What the Cars did was brilliant and yet so simple. After playing clubs in Boston and building a fan base, the Cars knew which original songs the fans liked and were the most popular. They took all of their most popular songs and put them on their first album.
Yep, for sure. Thanks to RU-vid, I now realize a lot of other people think that. Their debut album "Cars" was like a greatest hits album, with one great song after another on that first album. At least 5 or 6 radio (stereo) friendly songs became top 20 hits. Phenomenal album, would still hold up today, if it was released in 2022.
If you’re a Cars fan or even just a casual rock fan then this video in my opinion is literally like a Rosetta Stone type archival piece of history that must be preserved at all cost. If you think that is a little over the top then you aren’t from the 80’s. Every time I watch this I am more blown away than the last time. They are so on point here. Benjamin Orr, may he rest in Peace, was such a great singer. Long live the Cars 🎸🚘🤘🏻🐐
Our gang that grew up together back in the day would sing their songs like them. Even though none of us could sing a note. These guys are the lunch pin of our youth. To be 16 and hearing these guys for the first time one more time.
Ben was an excellent vocal stylist. He did so many great twists and turns and tricks with his voice and made every song he sang better. Life is unfair.
@@57highland You got that right. Not only did his fans lose, this guy toured, spent many hours in a recording studio. That is rarely fun. Granted he wasn't digging ditches his whole life but my point is, he earned enough money to live quite well for a long, long life and was snuffed by a undefeated killer. Sucks for all of us.
He was really a major talent. And he is so good looking that I slap myself to remind me he is a dude!! No, seriously he really is striking in looks, and a great songwriter. Fuckin Pancreatic cancer is a mother$^%&*. Dead at 53. Damn all cancer. It is so silent that by the time you feel even a bit off, it is already stage 4 and you pass within six months. Patrick Swayze, Michael Landon, and many more have been brought down by it. 2023 and it really has not changed much at all. I used to be a very heavy drinker ( I put it down about 12 yrs. ago) and alcoholics tend to be hit with it. My fingers are crossed
@@DustyTailUnfortunately just being introduced now. I was alive then but was busy playing the Stones, The Who, etc. This cat Benjamin Orr rocks. He's like ok, back the fuck up, let me grab this audience for 3: 45.
As a gifted, great vocalist, Ben would have stood out more than he did if the Cars hadn't been so loaded with talent: an brilliant songwriter (Ric), a dazzling lead guitarist (Elliot); an innovative, creative synthesizer guy (Greg), and a powerful but melodic drummer (Dave).
@@gib59er56man, my thoughts exactly about Ben! I'm as straight as a cup of water, but Ben has a look about him. My mean wife, who doesn't like anyone (other than someone like Depp 🙄) agrees on Ben. He'd have probably preferred to grab a beer, talk music, and generally hang out with me over her! 😂
they ended up using it, and in the studio went crazy with unnatural effect to fake you out. One can clearly hear the weak stuff here too. It is a VERY easy song, other than that lead vocal. He is great. But out of tune also... and would not fly next to most live bands of today.
@@morbidmanmusicThe imperfections of the human voice is what brings the emotional quality of the human voice that we, as humans, have been attracted to since time began. Autotune and pitch correction and all other attempts to perfect the human voice are a fool’s errand. And the robotic effect is off putting.
I'm 41 and embarrassed to admit that I only recently learned about the brilliance of Ben Orr. What a frontman, what a voice, what a musician. Ben, you are missed.
My story is similar but i was 58 when i started noticing Ben.. frikkin heard this song nearly a thousand times by 1982.. My friend Dan Richart ( RIP) used to play this first Cars album all the time in his galaxie 500 or whatever the hell that big boat he drove.. he had house speakers in back seat.. lol.. what frikkn fun we used to have.. Famn
Could Benjamin Orr have been any more beautiful? I cant even think of another word. He was absolutely beautiful! And that distinct voice of his. So sad he passed so young.
Hey Stella, I’m a very straight man, but I completely agree with your sentiment of Benjamin. Damn, he was one good looking man, talented singer, not to mention great bass player. Another one taken too soon.
Elliot was ranked top guitarist I think two years running in Guitar World or Guitar Player in the early '80s. Guitarists know how good he is. The solo In Shake It Up is one of the most succinct, to the point and clever solos from that time period. A friend of mine who's been playing guitar for over 50 years often says Elliot Easton can say more in eight bars than most other guitarists can on an entire album.
Elliot’s playing at the end of this song is great! Very talented musician. Benjamin’s bass playing is a perfect complement to Elliot’s skill. The smile the two of them share at 4:06 is priceless.
