Nexterday

Ric Ocasek | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (September 27, 2005)
• Original Release Date: 2005
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Sanctuary Records
• ASIN: B000AOJ9EE
• In-Print Editions: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #114,466 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Ric Ocasek has been changing the face of pop music for nearly 30 years. His incredible musical odyssey began in the late ’60s and includes opening shows for the MC5 and the Stooges, producing some of the most seminal artists of our time (including Weezer, No Doubt and Le Tigre) not to mention a decade-long stint leading The Cars, whose never-ending string of platinum albums and Top 40 hits helped define the post-punk and new wave eras, selling over 25 million albums and creating a blueprint for many of today’s most popular bands. Now Ric is preparing to influence a whole new generation. Nexterday is full of the irresistible hooks and soaring choruses that have made him an icon to so many. Not one to simply stick to formula, Nexterday showcases his unmatched talents as a songwriter, from the darkly twisted "Crackpot," to the heartbreaking melody of "I’m Thinking," to the playful synths (and unshakeable hook) of "Bottom Dollar." Nexterday is the first release on Ric’s new imprint through Sanctuary, Inverse Records.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

32 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Hello Again., October 20, 2005

By 

Jason Stein (San Diego, CA United States) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Nexterday (Audio CD)

Ric did it his way on his sixth solo cd. He made the album quickly with hardly any production gimmickery on 8 track. I admit that I thought it a little strange that Ric became an A&R man for a major recording label recently. I believe he was originally going to release "Nexterday" on that label. Things must have fallen apart, and Ric quit the label and took his album to Sanctuary for distribution and release. Good move!

"Nexterday", despite what others are saying here, has similarities with all of his previous solo cds: Beatitude (1983), This Side Of Paradise (1986), Fireball Zone (1991), Quick Change World (1993) and Troublizing (1997). There are several songs that ape The Cars sound of yore such as the first single "Bottom Dollar", "Don't Lose Me", "Come On" and "It Gets Crazy". All of which should and could be top 40 hits. Other songs like "Crackpot", "Carousel" and "Heard About You" offer an alternative direction for Ric, pushing his musical muse in a more exploratory arena. If I'm not mistaken, "Silver" seems like it was written about the death of Benjamin Orr, former Cars bandmate.

Overall, "Nexterday" is pretty good considering Rick is about 56 years old, has already proven himself as a cornerstone of new wave/punk music, influencing many current artists. So, one might ask how this compares to his previous solo work, or his work with The Cars. In terms of his solo material, this is pretty good, though all of his albums are that way. I think I liked "This Side Of Paradise" best. Of course, I do not believe any of Ric's solo work has overshadowed anything he did with The Cars, particularly "The Cars" (1978) and "Heartbeat City" (1984).

If you are a rabid Cars and Ocasek fan, this will not disappoint, and you should check it out. Newer fans might want to start with The Cars, but "Nexterday" is still a good place to begin and work back from.

26 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Cars' Ric Ocasek Is Back - Finally!, September 27, 2005

By 

Kent D. Bentkowski "Kentroversy" (Buffalo, New York USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Nexterday (Audio CD)

In his first mainstream solo album since 1997, Cars frontman Ric Ocasek is back, finally! While somewhat removed from the sound of the Cars and early solo album oeuvre, Nexterday is more reminiscent of the progression that would have existed had the Cars continued on into the 21st century. On that front, the song COME ON is the closest thing here to the original sound to The Cars. And, this is because of the the presence of Greg Hawkes, Cars keyboardist, and frequent collaborator with Ric on his various solo albums.

Still in all, Ric's quirky lyrics and vocals remain, and even though the guitar sound has been dialed back considerably from the fuzz-out of 1997's Troublizing, Nexterday sounds closer to that album than any of his previous solo outings. And, that is NOT a bad thing!

True fans of Ric and The Cars will also be interested in searching out the bonus track GOODNIGHT LITTLE ONE, which is a lullabye to his four year-old son Oliver, who also came up with the album's title, as the little boy searched for a word to describe tomorrow. The word Oliver Ocasek came up with was NEXTERDAY.

Enjoy these songs, while all Cars fans wait patiently for the forthcoming DVD THE CARS: UNLOCKED, which is slated to be released in time for the holidays. More information on this can be found on ricocasek.com.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Past Times Behind, November 27, 2005

By 

Laura Vona (Boston, MA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Nexterday (Audio CD)

I've long since lost the youth I spent in Boston rock clubs so,
I first heard "Bottom Dollar" on the station for middle age rockers not quite ready for easy listening, WBOS.
Shocking as it was to hear a new song on the radio it was even more of a shock to enter a chain music store slightly south of Boston and when I asked if they had the new Ric Ocasek,
the (born the year I first rocked) child behind the counter had never heard of him and asked me to spell his name.
That was truely shocking,
a Massachusettes rock and roll sacrelidge.
She eventually found the disk on her computer and told me there was one copy somewhere in the store and that if it wasn't with the O's, it could be anyhwere.
Good customer service met it's match in this record store clerk, she was having none of it...
I'm a bit too old for that kind of scavenger hunt so I went to another store that I was sure had a larger selection.
Turns out that store (rhymes with "orders") certainly had a large selection of offerings by The Offsping but like the mall chain store had only one copy of Nexterday.
Nestled like a time lost gem in the putrid ruffage of teen angst on parade was a single copy.
Worth more than gold by that point on my quest to get the beat of "Bottom Dollar" out of my head, at $18.99 I had to have it.
Even with the twists, turns and slight of hand tricks of modern record production,
("In a little bit" sounds suspiciously like a slowed down version of Hall and Oates "Miss DJ"...)
it's an excellent album.
I would not have expected less from the man who first produced
NYC Irish rockers Black47 into the mainstream field of vision.
After several listens, I finally got the beat of "Bottom Dollar" out of my head now if I could only find some kind of antidote for the powerful lyrics of "Crackpot"...
Would have loved to hear this album beating upstairs as I drank and watched cockroaches climb the walls downstairs at Bunratty's,
but no one knows so much as Mr. Ocasek that you can't go back.
Beautiful move forward, love the disk.