Yes it was. I was on a school bus when one of kids played "Good Times Roll" on a tape player. I was hooked.

Ahhhh! High School. What a magical time.

Jr in high school I know what you mean best ever time

Vinyl records cassettes and 8 tracks wow what a time and the recreation also off the charts

i was 14--- this stuff rocked. Cars are underrated.

Me too ❤

That shows that you have excellent taste in music. !!! Taylor who?????

6/16/24

I'm here in 2024 still listing to the voices in my head

June 29th 24 Peace ☮️

Same here, a fan for life.

@@davidquery3176 Likewise at 57. I started listening to the Cars as a Freshman in '78.

Oh yes, me too....I am 55, been listening to them since I was 11, 1977...I love them as much today as I did then....I played the grooves off especially the first and second records, switched from guitar to bass lessons at 12, learned a few of the songs.....Still in love with Benjamin today....something about his voice....the Cars have a unique and amazing sound.....be alright.....be alriiiiight....be alright.....xo

I'm right with ya. Lived in Massachusetts in the '70's and saw The Cars for the first time in a little CLUB in Boston. Then Boston Gardens! I fucking love the Cars

@@stevie4641 I Love ‘em too and I envy you for seeing them in a little club, I love the early Cars the most! Cheers 🍻

ВСЕ ТАЛАНТЫ! КОМАНДА ШЕДЕВР! 👌👌🇸🇮🇸🇮

He is a top notch drummer!!

Yes, they all are/were fantastic musicians!

For sure !!! I'm a drummer and the parts he came up with for these tunes is perfect. This song couldn't have any other drum part to it. It would change the feel completely. Excellent drummer !!!!

Incredible. Absolutely the engine propelling the song!

He is a rock god...

amazing song and love Benjamin Orr's voice.

oh we knew

echo Marianne; oh yes, we knew.

+Steve N - I agree completely!! Ben was ALWAYS my favorite lead singer of The Cars. It's so annoying when people think that Ric is singing all of these hits when Ben sings most of them.

Same here. Hard to believe it's been 45 years. Still one of my favorite bands and one of my favorite songs of all time.

'Let's GO'....pun intended.

Me too...I'd go back in a heartbeat. Best time of our lives.❤

And they could have utilized him so much more...

Pretty sure his first TV exposure was on a Martin Mull special featuring Flo & Eddie, and Greg played the sax exclusively on that show. Not the typical picture of a sax player - usually think of much bigger dudes.

He’s insanely talented. ❤

True that. And a super nice person on top of it all

Yes!

Agreed. Tool as well

Agreed .. underrated

That’s evahhh not ever 😊

I'm 61 now! I appreciated this music back then, and there's a certain magic to it, in which it will keep you alive Forever!

Gets better and better!

Agree man

Took me a bit to grow into them but I totally agree, more as time passes.

I agree! On the “Deluxe Edition” demo Ric has the lead vocals and its an interesting take, more melancholy- check it out

Most amazing . Most missed . Especially by those who needed to hear .

Me too! I dream of being a time traveler, and going back to all of their shows, especially these small places, being right there!!! Incredible moments in time! xo

Oh my God! David Robinson's drumming!

@@robdisipherer5241 Did! And David Robinson gets no props... They never moved much live and a lot of people said a lot about that but I think it was Ric's idea to just play the songs the way they were on the record and get them right every time which is fine for me and I saw every tour except for the last one without Benny when I was stuck in a place in Chicago after a bad tour! Long live rock and roll and long live the cars...

I feel like crying.

Underrated. RIP SIR

No doubt about that. RIP Benjamin ❤❤

I think he is the Sound of the Cars ! Those Key board skills !

This group kicks

Rock and New Wave had a baby and it was named The Cars. Greg Hawkes provided the New Wave genes...

