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1Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems2Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches3Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsRic Ocasek, the Cars’ co-founder, lead singer, guitarist and principal songwriter, died at 75 on September 15, 2019. The New York City medical examiner said he died of hypertensive and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, with pulmonary emphysema as a contributing condition. His legacy spans the Cars’ influential run of pop-minded new wave and a later career producing bands including Weezer, No Doubt and Bad Brains.
Who was Ric Ocasek?
Ocasek was a songwriter and guitarist whose work helped define the Cars’ tightly constructed blend of rock, pop and new wave. He formed the band in Boston in 1976 with singer and bassist Benjamin Orr. Ocasek later described his role to NPR in 2011 as primarily creative rather than performative: “I’m not much into being the frontguy,” he said. “I was the songwriter, really — the person who put the songs together, and maybe a bit of a director. But being an entertainer was never my main thing.”
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| 1 |
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Cars - Complete Greatest Hits | $12.43 | Buy on Amazon |
| 2 |
![The Greatest Hits [CD]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/41YCx-yveBL._SL160_.jpg)
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The Greatest Hits [CD] | $19.99 | Buy on Amazon |
| 3 |
![The Cars: Original Album Series [5 CD, Box Set]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51bZrc-ONbL._SL160_.jpg)
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The Cars: Original Album Series [5 CD, Box Set] | $29.99 | Buy on Amazon |
| 4 |
![The Greatest Hits [CD]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/41JkCvbiY4L._SL160_.jpg)
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The Greatest Hits [CD] | $15.00 | Buy on Amazon |
| 5 |
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Original Album Series | $17.82 | Buy on Amazon |
Ocasek was born in Baltimore and died in Manhattan. Contemporary reporting confirms his age at death as 75, but published accounts conflict on his birth year; the Washington Post, citing New York police records, gives March 23, 1944, while a GRAMMY.com obituary lists 1949. Because of that discrepancy, the birth year is best left unsettled.
How did the Cars become one of the defining new wave bands?
The Cars signed with Elektra and released their self-titled debut in 1978. Its concise, immediately recognizable songs helped establish the group’s combination of rock guitars, pop hooks and new wave sensibility. The album included “Just What I Needed,” “Good Times Roll” and “My Best Friend’s Girl.” The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame later described the band as “the ultimate New Wave dream machine: a hook-savvy super-charged quintet that fused ’60s pop, ’70s glam and avant-rock minimalism into a decade of dashboard-radio nirvana.”
#1 Best Overall
The Cars’ early album run
| Album | Release year | What the cited accounts establish |
|---|---|---|
| The Cars | 1978 | Debut featuring “Just What I Needed,” “Good Times Roll” and “My Best Friend’s Girl.” |
| Candy-O | 1979 | Named in GRAMMY.com’s chronology of the band’s albums. |
| Panorama | 1980 | Named in GRAMMY.com’s chronology of the band’s albums. |
| Shake It Up | 1981 | Named in GRAMMY.com’s chronology of the band’s albums. |
| Heartbeat City | 1984 | GRAMMY.com reports that it reached No. 3 on album charts; its account does not specify a chart or territory. |
The group broke up in 1988. Ocasek continued with solo work and production. The surviving Cars reunited in 2010 without Orr, who had died in 2000, and released Move Like This in 2011. The Cars were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in April 2018.
Which bands did Ric Ocasek produce?
Ocasek’s work behind the console became a substantial second chapter of his career. He produced Weezer’s 1994 debut, widely known as the Blue Album, and worked with artists and bands including No Doubt, Nada Surf, Suicide, Bad Religion and Bad Brains. These credits show the range of his production work; the sources cited here do not support ranking the projects or attributing specific sonic effects to them.
Rank #2
- The Cars' hit CD The Greatest Hits!
After his death, Weezer called Ocasek a friend and mentor. His relationship with the group extended beyond a single recording credit: producing the band’s debut placed him at the beginning of one of the best-known chapters in its history.
What was Ric Ocasek’s approach as a producer?
Ocasek framed the job as helping a band realize its own aims. Speaking to The New York Times in 2004, as quoted by the Washington Post, he said: “I wanted bands to feel like they were going to get exactly what they wanted without anybody pushing them around,” That description aligns with the collaborative role he said he preferred in the Cars: shaping songs and guiding the work rather than making the performance about himself.
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What caused Ric Ocasek’s death?
Ocasek was found unresponsive at his Manhattan home on September 15, 2019. The New York City Office of Chief Medical Examiner reported the following day that the cause was hypertensive and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, with pulmonary emphysema listed as a contributing condition. He was 75.
Quick Recap
Best Value
- Features the debut album containing the hit singles "Just What I Needed" and "My Best Friend's Girl".
- Includes the second studio album CANDY-O with popular tracks "Let's Go" and "It's All I Can Do".
- Contains the complete PANORAMA, SHAKE IT UP, and HEARTBEAT CITY albums in one collection.
- Produced by Roy Thomas Baker for the first four albums and Robert John "Mutt" Lange for the fifth.
- This compilation ℗ & 2009 Rhino Entertainment Company and is manufactured in the E.U.
Rank #4
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