SHAKE IT UP

The Cars: Ric Ocasek (vocals, guitar); Ben Orr (vocals, bass); Elliot Easton (guitar, background vocals); Greg Hawkes (keyboards, background vocals); David Robinson (drums, background vocals). Recorded at Synchro Sound Studios, Boston. Personnel: Elliot Easton, Ric Ocasek (vocals, guitar); Greg Hawkes (vocals, keyboards); David Robinson (vocals, drums); Benjamin Orr (vocals). Recording information: Synchro Sound Studios, Boston, MA. SHAKE IT UP, the Cars' fourth album, catches the group at a pivotal point in their career. They teetered on the precipice of overproduction and vapidity just long enough to produce this classic recording before losing their already-contested credibility. The group's trademark detachment and irony seem more like devices than a way of life here, and SHAKE IT UP is certainly the sprightliest, most listener-friendly of all the Cars' albums. The moody electronic textures that enliven "Cruiser" and "Victim of Love" are simply a means to a very effective end. And on "Since You're Gone" and the title cut, the group achieves the pop nirvana with which they'd always flirted.

• Genre: Rock and Pop
• Format: CD
• Released: 10/25/1990