**** The Cars

DELUXE EDITION

(Rhino)

Even before the Cars released their 1978 debut album -- back when they were still honing their pop chops by playing Stones covers on the South Shore -- it was apparent that the band had a way with hooks. It's been argued that producer Roy Thomas Baker's polished touch was the magical ingredient that made The Cars one of the ultimate rock-radio albums of all time. But the 1977 demo sessions included in this two-disc Deluxe Edition suggest otherwise. The crisply cut demos of Ocasek-penned tunes like "Just What I Needed" and "My Best Friend's Girl" may be slightly punkier than the more familiar commercial versions, but they contain nearly fully realized blueprints for the Elektra sessions. Baker made sure those singles retained their edge of romantic irony, and he dolled up spacier tracks like "Moving in Stereo" and "All Mixed Up" in wonderful ear-candy effects. But his main triumph was in retaining the cool-hand smarts of the Ocasek originals while imparting the warmer, more accessible tone that helped turn the Cars into America's first new-wave hitmakers.

-- Tristram Lozaw