Just watch this video and you can begin to understand why Benjamin Orr was so beloved by the young ladies of the time. Pretty damn good bass player and singer too. Amazing stage presence. Never forgotten. Eternally beloved.
was my favorite cut. had the Vynal. I was out of control the summer of 78 smoking weed and going to keg parties with my older friends. "Ma, I'm sleeping over at Mikie's tonight" OK Bri be careful, LOL! yes!. AND OFF I WENT FOR AN ALL-NIGHTER OF PARTING, MUSIC BEER & GIRLS! \The Bellmore Brothers it was a summer to remember!
Ric has the magical lyrics, Greg has the magical fingers, David has the magical drums, Elliot has the magical rhythm and Benjamin......well he has the magical everything.😍
Sylvie Cadotte yes he was yummy. I have one other obsession - the band Silverchair- the lead singer in late 90’s was/is thee most beautiful, staggeringly gorgeous guy I’ve ever seen. Google him. But only in late 90’s - he changed his music, style -everything after “taking a break” from his massively successful band that played to 250,000 people in Rio- and now does shitty techno and looks stupid. But there first 4 records are are my favorite. Candy O is my fave Cars, than their first, panorama & some of Shake it up. I think The Police’s first couple albums came out the same time as The Cars-again the first 4 I loved then moved on. You know - when you’re a teenager - music is YOUR LIFE! lol AC/DC, Judas Priest, Ozzy I love RU-vid - I’ve discovered my favorite bands all over again. Happy Holidays 🍭
These guys were it. Sadly Benjamin passed feeling passed up, passed by and he really was. He never got the exposure he indeed deserved as a multi-talented instrumentalist, accomplished song writer, and gosh knows....THAT VOICE. HE WAS AND IS SO UNDER RATED. LOVED THIS ARTIST. 22+ YEARS GONE. I MISS YA BENJAMIN ORR
Nonsense. He passed away while doing what he loved, playing bass and touring with the band “Big People” comprised of Derek St Holmes, Pat Travers, Liberty DeVitto & Jeff Carlisi, Ben was the rock star of the group. He rocked till he dropped and his band mates helped~supported Ben all the way. What a life well lived!
I wouldn't call the other guys ugly or anything. But Ben's definitely the 'eye candy' of the group. My husband says the same applies to Jane Wiedlin & The Go Go's.
@@stephaniegormley9982- The title, ‘Candy-O’ was inspired by Benjamin Orr. As the eye candy of the group, whose last name begins with O, put them together, and there you have it! The song isn’t about Benjamin, but he sings it, and it’s likely why he posed with a very lucky lollipop 🍭
Possibly my fave Cars tune but it's hard to say. Damn, man. These songs. Such an incredibly talented band. I will also add that Elliot Easton is a criminally underrated guitarist. If there is one positive that came out of Ric's recent passing, it's that many, many people are looking back and either remembering or realizing what a truly phenomenal band The Cars really were. RIP Ric and Ben, they'll always be missed.
Three chords...in a minor key...that made you want to hit the dance floor. Or totally chill out. The magic of the 80's, and The Cars. Those days are no longer.
these guys were one of the best bands in the 80`s.....goofy or melted faces they made great music you dont hear today, i like the cars and will allways listen to them...........they were very unique
Got that right! He worked his look damn well and he seems like a cool guy. OMG Ben's pouty mouth at 0:34 is vintage awesomeness. Timeless band (to me anyway :)
I would love if Ben Orr's son, or any of the other bandmember's kids would come out to comment. I grew up listening to the Cars- love them even to this day- and feel the void that no band contemporary band can fill. RIP Ric Ocasek and Ben Orr.
How can they NOT be in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame? Their early albums especially were perfectly little gems. They were very original and influential, and their music is still fresh today.
