I like very much CARS' debut, but I think (IMO) the best CARS CD is Ric Ocasek's solo record Troublizing... I can listen to it every day! Any comments about Troublizing...
I have their Greatest hits and Panorama, both on LP. Drive is a great song! Troublizing seems to be a very good album. But I have not heard it.
I don't have any Ocasek solo album, which is funny seeing as I love The Cars. As for my favorite Cars album? That's a tough call. I've bought a lot of Cars discs lately, including several West German and Japanese first pressings, the DCC version of Greatest Hits, and the new Rhino compilation. So The Cars are fresh in my mind. I'd have to say that my favorite album is still their debut, if only because of "Moving in Stereo". The album is great from top to bottom, but I love "Moving in Stereo".
I have Steve's DCC Greatest Hits and the Rhino deluxe version of the first record and I think the tracks on Steve's are definitely smoother sounding.
I'm looking forward to that one myself. I'm also a big fan of Candy-O and Shake It Up...but that first album is just soooo classic, it needs the DVD-A treatment. That album was also one of the first cds I ever bought in '83, and I wuz dissappointed. Very flat compared to the Nautilus, and even -that- wasn't too hot IMO. THE CARS was also an immaculate recording!
The original "Candy-o" on Elektra is getting a lot of play lately in my house. I have the HDCD that Elektra put out but it sounds like they ruined a lot of the natural dynamics "again"! Shoo-Be-Doo should not be as loud all the way through the song, and as loud as the title track. Bad ju-ju.
Yeah, that original Candy-O LP sounds great, as does the original STERLING mastered "The Cars" LP (thanks Mikey F!). I agree that the HDCD Candy-O is a bit dynamically challenged.
