Rhino is continuing to reinvigorate the Cars catalog with the news on May 11 that it will release expanded and remastered editions of the band’s Candy-O and Panorama albums. The titles, each available on CD and a 2-LP vinyl set on July 28, will include rare and unreleased recordings taken from the sessions for each album. Band member Ric Ocasek recently supervised the remastering of these albums for last year’s box set The Cars: The Elektra Years, ensuring superior sound quality on these new versions.
Presented in gatefold sleeves, the vinyl versions include music on three sides with an etching on the fourth.
The five original members of The Cars – rhythm guitarist Ric Ocasek, the late bassist Benjamin Orr, lead guitarist Elliot Easton, keyboardist Greg Hawkes and drummer David Robinson – formed in 1976 and recorded six studio albums together for Elektra Records and have sold more than 23 million albums in the U.S. alone.
Related: Our backstory on The Cars
Following their self-titled 1978 multi-platinum debut, the band kept its platinum-album streak rolling with 1979’s Candy-O and 1980’s Panorama, releases that include memorable hits like “Let’s Go,” “It’s All I Can Do” and “Touch and Go.”
The Cars
Candy-O saw the Cars team up once again with producer Roy Thomas Baker. The album reached #3 on the Billboard album chart and eventually earned quadruple-platinum certification in the U.S. alone. The album’s “Let’s Go,” earned the band its first Top 15 single; the follow-up, “It’s All I Can Do,” reached #41. Both were sung by Orr. Famed pin-up artist Alberto Vargas created the now-iconic album cover art.
The expanded edition adds seven bonus tracks to the original 11. Among the highlights are unreleased alternate mixes of “Let’s Go” and “Lust For Kicks,” as well as the previously unissued song “They Won’t See You (The Northern Studios Version).” The album’s packaging includes a new interview with guitarist Elliot Easton. (Pre-order the CD here; the 2-LP here.)
Candy-O Track Listing
1. “Let’s Go”
2. “Since I Held You”
3. “It’s All I Can Do”
4. “Double Life”
5. “Shoo Be Doo”
6. “Candy-O”
7. “Night Spots”
8. “You Can’t Hold On Too Long”
9. “Lust For Kicks”
10. “Got A Lot On My Head”
11. “Dangerous Type”
Bonus Tracks
12. “Let’s Go” – Roy Thomas Baker Monitor Mix (Click here to hear it!)
13. “Candy-O” – Northern Studios Version
14. “Nights Spots” – Northern Studios Version
15. “Lust for Kicks” – Roy Thomas Baker Monitor Mix
16. “Dangerous Type” – Northern Studios Version
17. “They Won’t See You” – Northern Studios Version, Previously Unissued
18. “That’s It” – “Let’s Go” B-side
Related: The Cars are on our list of Rock and Roll Hall of Fame omissions
Panorama became the band’s third consecutive platinum album, also peaking at #3 on the sales chart. The single “Touch And Go” reached #37.
This new version contains four bonus track including a B-side, “Don’t Go To Pieces,” as well as unreleased songs like “Shooting For You,” and “Be My Baby.” The album package includes reminisces from keyboardist Greg Hawkes. (Pre-order the CD here; the 2-LP here.)
Panorama Track Listing
1. “Panorama”
2. “Touch and Go”
3. “Gimme Some Slack”
4. “Don’t Tell Me No”
5. “Getting Through”
6. “Misfit Kid”
7. “Down Boys”
8. “You Wear Those Eyes”
9. “Running Up To You”
10. “Up and Down”
Bonus Tracks
11. “Shooting For You” – Previously Unissued
12. “Be My Baby” – Previously Unissued
13. “The Edge” – Previously Unissued
14. “Don’t Go To Pieces” – “Don’t Tell Me No” B-side
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