Door to Door (album)

Door to Door
Studio album by The Cars
Released	August 25, 1987
Recorded	April-May 1987
Genre	Pop, dance-rock, rock, punk rock, hard rock
Length	46:43
Label	Elektra
Producer	Ric Ocasek, Greg Hawkes
The Cars chronology
Greatest Hits (1985) Door to Door (1987) Just What I Needed: The Cars Anthology (1995)
Singles from Door to Door
"You Are the Girl" Released: August 1987 "Strap Me In" Released: October 1987 "Coming Up You" Released: January 1988

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[1]

Door to Door is the sixth studio album by the American rock band The Cars. It was released in 1987 on Elektra Records.

Background

Door to Door was the group's last studio album before it disbanded in 1988. It was also the last Cars record to feature Benjamin Orr before his death in 2000. The band would not release another studio album until 2011's Move Like This.

Although by 1987 the Cars had reached the heights of superstardom, their last few albums had relied heavily on studio tricks and machines; this album was an attempt to move back to the group's original roots. For example, where the previous album, Heartbeat City, extensively used sampled and sequenced drums (a move that had somewhat alienated drummer David Robinson), this album returned to having Robinson performing the drums in the studio, often simultaneously with other members.

During a writing jam session, the band began to play "Ta Ta Wayo Wayo", a song from their earliest days together. It had never been recorded in the studio, except as a demo in 1977. They enjoyed the tune so much that the 1987 version of the song made it onto the album. The opening track, "Leave or Stay", also was originally a 1977 demo that was not properly recorded until Door to Door. Both tracks had their respective 1977 demo versions eventually issued on the 1995 compilation Just What I Needed: The Cars Anthology.

While the original album bears the credit "Produced by Ric Ocasek", individual tracks from this record that appear on various Cars compilations bear the credit "Produced by Ric Ocasek and Greg Hawkes".

The lead single of the album "You Are the Girl" reached no #17 on the Billboard 100 as well as reaching number #2 on the rock charts. The follow up single "Strap Me In" only scraped into the top 100 peaking at #85 though it was much more successful on the rock charts where it reached #4. The final single released "Coming Up You" peaked at 74 on the charts and was also a moderate hit on the adult contemporary charts.

Track listing

All tracks written by Ric Ocasek except where noted. 

Personnel

• Ric Ocasek – rhythm guitar, lead vocals on tracks 1, 2, 4, 6, 7, 9, 11
• Elliot Easton – lead guitar, vocals
• Greg Hawkes – keyboards, vocals
• Benjamin Orr – bass, lead vocals on tracks 2, 3, 5, 8, 10
• David Robinson – drums

Production

• Arranged by The Cars
• Produced by Ric Ocasek; co-produced by Greg Hawkes
• Recorded, Engineered & Mixed by Joe Barbaria
• Second Engineer: Jamie Chaleff
• Additional Recording & Mix Engineering by Brian Sklarz, David Heglmeier & Tracy Wiener
• Mastered by Stephen Innocenzi (CD) & George Marino (LP)

Charts

Album

Singles

Notes

References

• Allmusic review

External links

• Allmusic review
• "Door To Door" at discogs