April Classic Rock Record of the Month - The Cars - Heartbeat City (Opaque white, Double vinyl)

April marks a pretty great addition to the monthly B.T.R.C. subscription service.  We added "Classic Rock" as a new style / genre for our subscribers to choose from each month. April also marked the 2018 Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame Inductee ceremony. One of this year's recipients was The Cars.

We cant think of a better way to launch our new style than with the reissued, expanded edition of Heartbeat City. The album was originally released in 1984, and was the 5th album from The Cars, coming off the 1981 release of Shake It Up.  That album delivered the band's first Billboard top ten hit. The title track, "Shake It Up", went #4 on Billboard Hot 100 and #2 on Mainstream Rock. The band had some other minor radio placement with tracks off the '81 release, but none went as high as "Shake It Up". The band took a break after the "Shake It Up Tour" ended in 1982 and both Ric Ocasek and Greg Hawkes released solo projects.

When the band got back together to start the new album, they partnered with the producer Robert "Mutt" Lange. Mutt Lange had just come off AC/DC - Back In Black, Foreigner 4, Def Leppard - High N Dry, AC/DC - For Those About To Rock We Salute You, and Def Leppard - Pyromania. Heartbeat City produced five top 40 singles. "You Might Think" lead the charge and went #1 on Billboard's Mainstream Rock and #7 on Billboards Hot 100. "Magic" went #1 on Billboards Mainstream Rock and #12 on Billboards Top 100. "Drive" charted on multiple Billboard charts including #1 Adult Contemporary, #9 Mainstream Rock, and #3 Hot 100. "Hello Again" went #22 on Mainstream Rock and #20 on hot 100. They also had minor hits with "It's Not The Night" and "Why Can't I Have You". By 1985, the album went #3 on Billboard 200 and had six of the ten tracks at radio. Five went Top 40.  The album has been certified 4X Platinum.

The album covers the bases for The Cars; even delivers straight ahead rock with "You Might Think" and "Its Not The Night". But the pop crossovers like "Drive" and Magic" solidified the band's legacy. Their induction this year into the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame bookends a career that helped define radio in the early 80's.  

Our version includes Heartbeat City (Expanded, 2LP Opaque White Vinyl) - Extended re-release of Heartbeat City including a remastered original album and rare, previously unreleased bonus tracks. It's pressed on opaque white, 180-gram vinyl and sleeved in gatefold packaging, with a booklet supplemented by annotations of rock journalist David Fricke, detailing the story of the album with the inclusion of new interviews with band member Ric Ocasek. 

B.T.R.C. - David W. Williams

Join B.T.R.C. by April 25th and pick Classic Rock to receive Heartbeat City in your first Subscription Box!  Members choose the style / genre CLASSIC ROCK!

2018 Rock N' Roll Hall Of Fame Inductee!