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TDC: Ric Ocasek of the Cars dead at 75 in NY


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Still today, an underrated band; and Ric wrote almost all of those tunes. While I realize they enjoyed their greatest success under the direction of Mutt Lange, Heartbeat City just doesn't have the raw punch and quirky nuances of the earlier albums.  Like Hysteria was for Def Leppard, it was really too slick and pristine to follow up.  It didn't surprise me one bit when they broke up.

Without failure, after a few weeks of introducing a young, budding college student/wannabe rock musician to the anthologies of Cheap Trick and The Cars, they come back with a sense of enlightenment and typically make remarks along the lines of, "You think those songs are simple until you break them down; then you realize there's a lot going on!"

No shit.  The lads were serious musicians making fun music.

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11 minutes ago, Biz Prof said:

"You think those songs are simple until you break them down; then you realize there's a lot going on!"

So true.  Many bands like that with nuances that make the songs special, not just a simple riff or something going on.  

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Some ZZ Top dates were postponed because Frank Beard had pneumonia.  Gary Rossington had more health problems that took him away from Lynyrd Skynyrd temporarily.  Mick Jones may or may not play with Foreigner some nights.  Chuck Panozzo of Styx has HIV, and the band has not abandoned him.  They just tour with two bass players, letting Chuck just come out for a song or two.  One day Tommy Lee might have a wife who hits back hard enough to make sure he never beats her again.  Joe Perry had his scary health episodes while out playing with Hollywood Vampires.  Mick Ralphs is unable to play with Bad Company or the reformed Mott The Hoople.  Chuck Negron, formerly of Three Dog Night, has an oxygen tube while performing on stage.  Tony Iommi has hopefully beaten lymphoma.  Glenn Tipton will be around for a few more years, but Parkinsons will one day beat him.  In six weeks Grace Slick turns 80.  She could run her mouth to the wrong person and get a fatal slap to the face.  We have a thread speculating on Eddie Van Halen's current state of health.  Peter Frampton is going to stop touring because of health.  Linda Ronstadt has Parkinson's which ended her singing career a few years ago.  Dan McCafferty of Nazareth can no longer tour, and he left the band years ago.  Willie Nelson could accidentally set himself on fire, and everyone around him will start inhaling instead of trying to put him out.   

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17 hours ago, Rich_S said:

Man, did this thread go off the rails.  I was going to write a fond remembrance of The Cars early years and their influence on my guitar playing, but nah...  I wrote it on Facebook instead.

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2 hours ago, jwhitcomb3 said:

For all the lewd comments about Ric and his widow, grow up fellas.

Seriously? Aren't you two just fucking pissy.

:lol:

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Ric wrote for Ian Lloyd (of Stories fame- big hit Brother Louie in ‘73/‘74) in the late ‘70s, and Ian had a good run off of one of Ric’s contributions called Slip Away in ‘79. Ian has an all-star band for that album, which is a good listen, called Goosebumps. It featured Benjamin Orr on Bass, Ric on guitar and backing vocals, Mick Jones (Foreigner) guitar and backing vocals, Lou Gramm (Foreigner) vocals, Dennis Elliott (Foreigner) Drums, AND....Ian Hunter! Super fun record! Here’s Slip Away, enjoy!

 

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1 hour ago, Toadroller said:

The first CD I purchased, oh, 1986-ish, was Ric's This Side of Paradise.  Contains this gem you'll remember:

 

That video is just a short-attention-span version of Ridley Scott's "Legend". (Plus I always thought Ric had some Bryan Ferry influences)

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10 hours ago, Rich_S said:

As it turns out, Cokie Roberts.

I've been writing a political column in my hometown paper for nearly two decades.  I'm a real political junkie.  I'd never impose upon anyone here with my political ramblings.

But I liked Cokie.  She had class.  I didn't agree with her much, but she remained above the fray and made her point.  Kind of like a rock star... 

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Then there was this video of "Something To Grab For", which featured Playboy Playmate Marianne Gravatte,  and a rude and memorable low-end musical note at the beginning of the song.

(Gravatte also had a connection to Ratt).

 

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On 9/17/2019 at 10:51 PM, The Shark said:

No minor children and no wife.  Nobody has standing...

RIC and Paulina were still legally married at the time of his death.  I believe they were just separated.

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1 hour ago, cmatthes said:

RIC and Paulina were still legally married at the time of his death.  I believe they were just separated.

I stand corrected.  I just know a missed diagnosis of lung cancer in my mother in-law taught me that lesson.  I guess we'll hear if any litigation is afoot at some point.  

 

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On 9/19/2019 at 4:08 PM, stratacus said:

 

On 9/19/2019 at 4:22 PM, burningyen said:

What a great tribute, thanks for posting it.

Seconded.  Great article.  Craftsmanship, experience, humanity.  Good combinations.

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