Ric Ocasek - This Side of Paradise

Ric Ocasek Solo CD

Having had Ric's original release of "This Side of Paradise" on cassette tape, both my wife and I are pleased to have a CD version. "This Side of Paradise" contains some of the best songs for easy listening music: particularly "Emotion in Motion." An excellent buy.This Side of Paradise May 8, 2007

Ric's Best Solo Album

I really like this album. Every son is catchy, and I never get tired of listening to it. There was only one charted hit from the album, "Emotion in Motion". But my favorite is the title track. A quiet, synthesized song that I find fascinating. May 2, 2007

Good album, but not his best...

To date, Ric Ocasek has released 6 albums as a solo artist: "Beatitude", "This Side of Paradise", "Fireball Zone", "Quick Change World", "Troublizing", and "Nexterday". All of them unique onto themselves. Fans must remember however, that Ric Ocasek is not The Cars. Therefore, fans should stop comparing his solo work to that of The Cars which is a group effort.

I have to admit, my all time favorite album of Mr. Ocasek's is his first, "Beatitude". From start to finish, I enjoy each and every track. No need for skipping any one song. They're all great.

My least favorite Ric Ocasek album is "Fireball Zone". There's maybe 2 tracks I like on that album.

If I had to list his albums from most favorite (and most played with the least amount of skipping a track) to least favorite, the order would go something like this:

1)"Beatitude"
2)"This Side of Paradise"
3)"Quick Change World"
4)"Troublizing"
5)"Nexterday"
6)"Fireball Zone" March 26, 2007

at the current list price of $6.98, you can't go wrong with this one

Ric Ocasek's second solo album, "This Side of Paradise", came out in 1986, prior to The Cars final album and disbandment.

It should come as no surprise that, on the whole, "This Side Of Paradise" is just slightly removed from the sound of The Cars. Cars keyboardist Greg Hawkes is all over this album, credited for playing all of the keyboards on 9 of the 10 songs (Ric chips in on the title track), and man, there sure are a lot of keyboards here. The late Benjamin Orr chips in with background vocals on several songs, and even Elliot Easton appears on one song. Hawkes gets his usual one co-write ("Hello Darkness") with the rest of the tracks being written by Ocasek alone.

From start to finish, this is NOT a stellar effort, and could have really benefited from some careful editing. "Mystery" is a reasonably good Ocasek pop-rocker, though pretty rote and forgettable. "True Love" is a listenable-but-middling composition, lifted up by some nice acoustic lead guitarwork from Steve Stevens (of Billy Idol fame), but weighed down by bleary keyboard chords and corny synthesized trumpet. The quasi-'experimental' "P.F.J." (aka "Pink Flag Joe") is perhaps supposed to be humorous, but ends up being a cutesy, hookless bore. And the title track, which is actually quite moving, gets carried away with co-producer Chris Hughes' drum bashing, and then ends with a pointless reprise of "True Love".

However, the first three tracks all hit the nail squarely on the head.

The album-opening "Keep On Laughin'" in particular is one of my absolute personal favorite songs ever. There's a brief intro section that uses the same chord sequence as the album's 4th song, "Look In Your Eyes", and it kind of sets the scene, if you will. Once the intro passes, it gives way to an absolutely astonishingly great uptempo song that comes together in such a way that is simply beyond belief. As usual, the lyrics are a bit allusive, but it seems to be about a woman clutching to the strains of a dying relationship, and it's extremely moving, with deftly-executed and tension-building chord changes, a driving beat, vocals from Ocasek that are pure inspiration, masterfully-placed power chords on the chorus, loads of brilliant keyboard textures from Hawkes (including a "Heartbeat City"-style looping riff), plus lots of great guitar stuff going on in the background (courtesy of Ocasek and Stevens). To say it all adds up to more than the sum of its parts is virtually pointless--what a hauntingly powerful song that compels you to listen again and again. And again.

The following track, "True To You", is so upbeat that it feels downright jolting appearing so suddenly on the heels of "Keep On Laughin'", but getting past that, it's a wonderfully catchy, sunny pop-rocker in its own right.

The top 20 US hit "Emotion In Motion" is also wonderful, a really lovely ballad (it features guitar from Tears For Fears' Roland Orzabel). Ocasek uses his unique and instantly identifiable 'quivering' vocals to wring a lot of emotion from the tender lyric and melody. I can think of almost no one else who might be able to sing this song so movingly.

"Look In Your Eyes" is pretty damn great too--the vocals are a bit frustratingly buried in the mix, but it's got effectively pulsating bass, David Gilmour-style echoing guitarwork, an ominously yearning atmosphere, and an irresistible chorus featuring layered backing vocals from Ben Orr. I also love the thudding, doom-laden metallic rocker "Coming For You". And "Hello Darkness" sounds much like "Keep On Laughin'", yet without being a mere carbon copy of it--irresistible stuff.

Overall, "This Side Of Paradise" is sort of a frustrating, choppy listen. Like I said before, this album could really use some editing and fine-tuning here and there, because there are lots of quality ideas floating around. For all the complaining, the only tune that's really outright skippable is "P.F.J.". Add to this the low list price, the presence of the extraordinary "Keep On Laughin'", and the other great material, you really can't go wrong getting this album.

(P.S. Ric also wrote and sang a wonderful song called "I Still Want You" that didn't make it onto the "This Side of Paradise" album. Actually, Ric may have not even written the song quite yet--it turned up on the 1987 "Made In Heaven" soundtrack.) June 5, 2006

A Classic.

This is classic Ric Ocasek music. Less Pop sounding then the Cars and great for crusing, running or just enjoying. If you lived through the eighties, this is a must have CD. September 27, 2005

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