When it came to their fifth album, THE CARS were seasoned hitmakers, but the band must have felt stagnant in terms of creative approach. Cue changes – slight softening of sound and the invitation sent to Mutt Lange, whose pop expertise would supplant Roy Thomas Baker’s perspective applied to the ensemble’s previous platters – which made “Heartbeat City” a firm favorite with worldwide audience. While their first four longplays came in on a yearly basis, this one appeared three years after “Shake It Up” that spawned a few memorable songs, yet those would pale in comparison to “Drive” – and there’s no better reason for choosing the group’s offering from 1984 as inaugural work for deluxe treatment of their catalogue.

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