1. “Good Times Roll” Candy-O But those were both laid out wrong anyway, so it was pretty much totally lost. David Robinson plays a tight rhythm, being sure not to miss a beat on the drums, and Greg Hawkes plays all the crazy futuristic sounds and catchy leads on his synths. I. also, however, listened to Ventures records. The other guys in the group had all played together in the past, at one time or another. It would be easier to find one I didn’t like, to be honest. But I don’t want to hear someone saying, “You can’t play this.”, great. Dangerous Type RS: When you say everyone in the group is doing a solo record, does that include yourself, too? Ric was into the Modern Lovers and knew my drumming style. RS: So the final artwork that appears on Heartbeat City isn’t really yours? The way we work, I would never hear it. DR: No, totally commercial background music. RS: What about the other aspects of being on the road—the hotels, the fast meals, fatigue. There I can play for an hour, take a break, and play for a couple of hours more. My Best Friend's Girl If I’m really getting, carried away with something that’s fun, I, might get up and play with some other peo, ple, but I’d do a Cars song or maybe a Vel. of them. I don’t want to. I have thin, three-ply shells, instead of five-ply. What are your recollections of the recording of those songs? I wanted to get one of those upside down China cymbals, but I didn’t find a good one in time. I mean, if you compare your drumming on Heartbeat City with things you recorded in the past, there is a fairly noticeable difference. DR: Well, the studio does have some restrictions in terms of equipment. 2. “Looking For Love” 8. “Think It Over” If I’m really getting carried away with something that’s fun, I might get up and play with some other people, but I’d do a Cars song or maybe a Velvet Underground number. I’m trying to get music together for movie, months on a good, pretty high-budgeted movie, than on an album that maybe, nobody’s going to hear and that I get car, ried away with, but one that won’t be commercial, that I sing on, and that I can write, words for. on the road—the hotels, the fast meals, fatigue. consciously say to myself, “Wow, I think I’m going to sit down for an hour or so, and listen to this person play drums.” Then later on, after the question has been, love to listen to, and drummers I enjoy hearing play. We never do that, so it’s really simple. I really need to hear them. : I used all Zildjian cymbals: 16″, 17″, and 18″ crash cymbals. 4. “Fine Line” They include the B-side “Don’t Go To Pieces,” as well as unreleased songs like “Shooting For You,” and “Be My Baby.” Digital remastering was supervised by Ric Ocasek and the album’s liner notes were written by David Wild, along with reminiscences from keyboardist Greg Hawkes. It features the unforgettable singles “Since You’re Gone,” “Think It Over” and The Cars’ single, “Shake It Up.” Several unreleased tracks make their debut on SHAKE IT UP: EXPANDED EDITION, including an early version of “Since You’re Gone,” the demo for “Shake It Up” and an unreleased song called “Midnight Dancer.”. The collection features the band’s big hits along with a rare, single mix for “I’m Not The One,” as well as a live version of “Everything You Say,” and a new mix by producer Philippe Zdar of “Sad Song,” a track from the band’s last album, 2011’s Move Like This. RS: How do you go about shopping for drums when you’re looking for something new? All you, could say was, “I don’t want to do this,”, or “I’ll look stupid doing that.” But there, was so little input and so little understand, sought to get his ideas across that we had, no choice but to get our makeup on and do it. Yet, for some reason, I expected different answers to the questions I posed to him. 1. “Let’s Go” 3. “It’s All I Can Do” Everything You Say (live)* It was probably because he’s the, frontman for the group and writes most of, our songs. I wanted to get one of those upside down China cymbals, but I didn’t find a good one in time. But I could go through the record from song to song and pick things out, like “Here’s a really bad kick drum beat that never should have been there, doesn’t really help, and I never would have played on my own.”. 4. “I’m In Touch With Your World” By his own admission, Robinson possesses a drum style that is remarkably simple and succinct. It sounds like you’re actually at the village. Maybe it took just one day. I just play drums pretty much. The album was released in the summer of 1979 and became a huge hit, peaking at #3 on the Billboard Album Chart and eventually earned quadruple-platinum certification in the U.S. alone. 2. “You Are The Girl” You know, I also do the work that we all do together with, But didn’t you also have a hand in designing the LP cover for, how sort of got lost in the shuffle of work, ing on the record and trying to be the art. We wanted the drums in our group to be in the same vein that the Underground used them in— very primitive and simple, not fancy, but still emotional. You also feel much more powerful with a P.A. Somebody who had been to Africa taught him this drumbeat. 