The Cars performed September 15, 1978 Follow us on Social Media: / themidnightspecialtvshow / themidnightspecialtvshow / themidnightspecialtvshow / tmstvshow
The Cars were so different when they arrived in a time of disco. Avant garde, seemingly distant and ultra removed yet with a tongue in cheek humor and catchy rock and roll riffs. Loved them so much! Always great to see another long forgotten live performance see the light of day. So many great performances on this channel!
Now, that is an amazing Ric Ocasek performance! He's everything; tall and lanky and guitar and quirky vocals and sunglasses and just freaking cool! Thats how I will always remember him. Great performance by the whole band. They are just amazing! Love it!
I love The Cars! This was a solid performance by them. Their style marked the beginning of a new era in rock at the time, along with bands like The Knack and Blondie. I'd love to see more of them on here!
In 1980, I was in Parsippany NJ, at my Aunts house. Little did I know, a good friend of Ben Orr, lived next door to my Aunt's place. I was mowing her lawn and a huge van pulled up and out pops Rik. I knew it was him right away. I was so excited I jumped straight up in the air and yelled "HI RIK!!!", and he yelled back "HEY!" The rest of the band got out and there were 3 other guys with them. I ran inside and yelled at my sisters, 'THE BAND THE CARS IS OUTSIDE!!!!!" And they were all laughing at me, till they realized I was dead serious. They looked out the window and damn near busted the door down trying to get out. They were dressed so fucking awesomely. Rik had this long white furry looking coat on, Elliot with his sportscoat and bible black shades. Ben was wearing all shades of orange. Dave and Greg had blue sportscoats on with yellow jeans. They were so nice to us. LOL, I asked if they wanted some iced tea and Greg took me up on the offer. They were telling us about their plans to go to Germany and the UK. Ben asked if we liked their songs and challenged us to name some. I loved them so I blurted out (of all songs) "I'M IN TOUCH WITH YOUR WORLD!" and Rik said "Gimme 5, man" and I slapped his hand and then they started walking inside. They were very flirty with my sisters, LOL. They signed tons of stuff for us, when they were leaving. My Aunt took a few pics. I have them on my Facebook account. It's hard knowing Ben and Rik are gone. Honestly, they were very nice people. I didn't want them to leave that day and I even told Elliot that I wished I could go with them, LOL. For a 14 year old, it's still a dream come true. Great American rock 'n' roll.
Top to bottom, they were one of the best things to hit the music world as the 70's gave way to the 80's. That debut album absolutely dominated the 2nd half of '78 and '79 in my town.
Knowing what I know now I would love to go back to relive the entire 70s all over again............we were so blessed to grow up with such great music...love The Cars👍
One of the worst misconceptions in music is that they were bad live. Uh, no. Ben Orr was an outstanding singer and Elliott Easton is a tune writing/ guitar playing genius.
Excellent song writing and superb musicianship. I also believe that Elliot Easton deserves much more recognition for his guitar playing. I love the Buddy Holly sound he reproduces on this particular song.
Still remember when they hit the scene . So different from everyone else in looks, sound and style. They were in the first wave of new music along with Blondie , The Ramones, and others. So fun to have heard them before the rest of the world caught on.
Good early performance here by the band. I remember in the fall of 1978 when this song by The Cars and “Just What I Needed” became popular Top 40 hits that it was the beginning of the end for Disco music. This New Wave type of sound was about to take over the music industry by 1980.
Being born in 1962 I watched the cars raise from touring bars, fairs, and colleges to exploding all over the radio and stadiums. What a wonderful time for music. Thank you TMS.
Everybody’s in love with Benny 11 Letters! Just now realized the lyric isn’t “Every new boy that she meets doesn’t know if ‘HE’LL SURVIVE’”,,, definitely changes the meaning of the song after all these years of listening, thought she was a ‘man eater’ type hahah 🎉
Pretty great band....i was and am a rock guy...like the priest, ufo, scorps, Johnny Winter, van halen, but these guys and the sex pistols were great too, great times
Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you!!!! I've been waiting for these performances of The Cars! It's amazing how amazing each of them were! Please keep uploading more of The Cars, from 78 and 79!!!! ❤❤❤❤❤
Yes for the chord structure, but the influence for the memorable guitar riffs according to Elliot Eastman came from the guitar riff on The Beatles song “I Will” that he played sped up with some variation.
So glad to see you guys upload this The Cars got me through a lot and now I have a tattoo dedicated to this song and the band. Truly an iconic and underrated band
Thanks again for another blast from the past Midnight Special, but they're playing this a stitch slow and EE is the only one showing passion. Strange low key gig.
