Once you get past the first two songs, i.e. "the hits", this becomes one very musically intriguing CD. The real reason, however, to buy this album is the song "A Dream Away". This one song is unlike anything else in the Cars' catalog either before or after it and arguably the best "non-hit" they ever recorded (a worthy runner-up might be "You Wear Those Eyes" from "Panorama"). I might be the only one who thinks so but I have my reasons. Beat poetry meets techno, "A Dream Away" should have spawned an equally trippy video though to my knowledge it never did. It also should have been included on the Cars' Anthology album but you can get it here. "Think It Over"'s pretty cool too.

I appreciate the content-based reviews, but some of us are long-time Cars fans who made their minds up about the songs many years ago. The question is, is this compact-disc everything it could be in terms of SOUND REPRODUCTION?

Regrettably not. The Cars albums were initially "dumped" to CD back in the early 90s, and it took a long time for the first three albums to be decently re-mastered. (Sadly, ART and LYRIC reproduction still has not been handled properly! Each new CD version looks exactly like the older, worse version!) As far as I can tell, Shake It Up and Heartbeat City have never been properly transferred. In other words -- they sound terrible.

Seems the problem is, Elektra's out of business. Certaintly, it's not a question of The Cars being able to sell records, since they ALWAYS DID, FROM DAY ONE. It's just not fair.

Somebody, please, obtain the rights and do The Cars right! Don't these pioneers of 80s sound quality deserve modern reproduction?

A little more light-hearted this time around, a year after the darker textures of Panorama. Shake It Up is a wonderful album that's sometimes forgotten, stuck between their "commercial disappointment album" and their "commercial smash album". It all starts out with one of the band's most memorable tunes, 'Since You're Gone', with Ric Ocasek's charming rhymes and Elliot Easton's faux E-Bow solo. A true classic. The title track is also a true classic, featuring a neo-doo-wop groove that remains the Cars' most danceable tune. 'I'm Not The One' is a simply incredible ballad, one of their best. It wasn't released as a single until 1986, as a remixed version from the Greatest Hits album. The original is better, with yet another wonderful synth solo by the band's secret weapon, Greg Hawkes. It sounds downright gothic. 'Victim Of Love' is a more light-hearted ditty. I love Hawkes' giddy synth touches on this one. 'Cruiser' is an awesome rocker, a perfect cruising song, naturally. I haven't owned this album for very long, and 'Cruiser' has already become one of my favorite Cars songs, along with the next song, 'A Dream Away'. This song is astounding; a great mood created by a driving synth line and synthesized drums, coupled with Ric's moody voice and lyrics. Probably my favorite song on the album. 'This Could Be Love' is another moody ballad, and a great one at that. Could've made a good single, too. 'Think It Over' has a bit different sound for the Cars. Despite the synths, it feels a little more rockabilly than usual. Ben Orr's vocal, as usual, make this song jump from good to great. "Everytime you run around, it makes me wanna pop". Also would've made a great single. 'Maybe Baby' is a driving Ric Ocasek rocker with some pretty slick percussion. And that's the end of this short but sweet Cars album, their one and only album cut at their own custom studio, Syncro Sound in Boston. I wonder whatever happened to that place? Anyway, Shake It Up remains one of the Cars' more light, enjoyable albums and I never tire of it.

"Shake it Up" is the perfect follow-up to "Panorama" and a nice prelude to "Heartbeat City". In a way the album is a mixture of the 2 album styles ("Since You're Gone"/"Shake It Up"/"Victim of Love"/"Think it Over" sounding like they fell off the "Heartbeat City" album and the rest sounding like they could be leftovers from "Panorama").

A very diverse album all the way with Ocasek's lyrics and Hawkes' keyboards ruling the scene. Ocasek's lyrics have never been better than they are in this album ("chicken encounters fill your bowels" and "is this the kill? is this the thrill? this could be love" among many other poetic pieces).

My favorites on the album are "Cruiser" and "Think it Over". Both songs are negative (ala "Panorama") in their approach, but say so much about Ocasek.

This album is the advanced, techno, new-wave Cars that is so much their trademark - and the essential (but not their best) Cars' album in my book

While this CD will never be classified as one of The Cars best, it has enough to make it a disc that I reach for when driving with the top down. The music brings back memories of a simpler time and after a couple of tracks I find my stress level subsiding. Maybe I am just getting older but I thought when it first came out Shake It Up had a brighter sound. This version the music seemed a little more muted. Overall though it has found a place in my CD rotation.