Complete Greatest Hits (The Cars album)

Complete Greatest Hits is a greatest hits album by American rock band the Cars, released on February 19, 2002, by Elektra Records and Rhino Records. It contains 20 singles and notable album tracks in chronological order of their original release. Sales of the album reignited following Ric Ocasek's death in September 15, 2019.^[3]

Complete Greatest Hits
Greatest hits album by the Cars
Released	February 19, 2002
Recorded	1978–1987
Genre	New wave pop rock
Length	79:28
Label	Elektra Rhino
Producer	Roy Thomas Baker The Cars Greg Hawkes Robert John "Mutt" Lange Ric Ocasek Mike Shipley
The Cars chronology
Shake It Up & Other Hits (2001) Complete Greatest Hits (2002) The Essentials (2005)

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[1]
Encyclopedia of Popular Music	[2]

The album was also released with different artwork entitled "The Very Best of the Cars". In Europe the album was issued as "The Definitive". The track selection was the same although the running order was altered.

Track listing

No.	Title	Original album	Length
1.	"Just What I Needed"	The Cars, 1978	3:45
2.	"My Best Friend's Girl"	The Cars	3:45
3.	"Good Times Roll"	The Cars	3:47
4.	"You're All I've Got Tonight"	The Cars	4:14
5.	"Bye Bye Love"	The Cars	4:15
6.	"Moving in Stereo" (Ocasek, Greg Hawkes)	The Cars	4:46
7.	"Let's Go"	Candy-O, 1979	3:35
8.	"It's All I Can Do"	Candy-O	3:45
9.	"Dangerous Type"	Candy-O	4:30
10.	"Touch and Go"	Panorama, 1980	4:57
11.	"Shake It Up"	Shake It Up, 1981	3:35
12.	"Since You're Gone"	Shake It Up	3:33
13.	"I'm Not the One"	Shake It Up	4:14
14.	"You Might Think"	Heartbeat City, 1984	3:07
15.	"Drive"	Heartbeat City	3:57
16.	"Magic"	Heartbeat City	3:59
17.	"Hello Again"	Heartbeat City	3:48
18.	"Why Can't I Have You"	Heartbeat City	4:05
19.	"Tonight She Comes"	Greatest Hits, 1985	3:56
20.	"You Are the Girl"	Door to Door, 1987	3:55
Total length:			79:28

All tracks are written by Ric Ocasek, except where noted

Personnel

Credits adapted from the liner notes.

The Cars

• Ric Ocasek – vocals, rhythm guitar
• Elliot Easton – lead guitar, backing vocals
• Greg Hawkes – keyboards, percussion, sax, backing vocals
• Benjamin Orr – vocals, bass guitar
• David Robinson – drums, percussion, backing vocals

Technical

• Roy Thomas Baker – production (tracks 1–13)
• Robert John "Mutt" Lange – production (tracks 14–18)
• The Cars – production (tracks 14–19); compilation production
• Mike Shipley – production (track 19)
• Ric Ocasek – production (track 20)
• Greg Hawkes – production (track 20)
• David McLees – compilation production
• Bill Inglot – sound production
• Dan Hersch – remastering

Artwork

• Brett Milano – liner notes
• Leigh Hall – liner note coordination
• Greg Allen – art direction, design
• David Robinson – Polaroid photography
• Ebet Roberts – booklet photography
• B.C. Kagan – booklet photography
• Brian McLaughlin – photography (page 15)

Charts

Chart (2002)	Peak position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[4]	65
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[5]	10

Chart (2019)	Peak position
Canadian Albums (Billboard)[6]	55
US Billboard 200[7]	32
US Top Rock Albums (Billboard)[8]	6

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[9]	Gold	35,000^
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

1. Leggett, Steve. "Complete Greatest Hits – The Cars". AllMusic. Retrieved July 31, 2021.
2. Larkin, Colin (2011). "Cars". The Encyclopedia of Popular Music (5th concise ed.). Omnibus Press. ISBN 978-0-85712-595-8.
3. Caulfield, Keith (September 18, 2019). "The Cars' Music Sales Increase 2,662% After Ric Ocasek's Death". Billboard. Retrieved June 22, 2020.
4. "ARIA Top 100 Albums – Week Commencing 20th May 2002" (PDF). The ARIA Report. No. 638. May 20, 2002. p. 6. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2008-02-22. Retrieved July 31, 2021 – via National Library of Australia.
5. "Charts.nz – The Cars – Complete Greatest Hits". Hung Medien. Retrieved May 26, 2020.
6. "The Cars Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved May 27, 2020.
7. "The Cars Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved May 27, 2020.
8. "The Cars Chart History (Top Rock Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved May 27, 2020.
9. "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2006 Albums" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved July 31, 2021.