The Cars Audiophile Vinyl Reissue Review: Rhino 180g All-Analog Kevin Gray Remaster

I remember some audiophile friends celebrating when Boston’s The Cars released their eponymously titled 1978 debut, hailing it as the first “new wave” record that actually sounded good. I’m not entirely on board with that—give me seminal Elvis Costello or countless others to counter that claim—but there’s no denying that, under legendary British producer Roy Thomas Baker, The Cars arrived fully formed: a glossy, hook-packed slab of pop-rock perfection.

Over the years since its release, I’d grown frustrated with these albums—not because of the music or the mastering, but because of the quality of vinyl pressings issued in the mid-to-late ’70s, especially those from the Warner-Elektra-Asylum (WEA) universe. They were often downright noisy. In fact, I eventually purged my vinyl copy of this album in favor of an expanded CD edition with bonus tracks.

Fast-forward to today, and Rhino Music has once again delivered through its “Rhino High Fidelity” series: audiophile-grade 180-gram vinyl reissues pressed at Germany’s respected Optimal Media and cut from the original analog master tapes by the esteemed Kevin Gray of Cohearent Audio. The Cars’ debut was one of the first releases in this series a few years back as a limited numbered edition; now it’s available as a regular edition—identical in every way, as far as I can tell, just without the number.

Overall, I’m very pleased with this pressing. It captures the band’s wide-screen hi-fi sound, especially those lush harmonies. The vinyl is dead quiet and perfectly centered, and the music feels bigger and more expansive than I remember from the original—or even the CD. The bass and midrange are richer, which is a welcome balance on what’s otherwise a fairly bright recording.

The biggest surprise came hearing the opening track, “Good Times Roll,” with fresh ears—and noticing a detail I’d completely forgotten: the lead vocal is drenched in deep reverb, which somehow feels even more pronounced on this new issue—perhaps thanks to less compression in the remaster (just a guess, folks). This is also one of those records built to be played loud, and crank it up on this pressing, and it sounds pretty fantastic.

Rhino High Fidelity releases have historically been available exclusively from Rhino’s website as they are for this release — retail price is $39.98 — but that may just be for the initial “limited numbered” edition production run (5,000 for this album). For example, the Rhino High Fidelity issue of The Cars’ magnificent second album, Candy O, is now also available at MusicDirect so I won’t be surprised if this un-numbered edition eventually sees broader distribution. 

What else can I say but that I’m looking forward to spinning The Cars’ Candy-O on one of these Rhino High Fidelity reissues sometime soon.

Where to buy: $39.98 at Rhino High Fidelity

Mark Smotroff is a deep music enthusiast / collector who has also worked in entertainment oriented marketing communications for decades supporting the likes of DTS, Sega and many others. He reviews vinyl for Analog Planet and has written for Audiophile Review, Sound+Vision, Mix, EQ, etc.  You can learn more about him at LinkedIn.

Related Reading:

• Podcast: Kevin Gray Reveals Vinyl Mastering Secrets About Buckingham Nicks, Fleetwood Mac, The Doors And More!
• Review: Television Adventure Rhino High Fidelity 180-Gram Deluxe Remastered Vinyl Reissue
• Review: The Ramones Atmos Collection’ Delivers Immersive Punk Rock Home Theater Experience
• Rhino Records Reserve Series Review: Classic 1965 Otis Redding Album ‘Otis Blue/Otis Redding Sings Soul’ Vinyl Reissue