-up band.

 

New Cars - interesting, but Todd is an erractic performer as of late. He phoned it in on the Joe Jackson duo tour.

 

Too bad they aren't playing nearby. I might have gone.

[Pursuitboy]

I may just go downstairs and sequence some Cars. It's a keyboard players dream,If your into that kind of stuff. Make a nice layered recipe of vocal pad voices and wha la you've got "Drive".

Get them on the dance floor cheek to cheek then finish it off with a medley of "You Might think",Hello Again" and my favorite "Magic".

I wonder what Greg Hawkes is using onstage these days. I think he relied heavily on a Roland Jupitar 8 back 20 years ago.

They are playing Ravinia her in Chgo this summer but of course thats a night I am gigging.....Damm

[DanL]

Originally posted by LesMizzell:

Well, I'm showing my age, but I saw Tood and Utopia on the "RA" tour. Freaking amazing and from what I remember, I wasn't using any mind altering drugs at the time, so if I remmeber it "good", then it was.

 

What's Roger Powell doing these days? He absolutely ripped on Minimoog back then ...

 

Even with all the amazing folks playing with Todd back then, a highlight was him just sitting there with a Tascam 4 track and playing "Hello It's Me" by himself.

 

Hmmmm - memory lane.... [/QB]

My 1st Utopia concert was the Road to Utopia tour. I think that Todd has always done music that was pop based, but was simply ahead of it's time so it didn't catch on.

 

Parallel Lines is one of my favorite all time songs from any artist. I've always wanted to make a complilation CD of Todd ballads. I really think that is his forte. Compassion from the Healing record is another amazing tune.