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The Cars: Let the Stories Be Told

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Arrives Mar 17 – Mar 19
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Description

New York Times bestselling author Bill Janovitz delivers the definitive story of The Cars, one of the most popular, beloved, and influential bands to emerge from New Wave—with a foreword by Cars keyboardist Greg Hawkes. The Cars formed in the late 1970s as an alliance of five journeymen musicians with roots in Maryland, Ohio, New York, and New England. They had each performed in a series of bands before finding one another—along with the right sound at the right time. That sound, soon fortified by their iconic imagery, turned them into Rock and Roll Hall of Famers. Biographer, critic, and musician Bill Janovitz explores the musical, cultural, and commercial impact of the band with articulate and knowing insights. He draws on his own exclusive new reporting along with the enthusiastic participation of the surviving members of the band, as well as nearly everyone who surrounded them over the years. The band's unusual providence is fully explored here for the first time, and each of their landmark albums is masterfully chronicled and dissected, as is their profound support of the Boston music scene that has reverberated around the world and throughout the decades. Yet, with all of the success, there were also significant conflicts within the band, which led to an untimely end. Janovitz reveals the stories of each member, and of the group as a whole, with great care and understanding. To paraphrase The Car's own lyrics: Hello again, you might think this is just what you needed. It's magic. Let's shake it up and let the good times roll. Read more

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If you place your order now, the estimated arrival date for this product is: Mar 17 – Mar 19

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Top Amazon Reviews


  • Loved Every Page
Format: Hardcover
I have loved The Cars ever since I brought home their debut album, which is still my all-time favorite debut album ever. I bought every album, loved every video, and always attended every concert in my city. The only thing that ever bugged me was, I really didn't know much about them. "The Cars: Let the Stories Be Told" is excellent. From the first page, I could not put it down. It tells all about The Cars' beginnings... things I never knew. It's so detailed and very interesting. From this Cars fan and book lover, thank you to Elliot Easton, Greg Hawkes, and David Robinson for your stories and recollections, and to Bill Janovitz for putting it all together. I know I'll revisit this book again. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on October 7, 2025 by KarenAma

  • Great read for Cars fans
Format: Hardcover
Interesting inside look at a great band. Well researched from interviews with band members and others
Reviewed in the United States on February 10, 2026 by S. K. Powell

  • The Cars
Format: Hardcover
Lots of details.
Reviewed in the United States on October 25, 2025 by Dana A. Thompson

  • I Really Like this Item
Format: Hardcover
I will try to be as honest as possible because I depend on other people's reviews and feel I want to help the best I can: Arrived as Described. There is nothing as nice for me as reading a heavy hardback book, it just feels like a top quality item. Well written and enjoyable reading. I like reading books on all rock groups from my era (1970's - 1990's) and this one was very interesting because I didn't know much about THE CARS before reading this. I don't know if they were just not as popular or what, but the big name rock groups were always being written about, leaving these less popular groups as a mystery to me. This book told me stuff I had never heard before. I Recommend. Good Luck. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on December 30, 2025 by Rowdy Ron

  • A great biography of a pivotal rock band.
Format: Hardcover
The Cars. They helped define the late 70’s and 80’s sound of radio and New Wave. But as the excellent book points out they existed before that including Ben Orr and Ric Ocasek having recorded an album as Milkwood prior to ever being signed. Both were much older than most fans suspected (particularly Ocasek) who was 33 when they finally broke through on their debut album “The Cars”. The band had a storied history with former Modern Lovers drummer David Robinson joining the band giving them additional credibility during this time. Ocasek managed to distill 70’s influences (Roxy Music, David Bowie) with 60’s (The Velvet Underground) along with more contemporary acts (Suicide) that Ocasek integrated into a hook driven style with sarcastic and oblique lyrics. With Orr’s good looks, it gave the band sex appeal (along with Robinson) in some respects they were kind of like Cheap Trick with the unusual (but well dressed) Ocasek, Greg Hawkes on keyboards and sax (and occasional guitar) and Elliott Easton’s 70’s rock star shag appealing to a wide audience. The book covers the band’s history well including the childhood of the members and how they initially formed. It also covers Ocasek’s insecurities about the band, his issues with control (he never let anyone, aside from Hawkes who occasionally co-wrote material, write material for the band) over the band’s songwriting. When Orr wanted to resume writing (he had written a couple of tunes on the Milkwood album they recorded) with his girlfriend, Ocasek balked and it helped drive a wedge between them that lasted until shortly before Orr passed away. There’s plenty of stories on the recording of the material and an acknowledgment of the pivotal role that producer Roy Thomas Baker (Queen, Journey, Ian Hunter) played in helping them establish their sound on record with extensive overdubs. There’s some great candid pictures as well. For fans, I’d recommend this. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on October 11, 2025 by Wayne Klein

  • Great read
Format: Kindle
Doesn't get more informative than this. Fantastic history of the Cars and very entertaining. Look forward to other books by this author.
Reviewed in the United States on January 20, 2026 by michael jencik

  • The Story Of The Cars
Format: Kindle
If you are a fan of the Cars this book is a “must read.” It’s like a multi - biography, the author did a terrific job covering all five members of the band. Any good band biography will offer up information about songs; their origin, meaning, and circumstances. Mr. Janovitz provides all of that. The complicated part of The Cars is the band dynamic. While they were wildly popular, they had their conflicts. Ego, personality, disagreements were all part of the band. What made them great might have eventually proved problematic. One facet was their diverse taste in music. Personality clashes were probably inevitable. The band had some interesting characters. Ric Ocasek was mysterious, especially when it came to his actual age. He was a difficult man but also a prolific songwriter. Elliot Easton was underrated as a guitarist. His early influences were of interest. Five men made the band and you will get to know all of them in this book. Let the stories be told indeed. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on October 12, 2025 by JL Populist

  • Fun read but pretty much a retelling of stories any Cars fan would know.
Format: Hardcover
I enjoyed reading this book but it didn’t tell me anything that I didn’t already know, except for some airing of dirty laundry. It didn’t add to the experience. It was well written. Worth reading but I was hoping for more.
Reviewed in the United States on October 5, 2025 by Mary P.

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