When The Cars hit the national scene in the late 70's, I at first sort of blew them off as part of the "new wave" stuff I didn't particularly care for - I was a "rock snob" and new wave bands were just, well, weird to be weird.
Nobody took any of them seriously, really; only people trying desperately hard to get attention, to be "cool", whatever, did.
A buddy of mine back then talked me into going to see the band at a local venue in DC in those days and as
usual, the attending audience was tee-totally "that" bunch I looked sideways at - but as I got a taste of the Cars playing
live, I discovered they had actual chops!
Ben Orr on bass and Elliot Easton on guitar especially could actually
play. While Ric Ocasek was all about a certain look and projecting a certain strangeness associated with a new wave/punk persona, the other guys were obviously into more into the
groove. Ocasek wrote pop tunes; Orr, etc. were more rockers.
I wound up a big fan of theirs during the first few albums especially and saw them go from clubs to arenas in a short time.
Of course, who doesn't remember the album covers, too?
It was sad when they broke up - but it was inevitable, too.
Ocasec was obviously of one mind on writing and the whole glam aspect of things; Ben Orr quite another.
You could hear it in Ric's interviews; there was sort of a resentment of sorts towards Ben Orr almost;
he saw him as much as the "pretty boy" of the band, who he readily acknowledged had a better singing
voice and stage presence.
There was a good end to the story, though - the band did get back together eventually and had some time
to enjoy each other again before Orr's death from cancer, thankfully.
Together, they were a Hall of Fame caliber band, each with their strengths.
RIP Ben Orr and Ric Ocasek.
Soundtrack of our youth, really. Very few were as good or big as they were in their prime.