Ric Ocasek
Benjamin Orr

Demo Sessions Circa 1974-75
Studio Unknown
Location Unknown but presumed Boston, MA

JEMS Transfer: 1970s Demo Cassette > Nakamichi CR-7A (azimuth adjustment) > Sound Devices USBPre 2 > Audacity 2.0 capture 2496 > MBIT+ resample to 1644 > iZotope RX8 > iZotope Ozone 8 > Audacity > TLH > FLAC

01 Harlequin
02 Sam's Decision
03 I Need Spring (?)
04 You're Always Brighter
05 Never Gonna Get Over You
06 Twilight Superman
07 Everyday (Buddy Holly cover)
08 Start It All Again

At JEMS, we often like to end the year with a special, unexpected release in terms of artist or scarcity. This year it is a truly unusual one. While the provenance of this vintage cassette is impeccable, its actual place in history is unknown to us. We can only presume this eight-song demo was cut by future members of The Cars Ric Ocasek and Benjamin Orr when they were gigging as a duo between their short-lived group Milkwood and the proto Cars band Cap'n Swing.

Given how little it sounds like The Cars and shares nothing in common with their first album, it's possible the recording could be even earlier. That being said it has nothing in common with Milkwood's lone LP either, so we are guesstimating the period of its creation and when it was presumably sent to industry folks in hopes of landing Ocasek and Oar a record deal. Perhaps someone else knows more.

As I mentioned, this tape came to us many many years ago from someone who was active in the Boston area at that time and provided us with other recordings of local artists. There was no backstory provided; it was simply a tape in their collection from back in the day that we were fortunate enough to borrow and transfer.

The eight demos are full-band, fully produced recordings not at all in the folk style of Milkwood but more in the vein of a Todd Rundgren, Eric Carmen, Steely Dan or some of the more elaborate pop music on the radio in the mid '70s. There are seven originals, most featuring Ocasek on vocals, with Oar singing "You're Always Brighter" and sharing vocals on other songs. The one cover is a charming version of Buddy Holly's "Everyday."

Are these great lost songs and recordings? That's probably setting too high a bar, as the music comes off as being primarily influenced by an era and a time rather than helping to define it. That being said, these eight tracks a fascinating glimpse into where Ocasek and Oar came from before The Cars? Absolutely.

We hope the Cars fans out there are thrilled to hear these songs. The sound quality is for the most part very good, with a few sonic artifacts (e.g. occasional sibilance) that we've done our best to mitigate. Samples provided.

Huge thanks to our secret contributor for sharing this tape with us many years ago. Checking the pitch of unknown recordings is a tricky business but Goody gave this his best effort and we think the result sounds right. Of course, mjk5510 is there on the front lines getting this from JEMS' computers to your ears.

BK for JEMS