Heartbeat City | 
 enlarge | Artist: The Cars
Label: Elektra / Wea
Category: Music
List Price: $7.98
Buy New: $4.71
You Save: $3.27 (41%)
New (42) Used (25) Collectible (3) from $1.73
Rating:  50 reviews
Sales Rank: 8385
Media: Audio CD
Discs: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 5.6 x 5 x 0.5
MPN: 60296
UPC: 075596029629
EAN: 0075596029629
ASIN: B000002H1T
Release Date: October 25, 1990
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: BRAND NEW Factory Sealed - Ready to be shipped within 24 hrs from California - Average 5 workdays delivery time - Excellent customer service - Buy with confidence!
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| Tracks:
| • | Hello Again | | • | Looking for Love | | • | Magic | | • | Drive | | • | Stranger Eyes | | • | You Might Think | | • | It's Not the Night - The Cars, Hawkes, Greg | | • | Why Can't I Have You | | • | I Refuse | | • | Heartbeat City |
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| Editorial Reviews:
Amazon.com essential recording
Buddy Holly-meets-Roxy Music was the hook-filled formula Ric Ocasek and crew fell into on their classic 1978 debut--and it's one they continued to milk throughout the first half of the '80s. As in any formula, it seemed to dilute a bit with each subsequent release. Heartbeat City, however, saw the Cars shaking things up a bit and scoring three hit singles in the process. "You Might Think" does have that same old Cars pop sound, but "Magic" and especially "Drive" sound unlike anything the Boston band had previously recorded. The album proved to be a rebirth of sorts...as well as a final hurrah. Following their Greatest Hits package, the Cars would fade away following 1987's Door to Door. --Bill Holdship
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| Customer Reviews:
 Heartbeat City is not without it's share of compromises... November 17, 2008
Bill Wikstrom (Long Island, NY)
The Cars' Heartbeat City is indeed the sound of the Summer of 1984. And unfortunately many, many individual sounds on the album stayed there as well as they were almost dated by the end of that very Summer. The Cars constant employment of that weeks' sound gave much of the material on this album in particular a somewhat limited shelf-life. As so many synth sounds from this era didn't sound too amazing in the first place, it's pretty understandable that they didn't age too well. Which is a shame as the songs themselves are fully-formed and full of life with pretty good arrangements. I've constantly wondered what exactly what David Robinson's (now a businessman) thought process was and how could he possibly think that his drum sound was improving with each successive album by solely using electronic drums (on albums and live as well).
"Hello Again" sounds like Gary Glitter as performed by a bunch of tone-def session musicians. The song is great, but the choice of shrill keyboard parts leave much to be desired. And the Mutt Lange/Def Leppard "Hello"s in the intro are a bit much. "Drive" is a great song that can't be tarnished by bland muzak instrumentation - the chord sequence is perfect as is the arrangement. "You Might Think" is a good, fluffy song with, once again, keyboard parts that I've always found to detract from the overall song. Many of the non-singles (four out of ten tracks) are pretty forgettable and sound as if this is by design if not intention. "Why Can't I Have You" is a by the numbers synth-ballad with an ill-conceived synth-violin solo (it's actually an emulator but synth is a convenient term of reference).
The two knock-out moments for me personally are the title track which is a moody, warm and lightly emotive synth-heavy song. But because it is so understated and the choice of sounds on the synthesizer aren't seemingly attempting to win 'most obnoxious synth sound ever' the song is all the better for it. The vocals and guitar parts are purposeful and effective.
The other highlight is "Magic". Considering the first word uttered in the song is "Summer", it's not so ironic that this is a celebration-of-Summer song. It's probably one of my all-time favorite Summer songs and it was everywhere the Summer of 1984. From the bubbling keyboard intro to the chorused guitars and sweeter-than-sweet backing vocals. Perfect.
As everyone knows, and if you didn't know, this album did the business.
Six singles, most of them huge hits, platinum album many times over.
But what's funny is how smaller and smaller The Cars sound as band became, whilst individual instrumental parts simultaneously became less concise than before, the more successful they became. The bass, and guitars all but disappeared while awful drum-sounds, emulators, synthesizers and Linn drums dominated the proceedings. These are not the things that made The Cars interesting.
This a necessary part of The Cars puzzle (without the hit singles there'd be nothing of note here) and it's the only Cars album where the non-singles are forgettable. 'Shake It Up' is most similar to this in The Cars catalog but that album is much more worthwhile than this.
Whereas this album is an exercise in dated keyboard sounds trying to undo a few good singles and almost succeeding in doing so.
