Benjamin Orr
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Let’s go back to 1979. Lately, for some reason I’ve been completely taken with the song Candy-O, which surprisingly was never released as a single. I’ve spent a good amount of time watching different live versions of The Cars perform this song. If you’ve read my previous work, or watched my YouTube channel, you know Read more
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It’s been a year and my obsession with The Cars hasn’t abated one bit. So after watching The Cars perform Just What I Needed on The Midnight Special for about the millionth time I am inspired to write about it in depth. Because as you already know I am obsessed. The Midnight Special was a Read more
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Cap’n Swing and Magic Pants were floatin’down the street. I’ve had a thing for rock singers my whole life. I mean who hasn’t, right? Way back when I was seven years old in second grade I fell under the spell of the boy who played the part of the Artful Dodger in the local high Read more
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WHAT A SHOW! It captured a moment in time and the fun this band was having at the start of their amazing run. I just re-read for the second time the 1997 Goldmine article The Cars: Shake it Up, Drive It Out by Steve Roeser. I had read parts of it several months ago but Read more
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What I want to discuss is the brilliance of the album Panorama. I though I loved The Cars’ first album the best. And then I though I loved Candy-O the best. And then I gave Panorama a serious listen. For a record that wasn’t particularly important to me over forty years ago, it has become Read more
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I don’t think so but… I’ve been working on a post for quite a while about what I think may be the not-so-hidden gem of all The Cars albums but it’s not quite where I want it yet. So because I haven’t posted in a while, I’m writing this as a sort of preface to Read more
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Anyone else out there just get in their car and drive with no particular destination in mind? The fall weather has been spectacular this year and the conditions are perfect for long drives. Four days past Halloween and there is still a lot of color on the trees. We’ve had gorgeous sunsets and very few Read more
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Kind of weirdly personal and took a long time to write this one. I also hesitated quite a while before sharing, but here goes… Benjamin Orr. Gifted singer, talented musician, gorgeous human, sad, happy, “randy”, funny, quiet, father, bandmate, son, brother, lover, husband. Ben died twenty four years ago this month, a few minutes before Read more
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Photo by Lynn Goldsmith- Elektra press kit 1980 ADDENDUM 3/25/25 I already gave props to the mighty Elliot Easton and his superior guitar work, but listening to this song again recently, for some reason I was really struck by the beat, the momentum, and decided I must discuss the rhythm section in this song. That Read more
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Fair warning. I am going to be writing a lot about Benjamin Orr. It’s not even a choice. There is a gut-level deep force that is compelling me. I don’t know where it’s coming from or why. Believe me, I know it sounds ridiculous. But it’s with me constantly and if I don’t get it Read more
The SFB 