When I was a kid, The Cars were a good, but majorly overplayed, pop band. Think “You Might Think.” Or “Magic.” Or “Drive.” Or (shudder) “Tonight She Comes.” So take this into consideration when I tell you that I’ve always been sort of ambivalent about The Cars; by the time I’d turned myself into an amateur musical anthropologist, the pathways in my brain had already reshaped themselves, and drawn a mustache and devil horns over my mental image of Ric Ocasek. It still hasn’t washed off completely, but I’m getting there.
So, like I say, it took me awhile to come around on The Cars, which is why, when I bought Learner’s Permit a few years ago, it was only to turn around and sell it. But hooray and hallelujah for the mp3, friends, and for my rapidly growing collection of oversized hard drives, because today I’ve got nineteen tracks of vintage live Cars to share with you. I’m not clear on where these performances were recorded; I only know they’re supposed to be from ‘78. Perhaps we’ve got some Carsophiles among us who can fill in the blanks. In the meantime…download, enjoy, and have a helluva weekend!
Good Times Roll
Bye Bye Love
Night Spots
In Touch
My Best Friend’s Girl
Moving in Stereo
All Mixed Up
Don’tcha Stop
You’re All I’ve Got
Just What I Needed
Take What You Want
When Did You Change
My Best Friend’s Girl (second version)
Moving in Stereo (second version)
Since I Held You
Just What I Needed (second version)
Candy-O
Don’tcha Stop (second version)
Night Spots (second version)
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