Customer Reviews

Cafe Racers

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(0)
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Kim Carnes' recording career could be stylistically diagrammed as an ellipse, beginning with the folk and pop-country music of her earliest albums, and returning to the same vein nearly twenty years later with "Checkin' Out The Ghosts" and more recent performances. Like a lot of Kim's fans, I've been eagerly anticipating these CD reissues; now the market for those outrageously priced Japanese imports can be bypassed in favor of these terrific new (domestic) discs.

To pick up where I left off, re: the ellipse, "Cafe Racers" seems to fall at or near the furthest point from the central axis. To be more specific, the album represents a stylistic re-grouping, maybe even the product of a "let's sit back and think about the direction we're headed in" attitude. Kim's previous album, the dark and luscious "Voyeur" was a HUGE leap in style and direction, but alas, also a sales disappointment. EMI-America was still a relatively new label, and for various reasons was absorbed back into parent Capitol/EMI within ten years of it's first label release, Kim's own "St Vincent's Court." This is my own speculation: Kim's rocket to stardom, "Bette Davis Eyes," became the goblin in her closet, a strange reminder that greatness in anything can be damn daunting. Whether or not you think "BDE" was a fluke smash or a novelty, can you imagine the creative pressure Kim put on herself (not to mention pressure from her label) to repeat her chart-topping success? "Voyeur" took Kim's audience deep into a stylized, "futurized" Rock, rife with emotional alienation. There were hints of this potential direction in "Mistaken Identity," like the arch arrangements for both "BDE" and "Draw Of the Cards." Whether it was Kim or EMI (or both) who insisted on some style changes, "Cafe Racers" marks a return to more upbeat and occasionally sentimental territory.

Upon first listen, "Cafe Racers" sounds at least as synthesizer heavy as "Voyeur," and the propulsive drums echo the same dancefloor intensity. But the lyrical content of half this album's tracks in conspicuously "warmer" in matters of the heart than anything on "Voyeur." Kim knew (knows) her way around ballads, and here there are several set to danceable beats. The Rock guitar and live band arrangements from '81 and '82 are all but absent, the void largely filled with synthesized accompaniment. Given the period, the musical choices made for "Cafe Racers" seem perfectly legit, and that's part of the reason why the album doesn't excell. "Mistaken Identity" had it's quirky Pop/Rock, "Voyeur" it's sleek siren call; "Cafe Racers" lacks a comparable distinction.

Mind you, even as contemporary dance-pop-rock, "Cafe Racers" has plenty of charm. Kim is in excellent voice throughout, whether she's matching the breakneck speed of "You Make My Heart Beat Faster" or offering punky phrasing and sly crooning in "Kick In the Heart." The dance appeal of most of the material is significant, and was brought to fruition with a string of great 12" single remixes ("Invisible Hands," "You Make My Heart..." and especially "Hurricane"). Strangely, for an album that spawned five singles (the three above, plus "I Pretend" and "The Universal Song"), "Cafe Racers" didn't linger on the album charts for long. Both EMI and Kim deserve kudos for pushing so hard for this album, and at worst I think it would have been considered a qualified success.

Still, when you're working in the shadow of past glories it's normal to be a little resentful. From what I have read online it seems that "Cafe Racers" is one of Kim's (personal) least favorite albums, and that's a shame. It seems likely that if she had taken on production chores herself (as she did with her next release, "Barking At Airplanes") this album would have a few more rough edges, the sort of thing that producer Keith Olsen opts to buff to a blinding sheen. What he produced isn't bad by any stretch, it just lacks stylistic dynamics. And since that isn't the sort of thing to deter KC fans, I can easily recommend this album to them. It's also a safe bet for fans of female rock/pop vocals, '80s dance music, and music fans with a taste for melodic love and loss. The inclusion of three terrific dance remixes makes this disc unique, not least for including the jaunty (non-album track) "Invitation To Dance."

J

Kim Carnes released Cafe Racers in October 1983

BEFORE:
Kim Carnes had lost some of her Bette Davis Eyes steam with the Voyeur album, but EMI still knew they had a talent on their hands. She'd recently recorded a track from the Flashdance soundtrack (I'll Be Here Where The Heart Is, included on here)

AFTER:
Cafe Racers registered with a thud on the pop charts, peaking at a dismal #98 on the album charts. Of the 4 singles taken off the album, only one track even scraped the bottom of the top 40 (Invisible Hands).

Although Cafe Racers was a total flop, the album has become a cult classic. Before the album was reissued in 2001, copies of this cd were selling for over $100 on ebay!

