The Cars - Tribute: Substitution Mass Confusion

"Another tribute album? Make them stop, Mommy. Well, after this one maybe. Despite one mans studied opinion that the Cars only made one good album (1978s debut The Cars), if the whole raison dtre for a tribute is not a group wank but rather to refocus on what made the band special in the first place, then Substitution Mass Confusion could pass any audition. Every such project has its missteps, of course. The less said, the better, about Butch Walkers take on My Best Friends Girl here reworked acoustically as My Best Friends Magic Girlfriend, it strips away all the lust and danger of the original version. But when Chicagos Millions re-plaster the formidable wall of sound that is Youre All Ive Got Tonight, or when New Jerseys Spiraling nails the dreamy-hard vibe of Bye Bye Love, or even when Bostons femme-fronted Damone recasts Just What I Needed as a post-Avril punk-pop anthem, well, it almost feels like its 1978 all over again. Even better, some of the post-The Cars material here Doug Powells fuzztoned Candy-O, Jon (Posies) Auers luminous Misfit Kid, Bleus candy-gloss You Might Think are provocative enough to suggest that one mans studied opinion might need reassessing. And that, my friends, is what happens when a tribute album is really doing its job."-Fred Mills, Metro-Times.

Long overdue, this 21 track tribute showcases versions of Cars faves from Jon Auer (the Posies), Jason Falkner, Butch Walker, Owsley, Bleu, Gigolo Aunts(featuring Kid Lightning), Doug Powell, Damone, The Argument, Chris Von Sneidern, Action Action, Dum Dog Run(Rick Altizer), The Millions, Spiraling, The Bravery, sparkle*jets uk, The Andersons!, Johnny Monaco, The Daybirds and The Cautions.

"4 Stars out of five... that`s four big round 55 T Bird headlights in your rear view mirror... check it out!"-RockAndRoll Report. "A 21-song album that demonstrates the durability of the band`s catalog and also the veiled complexity of their songs."-TheDailyHerald(Chicago)

"Now is neither the time nor place to go on a rant about `the good old days,` but I`ve got to give Not Lame credit for their Cars tribute album, Substitution Mass Confusion. Enlisting twenty-one bands (most of which are power-pop bands) to take on the back catalog of Ric Ocasek sounds like a fun idea, and for the most part, the bands do an excellent job of interpreting these classics. Many of the bands are obscure, but don`t let that scare you off; almost all of these interpretations are excellent... Substitution Mass Confusion is a surprisingly fresh, interesting and fun listen--much more than you would imagine from a tribute record. If you`ve never heard The Cars, go buy a greatest hits record instead, because you need to get educated. If you have heard The Cars, Substitution Mass Confusion will make you want to pull out Candy-O again."-MundaneSounds

"Overall, there`s excellent quality to these chosen covers on Substitution Mass Confusion: A TributeTo The Cars - a real sense of love for the originals and a desire to live up to that high standard. What`s even better is that a portion of the proceedings from the sale of this tribute will be donated to the American Cancer Society in memory of the late Benjamin Orr. So you get to enjoy the music and help the cause - as such, you truly can`t go wrong."-Fufkin.com "SMC" passes inspection as a top-notch tribute album"-New England Music Scrapbook
"the whole thing is fun, and will make you do two things; pull out the original versions, and get you to check out some of the other bands, and that`s what a good tribute should do."-ShreddingPaper.
Cars keyboardist Greg Hawkes knows great music when he sees it!

Bleu - You Might Think - mp3

Owsley - Got A Lot On My Head - mp3

Dum Dog Run(Rick Altizer) - Candy-O - mp3

Damone - Just What I Needed - mp3

The Argument - Hello Again - mp3

Jason Falkner - Touch And Go - mp3

Sparkle*Jets U.K. - Slip Away - mp3

Gigolo Aunts(Kid Lightning) - I`m Not The One - mp3

Jon Auer(The Posies) - Misfit Kid - mp3

A portion of the proceeds from the sale of this CD will be donated to the American Cancer Society, In memory of Ben Orr.