My vote would be yes, and, I'm still not sure, but Surrender is a stone cold classic.

The Cars are cool in an ironic sort of way. Cheap Trick is in the guilty pleasure category. At least that's my take.

A resounding yes on both accounts from my corner. No irony or guilt necessary (in fact, I've never really understood the concept of a "guilty pleasure" - like you're supposed to be ashamed of liking something because it's not cool???).

Heartbeat City is a classic album, produced by Mutt Lange at the height of his powers - it actually sounds a lot like Def Leppard's Hysteria - and great songwriting to boot. Even though bands like The Killers are shamelessly ripping them off, The Cars are still great.

I think of Cheap Trick as the ultimate cult band. I don't think any band, except maybe Steely Dan, has managed to retain their fundamental weirdness while achieving mass appeal - a real feat, in my book. The perfect illustration of this is the jacket of Heaven Tonight - on the front cover Zander and Petersson look like your textbook rock stars, sort of Zeppelin-esque. Turn the record over and you see Nielsen brushing his teeth and Bun E. Carlos (!!!) with his signature glasses and pedophile moustache straightening his tie in the mirror.

Cool is Miles Davis, Jimi Hendrix, Charlie Watts, Paul Simonon, Prince, Alex James, Chris Isaak (if you're looking for "cool" in a rock band, check the bass player first).

The Cars are way too dorky, and Cheap Trick way too goofy, to be cool. And I say that with all due respect; dorkiness and goofiness must have their place in rock. Or I'm screwed.

Both bands included one really talented guy named Rick (or Ric) who could write credible hooks. But, 30 years later, the Cars hold up a little better...Cheap Trick having been a bit of a novelty act.

I'll second both bands being cool, in a totally uncool sort of way, if that makes sense. That first Cars album is just pure pleasure from start to finish; there's a reason almost every song on it is still a radio staple to this day (something that's true of not as many albums as you might think). From that point on they were basically a singles band, but those singles are uniformly great.

As for Cheap Trick, everything through BUDOKAN is killer, '70s power-pop (with equal emphasis on both sides of that equation) at its finest, and it's amazing that they're still plugging away over 30 years later with the original lineup intact (although bassist Tom Petersson - master of the eight-string - did leave for a few years).

And, Greg, I beg to differ: the cover of IN COLOR is even more iconic and band-defining. On the front, a glossy full-color shot of Zander and Petersson in all their blow-dried yeah-we're-rock-stars glory astride motorcycles; on the back, Nielsen and Carlos in monochrome, in full yeah-we're-in-the-same-band mode, vainly trying to strike the same poses atop Schwinns.

Just an aside: IN COLOR's "Big Eyes", in either its original or live-at-Budokan versions, is as perfect as rock and roll can get. And the same album's "So Good to See You" may be the most underrated closing song ever, with a final long-held note from Zander that must be heard to be believed.

Two final notes on the Cars: Kudos to Ric Ocasek for giving hope to dorks the world over by not only landing Paulina Porizkova (at the time, probably the most famous supermodel in the world) but still being married to her almost 25 years later. And RIP to Ben Orr, bassist and co-lead vocalist, who succumbed to cancer a few years back; I don't think there's ever been a band with two alternating lead singers who sounded -so much alike-, with the possible exception of Tegan and Sara. (Orr's voice was slightly smoother and poppier, but really, unless you were listening closely it was next to impossible to tell them apart.)

Harold, you're right. I was actually going to add that the In Color artwork does almost the exact same thing. For some reason I just find the Heaven Tonight one - honestly, I think it's just the teeth-brushing - even more ridiculous.

I think a guilty pleasure means a band that you enjoy but that you perceive as not being cool (a factor that, by definition, depends on the judgments of others).

Think of it as a Venn Diagram with two circles: Circle 1: Bands perceived to be cool. Circle 2: Bands I enjoy.

You could make an argument that the Cars are in both circles (having only RECENTLY made their way into the cool circle thanks to the passage of time). Cheap Trick on the other hand....Well, just watch this:



As much fun as it is, the first word that comes to mind is not COOL.

Most American bands of that era were really uncool whereas the British had the coolest bands ever - The Fall,The Clash,The Sex Pistols,Buzzcocks etc...

USA had the band Television during that era. They were pretty cool. I'm sure there were some others.

Midaso, while there maybe some validity to your idea you are really comparing apples to oranges. America had Television, Suicide, Dead Boys, Pere Ubu, Modern Lovers, etc. and on the other side of the pond their arena rockers had the likes of Queen, Slade, Judas Priest and of course Spinal Tap

"...whereas the British had the coolest bands ever" reminds me of this. sorry for the pun

I was just wondering the other day whatever happened to Buck's Fizz. But don't apologize for the pun, because it wasn't one.

no puns indeed... just bucks fizz. and buzzcocks. or so.

though I still think that song would've suited Shelley perfectly

They would have made a great super group. Perhaps Fizzy Cocks?

or Bizzy Focks?? Eitherway, I would've had become one of their biggest fans. Definitely.