Their performance of ‘Just What I Needed,’ from this episode is more energetic. It’s sped up from the studio version. It’s also on this channel. The MS video of ‘JWIN’ on the Benny 11 letters channel, has less sharp visuals, but I’m kind of addicted to it!
My first concert was a month after this, The Cars with Foreigner as the headliner. Both were fantastic at the old Hollywood Sportatorium in Hollywood, FL.
Kind of missed the cool studio effects during the drum fills that were burned into my brain after hearing this song a million times since I was a kid...but otherwise a cool performance&great band 👍
I was 16 when this song came out. Loved it! And the world was a very simple place to be. Nothing like the levels of hate we have now. Great time to be a teenager! 🤜🏻🤛🏿🇬🇧
“The line separating good and evil passes not through states, nor between classes, nor between political parties either -- but right through every human heart -- and through all human hearts. This line shifts. Inside us, it oscillates with the years. And even within hearts overwhelmed by evil, one small bridgehead of good is retained” - Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn
'she came walking the street with them big blue eyes. and every new boy that she meets is gonna get REAL surprised. shes my best friend earl shes my best friend earl,and she used to be a guy!'
autumn your thoughts on bison farming or working at the zoo in the buff you nudist enthusiast and back door pepperoni of any size ? Thanks Maria and the owners nephew ! Some rich kids are very hard workers and some work at my pain and others while they get hi and don’t worry about anybody butte themselves
It's like they started the 80's in 1978.
Or like they started the 2080's in 1878.
Every generation has their own tunes to fall back on. I consider myself lucky to have grown up with the Cars.
This is "Just What I Needed" this morning. 😉
The Cars are one of my most favorite bands! Elliot Easton is way underrated. Benjamin Orr is awesome. I love the Cars
The Cars were so different when they arrived in a time of disco. Avant garde, seemingly distant and ultra removed yet with a tongue in cheek humor and catchy rock and roll riffs. Loved them so much! Always great to see another long forgotten live performance see the light of day. So many great performances on this channel!
their music harkened back to so many genres, the first time I heard them ('78), I could have sworn that I had heard them before, but I had not...
Now, that is an amazing Ric Ocasek performance! He's everything; tall and lanky and guitar and quirky vocals and sunglasses and just freaking cool! Thats how I will always remember him. Great performance by the whole band. They are just amazing! Love it!
I love The Cars! This was a solid performance by them. Their style marked the beginning of a new era in rock at the time, along with bands like The Knack and Blondie. I'd love to see more of them on here!
and Elvis Costello and the Attractions - New Wave
✊ The Police too! 😉
@KittyGrizGriz I guess that's true, although I didn't hear of them until at least 1980.😊
In 1980, I was in Parsippany NJ, at my Aunts house. Little did I know, a good friend of Ben Orr, lived next door to my Aunt's place. I was mowing her lawn and a huge van pulled up and out pops Rik. I knew it was him right away. I was so excited I jumped straight up in the air and yelled "HI RIK!!!", and he yelled back "HEY!" The rest of the band got out and there were 3 other guys with them. I ran inside and yelled at my sisters, 'THE BAND THE CARS IS OUTSIDE!!!!!" And they were all laughing at me, till they realized I was dead serious. They looked out the window and damn near busted the door down trying to get out.
They were dressed so fucking awesomely. Rik had this long white furry looking coat on, Elliot with his sportscoat and bible black shades. Ben was wearing all shades of orange. Dave and Greg had blue sportscoats on with yellow jeans. They were so nice to us. LOL, I asked if they wanted some iced tea and Greg took me up on the offer. They were telling us about their plans to go to Germany and the UK. Ben asked if we liked their songs and challenged us to name some. I loved them so I blurted out (of all songs) "I'M IN TOUCH WITH YOUR WORLD!" and Rik said "Gimme 5, man" and I slapped his hand and then they started walking inside. They were very flirty with my sisters, LOL.
They signed tons of stuff for us, when they were leaving. My Aunt took a few pics. I have them on my Facebook account.
It's hard knowing Ben and Rik are gone. Honestly, they were very nice people. I didn't want them to leave that day and I even told Elliot that I wished I could go with them, LOL. For a 14 year old, it's still a dream come true.
Great American rock 'n' roll.
I love stories like this….where fame intersects fortuitously with the real world and it’s like an episode of the twilight zone.
The twilight zone indeed. Thank you.@@Annanardi-pb3zo
Oh what a great anecdote!