Kim abandons the style from the last 2 albums and moves into the mid-1980's with style. The album is filled with great pop/new wave numbers. EMI pushed and pushed the album, but consumers didn't want it. I think time has been kind to this album, 20 years on, it is very much a product of 1983/1984. But it evokes everything good about the music back then. EMI-America released no less than 4 singles from this album (Invisible Hands, You Make My Heart Beat Faster, I Pretend, Hurricane). None of them made a significant impact on the charts, and none of them made Kim's Gypsy Honeymoon compilation which she personally selected. However, they are all great pop numbers representative of the moment. Invisible Hands is an instant pop classic along the lines of Bette Davis Eyes and it's a shame it only got to #40 because I think the song would've been a smash with the right promotion.

Cafe Racers was the verification that Kim Carnes was never going to duplicate the success of Bette Davis Eyes/Mistaken Identity, but however, people who weren't hellbent caught up on that song knew she had plenty of other great songs. Try it out, it's a real cult classic, and the bonus 12" mixes are well worth it for those into 80's Extended Mixes. 5 stars.

Kim Carnes rules whatever genre she sings. In the 1970s, she concentrated on gospel and "blue-eyed soul." With her 1981 hit, "Bette Davis Eyes," she turned to hard-edged rock and dance club music. (Ironically, she began singing dance music only after disco had died.) She turned to traditional country music with her 1988 CD, View From The House.

Cafe Racer represents her 1980s rock/dance music. That wonderfully cold, electronic 1980s sound -- that synthsized hard-edged beat heard on shows like Miami Vice.

Cafe Racer also includes "I'll Be Here Where The Heart Is," made famous on the film, Flashdance.

If you like 1980s music, you'll love Cafe Racer.

The liner notes for this album and several other reviews posted on-line seem to think that this album was a desperate attempt by EMI to churn out another "Bette Davis Eyes" size hit for Kim. I totally disagree. While I am certain the record company was hoping for another success, I do not think Kim was "pushed" into whatever style of music was hot at the moment. Rather, I feel this album is a continuation of the moody/eerie synth-pop new wave style of the previous 2 Kim Carnes albums.

People think because Kim's first big hit was a duet with Kenny Rogers that she was a country artist gone new wave. How completely wrong. Re-listen to "Bette Davis Eyes" and re-watch the video. The song may have been a huge pop hit, but it was a precursor to many of the new wave bands and videos to come in the decade. The follow up single "Draw of the Cards" and the title song to that album, "Mistaken Identity", are further proof of Kim moving in this dark, new-wave direction. The follow up album, "Voyeur", was also in the same vein with the title song and "Does it Make You Remember". That album and "Cafe Racers" did not suffer because of content, rather they suffered for the same reason that many other artists of the mid-80's suffered. Kim's videos were not played on MTV as she was not deemed cool enough for the network. Other older female artists of the era suffered the same fate such as Olivia Newton-John, Juice Newton, etc. These artists had been huge in the 80-82 era, but were blown off the charts by 83 with MTV and it's penchant for British New Wave and Heavy Metal.

"Cafe Racers" includes some of Kim's best synth pop tunes including "Invisible Hands", "You Make my Heart Beat Faster" and "I Pretend". All were hits in my book, even if not on the charts. The inclusion of "Invitation to Dance" on this CD is greatly appreciated as I have been searching for that song for many years.

Kim furthered her foray into the eerie new wave genre with her next album, "Barking at Airplanes" and her last sizable chart hit , "Crazy in the Night" (#15). Say what you will, but Kim Carnes crafted some of the best new-wave synth pop songs of the decade and deserved much more success.

I liked the production and songwriting and musicians on this album. The melodies and Kim's performance are strong. And I agree that Kim was ahead of her time. The jazzy, aerobic "You Make My Heart Beat Faster" starts the CD off on a high energy note. (To the other NYC poster, WHAT CLUBS IN NYC PLAYED THIS? - - I don't ever remember hearing it except in my boyfriend's loft). I recommend this one strongly.....along with her others.

It's great that the bonus here is the only time Kim worked with the excellent producer Nile Rogers on the fun, infectious "Invitation to Dance." I have the original 45 and would love to see the video which was made to promote the film "That's Entertainment - Part 2." I worked with a girl a couple of years ago who had taped it off MTV in the 80s, but I never saw it. I think this album holds together due to Keith's smooth L.A. Europop production. And the songs are mostly good. I don't care for the already heard it duet with John Waite "Hangin' On By A Thread" and I never liked "I'll Be Here Where the Heart Is" that much. But "Young Love" is electrifying synth rock (didn't Rod Stewart also do this?) and so is Martin Page/Brian Fairweather's weird but rockin' "Invisible Hands." I have the video for this and it's good. "Met You At The Wrong Time" is sad and beautiful with touching chord changes. And I love The Cretone's Mark Goldenberg song "Kick In The Heart" which uses car imagery to describe feelings. These songs are all fun to learn and play along with on acoustic piano or synth by the way. I've spent many hours doing just that and enjoying the brilliance of Kim. It's too bad she never got to perform these tunes in concert with a band. She still could, but apparently doesn't like this sound (which could be HOT as a comeback for her right now - - witness the excellent reviews for Duran Duran shows recently!), instead prefering her country-pop songs. KIM - come back and do an 80's HITS tour this summer with a synth-rock band and do some of these rockin' tunes!

