Just What I Needed: The Cars Anthology
Compilation album by the Cars
Released	November 7, 1995
Recorded	1977–1987
Genre	New wave, pop rock, rock
Length	2:31:54
Label	Rhino
Producer	The Cars, Roy Thomas Baker, Robert John "Mutt" Lange, Mike Shipley, Ric Ocasek
The Cars chronology
Door to Door (1987) Just What I Needed: The Cars Anthology (1995) Shake It Up & Other Hits (2001)

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[1]
Encyclopedia of Popular Music	[2]

Just What I Needed: The Cars Anthology is a two-disc, career-spanning compilation album of songs by the American new wave rock band the Cars. It features most of the band's singles, as well as many album tracks, non-album B-sides and unreleased songs.

Background

Whereas the 1985 Greatest Hits album contained the band's most popular hit singles, Just What I Needed includes deeper album tracks, demos, B-sides and unreleased tracks, along with the requisite hits.

Just What I Needed contains the original album version of " I'm Not the One" from 1981's Shake It Up, while the rendition on Greatest Hits was a 1985 remix. " Heartbeat City" is the only song on Greatest Hits that does not appear on this album.

Rare and unreleased tracks

"That's It" (B-side of 1979's " Let's Go"), "Don't Go to Pieces" (B-side of 1980's " Don't Tell Me No" & 1981's " Gimme Some Slack") and "Breakaway" (B-side of 1985's " Why Can't I Have You") are non-album single B-sides that appear on CD for the first time in this collection.

"Take Me Now", *"Cool Fool", "Ta Ta Wayo Wayo" &"Leave or Stay" were recorded as demos in 1977. "Leave or Stay" and "Ta Ta Wayo Wayo" were eventually re-recorded for the band's 1987 album Door to Door. The other two tracks were never re-recorded. All four songs were previously unreleased recordings.

The early version of " Night Spots" from 1978 is an unfinished outtake from the band's first album, featuring only Ric Ocasek and Greg Hawkes. It was eventually re-recorded for 1979's Candy-O.

The previously unreleased "Slipaway" was recorded as a 24-track demo by The Cars between their first and second albums in 1979. Rather than record a finished studio version, the Cars gave the song to Ian Lloyd, who issued his version later in 1979.

Previously unreleased cover songs

Demo covers of The Nightcrawlers' " The Little Black Egg" & Iggy Pop's " Funtime" were initially made as backing tracks for Bebe Buell to record vocals over for her 1981 EP Covers Girl. ^{[3] [4]} These versions feature lead vocals by Ric Ocasek and Benjamin Orr, respectively, and were previously unreleased.

Track listing ^[5]

Personnel

• Elliot Easton – lead guitar, backing vocals
• Greg Hawkes – keyboard, backing vocals
• Ric Ocasek – rhythm guitar, lead vocals on disc one tracks: 2, 3, 4, 5, 11, 12, 13, 15, 16, 18, 19; disc two tracks: 1, 3, 4, 5, 7, 9, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20
• Benjamin Orr – bass guitar, lead vocals on disc one tracks: 1, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 14, 17, 20; disc two tracks: 2, 6, 8, 10
• David Robinson – drums, percussion

References