A pre-fame live tape of a show by new wave heroes, the Cars, recently surfaced online. The 1977 recording documents the Boston band less than a year on from their concert debut, and just when they were starting to gain some notoriety. The tape contains songs that are now classics, as well as those that are only known to diehard fans, including a few that have never been released.

The gig took place at the Paradise Theater, a small Boston venue, on October 1st, 1977. At the time, the Cars hadn’t been together all that long, but they were a band on the move. Demos of “My Best Friend’s Girl” and “Just What I Needed” had started to receive prominent airplay on Boston radio, and following a major label bidding war, the Cars signed a multi-album deal with Elektra/Asylum Records in November.
 

 
In addition to playing six songs that would be included on their self-titled debut (1978), the Cars played a number of tunes that didn’t end up on the record, though many would turn up later. “You Can’t Hold On Too Long” was tapped for album #2, Candy-O (1979), and “Leave Or Stay” kicks off their final album before disbanding, Door to Door (1987). Demos of “Cool Fool,” “Take What You Want,” and “You Just Can’t Push Me” were released in the ‘90s. Three songs still haven’t officially seen the light of day: the Stonesy rocker, “When You Gonna Lay Me Down”; the T. Rex-inspired, “You Can Have ‘Em”; and the power pop nugget, “I Don’t Want To,” sung by guitarist Elliot Easton.
 

 
The Cars came out in mid ‘78, and excitement about the group was growing not just at the local level, but nationally now, too. “Just What I Needed” was the first single from the album released to radio, and it was getting lots of spins on both rock and top 40 stations. Around this time, the Cars played six sold out shows at the Paradise Theater.
 

 
The October 1st, 1977 show, taped by an audience member, was transferred from a first generation reel-to-reel dub; the recording hasn’t widely circulated until now.

The setlist:

1. Leave Or Stay
2. Cool Fool
3. Bye Bye Love
4. When You Gonna Lay Me Down
5. Take What You Want
6. You Can Have ‘Em
7. You Can’t Hold On Too Long
8. My Best Friend’s Girl
9. I Don’t Want To
10. All Mixed Up
11. Don’t Cha Stop
12. You Just Can’t Push Me
13. You’re All I’ve Got Tonight
14. Just What I Needed

Previously on Dangerous Minds:
Andy Warhol meets the Cars: The notorious NSFW ‘nude’ version of the ‘Hello Again’ video