I count Greg as a key member...he's a muso's muso. I kind of think of the Cars as a synth-pop band among other things so I guess that is a tip of the hat to Greg and his skills. Greg had an interesting rig as well. He relied pretty heavily on his little Korg 700 for strings and other sundry effects but he was also an early adopter of the Prophet 5 for some limited polyphony. The Curtis chipsets were starting to become more freely available and gave the keyboard programming capability and 5 voice polyphony that was reasonably stable and reliable. He must have had lots of support to get that keyboard - they were cripplingly expensive for the regular gigging musician.

I remember reading a review of one of the Cars albums when it came out... The idiot dissed the album and described Hawk's keyboard playing style as "Dinky" What a fucking Moron.

64 here 😎

65 here. RIP BENJAMIN ORR

They're legendary. Timeless music always lives on.

@@derekfelix8188 Indeed! Fell in and out of love with my 1st gf to their music, in the basement of her parents house. Awesome memories! I guess at the end it was all mixed up.

I am 70. I am still 'young' and strong. Not sure what age you consider 'young'

I have to agree. What a great arpeggiation. The drop at :45 or so. Awesome guitar riffs. I loved the simple and pouding bass drum / high hat. And Ben Orr was in his prime.

They go together in my opinion

Honestly, they're both great songs due to the sound. But this has something extra that I didn't know about. I've heard almost all of their songs. I grew up in the 80's and loved The Cars. But wow. That sound. Ben. The sax really hits.

100%. This is one of the best rock songs in history. This particular live version was the most spot on to the studio version, imo. The very best of all Ocasics songs, by far. Perfect and amazing. Benjamin Orr was a guy who had two personalities, literally. He was a different person on stage. Both of his selves were lovely. Zero ego in either, the height of humility always. There has never been a rock star like Benjamin Orr. Many of us keep his memory alive by continuing to enjoy his beautiful, lilting voice everyday.

СОГЛАСНО НА ВСЕ 100%.! СКОЛЬКО ЛЕТ ПРОШЛО МЫ СЛУШАЕМ! СПАСИБО. РОССИЯ! 👌👌👌🇸🇮🇸🇮🇸🇮2023г.

He's so underrated.

you bet.

The guy is right handed yet plays left handed. When asked why, he said.. It gives the band Visual balance, I thought the Beetles looked right with Paul playing left handed on the right side of the stage.. How many Righties can play leftie, and play it like this?

Plus he was cute in his young days I'd say the second best looking "Car"!

Of course 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

Totally agree. Rarely hear it, always want to.

I love this song and listen to it often.

So true. Where would we be without KZfaq?

kamb196 That's why Ric had Ben sing them. Ocasik, of all people, knew his own vocal limitations, and truly recognized the star power talent of Orr. They were one combination where the whole was much greater than the sum of it's parts.

+kamb196 - I completely agree with you in regards to the composition of this song. I would have to say that it's probably my favorite song from The Cars -- absolutely beautiful and haunting, but yet it rocks! And Benjamin's voice is so amazing and unforgettable. I can't think of anyone who has a voice like his. Lou Gramm of Foreigner comes close, but he doesn't have that smooth quality. Benjamin is IT for me!

mmm, warm smokey brandy with a dollop of buttered honey in it. yuck but it works, eh? As kamb196 so perfectly wrote; it was his range, timbre and inflection. And he could sound gentle and earnest one moment, gritty and raw the next....... go into a high range, then drop it down to a throaty lower range. Benjamin Orr was great! He deserves a better place, a place of honor in the annals of rock.

moodylicious I hope they really Hong him at the hall of fame awards

i hate to be a ditz but what does that mean "really Hong him"? ;-)

He was adorable! 💞

Anen🙏

MEeeeeeee TOOOOOOOOO!!! Benjamin still makes the hairs stand up on my neck and arms!! I listen to this one a lot....still makes me cry, and I sing it out loud when I feel stressed and anxious, "be allllriiiiight, be allrrriiiiight, be alriiiiight....xo

Me too!!! Makes me wonder what he is either seeing or thinking,

I know, he was beautiful in every way ❤

I hate that this is the only live version because Ben sounds so good, but the backing vocals in the beginning are off pitch.

