Four-Times-Platinum Heartbeat City Survives as the Cars’ Final Great Album Before Break-Up

 

Mastered from the Original Master Tapes: Mobile Fidelity SACD Presents the 1984 Mutt Lange-Produced Heartbeat City In Extraordinary Sound

 

Loaded With Recognizable Hits: “Drive,” “You Might Think,” “Magic,” “Hello Again,” and “Why Can’t I Have You” All Top 40 Singles

 

 

1984 will always be remembered for the debut of the Macintosh computer, the Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, and the ascent of MTV as the most powerful cultural medium of the era. The year is also recognized for the Cars’ savvy contributions not only to the burgeoning music-video channel but to pop itself. Released in April, the four-times platinum Heartbeat City would ultimately spawn five Top 40 singles—four of them landing in the Top 20, two in the Top 10—and serve as the final memorable record from the Boston group, which would disband in 1987.

 

Mastered from the original master tapes, Mobile Fidelity’s numbered limited edition SACD of Heartbeat City revisits the landmark album via a rich fidelity unmatched by any prior digital edition. Signifying the first time the set has been available on vinyl in nearly three decades, this reissue opens up the soundstages, decongests the low frequencies, and shines a spotlight on Mutt Lange’s pinpoint balances and glossy hooks. Indeed, the now-household-name producer would make a lasting mark with Heartbeat City, whose radio-friendly sound, multi-layered textures, and smooth, suave, synth-heavy pulses set a precedent for the period’s hit-making pop.

 

Overflowing with a surfeit of finger-snapping beats, electro-pop effects, streamlined guitar notes, and bright melodies, Heartbeat City trades in efficiency, catchiness, and to-the-point craftiness. Unlike most mid-80s records, the electronic effects and sleek tonalities here aren’t dated due to both the focused production and irresistible songwriting. Leader Ric Ocasek penned all ten tunes, and while a mind-boggling five charted in the Top 40, what makes Heartbeat City such a staple is the fact that it’s easy to imagine every song on it crashing the Billboard Hot 100. Call it the new-wave version of Thriller.

 

Indeed, the record’s track list automatically triggers a mental jukebox. The spare simplicity and hopefulness of “Magic.” The simultaneously sad longing and soothing somberness of the Benjamin Orr-sung “Drive.” The shimmer and shuffling riff of “You Might Think.” The ping-pong bounce and futuristic paranoia of “Hello Again.” The atmospheric, arty title track.

 

Heartbeat City is a veritable lesson in pop tunesmithship.

 

Bass, Vocals – Benjamin Orr
Drums – David Robinson
Guitar, Vocals – Elliot Easton
Producer – Robert John "Mutt" Lange
Vocals, Guitar– Ric Ocasek

 

The Cars Heartbeat City Track List:

 

1. Hello Again

2. Looking for Love

3. Magic

4. Drive

5. Stranger Eyes

6. You Might Think

7. It’s Not the Night

8. Why Can’t I Have You

9. I Refuse

 

 

Mobile Fidelity believes that mastering systems should be neutral and transparent. The essential idea is to unveil all the detailed musical information on the original master recording without adding deterioration, coloration or other sonic artifacts. 

It is worth noting that Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab stands out as one of few record labels that independently invests in research and development of audio technology. With proprietary innovations such as GAIN 2™, general music enthusiasts and audiophiles alike have reaped the benefit of a higher consumer audio standard without investing in costly new hardware. Mobile Fidelity is pleased to work with a variety of engineering legends and companies including Tim de Paravicini, Ed Meitner, Pass Labs, Theta Digital and Sony Electronics. 

Our joint efforts to seek out the ultimate audio experience, has resulted in significant advances for the technology of music reproduction. 

GAIN 2™ Mastering Technology for Ultradisc UHR™ Hybrid SACD and Ultradisc II™ 24kt Gold CDs 

For over twenty years, Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab has continually searched for the ultimate audio experience. During this search MFSL engineers and associates created The GAIN™ System, a proprietary mastering technology which brought warmth and ambience to the compact disc format. A few years ago - with higher resolution formats on the horizon - the vision of GAIN 2™ began. As it stands today, GAIN 2™ is one of the greatest technical advancements in analogue and digital technology in the last ten years. It consists of a series of critical modifications and new components to Mobile Fidelity's proprietary mastering chain. 

We feel that GAIN 2™ has come extremely close to meeting this goal. The key accomplishments of GAIN 2™ System are 1) the ability to extract all the musical information as possible through the Ultra High bandwidth analogue tape playback system with proprietary custom tape playback heads, reproducer electronics and 2) transparently capturing and storing that information with the Direct Stream Digital recording system.