So, I have a few minutes here to add to comments nobody will see or care about but what the hell, it's worth it. These guys are worth it! ~~~~~~~ Pretty remarkable on a few levels: Ric looks very handsome, sounds awesome and makes some endearing moves as he performs one of their most finely crafted songs. Check out the Philadelphia 1987 video for this song and listen to it in all its live, embellished glory. Here, they are representing an early signature 'look' David (drummer) had creatively directed them on: edgy red and black color scheme. David; also instrumental in album covers, logo design, etc. Greg (keys/synth) shows his chops and is one of the most proficient, inventive, best keyboard musicians in the business. EE is reining in the passion and energy usually evident in live performance and still looks bad-ass! Oh, to see them evolve during their 10 year career ascension: a real treat. Benjamin Orr? Holy effing hell! Could he be any more alluring? Any more provocative? Any sexier? Well yes, in the German Musikladen 1979 tapes and Rock Goes to College 1979 and oo, la-lah France!! Off the charts Stunningly attractive! So we address his visage; a one of a kind, other-worldly man of massive masculine beauty. Makes me want to cuss and gush accolades! he-hee 0:32 oh my f-ing gawd! and 2:08 plus 4 more seconds of - praise the Lord and thank you Jesus for this gorgeous gift of nature!!! They just don't make normal humans like that!! Those eyes. Those lips. The looks he makes. His poise and control. KILLING ME!!!!! A photographer's dream, be they male or female. The camera loved him and he, whether consciously or unconsciously, slayed all with a spell-binding beauty and stage style. What an enigma! Shy, yet loose and witty w/ inner circle, yet emitting rock solid super-star confidence and mystique when on-stage or posing for photo-promos. He was what every model wishes, longs for and practices hard to be. Yet, years later, in a 1986 radio interview about his solo release of "The Lace", a woman caller says to him; "Ben, I think you're hot." and he goes, "Thanks!", almost in modest, grateful surprise. The kicker comes, in what he quietly says (under the babble of a DJ comment) , "You noticed". You noticed, he says. Kindly drop a 550 lb anvil on the head of anyone who didn't! You'd have to be either blind or lacking the discernment of recognizing beauty in any form to not notice Benjamin Orr's beauty and appeal. CRIMINY!!! Holy Mother of God, could he have been one of those beautiful humans who lacked a preening ego and failed to acknowledge or internalize, due to modesty or humility, that he's drop dead gorgeous??? It IS possible. There are such people! He knew he affected people. See backstage footage of Japan tour and Benjamin teasing smitten girls lurking in the hall near dressing room. He says something like 'watch this" as he walks past them, giving them notice. What an enigma. I wish someone would put together a COMPREHENSIVE biography of Benjamin Orr. It would be incomplete if written w/o delving into Ben's stunning looks and how he perceived his effect and how or if he interacted with women. Did they fall all over themselves to gain notice? Was he a dog, chasing tail at whoever caught his eye, whenever or every chance he had, as I hear commented time and again by men musing over the hordes of women throwing themselves at his feet? Or did he only engage in the occasional release found w/ a cute girl on the road and mainly keep to himself and his group the bulk of other time? It bears mentioning that sexy gorgeous women are not given to rolling in the hay with every man desiring to get with her. Just as many gorgeous men are not buggering every single or every other woman batting eyelashes at him! No mention is made yet re: Benjamin's voice. It was pitch perfect, dimensional, and exceptional made extra great by his very cool, unique enunciation. One could go on and on and trust me, I have. :) Benjamin Orr is what catapulted The Cars onto the world stage due to what he brought to the table. I see him repeatedly praised by fans. However, he remains essentially unexplored, on the level deserved within the music world in which he made his indelible mark.
moodylicious oh my word !! Your description of our beloved Benjamin is amazing ! Thank you for taking the time out to post it and you thought no one would read it or care ! OMG, I can't even put Benjamin in words ! Yes, thank the LORD for His amazing creation in this man. I have not the words but my heart still pounds for him !!!