Trt my channel dave

please tell us what it was like meeting Benjamin??

Here's hoping there's a Cars tribute album (still waiting for that Tom Petty tribute album).

I cried like a baby when Ric passed

Same here 😢💔

They were the very best New Wave / Power Pop band. Each member’s talents fit their role perfectly.

@@PauloPereira-hk9nw I have the one Tom Petty concert I went to forever blazed in my mind. I was able to get up by the stage and security wanted to remove me but Tom, he shook his head no and I just jammed out to the rest of the show right there :) It was The best concert ever and damn I miss him

60 's wasnt bad either !

Purple Sunflower Right, I’m a child of the 60’s teen in the 70’s and 20’s in the 80’s, I’m lucky to have experienced 3 decades of the Best music!

Yup..you needed real talent..unlike today.

Sue Raymo I was alive then the "growing up" well at 64 years old I'm still working on that.

Not wrong there. Awesome music from 60s to 80s. Yeah?

100% what I thought and almost the same timing watching the live stuff. Kicking myself I never saw them live but had all their music from 78 on. Eclectic watching them and they each bring something that you can't figure out how but it works so great together!

@Jesse Lobo - This is just an observation, I don’t mean to pick on you: I might be looking at the wrong comments, but I rarely see praise for David Robinson, the drummer in the band.

@@ellab8897 Cars rhythm section is top tier, you are correct David Robinson was immaculate. I also believe he played inspired on Candy-O one the great albums of any time.

Wow!!!!!

I saw them at champagne jam in Atlanta also in the late 70’s

I wasn't even born when this was recorded. But, he really is a glorious man. And, I could do the same😊

@@chaunybuck6065 yes, Ben was stellar, I check him out every day.🤷‍♀️

I, too, am obsessed and addicted to Benjamin. God rest his sweet soul!

Good call .

💗

That is special ❤

70 here ...me too

ВАМ ОЧЕНЬ ПОВЕЗЛО! 🇸🇮🇸🇮🇸🇮

I regret that i never saw them perform live. This song is one of my favorites.

+Jen Dawson One of the most beautiful men in Rock n Roll! God I miss him!

Gwen Schriever hi gwen

+Jen Dawson - Absolutely!!! That smile would make anyone melt! ;-) And... he's drenched in sweat! Very sexy!

Jen Dawson Ha ha ha ha ... Your too freak'n funny..

Jen Dawson I'm a man so I don't look at men like I would a woman. I will agree when he joins in "be alright" he looks like he could NOT be happier. He is in a Rock and Roll class very very very few deserve to be mentioned in the same sentence. Thank You Jen for noticing what I also see----complete Bliss.

sure got that Right !

Valerie Underwood Seriously. Can you imagine how hard it would be if we didn’t have all these lovely videos and KZfaq?

@@anij8226 it would be a terrible void. We've been so gifted with these great Cars videos. We can only imagine what would have happened, had the audience been introduced to the band through videos from the very start. There has never been a rock star possessing all the attributes Benjamin Orr had. Some may have had a few. But Benjamin had it all! Guys and girls, both, would have been transfixed by his talent, his cool style, his voice and that changeable, beautiful face.

*Easton

The music does not date !

They arent under rated. They sold millions of records

J Ames if u only knew what this song the message a different message did for my life u freak out

This was their Roxy Music song lol

Yep. Ric was well into his 30s by now and Ben early 30s. They had been playing together for years & they were tight. No amateurs. I'd love to hear from someone who was in that audience. A 60-odd yr old Brit. Did they realise later how good it was and they were just too drunk at the time? Were they just not into that kind of music? Was the guy who threw the drink sorry? The guy who called them wankers?

@@ciaralangdon1917 I remember an interviewer asked Led Zeppelin what the crowd's reaction was the first time they ever played "Stairway to heaven", expecting to hear how they were raptured. Plant said they were pretty quiet and bored, except that they would yell out "Play Cashmere!" etc. LOL. There is a video on here of Pearl Jam @ Pink Pop in 1992, where they totally nail "Black" and Eddie pours his soul into it. The crowd just gave a tepid response. The worst I ever saw was Lori McKenna doing a heart wrenching, amazing performance of "Make every word hurt" and receiving only a smattering of polite applause. My long winded point? Crowds don't know shit at the time of the performance.

