This Side of Paradise (Ric Ocasek album)
Encyclopedia
This Side of Paradise is the second solo studio album released by Ric Ocasek
, lead singer and songwriter of The Cars
. It was released in 1986 by Geffen Records
. Though it was a solo album, other members of The Cars played significant roles. Greg Hawkes
plays keyboards and bass throughout the entire album. He also co-wrote "Hello Darkness." Benjamin Orr
is on backing vocals for three songs. Along with Hawkes and Orr, the track "True To You" also features Elliot Easton
on guitar making the absence of David Robinson
the only thing preventing this from being a Cars
song. Production as well as drumming were both by Chris Hughes
(drummer for Adam and the Ants
) and recent producer of Tears for Fears
most popular two albums. Steve Stevens
from Billy Idol
's band plays guitar on over half the songs.
In addition, Roland Orzabal
from Tears for Fears
(guitar on "Emotion in Motion
"), Tony Levin
from King Crimson
/Peter Gabriel
, Tom Verlaine
of Television
and G. E. Smith
of Hall & Oates
/SNL band guest on the various songs.
The first single from the album, "Emotion in Motion
", which was aided in its promotion by a popular video that received heavy airplay on MTV
, reached #1 on the Mainstream Rock Tracks
for one week, becoming Ocasek's only solo chart-topper (as a member of The Cars, he topped the chart with the singles "You Might Think
" and "Magic
" in 1984, and "Tonight She Comes
" in 1985).
Singles
1986 - "Emotion in Motion" #15 US Pop, #1 Album Rock
of F. Scott Fitzgerald
, which in turn took its title from a line of the Rupert Brooke
poem Tiare Tahiti,
Ric Ocasek
Ric Ocasek is an American musician and music producer. He is best known as lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist for the rock band, The Cars....
, lead singer and songwriter of The Cars
The Cars
The Cars are an American rock band that emerged from the early New Wave music scene in the late 1970s. The band consisted of lead singer and rhythm guitarist Ric Ocasek, lead singer and bassist Benjamin Orr, guitarist Elliot Easton, keyboardist Greg Hawkes and drummer David Robinson...
. It was released in 1986 by Geffen Records
Geffen Records
Geffen Records is an American record label, owned by Universal Music Group, and operated as one third of UMG's Interscope-Geffen-A&M label group.-Beginnings:...
. Though it was a solo album, other members of The Cars played significant roles. Greg Hawkes
Greg Hawkes
Greg Hawkes is a musician best known as the keyboardist for the Rock band The Cars.Hawkes, a native of Fulton, Maryland, attended Atholton High School where he played in a band called Teeth. He then attended Berklee College of Music for two years, majoring in composition and flute...
plays keyboards and bass throughout the entire album. He also co-wrote "Hello Darkness." Benjamin Orr
Benjamin Orr
Benjamin Orr was an American rock musician best known as the bassist and vocalist for the Boston based rock band, The Cars....
is on backing vocals for three songs. Along with Hawkes and Orr, the track "True To You" also features Elliot Easton
Elliot Easton
Elliot Easton plays lead guitar and sings backing vocals for The Cars. His guitar solos are integral part of the band's hit singles. He studied music at the Berklee College of Music...
on guitar making the absence of David Robinson
David Robinson (musician)
David Robinson is an American rock drummer. He has performed with many rock bands including The Modern Lovers, DMZ and The Cars.He attended Woburn Memorial High School....
the only thing preventing this from being a Cars
The Cars
The Cars are an American rock band that emerged from the early New Wave music scene in the late 1970s. The band consisted of lead singer and rhythm guitarist Ric Ocasek, lead singer and bassist Benjamin Orr, guitarist Elliot Easton, keyboardist Greg Hawkes and drummer David Robinson...
song. Production as well as drumming were both by Chris Hughes
Chris Hughes (record producer)
Chris Hughes is a music producer and a former drummer for Adam and the Ants....
(drummer for Adam and the Ants
Adam and the Ants
Adam and the Ants were a British rock band active during the late 1970s and early 1980s. The original group, which existed from 1977 to 1980, became notable as a cult band marking the transition from the late-1970s punk rock era to the post-punk and New Wave era...
