The Cars - Heartbeat City [2 LP, Expanded, 180g Vinyl]

The Cars' fifth studio album Heartbeat City captures the Boston new wave pioneers at their commercial and creative apex, a record that fused art-rock sophistication with polished pop accessibility. Produced by Robert John "Mutt" Lange, whose work with AC/DC and Def Leppard brought a meticulousness that both frustrated and elevated the band, the album spawned five Top 40 singles and earned quadruple platinum certification with over four million copies sold. This 2018 expanded edition celebrates The Cars' induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with a 2016 remaster of the original 10-track album plus seven bonus tracks, including unreleased versions, demos, and B-sides. Housed in a gatefold jacket with an illustrated booklet featuring liner notes by renowned rock journalist David Fricke and new interviews with Ric Ocasek, this 180-gram pressing preserves the legacy of an album that peaked at number three on the Billboard 200 and proved the band's fifth consecutive platinum release.

Ocasek penned all 10 original tracks, balancing radio-ready hooks with his signature lyrical subversion. "You Might Think" opens with quirky energy and won the inaugural MTV Video Music Award for Video of the Year, while "Magic" delivers spare hopefulness that reached number 12 on the charts. Benjamin Orr's soulful vocal on "Drive" became the album's biggest hit, peaking at number three and showcasing Lange's ability to craft devastatingly effective ballads. "Hello Again," with its Andy Warhol-directed video, demonstrates the synth-heavy textures that define much of the album, and the atmospheric title track closes the original sequence with cinematic grandeur. The seven bonus tracks offer fascinating glimpses into the creative process, including a 12-inch remix of "Hello Again," the "Drive" demo, early versions of album tracks under different titles like "Jacki" (which became "Heartbeat City") and "One More Time" (which evolved into "Why Can't I Have You"), plus "Tonight She Comes" and the B-side "Breakaway."

Pressed on two,180-gram black vinyl LPs, this expanded edition captures Lange's pristine production across four sides. The gatefold presentation and illustrated booklet add context to an album that remains remarkably fresh despite its quintessentially mid-80s sound, thanks to Lange's focused production and Ocasek's irresistible songwriting. The bonus material provides additional depth for longtime supporters while the remastered original album delivers the songs that made Heartbeat City a defining statement of 1980s rock.

• Format: 180g Black Vinyl 2LP
• Standout tracks: "Drive," "You Might Think," "Magic," & "Hello Again"
• Pressing details: Expanded Edition, 2016 remaster, gatefold jacket with illustrated booklet featuring David Fricke liner notes, 7 bonus tracks
• Genre/style: New Wave, Pop Rock, Synthpop, Power Pop
• UPC: 603497862672

This expanded edition honors The Cars' Rock and Roll Hall of Fame legacy with enhanced sound quality and rare bonus material, presenting one of the 1980s' most successful albums in its most comprehensive vinyl format.

* The Spotify track list may not exactly represent the tracks and audio of this LP edition.

Track List:

Side A:

1. Hello Again
2. Looking For Love
3. Magic
4. Drive
5. Stranger Eyes

Side B:

1. You Might Think
2. It's Not The Night
3. Why Can't I Have You
4. I Refuse
5. Heartbeat City

Side C:

1. Hello Again (Special 12 Inch Remix)
2. Drive (Demo)
3. One More Time (Early Version Of 'Why Can't I Have You')

Side D:

1. Baby I Refuse (Early Version Of 'I Refuse')
2. Jacki (Early Version Of 'Heartbeat City')
3. Breakaway
4. Tonight She Comes