I know!! Watching them stand around is surreal.

Beau 💔

No sound or talent like them since!

GREAT STORY! Thank you for sharing it with us.

His sax really does drive a big part of their sound.

Greg Hawkes

Ray Quigley Greg Hawkes is actually an accomplished musician; proficient not just on keyboards but also on guitar, saxophone, ukulele, etc....wonder how he likes occasionally being compared to Brian Eno, who once admitted, "I'm really quite useless with a musical instrument!"

Ray Quigley ...Greg Hawkes watched Geddy Lee play bass and keyboards. .He uses one hand to play keyboards and the other to press the sax keys..

saw that ,bet that puto jz cant do that shit

I was just impressed that he could play a saxophone and keyboards, let alone both simultaneously. Ha! Nerds rule!

Very true, great album.

I put Springsteen’s Greetings From Asbury Park NJ number one and The Cars number two in my greatest debut albums ever.

Agreed. This song could come out now and be a hit. I hear Cars influence in bands of the past 25 years or so. No one sounds exactly like them, they'll never be replicated imho. But, they've no doubt influenced other band's sounds.

I was reading his bio, and his folks gave him drum lessons at a very early age. And for those of us here in the Cleveland area, we saw the Grasshoppers on Upbeat when he was in his teens. I think it's safe to say Ben Orr never wanted to do anything else but music.

I know what you mean, Exactly

Yep, me too....I listen to it daily while walking....very special song, Ben telling me, it's gonna be alright.....yeah, I hang on......xo

Rachel Anne Its cruel how time doesn't stop for us.

Me toveversone a hit

Soooooo AWESOME! The days we wish would never end!? Yeah..

Way late in responding but after listening to the album last night I came in to hear a live version of this most EXCELLENT song. Have to say, Ben looked absolutely stunning in every, every way! Illuminatingly gorgeous perfection! How could he not let that go to his head? But he didn't. He just was. How the universe was blessed by a lovely man such as he. Multi-talented, literally stunningly attractive, humble and kind. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ TheatreofPain270: Lucky, lucky you! Please share. We who loved and miss Benjamin are heartened hearing of these poignant moments he touched other people's lives. He was such a peaceful, kind man!

+moodylicious - What a lovely way to describe Ben!! Did you know him personally?

sorry, just saw your question FMPH. No, I didn't personally know Benjamin. I'm an empath and so, sense spiritual facets of people on a deeper level. Throughout his life, Benjamin Orr had a need to excel to the best of all his abilities. He was gifted with many talents as well as a kind, caring open disposition. He gave his all to The Cars. In the end he was used and not appropriately recognized for his measurable contribution to The Cars rise to fame. He was cast adrift, with Ocasek's abrupt departure from the band; punishment. Orr suffered a painful spiritual injury that stayed with him to the end. He was never the same after the dissolution of The Cars. Never as confident, as joyful, as at ease. He tried. He put out a good 'face', but he had clearly lost his comfortable firm foundation and been abandoned and betrayed by some he'd given his all. Look into his eyes. Listen to the words to his songs. It was a bitter pill to swallow. And he spent the last 19 years of his life feeling like a forgotten man. He died with an unrealized legacy, like a forgotten supernova, that once blazed across the universe. His fans love him but he is largely unknown. Given his vast talent and for his giving nature, that's a sad thing.

moodylicious that is so very sad I almost cried...I hope some of this might not be true but with beautiful souls like him, it probably is. Kind people get crapped on all the time...those good ones who give their all to people. I do hear that John Kalishes became his best friend and treated him with respect and love which he deserved. Maybe those times weren't so sad for Benjamin..I hope so.

THEATREofPAIN270 ……...You're a scary fucking stalker

My God yes , he is ethereal

I melt