The Cars are streaming a previously-unheard demo of the title track to their 1981 album, “Shake It Up”, as a preview to the March 30 release of an expanded edition of the project.
The Boston outfit reportedly struggled with the tune for years before giving it one more look while working on their fourth album.
“It never sounded good,” noted drummer David Robinson in the group’s 1985 biography Frozen Fire. “We’d dumped it, and we were going to try it one more time, and I was fighting everybody. So we thought, let’s start it all over again, like we’d never even heard it.”
The lead single from “Shake It Up” earned the group their first US Top 10 hit when it reached No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100, while the album peaked at No. 9 on the Billboard 200 on its way to sales of more than 2 million copies in the country.
Available on CD, 2LP and digital formats, the latest addition to The Cars’ reissue series presents the original album alongside rare and unreleased songs, including demos, remixes and studio outtakes.
The project will arrive in sync with an expanded edition of 1984’s “Heartbeat City”, and just two weeks before The Cars will be inducted into the 2018 Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame.
The Cars
“Shake It Up” Expanded Edition
Release date: March 30
"Since You’re Gone"
"Shake It Up"
"I’m Not the One"
"Victim of Love"
"Cruiser"
"A Dream Away"
"This Could Be Love"
"Think It Over"
"Maybe Baby"
"Since You’re Gone" (Early Version)
"Shake It Up" (Demo)
"I’m Not the One" (Remix)
"Cruiser" (Early Version)
"Take It on the Run" (Early Version of “A Dream Away”)
"Coming Up You Again" (1981 Version of “Coming Up You”)
"Little Black Egg" (Remastered)
"Midnight Dancer"
See also:
The Cars stream previously unreleased song from Shake It Up reissue
AUDIO: The Cars stream Drive demo from Heartbeat City expanded reissue
The Cars announce Shake It Up and Heartbeat City expanded reissues
The Cars, Dire Straits and Bon Jovi among 2018 Rock Hall inductees
Search The Cars at hennemusic
