The Cars : Touch And Go
On August 15, 1980 The Cars released Panorama, their third and most underrated album. Within four weeks it would peak at #5 on the US album charts. despite a lukewarm reception by critics.
The US#37 "Touch And Go" is the only hit on the album. And even that was a surprise considering that it has 13 bars in 5/4 time before it launches into 18 bars of 4/4.
“Certainly, some of their fans will think they’re really putting their necks on the line this time. Bullshit. If they are, it’s not because the music or ideas behind it are so brainy, but because this is a slapdash job.” Elsewhere, Frost concluded, “This year’s model is a lemon….”
The problem's not immersion in formula. The problem's not exhaustion of formula. The problem's boredom with formula. This is longer, slower, and denser as well as older, with lyrics that skirt social commentary and music that essays textural pretension. Its peaks are "Touch and Go" and "Up and Down." Savor the rhythm of those phrases, Ric, and grow no more.
While Jon Pareles wrote:
“[These] new songs seem designed to separate Cars’ fans from the pop crowd: they use odd meters and desperate-sounding chords….The Cars’ audience may be loyal enough to follow them this far—who knows if that’s what the Cars want?”
One of the more interesting influences on the album is Suicide, the band whose second album was produced by Ric Ocasek.
The pulsating deep cut "Shooting For You" sounds like it could have been a Suicide song. In fact, ega covers the song his 1985 album Just A Million Dreams.
Panorama is an album worth revisiting, especially if you joined the critics in dismissing it. This is the sound of a band fulfilling its promise to make an album that please themselves.
Great article, perfectly sums up the attitude at the time.
ReplyDeleteMany of the Cars fans at my High School were put off by this one and jumped off the bandwagon.
I always liked it, "Touch and Go", "Gimme Some Slack" and "Misfit Kid" being the most classically quirky Cars numbers.
Certainly not the greatest Cars album, but not the worst either (cough..cough..Door To Door).
It has a certain charm and is a snapshot of innovation before Shake It Up and HBC rocketed them to super-stardom.