Top to bottom, they were one of the best things to hit the music world as the 70's gave way to the 80's. That debut album absolutely dominated the 2nd half of '78 and '79 in my town.
man , elliot easton came up with the coolest guitar parts
Knowing what I know now I would love to go back to relive the entire 70s all over again............we were so blessed to grow up with such great music...love The Cars👍
Me 2
Amen to that!
I agree, except for the part where I get drafted for Vietnam 😮
One of the worst misconceptions in music is that they were bad live. Uh, no. Ben Orr was an outstanding singer and Elliott Easton is a tune writing/ guitar playing genius.
Musically they were fantastic live.
Not much of a "show" though.
No, they were at times too fast and sloppy.
@@gregdolecki8530 I saw them in 1980 and they were tight.
they're better live on youtube than the album cuts played on the radio personally. i hate them on the radio
Excellent song writing and superb musicianship. I also believe that Elliot Easton deserves much more recognition for his guitar playing. I love the Buddy Holly sound he reproduces on this particular song.
The Cars were so great. They were one of those bands we grew up with that were always on the radio and almost every song was good. I miss those days .
Still remember when they hit the scene . So different from everyone else in looks, sound and style. They were in the first wave of new music along with Blondie , The Ramones, and others. So fun to have heard them before the rest of the world caught on.
Three chord pop perfection.
EE what a hot guitar player
Good early performance here by the band. I remember in the fall of 1978 when this song by The Cars and “Just What I Needed” became popular Top 40 hits that it was the beginning of the end for Disco music. This New Wave type of sound was about to take over the music industry by 1980.
Easy to see Buddy Holley's influence on Ric's singing and musical style here. Great performance.
Yes, can hear the Rockabilly influence here
Being born in 1962 I watched the cars raise from touring bars, fairs, and colleges to exploding all over the radio and stadiums. What a wonderful time for music. Thank you TMS.
I lived in Boston as they were taking off. Knew Ric and Ben. Super nice guys. Saw them at a Harvard mixer!
@@peterzanglucky you!!!!!
Footage from their 1979 appearance would be great as well. That was shown on VH-1. That was a good one.
Everybody’s in love with Benny 11 Letters! Just now realized the lyric isn’t “Every new boy that she meets doesn’t know if ‘HE’LL SURVIVE’”,,, definitely changes the meaning of the song after all these years of listening, thought she was a ‘man eater’ type hahah 🎉
Good way to start a Saturday
Hell yeah!!!! Rock On!!!
Good way to start any day!
I love that drum sound. Sounds raw and unprocessed
Wow... This sounds SO good live...
Such a great band and great song!
The lyric is straightforward, but more poetic is Croce's "She's living in L.A. with my best old ex-friend Ray". Maybe that inspired this one.
So innovative with their style and sound...Ric Ocasek 🎶👍
God bless Rick. You're in good hands now. I'm so glad I grew up listening to your voice. ❤
My freshman year in high school. I can feel that time again watching this.
Awesome Song... always loved "The Cars!"
Always wondered how many times this scenario happened to people!
Happy Saturday... thank you for sharing! 💖
Love this live version. Great song! And it was nice to see beautiful Benjamin a little towards the end. RIP electric angel rock and roller 💋
I just got transferred back early 80s Cruisin with smokin Terri Whitt. 😍👏🏼🕺🏻👌🏼👊🏼🇺🇸🤠
When there was still great music coming along.
So good!
Pretty great band....i was and am a rock guy...like the priest, ufo, scorps, Johnny Winter, van halen, but these guys and the sex pistols were great too, great times
Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you!!!! I've been waiting for these performances of The Cars! It's amazing how amazing each of them were! Please keep uploading more of The Cars, from 78 and 79!!!! ❤❤❤❤❤
This is a great band… solid performance from a group of the coolest rockers ever… and they’re Americans !! Dang
Best band of the 80s
Thank you Midnight Special!! Nice clear, clean audio/visual.
The Cars! 🎉❤ Yeah, Yeah, Yeah. Allright now🎶😎
Glad you enjoyed!
YYEEEESSSSS! Thank you!!!
I’ve been patiently waiting for you to post The Cars! Thank you! ❤
Love this...brings back great memories of a special time in music...the 70s ❤❤❤❤
Talk about a Studio PERFECT Performance!
This is a completely original pop masterpiece, but also it’s basically “Words of Love” by Buddy Holly.
Yes for the chord structure, but the influence for the memorable guitar riffs according to Elliot Eastman came from the guitar riff on The Beatles song “I Will” that he played sped up with some variation.
@@Frankmpa1- Makes sense. I think Elliott was a huge fan of George Harrison. EE had other Beatles influenced guitar parts, too.