I understand Jacqueline and thank you for adding your thoughts. Hah!, yeah, i wrote that cos sometimes i drop a post into a thread that last saw comment action 7 years ago. ~ leave it to me, posting to essentially dead threads for shits and giggles. ;-) On a more serious note, I sense Ben was delivered the short end of the stick in that he put SO MUCH of himself into that band and basically took the Cars to heights they wouldn't have seen w/o him. I firmly believe this. He is certainly what drew me to The Cars, and that was on his voice ALONE. It wasn't until a couple of weeks later that I bought the album and saw what he looked like. So that was two pluses. But then when we cruise youtube and watch video after video of the band preforming in concert; it is then you see what a showman he was, you see his level of excellence, you hear the cool nuanced vocal inflection. Benjamin Orr brought Shine to an incredible band. he was the Soul of the group, the bright spirit that lit up the group and somehow made them tighter. He was a beacon on that stage. Mesmerizing. He had immense appeal to men and women and that says alot about him. We sensed a humility, an earnest demeanor, a good-guy all could relate to - in the shining rock-god Ben transformed into on stage. He said somewhere, that while prone to shyness, something was ignited when he performed. He did his thing. The lights went down, applause faded and he was back to good old, ordinary Benjamin. I do not feel enough has been said or written about him and his influence on the success of The Cars.
moodylicious i hate to think he got the short end of the stick. I watch these vids pretty much every night (because I cannot get enough) and I find myself swept up in his showmanship, his voice, his stunning good looks and his talent. He is sorely missed and loved. And yes, as soon as i saw the face behind the talent, I was floored. His magnetism was boundless and that man still owns me.
"MAGNETISM": you summed it up in one super-charged word, Jacqueline. And he put millions into a trance, still kickin to this day. As a side-note, I didn't learn of Benjamin's death until a few months ago. I had let them drop off my radar once Ric changed their musical style to stuff perfectly suited for the kid's Nickelodeon TV channel. I just couldn't tolerate the veering off course Ric went w/ the output of mainstream, easy listening, frenetic pop: songs made triple terrible with those gawd-awful videos! We see, now, how powerful straight-up footage of the band performing was. I am only speaking for myself. However most of my friends - once so jazzed with the release of "The Cars" (album #1) and smitten with those unforgettably cool tunes - were also turned off. Frankly I don't see how Elliot or Ben could have stomached having to play it. They didn't appear to dig it as much as the earlier output. Could be argued for every fan like me, another was 'born' who loved the new sound. I'll not dispute anyone's musical preferences. But I felt Ric had sold out. And hey, if the objective of a musician is to go where the money is, maybe that's what happened. I contend, in going 'bubble-gum', they lost credibility and the respect of many original fans, critics and music historians. We, guys and girls still watching Cars videos keep them alive. But for many, respect and street-cred was lost, never to be resuscitated. Anyway, having just learned of this, it is hard to reconcile that Benjamin Orr died more than 15 years ago!!! When one just learns of a death, there is a period of shock and mourning. It is sad, in a way, watching the band with Ben and even sadder watching footage of the reunited Cars w/o him. For only then do you see the enormous difference he made in the band. You realize Ben Orr made that band soar to heights they'd never have reached without him and someone has been blindingly remiss in not giving Ben Orr his 'just due.' In fact the disparaging comments hurtful to Benjamin and made public via print and audio interviews do nothing to earn an ounce of respect from me for the owner of the songs and speaker of negative comments. Do life-long friends do that to another? What purpose did it serve? Did it make someone feel better to sully Ben's reputation? Was someone harboring a needling jealousy that compelled him to put down his deceased friend and co-founder of The Cars? Could Ben defend himself? Or even would he? He is reported to have been such an amiable guy, it may not have been in his genes to go to war with Ric. This kind of petty, childish crap serves the opposite and diminishes the little respect some of us may have had for the speaker. It is what compels me to be more of an advocate for Ben Orr's musical legacy. Lastly, this conversation is existing due to a respect and admiration shared for a great, multi-talented musician and true Pro. It's about Ben. Anyone wanting to get into a pissing battle can take it to a Ric O admiration thread and laud his praises there. He, IMO, is not lacking in praise and recognition. His legacy is carved and secure. He made darned sure no doubt was left in anyone's mind as to who the Master of The Cars was w/ those insipid, self-promoting videos.........and unfortunately to the great detriment of one man he owes a debt of gratitude, for putting him on the map! That is how I believe Benjamin Orr got the short end of the stick. How many people still to this day exclaim, 'Oh! I didn't know The Cars had two singers!' 'I didn't know that guy (Ben) sang that song!' A terrible injustice, in this one fan's thoughtful mind. Thanks for hanging w/ me, J!
