Customer Reviews

Beatitude

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I've loved this album since it first came out! "Something To Grab For" is as good as any Cars song. Like another reviewer said, it will grow on you. Overall sets a different mood than what you expect from the "Cars sound". Definitely a must have at the cheap price.

I must admit that my review of this CD is somewhat biased. I came upon this album in the discount LP rack at a particularly turbulent and defining time of my life. It will therefore have a powerful sentimental impact upon me that no one else can experience. Still, there is much to be appreciated in Ocasek's first solo effort. This album was originally released near the peak of The Cars' popularity; before Heartbeat City but after Shake It Up. One would think that Ocasek was merely trying to cash in on his name; that he would effortlessly make an album full of forgettable, lightweight Cars-esque tunes. In fact, nothing is further from the truth. I must warn you, though, that you will NOT like this CD on the first listen. Maybe it's best to listen to it a few times as background music. Put it on the shelf for a while then do it again. Eventually, it may dawn on you that while none of the individual songs are particularly spectacular, the mood of the CD is infectious. It is a similar mood to that of David & David's "Boomtown": a creeping sense of urban emptiness (please do NOT search the lyrics for evidence of this; just listen and absorb). The gloomy picture of a busy freeway at twilight on the cover is a perfect representation of this. I waited over a decade for its release on CD, and now I can relive the memories. Buy it and make some memories of your own.

Maybe Ric Ocasek decided the Cars would be his multi-platinum band and he could release his more unconvential songs on solo efforts. Whatever the case I find this to be more satisfying than anything the Cars did after it and it is chock full of interesting and moving songs. More along the lines of Panarama than over produced Cars records that would follow.

I have loved this album since the day it was released in 1982. I wore the groves out on the album. I got the tape and played it non stop. I even called Geffen Records and tried to get them to press it onto CD. They said it was out of print. I was excited to find out it was FINALLY release on CD about 1997 and I couldn't believe it.I agree with the other reviews, that It takes a few listens to aquire a love of these songs, but they totally grow on you.Jimmy Jimmy is hypnotic.Somthing to Grab for is pop pop pop. I can't wait is a happy love song. The only song I'm not fond of is Time Bomb. Ric could have left that one off.I'd say 9 great songs out of 10.If you like the cars, you'll like this album.

The first two reviews listed here pretty much tell the truth about Ric's first solo record. I compare it very much to The Cars "Panorama" because of it's starkness. I must correct the first reviewer here. The only other Cars member featured on Beatitude is keyboardist Greg Hawkes, who contributes to several songs here as well as co-writing one with Ocasek "Out of Control." Easton and Orr are not on this album.

Based on interviews I have read and my general knowledge of the Cars career, I tend to see this as a good sketch of ideas that were worked out in Ric's personal studio. Although the root of several good songs can be found on this disc, it is not quite as polished as a Cars album and not quite as satisifying.

talk about a different approach! still a great album as a whole, "give me something to grab for" is the only "CarIsh" song on the album, listen for "a quick one" as a second best. but this album should be interpeted as a side album ONLY, give the entire album a listen...about 20 times and you will like it.

I, like many Cars fans, was a little disappointed when I first heard "Beatitude" because I was hoping for a return to "the old Cars sound." "Something To Grab For" gave me that hope before I bought "Beat...," so of course I was initially let down. But I later appreciated this album for what it is: a quirky Ocasek classic (the evil-twin of "Panorama?"). "A Quick One," in and of itself, is reason enough to own this gem.

I was glad to see that this record was finally released on CD. As other reviewers have noted, it's very similar to Panarama. Connect Up to Me, Jimmy Jimmy, Something to Grab for and For your Love are all great songs.

I got this album when it first came out - about 1983 I think; I believe it came out about 6 months after "Shake it Up" hit the stores. (There's an interesting story about how I got this album - I found a one hundred dollar bill under a watermelon at a grocery store - noticed no one around - and immediately left the store and went out and bought this album and "Panorama"!

Anyway, I didn't much like this one at first. It sounded a lot different than I had anticipated. The first song on the album I like immediately, even though it doesn't have the sound of The Cars.

After a few listenings, I began to like this album. It was so uncool to like this album as I recall (I was 18 then) and all my friends chided me about Ocasek.

Over the years, this album still has some lasting qualities. There's really only one bad song on here (that being "Sneak Attack", an absolutely worthless track that Ric probably wrote in his sleep). Most of the rest of the album is full of Ocasek experiments. "Out of Control" may be the best song song Ocasek has ever written and yet no one has ever heard it. "Prove", "Something to Grab For" and "I Can't Wait" use the other members of The Cars (sans the drummer David Robinson) and sound a lot like B-sides of The Cars - mainly because it IS The Cars!

If you like The Cars - I think you will enjoy having this album in your collection - as a curiousity.