Great music, though a little to synthy June 6, 2008
Joseph E. Janick (Phoenix, AZ United States)
Obviously this is the new waviest of their albums. It would've been nice to hear some more guitar, but there are still some great songs. "Drive" and the title track I cannot get enough of.
 You might think it's awesome! February 9, 2008
andy8047 (Nokomis,Florida)
YOU MIGHT THINK it's awesome,but I do know it's awesome! I'll flashback to early 1984,seeing the video for YMT frequently on MTV. This young,pretty woman finding The Cars' frontman Ric Ocasek everywhere she is! The concept for the video is indeed silly. Now,I'll flashforward to July 27,1984. I saw the premiere of the DRIVE video,featuring Ocasek's future wife supermodel Paulina Porizkova who later became famous for co-starring with Tom Selleck in the Warner Bros. drama HER ALIBI. Now-deceased Benjamin Orr took the lead on the Ocasek composition DRIVE. That is the only adult contemporary hit on this album. Sometime in between,I saw MAGIC where Ocasek stands atop an open swimming pool with clear glass or fiberglass hidden inside the pool. He is surrounded by a huge crowd. All the aforementioned tracks later appeared on the 1985 follow-up THE CARS' GREATEST HITS. The cassette and CD version of TCGH also contained this album's title track. The other songs are very good.
Driven to Excellence July 7, 2007
DMZ (USA)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
The fifth studio release by the Cars' is Heartbeat City a CD filled with infectious songs and one that elevated the band to a new found glory thanks to some sharp, fun, intellectual, goofy and, most importantly, creative videos in the height of MTV's importance in pop culture.
This album spread the Cars' appeal to a new audience but it also came with a degree of spoil, perhaps putting the band in an unwanted position of notoriety one which was difficult to uphold for future releases.
The CD was produced by famed producer Mutt Lange and it exposed the use, maybe overuse, of a drum machine by drummer David Robinson; however, the Cars pulled off the trick of satisfying long time fans while developing a larger audience through catchy pop tracks.
A track-by-track review:
1. The CD starts off with "Hello Again" a track probably more famous for its extensive video presence with the likes of Andy Warhol and a group of purposely used freaky people. Ric Ocasek does lead vocals. The song is one of the album's best and was representative of the imagery of the time. It holds up today.
2. "Looking for Love" is an overlooked tune. While it isn't the pop sensation of others on the disc, it is a song that deserves merit for if nothing else Ocasek's unique vocal style.
3. "Magic" is another tune that congers up images of the video played many times on MTV. Ocasek walks on water and a gang of misfits fawn over his presence. The song instantly induces memories of summertime pleasures.
4. "Drive" is perhaps the signature vocal of Benjamin Orr. The man never got his due as one of rock's all-time great vocalists. Here is a perfect illustration of a phenomenal voice and a chilling reminder of a lost treasure. True fans will never forget him. The video starred Ocasek's future wife, model Paulina Porizkova, and highlighted the typical ups and downs of a relationship. Paulina's sexiness is ideal.
5. "Stranger Eyes" is another song that merits better appreciation than what history has written. Orr delivers the vocals and the song is a winner.
6. "You Might Think" is in a group of songs that defines the music of the new wave era of the 1980s. The video, an award-winner, is comical and shows the mystery that is Ocasek in an extroverted way. One of the band's all-time best songs. "You might think I'm crazy but all I want is you." What an obvious line but what a splendid one, too. Brevity is the soul of wit.
7. "It's Not the Night" is arguably the big rocker on this release. Orr again shows his vocals have no limitations. He evokes memories of "Cruiser" from Shake it Up. Crank this up.
8. "Why Can't I Have You" was a deep album cut at the time. It is melancholy and the cries of desperation in Ric's voice can be heard throughout. In one sense a soft song but in another so powerful.
9. "I Refuse" wallows in mediocrity but it does have some attraction. Ocasek does a good job here painting a picture of someone who is tired of being used by his mate and who refuses to be part of any charade.
10. "Heartbeat City" is the title track and is a cool, if not smashing, entry. It is a tune that will create an image of how one person can make another smile with just her (Jacki) presence. A really solid song. This is one of those tracks that never gets tired.
Heartbeat City January 17, 2007
Brian K. Sanders
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
The Cars was a interesting band. They got played on classic rock stations but they was a new wave band even the police had a hard time getting played on stations at the time. That being said when this album came out in 1984 it sounded different, clean yet a little rough, new wave yet a little hard around the edge which is why I loved this album. This is one of very few album that is flawless. Years later (around 1998) Ric said this was a experimental album and it was the first album ever that was recorded through computer with synth and drum machine which make it even more better album because it doesn't sound cold like other new wave bands at the time. I highly recommand this album to anyone that want a classic new wave album.
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