moodylicious thankyou for your in depth insight on Benjamin and advocating for him and his rightful place as the real drive behind the Cars. To be honest with you I havent read a whole lot on the relationship between Benjamin and Ric. When I learned about his passing I was heartbroken. I never pursued the Cars after that. To me they only existed in my past memories of when they were all together and the real music they created. I go for long drives in my car and just crank it as loud as possible. Man those songs bring smiles to my face and sometimes tears. Its crazy~~how surreal it still is to me...knowing Benjamin is not with us in life. But yes in spirit. I loved that man ! Who didn't ? I finally brought myself to watching the last interview series of videos and my heart breaks. Ben didnt speak too much and I feel like Ric and Elliot manned the whole interview. Let him speak !!! I felt it was so disrespectful ! It probably took alot for him to be there as ill as he was. It gets me so mad. Another thing, how come Ric and Elliot didnt attend his memorial service ??? Honestly, I cant respect them for it. Its uncalled for. Benjamin Orr WAS the Cars. They are not crap without him. I try to ignore the ignorant comments too. Listen, we know who Benjamin was and still is. His true people love and honor him. I know if it is possible for him to feel all the love and respect we have for him it would make him happy. What a good man I feel in my heart he was. I also feel he met the love of his life in the last year before he passed. I wish he had longer with her. She (Julie Snyder) said in an interview she was blessed to have been given the gift of Benjamin Orr. And so were his fans. I will leave it on that note. ❤️ Thanks M !
@@jameseveritts8113 Cars weren’t into the hard stuff. Ric was 75 when he died so he did ok for taking care of himself. Ben died at 53, Pancreatic Cancer, smoking since he was a teenager probably contributed to it, as it did with my Dad. Other 3 Cars are still alive.
@@KittyGrizGriz Very true. My Dad rarely drank, but from what I've read about Ben, he did drink a bit more at a point in his life, and from photos you can see, like my Dad, he smoked since he was a Teen. Especially in my Dad's WWII era, they had no idea smoking was so deadly. They had Dr.'s promoting smoking in ads! Crazy shit back then!
Ben is like Ronin pharaoh he looks female and male at the same time in short very androgynous sort of like an angel. Looking like this defies explanation except for having exceptional DNA
I’m getting to these comments late, for sure. But I have to say that you nailed it. He is exquisitely pretty almost and achingly handsome at the same time. He knew exactly how to play that very tight line with unbelievable understated finesse. He was so adept at it that most women thought he was naive and didn’t notice his own magnetism. But he knew it and worked it like a maestro. As his appearance changed, the stage persona also changed in later years post The Cars. The mid 90’s Benjamin is less pretty, less strike-a-pose, less beguiling, and less sultry. The sex symbol was left at the door. But he is utterly beautiful in this iteration, too. He eminates the Light…the embodiment of the archangel Lucifer (but without the fall from grace).
The Cars were the perfect and brilliant juxtaposition of Rock and New Wave and achieved what few bands who trail blaze achieve.....commercial and artistic success. Just leave Heartbeat City out of the mix.
omg u r riiight, girl! My computer is slow.. I musta had like 30 windows open lol and missed that. THANK you for commenting and alerting me to a superior Ben-pout! I am glad I was able to watch this and just feel lust (hehe) and happiness rather than morose over him, well, you know. I'll have to check what else u listen to!