I’m in a Cars “tribute” band based in Boston. We’re called Panorama. All the guys in the band are life long Cars mega-fans, but it was in the process of dissecting the music that we all developed a new appreciation for just how amazingly inventive The Cars were at crafting their parts. The songs might seem deceptively simple to the casual listener but I promise you... every part is so thought out and finely tuned. Everything fits together like a puzzle. It makes re-creating this wonderful music such a joy.
That is so interesting. Me... just listening to the music and not really giving much thought to them creating the entire piece, lyrics and music.... Definitely gives me a different perspective. And thanks, now I actually listen for everything! I appreciate your insight. I suppose that's why you're the rock musician and not me. 😊 Best wishes to you, may your band find huge success. 🇨🇦 Luv from Canada Nicole
@@gib59er56- Too professional to be high during a show. After a show, it was time to "try on hats." I think that Benjamin's shining eyes and the top lid of his left eye (right eye to anyone facing him) hung lower than the right eye, is what makes him look high.
@@ellab8897 Could be. But being a guitarist since 1979, I have seen pro`s (music was, unfortionately not ever my main support financialy) and I would be high in the studio and stage at times. Maybe I would have fared better if I was more in control or focused.) But the man is high imho.
@@gib59er56- I have seen several comments, not a whole lot of them, but definitely aside from yours, to the effect that Benjamin looks high, or was high during a video taped performance. For me, this is a case of, "I read it on the internet." I do know it doesn't make it true, band policy was, sober for shows; get high afterwards. It could be that Benjamin was high during a show, anyway. Which I agree makes it all the more amazing how great his singing and bass playing was.
@@ellab8897 Ella you could be right and even if he was high; what is the big deal about it? He was a charasmatic, talented musician and there is NOTHING anyone can say to change that. I am a guitarist of 40+ years and I like the Cars alot. On the other hand I had drug and booze problems in my early 20`s and I can spot an addict, or a person who is high every time. It really is the sad truth. Maybe if those drinking and drugging problems cost me and bands I was in to refuse to sign us up with a record deal.Now there are no record contracts, the industry has collapsed. Thank you for your comment, and Cheers!
@@cleawox Another true statement, for some time I didn't have Ben's first solo album & found a cassette of it & ripped it to my computer, what a singer & player.
at :34 something gets thrown at Ben. Ric sees it and keeps checking for Ben's reaction. Ben's pissed and sings the whole song in a subtle state of rage that somehow makes the whole performance really wonderful...it's Ben Orr at his righteous best!
They didn't sell that bad !!! And 2 million visits here, that's more than all the Saga video clips in a livespan of more than "10 000 days" achieved together. Now THAT is what I would call "sadly most underrated"....
Who ever underrated The Cars? They were like Beatles level success for their time. Granted few bands have the longevity of the Beatles there are those who say the Beatles were underrated. It seems the interpretation of what "underrated" means is totally misunderstood by some. I mean if anyone can say the most successful band in the history of the universe was underrated it can be applied to literally any other band and have the same lack of meaning.
When Ben was singing, you couldn't take your eyes off him. Hell, you couldn't take your eyes off him when he was on stage, full stop! What a babe magnet he was.
@@julenepegher6999 Hi Julene, mesmerized is right! He was cool, collected and so in command of himself. The way he stared that guy down in the audience....whew!! Ben was one in a million.
Seriously, always LOVED The Cars; but never thought about/realized how badass Benjamin Orr was as a bass player and vocalist. Pretty chill guy for such a powerhouse. Severly underrated.
I agree 150%. Underrated on bass and as a frontman in general in my opinion. Total charisma too man, smooth as glass. I don't put alotta stock into the RRHOF, but when they inducted the Cars, they got it right 4sure. Thanks 4the post, it made my day.
I watch music videos on YT just to read the comments and see how far down I have to scroll before I see the dreaded "u" word. Got twice in this string of comments. Jackpot!
it was about orr at first ocasek was in his shadow until he died. ocasek was the only one that wanted to keep the name going so the record co gave him the deal. orr was the cars sound ocasek just tried to emulate it for the fans to keep the audience and make that money.
@@dooberto ive never liked ric. i was a kid when this band came out. i didn't pay much attention. orr just sounds better and has a unique style that hes defined. ric is pretty sterile and generic and he has a character about his voice that i don't like. its a personal thing.
@@debrawillard3034 Oh yes! One of my favorite lyrics .. " Your eyes of porcelain of blue"..To this day, if I see an "Orangey sky".. I think of this GREAT lyric RIH💕🦋😎
Man, I knew Ben sang some of the songs but I never knew which ones exactly. But I never knew he was this damn good of a singer live! I love Rick and the whole band but Ben kills this, such an incredibly excellent band, RIP Ben and Rick, the Cars are legends.
It took me a long time to realize the difference between Ben and Ric's voice. To me, they sound so much alike but when you really listen you can hear how much more smooth Ben was. Such a gift of a band.
