Candy-O
	Produced by Roy Thomas Baker
	Released on June 1979
	US CHART POSITION #3 . . . 4x PLATINUM RECORD . . . UK CHART POSITION #30
	Find it at GEMM
5E-507 cover [high resolution scan]

I nearly fell asleep reading the original Rolling Stone review of Candy-O. It was—how to put this nicely—a little too disciplined, a shade too predictable. You can expect that every critic had the “sophomore slump” review written in their head even before they heard a note of Candy-O. But how did they miss the revolutionary stance of tracks like “Nightspots,” “Candy-O” and “Shoo Be Doo?” On their second album, The Cars shifted into the edgy electronica of Kraftwerk (just check out the inner sleeve photo) and Devo. Song for song, their debut is the better record; it was honed in concert in front of the best kind of focus groupies. Candy-O is riskier because it was conceived in the studio. Tracks like “Lust For Kicks” and “Shoo Be Doo” would be tough to pull off on stage, “Candy-O” would probably send folks running for the fire exit. (It does deserve a lot of credit for anticipating the industrial movement by a decade.) The guitars are angrier this time, the synthesizers more defiantly dorky than ever. If their first album was left of center, a lot of Candy-O was out in left field. However, there were enough songs on it that sounded like the first for the radio to all but ignore the revolution. “Let’s Go” became the signature track, “It’s All I Can Do” the humble second single, and “Dangerous Type” could be dusted off in a pinch and played. The darker tracks were discarded and the harmless filler lumped together to help spell SLUMP. Candy-O isn’t a polished record but it is as close to the edge as The Cars have come, and that’s enough to get my motor revving.

TRACK LISTING

1. LET'S GO    3:32
2. SINCE I HELD YOU    3:16
3. IT'S ALL I CAN DO    3:46
4. DOUBLE LIFE    4:11
5. SHOO BE DOO    1:41
6. CANDY-O    2:37
7. NIGHTSPOTS    3:14
8. YOU CAN'T HOLD ON TOO LONG    2:47
9. LUST FOR KICKS    3:52
10. GOT A LOT ON MY HEAD    2:59
11. DANGEROUS TYPE    4:30
    
    All songs written by Ric Ocasek

CREDITS

ELLIOT EASTON -- lead guitar, backing vocals
GREG HAWKES -- keyboards, percussion, sax, backing vocals
RIC OCASEK -- vocals, rhythm guitar
BENJAMIN ORR -- vocals, bass guitar
DAVID ROBINSON -- drums, percussion, cover concept
Geoff Workman -- engineer
Ron Coro -- art direction and design
Johnny Lee -- art direction and design
Alberto Vargas -- cover painting
Jeff Albertson -- photography

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