The Cars
Let the Stories Be Told
Contributors
Formats and Prices
- On Sale
- Sep 30, 2025
- Page Count
- 512 pages
- Publisher
- Da Capo
- ISBN-13
- 9780306835063
Price
$32.50Price
$42.00 CADFormat
Format:
- Hardcover $32.50 $42.00 CAD
- Audiobook Download (Unabridged) $44.99
Buy from Other Retailers:
New York Times bestselling author Bill Janovitz explores the musical, cultural, and commercial impact of The Cars, one of the biggest and most influential bands of the 1970s and 80s. With roots in Maryland, Ohio, New York, and New England, eventually convening in Boston, The Cars were journeymen musicians, all forming and performing in a series of bands before finding each other along with the right sound at the right time. It turned them into Rock and Roll Hall of Famers. Janovitz reveals the stories of each member of the band, and of the band as a unit, with great care and understanding. He has the cooperation of the surviving members and everyone in the orbit of the band, but he does not shy away from the significant conflicts within the group or the reasons for the band’s untimely end. The band’s unusual providence in the Boston area, with the support of Jonathan Richman, is fully explored for the first time. Each of the band’s landmark albums is chronicled and dissected in the way that only a writer and musician like Janovitz can achieve. To paraphrase the band’s own lyrics, hello again, you might think this is just what music readers needed. It’s magic. Let’s shake it up and let the good times roll.
Genre:
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“This inside account of the life of a rock band bristles with extravagant details and penetrating insights, much like his masterpiece biography of Leon Russell, but Bill Janovitz’s The Cars: Let the Stories Be Told persuasively makes the case for the Cars as one of the essential American rock bands of their day. Janovitz brings a fellow musician’s perspective, a scholar’s depth and a fan’s enthusiasm to this riveting, rollercoaster ride of the entire bell curve of the storied band’s epic career.”Joel Selvin, author of Altamont and Fare Thee Well
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“Like The Cars, I was born in Ohio in the late seventies. I grew up listening to their cool, stylized, slightly unnerving songs, but now, thanks to Bill Janovitz, the records sound new to me. With The Cars: Let the Stories Be Told, Janovitz has given us a meticulously researched and satisfyingly granular portrait of the band, the history, the personalities, and the unmistakable sound. And what a writer! He had me on page one.”Maggie Smith, author of Keep Moving and You Could Make This Place Beautiful
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“I loved The Cars and followed their career from beginning to end, and I loved this book. Well written and researched, it captures the rock scene from the hippie days to new wave. It also stands as a cautionary tale about how not to run a band. All band dynamics are slippery, but I have always believed that everybody in a great band should be valued and rewarded.”Peter Buck, R.E.M.
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“A comprehensive look at the New Wave band from Boston that charmed the world. … Janovitz’s writing about the band’s music is wonderful—he is himself a Boston-area musician, the singer-songwriter for Buffalo Tom, and brings ample context to the Cars’ oeuvre. This is a superb rock biography, a must for anyone with even a passing interest in pop music.”Kirkus Reviews
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“[The Cars] sings on many levels but especially when Janovitz writes about the making of the albums, including the band’s eponymous debut album that captured The Cars signature sound, unpretentious with memorable hooks, hypnotizing synths, rumbling drums, and clever lyrics ... Fans will appreciate this fine book as a lasting homage. Let the good times roll, indeed.”Booklist
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