The Cars (1978)

By 1978, the sound of mainstream Rock N Roll has transitioned from the rawness of the early 70s into what would become known as arena rock. This was essentially rock bands that put out highly polished records that some would consider generic. Although I am a fan of bands such as Boston, Foreigner, etc, I can understand this argument.

But along with the punk rock revolts occuring at the time, there was something else formulating, and a band called The Cars were helping define it.

New Wave was an experimental form of rock that would catch on with the success of band like Blondie. But in my opinion, the true first success of the genre came in the form of 1978's "The Cars", the band's self titled debut.

The album was without a doubt Rock N Roll, for Buddy Holly's influence can easily be heard on tracks such as "My Best Friend's Girl". If someone states that The Cars don't play guitar driven music, they would be referring to their later, 80s efforts. This first album has a ton of heavy guitar playing in the form of "Just What I Needed" and "You're All I've Got Tonight".

The more experimental tracks on the album, such as "I'm In Touch With Your World" and "Moving In Stereo" are where the band truly shines, for it is their area of expertise. This was a group of oddballs playing music, so naturally their songs would be joyfully wacky.

The Cars's debut is one of the greatest rock records of all time due to its originality and for not delving too far into experimental New Wave.