Ric Ocasek: A Short Appreciation

Ric Ocasek was a legend. As a songwriter, his pop melodies were among the best. The way he blended alternative ideas with timeless power pop sensibilities marked him out as not only a great songwriter, but a master arranger. The very fact that tunes like ‘My Best Friend’s Girl’ and ‘It’s Candy-O’ became fixtures on oldies radio stations despite carrying the kind of vocal that was…quirky, to say the least, speaks volumes about his talent.

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The Cars ‘Shake It Up’ and ‘Heartbeat City’ to be reissued in expanded deluxe editions

Following last year’s expanded reissues of The Cars’ ‘Candy-O’ and ‘Panorama’,  Rhino are set to continue their Cars reissue campaign with expanded reissues of 1981’s ‘Shake It Up’ and 1984’s pop classic ‘Heartbeat City’.

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Two expanded CD releases from The Cars to be released in July

Some eighteen years after The Cars’ self titled debut album was afforded the 2CD deluxe reissue treatment, fans of Ric Ocasek and Benjamin Orr can now breath a sigh of relief.  After almost two decades of hoping other Cars titles would be reissued with various bonuses, two more titles hit the shelves in July 2017.

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