5. “Stranger Eyes” I joined DMZ because I couldn’t find a band that looked like it would be long-lasting. And from DMZ I joined the Cars. of the band, with Ocasek out in front of everyone else in the band? I had a lot of ideas, so I kept them all throughout my band years. I’ll listen and then react. It’s easy. ’70s with the Cars have since disbanded or. I must also say that, when I suspected a hint of uneasiness, I probed as deep as I could in order to bring out Robin- son’s true feelings on the subject at hand. RS: So many groups that began in the late ’70s with the Cars have since disbanded or else are long forgotten. 5. I can say this: I don’t know what I would have done if things hadn’t worked out the way they did. I hope, however, that they do change. It’s much more exciting to play in front of people. You couldn’t do anything. I liked a couple of them. And that costs, money. Those are the only decisions we have to make. ing on things, but I don’t have a record deal and haven’t even looked for one yet. 12. Maybe it took just one day. If there’s something I hear in my head that’s a little complicated, I’ll sit down and play it for just as long as it takes to feel comfortable with it and feel like I know it. The collection is produced by the band, with all surviving members contributing to song selection. RS: What drummers do you particularly enjoy listening to these days? I go to the movies all the time and say to myself, “Jeez, I. can do this!” These people get paid a lot of money, too. recorded at home where he has an eight-track studio. DR: Well, it was a problem. RS: Who were some of your early influences on the drums? 15. If I ran out of money today, I couldn’t even conceive of not being able to buy the latest drum machine or whatever. Like all my friends, I wanted to be in a band. I wanted to take up the guitar and take guitar lessons; it was a hip thing to take lessons back then, even though we all wound up teach- ing ourselves to play. Roy would just about always let me play whatever I wanted to play, and I never expected, because of that, for things to be any other way. I think all the members should have had an input and something to say as to the cre, ation of the videos. Of course, to some, other people’s ears it all sounds like it always did—simple. rather have it be more of a group thing. I do layouts and different things, and have been working with photographers doing some ads for magazines here in Boston. For the kind of work I want to do by myself, as well as the work I want to do with the Cars, I’ve got to have the best equipment. The 18″ is rather thin; the others are sort of just medium weight. The impression they make, at least to my ear, is caused by a lot of things going on at once, not like, say, a dance record that you hear these days, and that’s all drums or 90% drums. with Cars’ bass player Ben Orr. 14. On the large cymbals, I just like something really loud that cuts through the sound—the volume. Touch And Go RS: But didn’t you also have a hand in designing the LP cover for Heartbeat City? That’s really where I pulled back and played as little as I could play. Find your closest retailer here: http://www.recordstoreday.com/Stores. Right now, I have a million movie themes in my head. Still, it was some, thing I wanted to do. I think the best of the bunch were Ludwig and Yamaha. Hardly any of our music is like that. Some ideas I could use with the Cars, but they have to be changed to fit the style of the Cars’ songs. But I could go, pick things out, like “Here’s a really bad kick drum beat that never should have, been there, doesn’t really help, and I never, And it’s mostly up to when Ric wants to do. I have thin, three-ply shells, instead of five-ply. Shake It Up I love to play live a little more because it’s totally different than recording. Since you have an interest in film, does that carry over into videos, too? People would want to hear the song the way it was on the demo, and we couldn’t change the signature or anything. Then someone in the band asked me to join one day, and so I said, “Yeah, I might as well be a part of it.” So I did that for a while—maybe not even a year. Lovers, it was during that gig that I realized I had a certain drum style. Why not? On the small cymbals I like a thin, short decay. It’s a pretty simple working. It sounds, great. 7. “It’s Not The Night” Since you have an interest in film, does that carry over into videos, too? If I ran out of money today, I couldn’t even conceive of not being able to buy the latest drum machine or whatever. 4. I think you feel better when you do things for yourself in your own studio. : What drummers do you particularly enjoy listening to these days? Since I wasn’t all that successful early on, I tried to sort of go both ways with it. What do you look for and listen for in a cymbal? RS: What do you do to satisfy those creative urges? I go to the movies all the time and say to myself, “Jeez, I can do this!” These people get paid a lot of money, too. DR: Yeah, that happens. I wanted to take up the guitar and take guitar lessons; it was a hip thing to take lessons back, then, even though we all wound up teach- ing ourselves to play. 5. “Cruiser” But for the last album, I really had nothing to do with any of the videos we did. It was the kind of thing where people treated the drums like it was my hobby, but I thought it was going to be my vocation.