4 Amazing Albums Produced by The Cars’ Ric Ocasek

In the late 1970s and early 1980s, The Cars catered to a wide variety of listeners. They were the most punk rock band accessible to the average mainstream listener and the most mainstream band that punk rockers would listen to. Their classic and cool image, mixed with new wave and power pop flair, is what made them stand out. At a time when punk rock bands started to make a statement, The Cars were the perfect bridge between punk and power pop. This led many bands of the 1990s and 2000s to eventually give credit to The Cars.

The late great guitarist and singer Ric Ocasek went on to work as a producer with multiple bands that The Cars inspired. This introduced Ocasek to a new generation of fans. His production work dates back to the early 1980s, helping popularize new bands and genres of the time. Here are four albums produced by The Cars’ Ric Ocasek.

Weezer – ‘The Blue Album’

For Weezer‘s 1994 debut album, Ric Ocasek was chosen because the band admired his work. The band generated its first string of hits, including “Buddy Holly,” “Say It Ain’t So,” and “Undone – The Sweater Song.” Ocasek helped define Weezer’s signature sound by encouraging the band to switch their guitars to the bridge pickup. This gave their guitar a sharper tone. Ocasek had a strict rule against reverb. The album peaked at No. 16 on the Billboard 200. Due to the success of the debut album, Weezer worked with Ocasek on their 2001 comeback album, The Green Album. In 2014, Ocasek produced the Weezer album Everything Will Be Alright in the End.

Weezer’s bass player, Matt Sharp, created his own group, The Rentals, in 1994. The band’s first album featured the minor hit single “Friends of P,” which Sharp says was written about Ocasek’s wife, Paulina Porizkova. She had mentioned that the only songs written about her were from heavy metal bands, so Sharp penned this song for her. Ocasek told Rolling Stone, “I found out later that the Rentals’ Matt Sharp had written that song about my wife. I thought the song was OK, although I thought it was a bit silly. The truth was that Rivers Cuomo (of Weezer) and P were actually the ones who got along really well.”

Motion City Soundtrack – ‘Even If It Kills Me’

Following the success of their second album, Commit This To Memory, the Minneapolis band sought Ric Ocasek for their 2007 album. Motion City Soundtrack is directly influenced by Weezer’s debut album. Ultimately, Ocasek only partially produced the album. Though working with the producer was a dream come true for the band, the experience wasn’t as such.

In a 2015 interview with Noisey, lead singer Justin Pierre spoke on the experience. “That was probably one of the weirdest experiences because I think we thought one thing and found out another; oftentimes, he would be there for a couple of hours a day, and he just confused me the whole time, and I didn’t really know what he was talking about. For a while, I was nervous about saying anything about my experience of working with Ric, but it was kind of a bum-out because literally, I didn’t understand a thing he said.”

“I would do something terrible and he’d go, ‘It doesn’t get any better than that.’ And then I’d do something I thought was great, and he’d be like, ‘Do it again.’ So I think he was just playing some sort of head game with me or us the whole time.”

The album went on to hit No. 1 on the US Independent Albums chart and peaked at No. 16 on the Billboard 200.

Romeo Void – ‘Never Say Never EP’

At the height of The Cars’ popularity, Ric Ocasek produced Romeo Void‘s 1981 Never Say Never EP. Ocasek helped shape the sound of the EP for the group. His contributions gave the band a pop-oriented, radio-friendly sound. This helped the band secure a deal with Columbia Records. The EP’s title track, “Never Say Never,” was then featured on the band’s second studio album, Benefactor, in 1982. The group’s sound blended new wave and post-punk at a time when the two genres were gaining popularity. “Never Say Never” was popular on early MTV and peaked at No. 17 on the Billboard Dance Club Songs.

Bad Brains – ‘Rock For Light’

Released in 1983, Rock For Light was the second studio album by hardcore punk band Bad Brains. Hardcore punk was beginning to gain traction in the early 1980s. The album featured many re-recorded tracks from the group’s first album. The punk band from Washington, D.C. began blending reggae elements into their hardcore punk style. Bad Brains were in a tight spot financially when Ocasek discovered them. Ocasek allowed the band to borrow The Cars’ equipment for performances and even gave them a place to stay.

Bad Brains went on to become one of the most influential punk bands for decades to come. Many wonder what would’ve become of Bad Brains without Ocasek’s help and production, and his contributions to the hardcore punk community are often overlooked.