Friday night MULTIMEDIA EXTRAVAGANZA with THE CARS!

In the pantheon of epic debut albums, The Cars make the discussion. This album, The Cars, had such an impact on Johnny. Some real WOW songs that stand the test of time to this day. If this song came out today it'd still chart.

It would. Time for some angry break-up sex and 'You're All I've Got Tonight' getting you on your way to a brilliant Friday night in the Tri-State.

Friday Night MULTIMEDIA EXTRAVAGANZA with THE CARS!

You party cats and kittens have a great weekend and Johnny's sure gonna try and do the same. Here's another Johnny choice cut, a good old B-side, The Cars and 'Nightspots'

Friday night MULTIMEDIA EXTRAVAGANZA with THE CARS!

Johnny asked himself, would this song sound good around a BBQ or a campfire roasting marshmallows for America.? Hell yes was the quick reply. from the peanut gallery that is his brain. The Cars and 'Double Life' from 1979.

Friday night MULTIMEDIA EXTRAVAGANZA with THE CARS!

How about we send you on your way with this very rare version, one of those unreleased until a B-side greatest hits catalog comes out, of 'Nightspots' from the Candy-O album. Can't mistake that album cover. Johnny got it one year for Christmas, from his grandparents. He asked him mom and dad to get it for him. Thanks for the album grandma!

Friday night MULTIMEDIA EXTRAVAGANZA with THE CARS!

Johnny just spent ten goddamned minutes looking back to see the last time we played The Cars on the Music Series. After ten minutes of searching Johnny went, huh, well, he owns the place so here's The Cars and 'Night Spots' from the Candy-O platter.

Friday night MULTIMEDIA EXTRAVAGANZA with THE CARS!

Headphone songs. You know 'em. Pink Floyd made quite a few. The Moody Blues, The Beatles, ELO, there are some bands that know the value of slapping on a pair of good headphones for one of those special play with your head type songs. Songs that while they may sound good on the car radio or on your home system, they shine in headphones. We're wrapping up tonight's Music Series with a Top ten headphone song. Since you've already seen the band is The Cars the secret's out isn't it? Here's 'Moving in Stereo' for all us headphone fans.

Friday night MULTIMEDIA EXTRAVAGANZA with THE CARS!

Something in the night, just don't sit right, looks like I'm gonna be up all night....The Cars with a wonderful and under-appreciated song off of Candy-O, 'Since I Held You'

Friday night MULTIMEDIA EXTRAVAGANZA with THE CARS!

In what was one of the best debut albums like ever, this song, 'All Mixed Up' often gets lost in the fact it's part of that three song run-together with the FM radio runaway hit 'Bye Bye Love' and then the iconic 'Moving in Stereo'. It's kind of that great song that you hear every so often and are reminded how good it is. The late Benjamin Orr on vocals (on all three aforementioned tracks actually) with 'All Mixed Up'

Friday night MULTIMEDIA EXTRAVAGANZA with THE CARS!

Ooooh, how you shake me up and down...

The Cars with a hot live version of 'Nightspots' from 1978.

Friday night MULTIMEDIA EXTRAVAGANZA with THE CARS!

It takes a fast car lady to lead a double life. This song, 'Double Life' is one of the many hidden gems on the Candy-O album. Obviously it'll never be in the same league as The Cars massive debut album (Maybe one of the ten best debut albums evah) but still Candy-O should be in your collection.

Friday night MULTIMEDIA EXTRAVAGANZA with THE CARS!

Yeah baby, one of Johnny's all-time favorite bands. Those first three albums were a collective thing of beauty. Let's head back to a seminal song from the trillion selling first album with 'Just What I Needed' and also thereby reclaiming this great song from some corporate entity that feels the need to associate themselves with cool music because they really don't have much to offer.

Friday night MULTIMEDIA EXTRAVAGANZA with THE CARS!

Let's go back to the late 70's, 1979 to be exact, with the crescent fresh sound of The Cars. After their first smash album simply called 'The Cars' the band outta Boston went with a more techno sound on the Candy-O follow up. Not many mainstream bands were sounding like this at the time although it certainly would become the norm in just two to three short years. Was it The Cars who gave some of the bands the cover to go ahead and take a chance on the heavy keyboard techno sound? Perhaps. Johnny does know that rarely does a band follow up a hugely successful album with one that pushes so many limits sound-wise and make such a departure from the sound everyone had become so familiar with.

The Cars also join the list of huge bands with more than one well placed lead singer. The Beatles had McCartney and Lennon, The Who have Townshend and Daltrey, The Clash had Strummer and Jones, Fleetwood Mac had Nicks and Buckingham and Christine McVie, The Eagles had Frey and Henley and Walsh, The Beach Boys had, well everyone, Pink Floyd had Gilmour and Waters while The Cars had Ric Ocasek and Benjamin Orr. That's not bad company to be in. We're not elevating The Cars to the levels of those other bands but it does show that not many bands proportionately can pull it off on any kind of big level, which The Cars certainly did.

Here's The Cars with 'Dangerous Type'