The Cars: Panorama (1980)
After achieving platinum sales for both their self-titled, 1978 debut and its '79 follow-up, Candy-O, Boston-based new wave geeks The Cars figured they were cruising back into the fast lane of popular music when they unveiled their third long-player, Panorama, 45 years ago.
But the quintet -- vocalist and guitarist Ric Ocasek, vocalist and bassist Benjamin Orr, lead guitarist Elliot Easton, keyboardist Greg Hawkes, and drummer David Robinson -- had obviously neglected to check the oil and tire pressure, because Panorama came dangerously close to stalling their career.
Sure, both their engine and chassis still passed a visual inspection: Ocasek kept pumping out modern new wave nuggets, producer Roy Thomas Baker (Queen, Journey, etc.) was back minding the garage, and Elektra Records was still footing the bill, but problems emerged as soon as fans were given a look under the hood.
Designated singles like "Touch and Go," "Don't Tell Me No," and "Gimme Some Slack," simply weren't as sleek, aerodynamic, or fun to drive as previous Cars models; only the first managed to crack the Top 40 and the other two didn't even chart -- yikes!
Even worse, angular, mechanical cuts like "Down Boys" and "Up and Down" sounded suspiciously like Devo, confirming fears sparked by a few cuts on Candy-O that Ocasek had taken a wrong turn down that robotic dead end and lost sight of his human songwriting touch.
Sure, diehard fans may have heard a few redeeming qualities in the decent title track, "Misfit Kid," and the oddly named love song "You Wear Those Eyes," but not nearly enough to lift Panorama out of last place among The Cars' first five "classic" albums.
In other words, The Cars needed a pop tune-up, and Ocasek, to his credit, rose to the occasion with a fresh batch of racy new singles on the following year's Shake it Up, which more than doubled Panorama's sales and averted a career-threatening breakdown.
Had Ric failed to do so, lazy critics could have used the checkered flag on Panorama's cover forever after as an easy metaphor signaling the end of The Cars' race into classic rock history.
Heck, maybe that rather bland, distant cover art was part of the problem, because reverting to fast babes and cartoon pin-ups on Shake it Up and '84's Heartbeat City realigned The Cars with their more successful first two albums ... who knows?
More The Cars: The Cars, Candy-O, Shake it Up, Heartbeat City.