This should have been Kim Carnes' calling card, not Mistaken Identity. This should have been the defining moment in Carnes' career after the disappointingly received follow-up to Mistaken Identity, Voyeur. However, even with Donna Summer's producer, some fresh new songs from Carnes and others, and definite 80's style, the album only moderately succeeded. Carnes herself was quoted as saying she thought the cd was too manufactured. Sure, her throaty vocals are missing, but the voice is still so recognizable and unique. So many great songs here. Invisible Hands (a top 40 hit) evokes memories of her Diet Coke pitching days and that weird video, as well as You Make My Heart Beat Faster, one of the best dance recordings of the early 80's. She also scores well with Young Love, a hit in Canada, but unbelievably not released in the US. So, what happens? The disc and it's music are all over the charts. Blame that on EMI and it's marketing strategy. Invisible Hands fizzled, but let's release another high energy tune (Heartbeat Faster) which stalled at #52...ok, release I Pretend and wow, it scores big on Adult Contemporary, but hey fellas, aren't we trying to get the NEXT BIG THING here after Debbie Harry? Very frustrating that this cd did not find its audience. IT EXCELS folks, and if you liked 80's music, spend the $ and add this to your collection!

The magnitude of "Bette Davis Eyes" was so great in 1981 that Kim Carnes was never able to top herself... Although she tried and tried through many more albums...she is sadly known to many as a one-hit wonder. But au contraire...Kim Carnes is one of the finest singer-songwriters of the past 25 years and these long-in-the-making reissues attest to that. "Cafe Racers" is my personal favorite KC album...it is slick...varied...and captures the essence of that early-80's techno thing that I loved so much. Memories of dancing to "You Make My Hearbeat Faster" in NYC clubs in my younger days.... This album is perfection from start to finish...and in it's re-mastered form...the very special voice of Kim Carnes rings even truer...

The Shakespearean quotation "Brilliant fires soon burn themselves out" seems appropriate when describing Kim Carnes' career. Her success with "Bette Davis Eyes" was so enormous in 1981 that it may have, in a way, ruined her career. The wonderful performance was overplayed and Kim's voice was ubiquitous, but like many artists of her time, the big hits equalled the public burning out on her. (Think of, for example, Carnes' contemporaries Juice Newton and Bonnie Tyler. After five Top 10 pop hits from '81 to '82, Newton was quickly rejected by pop radio and resided thereafter on the country charts. After Tyler's "Total Eclipse Of the Heart," Americans didn't heard more than a peep from her.) Despite the ups and downs of the music business, Kim Carnes managed to follow up her multi-platinum "Mistaken Identity" album with three strong, well-crafted (albeit commercially unsuccesful) pop albums. "Cafe Racers," while being an excellent piece of work, falls short of the artistic achievement of, say, 1985's "Barking At Airplanes." Still, it is a remarkable album that really deserved much more fanfare than it has thus far received. Carnes' Grammy-winning song from the film "Flashdance," entitled "I'll Be Here Where The Heart Is" is included on the album, as well as minor hits like "You Make My Heart Beat Faster," "Invisible Hands" and "I Pretend." The ten original tracks have been wonderfully remastered and sound so crisp, they could have been recorded yesterday! The CD includes three bonus remixes, one of which is the non-album single "Invitation To Dance." Overall, this is a superb piece of work, but I recommend to music fans cutting their teeth on Carnes' music "Mistaken Identity" or "Barking At Airplanes."

Length:: 1:34 Mins

Slick production leads to Kim's most 80s-ish album. Don't let that scare you--"You Make My Heart Beat Faster" is full of heat and passion, and "Universal Song" is an emotional, intelligent anthem. Single "Invisible Hands" has one of the most crazy 80s bass lines I can think of! Produced by Keith Olsen (who did some work on Stevie Nicks "Rock A Little")--this is more lighthearted than some of Kim's other album. I hear some people knock this record. Tell 'em to shut up. The songs are great and the 80s still rock.