Ric Ocasek - vocals, guitar, keyboards; Akio Akashi - bass; Deric Dyer - saxophone; Stephen George - drums; Roger Greenawalt - guitar; Greg Hawkes - keyboards
Ric Ocasek was the lead singer, rhythm guitarist and main songwriter for the multi-platinum new wave rock band The Cars. After skyrocketing to stardom with the release of their debut album, and hit singles "Just What I Needed" and "My Best Friend's Girl," in 1978, Ocasek took the radio-friendly Boston-based band to the top of the rock heap. He wrote, co-produced and sang lead on four subsequent hit Cars albums before venturing off to do a solo project.
When Ocasek wrote and recorded Beatitude in 1982, it is uncertain if he was trying to either distinguish himself as a solo artist or create a different musical experience than he had with The Cars; in the end, it seems he did neither. Beatitude, and his subsequent other solo albums, were essentially reminiscent of mediocre Cars demos.
This short, five-song set is intended to showcase Ocasek and his new solo material, and the audience is excited to see him (possibly in hopes that he would break out some familiar hits from The Cars). "Jimmy Jimmy" and "Something To Grab For" border on the emerging techno sound that The Cars had also experimented with. "Connect Up To Me" and "Out Of Control" are stronger, but are not as good as any of the big hits made famous by The Cars.
Ocasek would return to The Cars to record one more great album (Heartbeat City in 1984) and one not-so-great album (Door to Door in 1987), before breaking up the band to become a full time producer and part-time solo artist. He spent most of the last ten years as an A&R exec for Geffen Records, and he launched his own label in 2005.