The Midnight Special, did it again with having the Cars on stage,awesome taste in performers🎉🎉
Great fun this morning. Thanks for posting The Cars.
Great live band!
Thank you so much for this performance of my most favourite band of all time.
Fantastic!!👍👍👍
Oh cool one
So glad to see you guys upload this The Cars got me through a lot and now I have a tattoo dedicated to this song and the band. Truly an iconic and underrated band
aw shit....this takes me way back. excellent.
Thanks again for another blast from the past Midnight Special, but they're playing this a stitch slow and EE is the only one showing passion. Strange low key gig.
Their performance of ‘Just What I Needed,’ from this episode is more energetic. It’s sped up from the studio version. It’s also on this channel. The MS video of ‘JWIN’ on the Benny 11 letters channel, has less sharp visuals, but I’m kind of addicted to it!
Awesome tune
SO GOOD. Back in the days when Ric would let Elliot cut loose a bit with some leads ....
*WONDERFUL!* 👍😎♥
Casual fan, but EEs solo is legendary and he’s the best known (living) southpaw guitar player
truth
And he's not mixed loud enough!
More than a casual fan, and I never noticed he is a lefty.
Paul McCartney is. Even with bass as his more famous instrument.
Hendrix?
What a great band. ☮️
Elliot Easton is such an underrated guitarist, alway spot on and great live solos!
Starts out with the same tempo as the Beach Boys' "Farmer's Daughter".
my god these dudes were rock stars
When I was in high school, they were everything. 😊
Shooow 💯🎧🎶🎶🎶🎶🤘
Iconic! Great band Great times! 😃
My first concert was a month after this, The Cars with Foreigner as the headliner. Both were fantastic at the old Hollywood Sportatorium in Hollywood, FL.
@ 2:53 the guitar sounds like The BeaTles song What Your Doing. And then @ 3:18 "yea,yea,yea" as the BeaTles would sing.
wild how there is so little bass and guitar in this mix compared to the others from this performance
Kind of missed the cool studio effects during the drum fills that were burned into my brain after hearing this song a million times since I was a kid...but otherwise a cool performance&great band 👍
Very unusual to see Ric playing a telecaster.
Seen them live four different times. He was either playing a Dean or a Jaguar
Classic!
I was 16 when this song came out. Loved it! And the world was a very simple place to be. Nothing like the levels of hate we have now. Great time to be a teenager! 🤜🏻🤛🏿🇬🇧
“The line separating good and evil passes not through states, nor between classes, nor between political parties either -- but right through every human heart -- and through all human hearts. This line shifts. Inside us, it oscillates with the years. And even within hearts overwhelmed by evil, one small bridgehead of good is retained” - Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn
@@jackgammon4084 - Nice! 🇬🇧
Levels of hate have always been high. You just never noticed it when you were young.
The Cars were the perfect antidote to disco.
Funny. A 6th grade friend of mine said, "They're too disco." in 1980.
@@ROLtheWolf Someone needed to play “Don’t Leave Me This Way” for the kid to illustrate the difference!
@@khkartc I think it was Panorama...
A great song from another of the amazing debut albums of legendary bands. Love The Cars
This is almost better than the studio version. Damn, they were good
👍👍
ambitious guitar solo - did he nail it, or not? unbiased opinions welcome.
Dual Teles!
a lefty.
Any JD Souther to reissue??
Now I realize where they got the high pitch guitar tone : from the Teles🎉
The Cars were rock-and-roll’s “time travelers” - everything about this song screams “1985” and yet this was recorded in the mid-70’s……..😮
I was 1 day old 😂
Oh..it has to be played on a Telecaster to sound right…that’s why…😮
Nice to see an old performance like that. The backup vocals were pretty cringe though, but otherwise all good ;)
Are they using borrowed equipment here ?
'she came walking the street with them big blue eyes. and every new boy that she meets is gonna get REAL surprised. shes my best friend earl shes my best friend earl,and she used to be a guy!'
autumn your thoughts on bison farming or working at the zoo in the buff you nudist enthusiast and back door pepperoni of any size ? Thanks Maria and the owners nephew ! Some rich kids are very hard workers and some work at my pain and others while they get hi and don’t worry about anybody butte themselves
There definitely would be no Strokes without The Cars.
Elliot Easton...a rockabilly guy at heart. Almost all of his solos and fills are straight up rockabilly.
GBV
1 Corinthians 15:1-4
it never will be the same without rick
Aweful in concert
Bad tv mix. Especially in the beginning.
Sounds kinda flat.
Devo before devo. Only better.
Oof production means so much. 🤧