Panorama (2LP Expanded Version) | Mint (M) Mint (M)

BRAND NEW

Label:    Elektra – R1 560030, Rhino Records (2) – R1 560030
Format:    Vinyl, LP, Album, Reissue
Vinyl, LP, Etched
All Media, Remastered, 180g, Gatefold
Country:    US
Released:    Jul 28, 2017
Genre:    Rock
Style:    New Wave, Synth-pop

A1        Panorama    5:42
A2        Touch And Go    4:55
A3        Gimme Some Slack    3:32
A4        Don't Tell Me No    4:00
A5        Getting Through    2:35
B1        Misfit Kid    4:30
B2        Down Boys    3:09
B3        You Wear Those Eyes    4:55
B4        Running To You    3:22
B5        Up And Down    3:31
C1        Shooting For You    4:06
C2        Be My Baby    5:00
C3        The Edge    3:26
C4        Don't Go To Pieces    4:03

Phonographic Copyright ℗ – Elektra Records
Copyright © – Elektra Records
Manufactured By – Rhino Entertainment Company
Marketed By – Rhino Entertainment Company
Engineered At – RTB Audio Visual Productions
Engineered At – Cherokee Studios
Engineered At – Power Station
Mastered At – Sterling Sound
Lacquer Cut At – Sterling Sound
Bass Guitar, Vocals – Benjamin Orr
Design – Mike Joyce (4)
Drums, Backing Vocals, Design [Cover], Art Direction – David Robinson (3)
Engineer – Ian Taylor
Engineer [Assistant] – Jason Corsaro, John Weaver
Keyboards, Saxophone, Backing Vocals, Liner Notes, Photography – Greg Hawkes
Lacquer Cut By – Ryan Smith (2)
Lead Guitar, Backing Vocals – Elliot Easton
Management – Dani Barnard, Jeff Kramer, OK Management
Mastered By – Ted Jensen
Other [Production Assistant] – Thom Moore
Other [Project Assistance] – Kristin Attaway, Reggie Collins, Shannon Ward, Steve Woolard, Susanne Savage
Photography – Ebet Roberts, Lynn Goldsmith, Neal Preston, Paul McAlpine, Philip Kamin, Steven Arnold
Producer – Roy Thomas Baker
Product Manager – Stacy Conde
Written By, Rhythm Guitar, Vocals, Supervised By [Mastering] – Ric Ocasek
Expanded edition. Gatefold sleeve.

C1-C3 are previously unreleased. C4 is the B-Side Of "Don't Tell Me No" & "Gimmie Some Slack".

Made in the EU.
Barcode: 081227938307

The Cars: Ric Ocasek (vocals, guitar); Ben Orr (vocals, bass); Elliot Easton (guitar, background vocals); Greg Hawkes (keyboards, background vocals); David Robinson (drums, percussion). All tracks have been digitally remastered using HDCD technology. After releasing two albums, one a perfect pop/rock-meets-new wave classic, the other a very good follow-up, the Cars were game to try things a little differently on their third album Panorama. With longtime collaborator Roy Thomas Baker behind the boards, the band decamped to the Power Station in New York City and began working on a set of songs that were a little less poppy, both structurally and sonically. While the studio wasn't to their liking and they went back to the scene of Candy-O in California, they didn't forsake the more experimental aspects they had begun adding. Lead-off track "Panorama" features vocoder providing backing vocals, burbling synth sounds, and a song that's more about creating a mood of unease than it is knocking the listener over the head with a big, shiny hook, which had been their M.O. to that point. That they follow that with the lead single and catchiest song "Touch and Go" shows that the band wasn't quite ready to forsake the pop side of the fence. The pumping synths, stuttering rhythms, and a painfully needy vocal from Ric Ocasek give way to some wonderfully corny cowboy-style guitar picking and a swooning chorus that was the equal of anything they'd done to that point. The rest of the album mostly sticks to catchy new wave pop with the occasional weird synth here and odd texture there. Tracks like the moody "Don't Tell Me No," the jumpy Ben Orr-sung "Down Boys," or "Running to You" could have easily fit in on either of their first two albums; the slightly less immediate songs ("Misfit Kid," "Getting Through") are still fine modern rockers that any second-string band on a major-label would have been glad to call their best effort, and the nocturnal ballad "You Wear Those Eyes" is a lovely precursor to "Drive." While it's true that Panorama may be the work of a band in transition, taking baby steps in new directions, it's also the work of a band that couldn't help but make great music regardless. "Touch and Go" may be the song that people remember, but another spin or two will reveal a wealth of songs that are just as strong. The production, too, is just as striking as it is on previous efforts, as are the performances. Put it all together and it's difficult to understand why some people consider Panorama a weak link in the band's otherwise stellar early career. It may pale a little in comparison to The Cars and Candy-O, but it's still first-rate modern pop. ~ Tim Sendra

• Media Condition: Mint (M)
• Sleeve Condition: Mint (M)
• Format: Vinyl
• Genre: NEW WAVE
• RSD Date: n/a
• Format Type: 2xLP
• Released: 07/28/2017