So this is definitely the studio backing track, but with new live vocals. More bands should have done this. I remember the video version of "Red Skies" by the Fixx was always way better than the album/single version.
Ocasek, Orr and Robinson are former hippies that were already 30 at this point. Hawkes and Easton were the cutting edge "new wave" sound and were too young to have been hippies of legal age or even old enough to drink in the late 60's early 70's. Orr and Ocasek found out quickly that a Crosby, Stills, & Nash sound wasn't getting the chicks and 17 year old girls with risque mouths.
@@JustMe-gx6ul Per Wikipedia Richard Theodore Otcasek (born 1943 or 1944)[1][2][3]known as Ric Ocasek (/oʊˈkæsɛk/), is an American singer, songwriter, musician and record producer.
Just skimming through the comment section. I thought there was a book about Ben coming out this year , a biography. But I haven't personally checked into it.
He's a "jingle bell rocker" also. Check out "Moving In Stereo." Bells start just after Benjamin finishes the first 'shoes' and starts the next line. ^_^ I think Greg keeps it going the rest of the song. Sometimes they're prominent, sometimes you just barely hear them. ")
@@ellab8897 Absolutely. I love that ending. They should have included saxophone a little more often. (The other thing you might hear (in All Mixed Up) is an acoustic guitar, which is not present in the video of the live performance in Brighton, England (Rock Goes to College). Ric played that for the recording but obviously can't play two guitars at once. ^_^) Sorry it took so long to reply. I don't always sign in just to listen to music.
@@cORRvettes80He03Me- Thanks for your reply - worth waiting for! I’ll listen closely now to hear the acoustic guitar. I’m not surprised Ric played acoustic guitar, but I knew for sure Benjamin did. In the audio of an interview with Ric, he told of how, when they first met, Benjamin auditioned for lead vocals by playing acoustic guitar and singing some Beatles songs. Needless to say, he passed the audition!
@@ellab8897 I had forgotten that Benjamin auditioned with acoustic guitar. Thanks for the reminder. I was basing my reference to Ric playing acoustic for "All Mixed Up" on the video of "Everything You Say", the live video from the Door To Door tour in Philly. At 2:51, the camera shows Ric directly, but the first time you can see him is at 2:36. ^_^ Check it out. Go for Ric, but stay for Benjamin. LOL :D Peace
Oh, my; this can't be good: I just now remembered that this one guy would sing this sing about me. A few years earlier a boyfriend sang "My Best Friend's Girl"....I was 'the girl'. What is it with Cars tunes and my past? I'm certain I'm not the only one. After all, The Cars wrote about chicks that haunted them all the time!
Catherine Fitzpatrick, You’re not the only one. “My Best Friend’s Girl,” “Dangerous Type” and “You’re All I’ve Got Tonight” played parts in my first serious relationship.
@terracer was just reading that they recorded on some special mixing board, in england no less. not many bands record their debut at some hot sh*t studio. )
Aww! ☺️ he is quite cute, and it's nice to see someone crushing on someone other than Benjamin (unlike me..I think Benjamin was sooo hot!) Benjamin gets all the crushy stuff!
Ben looks like a pretty boy in this video. He was so cute. Was he a natural brunette or blonde? Elliot is cute too. Hah Ric and Greg are nerdy. David is aight lol
I believe Ben Orr was naturally brunet. He was the "pretty boy" and Elliot was the "bad boy". I think Ric looked terrible in this era, but turned out to be beautiful circa 1984-87. Seriously, even as a hetero guy I think Ric Ocasek is beautiful to look at, in a sort of androgynous extraterrestrial way. They were all interesting characters.
Had Rik not sung this a little differently, I would have thought it was a studio recording/lip-synced. Perfect performance. Or is it a different version?