I also didn’t know that he sang which songs. I think he is mesmerizing and oh so talented. I rocked the bass. I was a teen in the 80s and I wish that I had been more aware of the talent before me. I had no idea. I love the fact that I can watch all of these videos on RU-vid.
How is it even remotely possible this was 40 YEARS AGO!! This still sounds as cutting edge fresh today as it did the first time I heard it in '78.............
Yeah. I was born in '91 and I was so surprised at how current they sounded to me. Some weeks ago I listeded to their first album for the first time ever. I'm loving the second one too. They simply rock.
There's a lot of great bands of that era. Played some old Thin Lizzy stuff the other day and couldn't believe it was 40+ years old. Better than anything out today.
Yeah - RIGHT, how can it be....I keep asking myself the same thing , especially these days, where has 41 yrs gone since I graduated high school...GaHHHHH, just unfuckinBelievable!!!!!
It's hard to put into words just how awesome this song is and how undeniable Ben Orr's charisma was. The Cars were passionately original and their musicianship was outstanding.
Wat is this a bust u don't can't whoa wat the hell ur looking at my bust thier lil tits Willie u know the doe in headlights.....ur a wack oh just grabbing the twitch n hitting the garb
Sometimes I just need to watch Ben Orr live and then I'm good to go about my day. The most stunning and talented man ,yet so humble. The Cars, like the Beatles were a blessing to the world. So grateful to have existed the same time they did.
Elliot domes off as a badass here, true. I don't like that the mix minimizes Hawkes. The synth sound is so very much a main part of band's sound. Made them new wave.
I heard that the a$$hole who threw his drink onto the stage was actually escorted out during the song. The only thing better than a Benny leer is a Benny smile.
Ben was never lazy with the music. He was a great singer and he sang the same way every time. He seemed like a pretty low key guy in person. RIP Ben Orr.
I don’t think he actually sang the same way every time, in fact he changed it up live so people could tell he wasn’t lip syncing. I get what you mean though, he was a a amazing singer.
Am I the only who didn't realize that Benjamin Orr sang so many of their greatest tunes? I was pretty young back then, so it must have escaped me - always thought Ocasek sang most of the songs?? Learn something new every day. RIP Ben...brilliant work!
i loved Benjamin orr too and he did sing a lot of their great tunes...but most of their songs are pretty good anyway and some of rics songs are just as quintessential, like dangerous type, nightspots, let the good times rolls...those are all equally awesome but bye bye love is maybe their best ben orr song..its quintessential cars.
Me too, I thought Ric Okasek did all the basic singing because I was young & didn't know Ben Orr's name back then! Maybe I would have been more aware but of course we didn't have home computers or wikipedia :) Its great to be able to see this video and discover some golden moments in the days Cars were on the road. No pun intended. Wish I could have seen them in concert. They are the best.
Doug Anderson i knew he sang, but didnt realize as much as he did. also didnt remember them having so much good music. but when i hear them , i remember them.
Benjamin died exactly 21 years ago, today. We still can't believe it. But we are still glad that we can continue to hear his great music. Rest in peace our gorgeous Benjamin.
@@toddlesiak3837 Actually, I think he did that the moment he walked on stage ... And for the record I think he's looking at a woman and saying "Im looking at you"
I tried to see him say what everyone is saying, it doesn’t fit. It looks like “A lot more than you”. That stare is an angry one. I’m picturing it this way...Notice a little smile, his eyes track a little right and clearly something’s happening. Maybe a jealous guy. He’s giving him the eye and I picture the guy saying something like “Ooohh, tough guy” and then Ben saying “A lot more than you”. Then there’s the laser stare. His body language throughout seems to fit the scenario I’m thinking of. He seems to emphasize “you call yourself intense”. This doesn’t look like “oh, the things I will do to you later” amorous body language, to me, lol. This is a skill I developed when I was married to a musician who had ruthless groupies. You learn to read lips, the room, body language, etc. One night with my coworkers and friends help I discovered who he was cheating with. The band members were being introduced and his name was said and a table of girls seated across from us shouted out something I couldn’t quite make out. One of my ladies caught it perfectly. She said “yeah, we all know blank, we all loooove blank!”. We had just gotten back together after a six week separation. He admitted there was a fling. Now I knew who, he wouldn’t tell me. I trusted him up until that time.
@@pat6601 Ha. You definitely could be correct. I guess I just default to what I first thought when my non-Cars listening wife saw that and said "OMG that's so hot." She now listens ... Whatever he said, still my epitome of cool ...
