Benjamin Orr - The Lace

In honor of The Cars reunion tour, we proudly bring back two long out of print solo albums by original Cars members. The Lace by Benjamin Orr was originally issued in 1986 on Elektra Records. It features a guest appearance by fellow Cars member Elliot Easton. Speaking of Elliot Easton, we are also releasing his long out of print 1985 solo CD Change No Change. This CD features five bonus tracks not on the original vinyl release. It features a guest appearance by Jules Shear. Both of these albums cracked the top 100 on the Billboard charts when originally released. Album Description

Long Live Benjamin Orr!!!

Was thrilled to find that this album was re-released on CD. If you are a Cars fan and don't own this album then what exactly is your problem? It's so sad that Benjamin Orr passed away so young and wasn't around to see all the accolades that he has received here for this fantastic collection of songs. The entire album is great. Buy it!!! R.I.P. September 25, 2008

ben orrs

THIS IS A VERY SOLID EFFORT FROM THE GREAT BASS PLAYER OF THE CARS. IT IS PRODUCED AND RECORDED VERY GOOD. BEN HAS LEFT THIS PLANET WAY TO EARLY BUT HEARING THIS GREAT ALBUM ALWAYS PUTS A SMILE ON MY FACE May 3, 2008

Some good songs.

As a Cars fan, I love Benjamin Orr's voice. This album has some good songs on it, especially Stay the Night and Too Hot to Stop, but don't expect it to sound like Cars songs. Ben's writing style was quite different from Ric Ocasek's. I was hoping for more information and pictures on the liner notes. There wasn't much on that and what was there was too small to read. Still, it's worth buying if you're a fan. R.I.P., Ben. February 23, 2008

Great Album

I just wanted to say thank you to the guys who re-released this CD. I was this close to spending $50 or more on ebay. This is one of my favorite 80's albums and one of the few that I can listen to straight through....it's that good. November 14, 2007

Guilty Pleasure!

I first bought this album on cassette tape in 1986, my senior year of high school. I was a huge Cars fan at the time (still am today), and was excited to learn that both Mr. Orr & Mr. Ocasek were releasing solo albums. Much to my surprise, this is the one that has stuck w/ me through the years. Ocasek's "This Side of Paradise" is very good, but there is just something so fun about this album. I've been waiting for years to replace my worn-out cassette version, so when I saw that it had been re-released on CD (finally!) I was thrilled.

Well, 20 some-odd years down the road, this album has aged fairly well. Does it sound like your typically over-produced '80's album? Yes. Too many synth's? Check. Programmed drum machines? Check. Studio echo? Uh-huh. But it doesn't really matter. Take all of that with a grain of salt and chalk it up to being a product of the times. What really matters here is that there are some ridiculously catchy tunes. Fantastic melodies and choruses. Yes, it can be a bit cheesy at times, but for me that ends up being part of the fun and charm of this album. This wasn't meant to be heady, deep stuff! It is a true guilty pleasure with pop songs that run through my brain long after I am done listening. There's also an under-current of sadness to many of these songs for me. Not sure if it's because of Orr's passing, or just my own nostalgia for a simpler time.

Favorite Tracks: In Circles, Stay The Night, Skyline, Spinning & Hold On
Solid Tracks: Too Hot to Stop, When You're Gone & This Time Around
Ones to Skip: The Lace & That's The Way

I highly recommend The Lace for a fun trip down '80's memory lane. Benjamin Orr's vocals are in fine form, and he even shows that he was a halfway decent songwriter - a talent that he was not able to showcase with The Cars. It's too bad that he never got the chance to release a follow-up album, and that his time passed much too soon. October 17, 2007

More reviews at Amazon.com ...