) and recent producer of Tears for Fears
Tears for Fears
Tears for Fears are an English new wave band formed in the early 1980s by Roland Orzabal and Curt Smith.Founded after the dissolution of their first band, the mod-influenced Graduate, they were initially associated with the New Wave synthesiser bands of the early 1980s but later branched out into...
most popular two albums. Steve Stevens
Steve Stevens
Steve Stevens is an American guitarist and songwriter.He is best known for playing for other artists and less known for his critically acclaimed solo efforts , collaborations Steve Stevens (born as Steven Schneider on May 5, 1959, in Brooklyn, New York) is an American guitarist and songwriter.He...
from Billy Idol
Billy Idol
William Michael Albert Broad , better known by his stage name Billy Idol, is an English rock musician. A member of the Bromley Contingent of Sex Pistols fans, Idol first achieved fame in the punk rock era as a member of the band Generation X...
's band plays guitar on over half the songs.
In addition, Roland Orzabal
Roland Orzabal
Roland Jaime Orzabal de la Quintana is an English musician, songwriter and record producer. He is known mainly as a co-founding member of Tears for Fears, of which he is the main songwriter and joint vocalist, but he has also achieved success as a producer of other artists.- Early career :Orzabal...
from Tears for Fears
Tears for Fears
Tears for Fears are an English new wave band formed in the early 1980s by Roland Orzabal and Curt Smith.Founded after the dissolution of their first band, the mod-influenced Graduate, they were initially associated with the New Wave synthesiser bands of the early 1980s but later branched out into...
(guitar on "Emotion in Motion
Emotion in Motion (song)
"Emotion in Motion" is a song by Ric Ocasek, the songwriter and lead vocalist of The Cars. It was included in his second solo album, This Side of Paradise, and released as a single in late 1986. The single reached number 15 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and number one on the Album Rock Tracks chart...
"), Tony Levin
Tony Levin
Tony Levin is an American progressive rock musician, specializing in bass guitar, Chapman stick and upright bass ....
from King Crimson
King Crimson
King Crimson are a rock band founded in London, England in 1969. Often categorised as a foundational progressive rock group, the band have incorporated diverse influences and instrumentation during their history...
/Peter Gabriel
Peter Gabriel
Peter Brian Gabriel is an English singer, musician, and songwriter who rose to fame as the lead vocalist and flautist of the progressive rock group Genesis. After leaving Genesis, Gabriel went on to a successful solo career...
, Tom Verlaine
Tom Verlaine
Tom Verlaine is a singer, songwriter and guitarist, best known as the frontman for the New York rock band Television.-Biography:...
of Television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
and G. E. Smith
G. E. Smith
George Edward "G. E." Smith is an American guitarist. He was the lead guitarist in the band Hall & Oates and the musical director of Saturday Night Live. Smith was lead guitarist of Bob Dylan's touring band from June 7, 1988 to October 19, 1990...
of Hall & Oates
Hall & Oates
Hall & Oates are an American musical duo composed of Daryl Hall and John Oates. They achieved their greatest fame in the late 1970s and early to mid-1980s. Both sing and play instruments. They specialized in a fusion of rock and roll and rhythm and blues styles, which they dubbed "rock and soul."...
/SNL band guest on the various songs.
The first single from the album, "Emotion in Motion
Emotion in Motion (song)
"Emotion in Motion" is a song by Ric Ocasek, the songwriter and lead vocalist of The Cars. It was included in his second solo album, This Side of Paradise, and released as a single in late 1986. The single reached number 15 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and number one on the Album Rock Tracks chart...
", which was aided in its promotion by a popular video that received heavy airplay on MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
, reached #1 on the Mainstream Rock Tracks
Mainstream Rock Tracks
Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks is a ranking in Billboard magazine of the most-played songs on mainstream rock radio stations, a category that includes stations that play primarily rock music. Modern rock tracks are counted in the Alternative Songs chart.This chart began with the March 21, 1981, issue...
for one week, becoming Ocasek's only solo chart-topper (as a member of The Cars, he topped the chart with the singles "You Might Think
You Might Think
"You Might Think" is a single by The Cars from their fifth studio album, Heartbeat City, which came out in 1984. The track was written by Ric Ocasek, and produced by Mutt Lange and The Cars. Ocasek sang lead vocals....
