LOS ANGELES – In 1978, the Cars had a Top 40 hit with the band’s very first single, “Just What I Needed.” That streak continued over the next 10 years, as the band revisited the Top 40 a dozen more times with radio hits “Let’s Go” and “Shake It Up” along with iconic videos like “Magic” and “You Might Think,” which won MTV’s first-ever “Video Of The Year” award in 1984.
The five original members – Ric Ocasek, the late Benjamin Orr, Greg Hawkes, Elliot Easton and David Robinson – recorded six studio albums together – all of them with Elektra Records – and have sold more than 23 million albums in the U.S. alone.
Rhino will release two new collections in the spring to honor The Cars’ vast musical legacy. The first is a boxed set featuring all six of the band’s Elektra studio albums. The second is a single-disc, career-spanning collection curated by The Cars that combines the group’s best songs along with a trio of rare and unreleased alternate versions.
THE ELEKTRA YEARS 1978-1987 includes six studio albums, each one presented in a replica sleeve with original artwork. Ric Ocasek oversaw digital remastering for the set, while drummer David Robinson – who helped create The Cars’ iconic album covers through the years – served as art director. The six-disc collection will be available March 11 on CD ($29.98) and digitally. On Tuesday June 7, a limited edition vinyl version of the boxed set will be available with each 180-gram LP pressed on a different color vinyl.
The extensive set retraces the band’s musical journey in the studio and includes: The Cars (1978), Candy-O (1979), Panorama (1980), Shake It Up (1981), Heartbeat City, (1984) and Door To Door (1987). Among the 60 tracks are the band’s biggest hits – “My Best Friend’s Girl,” “Good Times Roll,” “You Are The Girl,” and “Drive.”
MOVING IN STEREO: THE BEST OF THE CARS will be available on May 6 on CD ($18.98) and as a 2-LP set on 180-gram vinyl ($34.98). The collection is produced by the band, with all surviving members contributing to song selection. Ocasek also supervised digital remastering of all the audio with Ted Jensen at Sterling Sound.
The collection features the band’s big hits along with a rare, single mix for “I’m Not The One,” as well as a live version of “Everything You Say,” and a new mix by producer Philippe Zdar of “Sad Song,” a track from the band’s last album, 2011’s Move Like This.