You gotta love Elliott Easton. Such an unassuming man. The kind of guy that is too congenial probably to fully understand just what am almost ridiculously enormous amount of talent he has. The only way he’s aware if it probably is that others have told him so. And he never over plays. He is a true team player that plays for the song. This video is a great example of the enthusiasm that he had for the music too. You can tell how proud he is of the music they’re making. And the moves in the facial expressions he makes while ripping off those blistering licks towards the end or hilarious, kind of reminds me of Jimmy page a little bit when he really get into a solo. And he’s a lefty, which is just cool just everything about this guy is cool. Do you know he makes it look in the easy up there but I’m talking difficulty level 11 on some of the licks. He’s a top 10 guitarist in my book.
@@greasyflight6609 yeah he just plain rips. Can be very technical and precise, or can just ROCK. You can hear influences like Hendrix and Page and some old rockabilly stuff, but for the most part he has his own sound. A true genius. Wish he would have done more after 1987. And I wish he would have asserted himself a bit more on Move Like This. But like I said earlier. Plays for the song. Gotta give him props for that.
HELL YEAH !! The music blew me away in 1978 when I was 16 and it still does now that I am 56. It was way different that ANYTHING that was out there. On my 8 track player....
Hell Yeah Same 1978, These Cars Are Talented,flawless,40, years ago , and Still watching them. The Videos are as good as it gets. Welcome Finally To ROCK&ROLL Hall Of Fame.. Any Band that Played with Ben, He nailed it. My Rock God.
I'm 55 years old and have listened to and ❤ The Cars since grade 4. I had no idea there was another lead singer in the band. Ben Orr is beautiful. He's such a great singer. So talented. I'm falling in love with the band all over again!
I'm a 64 year-old, 100% straight father and grandfather and I feel comfortable saying: Ben is absolutely gorgeous. This is just a glimpse of his amazing talent, taken from us too soon. He was cheated by fate and so were we :^)
@@BigRedJonson You were 4 years ahead of me in High School. Those were the days. The 70s thru the 80s was where it was at. UFO,ELO,ARS,Rainbow,Rush,REO,The Cars,Little River Band,Triumph just to name a few.
I have regrets for a few bands I never saw too. I did get to see The Cars in 1978 - they opened for Styx. They played Candy-O before it came out. That was pretty great! But this venue...so intimate - would have loved to see them in a setting like this!
Dr. Bombay - Just my opinion, I agree that Panorama and Door To Door are pretty bad, but I enjoy Shake It Up quite a bit. Heartbeat City has a few good songs. But yes, the first two albums are definitely legendary!
Same to me. I will listen to him until my last breath. Benjamin and The Cars were one of the best bands I ever heard. Happy New Year from Germany (Lake Constance).
MrAlbatros2 Agreed, Ben was mesmerizing, great voice, bass guitarist! RU-vid is letting us enjoy Bens singing! Thanks Ric for not singing, not a big fan of his singing. Happy New Year!
Elliott Easton lead guitar, David Robinson drums, Ric Ocasek singer & rhythm guitar, Greg Hawkes keyboards and Benjamin Orr bass guitar and lead singer. GREATNESS !! saw them in Arlington, Texas late 1977 at UTA Texas Hall The Dangerous Type Bye Bye Love Candy-O Just what I needed You're all I've got tonight and other great songs throughout the years, they belonged in the R&R hof a long time ago.
Seeing Benjamin Orr’s son with tears in his eyes as Ric Ocasek talked about missing Ben as he was giving his speech at the RRHOF induction was heartbreaking. As usual, the RRHOF was about 20 years too late inducting a worthy band.
FUCKING BRILLIANT AS ALWAYS!!! And this may be Benjamin Orr's finest, most passionate & rockin' live version of this song I've ever seen performed!!! What vocals! Solid bass! He's cool as shit & one sexy rocker! And I'm straight!!! I wish I was him, God rest his soul. Pride of Cleveland, Ohio, he started out on a local Cleveland music tv show called The Upbeat Club, playing in the house band!
Even the guy who threw the half full beer at him missed, ha! It's right when he sings "It's such a wavy midnight...." and then later after he sings "Electric angel rock and roller..." he steps back from the mic and mouths "I'm gonna get you"... and then proceeds to finish the song, chill - Ben Orr style. Brilliant!
God! Once you start watching Car's video's, it is so hard to stop! I have been a fan for 40 years now. I can match Ben on his bass, because I have been imitating him for 40 years, but I can't match his highs when he hits higher octaves. Ben was so good and the whole band was so tight, that the Car's will always be in my top 20! Phenomenal talent can never go unnoticed!
My boyhood idol and epitome of cool. I too took up the bass because of Ben. I tried to play, dress, and sing like him. Heck, I even started looking left on stage to our guitarist just like Ben would do to Ric. Couldn't sing like him either but G-d I tried. Still my epitome of cool all these years later.
The 1 aspect that matters as much or more is the song writing. These songs are laden with the catchiest melodies. So either singer will do. But yes Benjamin orr is otherworldly talented.