" and "Magic
Magic (The Cars song)
"Magic" is a song by The Cars from their fifth studio album, Heartbeat City, released in 1984. It was released as a single and reached No. 12 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and No. 1 on the Billboard Top Tracks chart. The track was written by Ric Ocasek and produced by Robert "Mutt" Lange and The Cars...
" in 1984, and "Tonight She Comes
Tonight She Comes
"Tonight She Comes" is a 1985 song by The Cars, from their Greatest Hits album. It was released as a single in October 1985, reaching number seven on the Billboard Hot 100 in January, 1986...
" in 1985).
Track listing
All tracks composed by Ric Ocasek except as noted.- "Keep on Laughing" 4:36
- "True to You" 3:59
- "Emotion in MotionEmotion in Motion (song)"Emotion in Motion" is a song by Ric Ocasek, the songwriter and lead vocalist of The Cars. It was included in his second solo album, This Side of Paradise, and released as a single in late 1986. The single reached number 15 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and number one on the Album Rock Tracks chart...
" 4:40 - "Look in Your Eyes" 6:00
- "Coming for You" 5:34
- "Mystery" 4:20
- "True Love" 4:23
- "P.F.J." 3:39
- "Hello Darkness" (Ocasek, Greg HawkesGreg HawkesGreg Hawkes is a musician best known as the keyboardist for the Rock band The Cars.Hawkes, a native of Fulton, Maryland, attended Atholton High School where he played in a band called Teeth. He then attended Berklee College of Music for two years, majoring in composition and flute...
) 4:52 - "This Side of Paradise" 8:04
Singles
1986 - "Emotion in Motion" #15 US Pop, #1 Album Rock
Personnel
- Ric Ocasek - vocals, bass, guitar, keyboards
- Steve StevensSteve StevensSteve Stevens is an American guitarist and songwriter.He is best known for playing for other artists and less known for his critically acclaimed solo efforts , collaborations Steve Stevens (born as Steven Schneider on May 5, 1959, in Brooklyn, New York) is an American guitarist and songwriter.He...
- guitar - Tom VerlaineTom VerlaineTom Verlaine is a singer, songwriter and guitarist, best known as the frontman for the New York rock band Television.-Biography:...
- guitar - Sandy McLelland - background vocals
- Elliot EastonElliot EastonElliot Easton plays lead guitar and sings backing vocals for The Cars. His guitar solos are integral part of the band's hit singles. He studied music at the Berklee College of Music...
- guitar - Greg HawkesGreg HawkesGreg Hawkes is a musician best known as the keyboardist for the Rock band The Cars.Hawkes, a native of Fulton, Maryland, attended Atholton High School where he played in a band called Teeth. He then attended Berklee College of Music for two years, majoring in composition and flute...
- bass, keyboards, background vocals - Chris HughesChris Hughes (record producer)Chris Hughes is a music producer and a former drummer for Adam and the Ants....
- drums - Tony LevinTony LevinTony Levin is an American progressive rock musician, specializing in bass guitar, Chapman stick and upright bass ....
- stick bass - Benjamin OrrBenjamin OrrBenjamin Orr was an American rock musician best known as the bassist and vocalist for the Boston based rock band, The Cars....
- background vocals - Roland OrzabalRoland OrzabalRoland Jaime Orzabal de la Quintana is an English musician, songwriter and record producer. He is known mainly as a co-founding member of Tears for Fears, of which he is the main songwriter and joint vocalist, but he has also achieved success as a producer of other artists.- Early career :Orzabal...
- guitar, background vocals - G.E. Smith - guitar
- Andy Topeka - programming, synclavier, technical maintenance
Title
This is the second consecutive Ocasek album to derive its title from an indirect poetry reference. In this case, This Side of Paradise shares its title with 1920 debut novelDebut novel
A debut novel is the first novel an author publishes. Debut novels are the author's first opportunity to make an impact on the publishing industry, and thus the success or failure of a debut novel can affect the ability of the author to publish in the future...
of F. Scott Fitzgerald
F. Scott Fitzgerald
Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald was an American author of novels and short stories, whose works are the paradigm writings of the Jazz Age, a term he coined himself. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest American writers of the 20th century. Fitzgerald is considered a member of the "Lost...
, which in turn took its title from a line of the Rupert Brooke
Rupert Brooke
Rupert Chawner Brooke was an English poet known for his idealistic war sonnets written during the First World War, especially The Soldier...
poem Tiare Tahiti,