If you had come to me with this album 6 months ago I'm not sure I would have cared that much for it, but after doing this countdown I have a new appreciation for it.
What works so well on this album is the mix of new wave, rock and pop. The opening three songs "Good Times Roll", "My Best Friend's Girl", and "Just What I Needed" all have a nice funky new wave sound, but have great catchy beats and lyrics. The album is pretty tight and never drifts too far from the pop sense that makes those opening three songs so strong and also never wavers too far away from the new wave edge that makes their sound so unique. Later on the album we get "You're All I've Got Tonight" and "Moving In Stereo". This makes for a 9 song album with 5 outstanding songs, 3 good songs and 1 that is a throw away. That's pretty good, much better than the average.
I have new respect for The Cars after listening to this album and thinking of where they fit in with other bands around this time. The nice thing about this album is that it is a good album not just an important album.
