Benjamin Orr "The Lace (Japan, Elektra Records, 32XD-541)"

The Lace is the only solo studio album by American rock and roll singer Benjamin Orr, best known for his work with The Cars. It was released on October 6, 1986, by Elektra Records and features his only solo hit, the song, "Stay the Night", which reached the top 40 in 1987. A follow-up single "Too Hot to Stop" was also released but failed to chart. Wounded Bird Records re-released the album on CD on August 15, 2006.

Track listing

All tracks are written by Benjamin Orr and Diane Grey Page.

1. "Too Hot to Stop" 4:18
2. "In Circles" 4:32
3. "Stay the Night" 4:26
4. "Skyline" 4:10
5. "When You're Gone" 4:51
6. "Spinning" 4:27
7. "Hold On" 4:30
8. "The Lace" 4:20
9. "That's the Way" 4:07
10. "This Time Around" 5:10

Mike Shipley - production, engineering and recording

Thom Moore - additional engineering and mixing (except "Stay The Night" and "Too Hot To Stop")

Mike Shipley - mixing on "Stay The Night" and "Too Hot To Stop"

Bob Ludwig - mastering at Master disk

All songs published by Orange Village Music (ASCAP)

Benjamin Orr "Stay The Night (Japan Single & Video)"

"Stay the Night" is a song by The Cars vocalist and bassist Benjamin Orr. It was included on his 1986 solo debut album The Lace, and released as a single in the end of 1986. "Stay the Night" reached #24 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the beginning of 1987, becoming Orr's only Top 40 hit as a solo artist.

Prior to recording his solo album, Orr had been a founding member, along with singer and songwriter Ric Ocasek, of The Cars. The Cars' first Top 40 hit, "Just What I Needed", featured Orr on lead vocals, as did their biggest hit, "Drive", from 1984's Heartbeat City.

Following The Cars' 1985 Greatest Hits release, the band split up to pursue solo projects, with both Orr and Ocasek releasing solo albums in 1986, lead guitarist Elliot Easton having released one in 1985. Weeks before "Stay the Night" entered the US Top 40, Ocasek himself was in the Top 40 with his own solo hit "Emotion in Motion". In both cases, those would become the only US Top 40 solo hit for both Cars members respectively.

The band reunited to record 1987's Door to Door, which produced "You Are the Girl", their last Top 40 single.

Track listing

US 7" (Elektra)

1. "Stay the Night" – 4:26
2. "That's the Way" – 4:07

The Cars "Complete Greatest Hits"

Complete Greatest Hits is a compilation album by the new wave band The Cars, released in 2002 by Elektra Records and Rhino Records, and contains 20 singles in chronological order of their original release. The album charted at number 10 on the New Zealand Music Charts.

The Cars "Door To Door"

Door to Door is the sixth studio album by the American rock band The Cars. It was released in 1987 on Elektra Records.

Door to Door was the group's last studio album before they disbanded in 1988. It was also the last Cars record to feature Benjamin Orr before his death in 2000. The band would not release another studio album until 2011's Move Like This.

Although by 1987 the Cars had reached the heights of superstardom, their last few albums had relied heavily on studio tricks and machines; this album was an attempt to move back to the group's original roots. For example, where the previous album, Heartbeat City, extensively used sampled and sequenced drums (a move that had somewhat alienated drummer David Robinson), this album returned to having Robinson performing the drums in the studio, often simultaneously with other members.

During a writing jam session, the band began to play "Ta Ta Wayo Wayo", a song from their earliest days together. It had never been recorded in the studio, except as a demo in 1977. They enjoyed the tune so much that the 1987 version of the song made it onto the album. The opening track, "Leave or Stay", also was originally a 1977 demo that was not properly recorded until Door to Door. Both tracks had their respective 1977 demo versions eventually issued on the 1995 compilation Just What I Needed: The Cars Anthology.

While the original album bears the credit "Produced by Ric Ocasek", individual tracks from this record that appear on various Cars compilations bear the credit "Produced by Ric Ocasek and Greg Hawkes".


The lead single of the album "You Are the Girl" reached no #17 on the Billboard 100 as well as reaching number #2 on the rock charts. The follow up single "Strap Me In" only scraped into the top 100 peaking at #85 though it was much more successful on the rock charts where it reached #4. The final single released "Coming Up You" peaked at 74 on the charts and was also a moderate hit on the adult contemporary charts.

The Cars "Heartbeat City"

Heartbeat City is the fifth studio album by American rock band the Cars. Released in 1984, it was produced by Robert John "Mutt" Lange. Picking up a positive commercial response, the Cars had many tracks getting airplay, and singles "Drive" and "You Might Think" in particular both became Top 10 hits. The album also received supportive reviews from several critics; for example, Robert Christgau stated that "the glossy approach the Cars invented has made this the best year for pure pop in damn near twenty, and it's only fair that they should return so confidently to form."

Heartbeat City contains five American Top 40 singles. Of these, "Drive" and "You Might Think" were also Top 10 hits, reaching the No. 3 and No. 7 positions, respectively. A number of songs from the album gained significant radio and TV exposure; most notably "You Might Think" and "Magic", which both received heavy airplay on MTV.

The lead vocal on "Drive" was performed by bassist Benjamin Orr. The song's video was directed by actor Timothy Hutton. It features Ric Ocasek arguing with a troubled young woman played by model Paulina Porizkova (whom Ocasek would later marry). "Hello Again" had a video directed by the legendary Andy Warhol, who also appeared onscreen.

The single "It's Not the Night" reached No. 31 on the rock charts. The song "Stranger Eyes" was used in the theatrical trailer of the 1986 film Top Gun, but it never made it into the soundtrack. "Looking for Love" was later covered by Austrian singer Falco as "Munich Girls" on his 1985 album Falco 3.

When the Cars performed at Live Aid, they played three songs from the album ("You Might Think", "Drive", plus the album's title track) alongside the fan favorite "Just What I Needed".


The album was produced by Robert John "Mutt" Lange. His commitment to the Cars album meant that he told Def Leppard he could not work on their album, Hysteria. However, due to delays in that album's recording, Lange was eventually able to produce it.

The cover art (including an image of a 1971 Plymouth Duster 340) is from a 1972 piece by Peter Phillips called Art-O-Matic Loop di Loop.

The Cars "Shake It Up"

Shake It Up is the fourth studio album by American rock band The Cars, released in 1981. It was the last album by the Cars to be produced by Roy Thomas Baker. A much more pop-oriented album than its predecessor, its title track became their first Billboard top ten hit.

The Cars "Panorama"

Panorama is the third studio album by American new wave band the Cars, released in 1980.

The record marked a change from the upbeat pop rock and hard rock of the group's previous albums, representing a more aggressive and experimental sound. It was not as commercially successful as the Cars' previous or subsequent albums (until 1987's Door to Door). However, it did hit No. 5 on the Billboard 200 chart and has been certified platinum by the RIAA.


As a single off the album, the song "Touch and Go" peaked at #37 on the Billboard Hot 100.