Favorite New Wave Albums #1 - The Cars

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As I finish up this countdown of my favorite new wave albums, I suddenly realize how much impact the genre had on the music world. Don't believe me? Listen to your local Classic Rock FM, and you'll hear a lot of these guys during the course of the day. And that is especially true with my #1: The Cars by The Cars. Yep. The band that brought us pop hits such as "Shake it Up," and "Drive," started out as a new wave group, releasing three fantastic new wave albums before heading off in a more pop-oriented direction. The Cars have sold over 23 million records in the United States, and are in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. And it all started with their 1978, self-titled debut. And what an album! Jam packed with great songs, with guitarist Ric Ocasek and bassist Benjamin Orr (R.I.P.) sharing vocal duties, this thing is boffo! It reached gold in the US, platinum two months later, has since gone 6x platinum, and is a double platinum album in Canada. Oddly, only three of these tracks were released as singles: "Just What I Needed" (a Classic Rock staple,) the highly new wave "My Best Friend's Girl," and "Good Times Roll." But damn, "Moving in Stereo" is a classic (Pheobe Cates. Enough said!,) "You're all I've Got Tonight" was definitely single-worthy, and Benjamin Orr's lovely "All Mixed Up" closes the record on a strong point (and probably should have been a single as well.) The funny thing is, if I were to do a series on my favorite Boston bands (and now I'm thinking that I need to,) The Cars wouldn't be #1. But this album is. Damn, I love this thing! (Info verified by Wikipedia)