Ocasek and Orr: Their Pre-Cars songs were so damn FUNKY!

Cap'n Swing and Magic Pants were floatin' down the street.

I’ve had a thing for rock singers my whole life. I mean who hasn’t, right? Way back when I was seven years old in second grade, I fell under the spell of the boy who played the part of the Artful Dodger in the local high school production of Oliver!.  Imagine my delight when a few years later that same talented fellow turned up in a band that played around town at middle school and CYO dances and graduation parties when I was in 6th grade. I was fortunate to become friends with him when we grew up. And he was still singing! My crushes in high school were almost always guys who were in bands.  Cuz they had that “thing’.  I adored them from the front row when they played in the Gazebo in the park or at the Hub. Damn… the boys in the band, right? Well, I do believe that music is magic. 

This brings me to today’s topic: Cap'n Swing- An Almost Famous Band!

Listen to the magic groove on this fantastic ditty by Cap’n Swing and Magic Pants- otherwise known as Ric Ocasek and Benjamin Orr:

There exists an entire catalog of songs that Ben sang before The Cars were The Cars.  Very few of them ever made it onto official recordings but you can find them on Youtube.  They. Are. Fantastic.  I wish I had a time machine. One of the things I would do would be to go to all of the band’s early shows:  at The Rat;  the Foghat record release party at the roller skating rink;  the 1976 New Year’s Eve show where they debuted as The Cars;  the “bye bye” party for Maxanne Sartori when she left WBCN;  the show they opened for Bob Seger.  Oh to have been able to have experienced the young and hungry band, the excitement about knowing they were on the cusp of a huge breakthrough, Ben and Ric sensing the struggle of the last eight years was going to be worth it, before fame claimed their energy and their happiness and their bond. 

Before they were The Cars, Ric and Ben were ID Nirvana, Leatherwood,  Milkwood, Otcasek and Orzechowski, Ocasek and Orr, Richard and the Rabbits, Cap’n Swing and then finally, after a series of showcases and lineup changes, the magic happened and The Cars emerged.  

Ben and Ric had been playing music together since about 1970, when they connected after Ben was discharged from the Army and found his way back into the Ohio music scene.  They persevered through poverty and being dismissed at times as having “nothing there”, but once they formed Cap’n Swing their distinctive sound really came together and the time between that lineup and the really early Cars, they produced some terrific songs. They had a jazzy sound that was different from the The Cars- a definite groove, a little more freeform, but you could definitely hear shades of The Cars.  Of course there were different band members: Danny (Schliftman) Louis (later of Gov’t Mule) on keyboards, Glenn Evans on drums and Todd Roberto on bass.  Ric, not quite satisfied with their particular sound, replaced Glenn with David Robinson, put Ben on bass and connected again with earlier collaborator Greg Hawkes.  

As far as I have been able to discern, Ben sang most Cap’n Swing songs and early Cars songs. Ric did sing an early version of Bye Bye Love. It was a good idea to eventually give that one to Ben. One of the reasons I love those songs is because you could really hear the evolution of Ric’s writing and their sound. But another was that they showcased Ben’s voice in a different way than Cars songs did.  And as phenomenal he sounded in The Cars, these are more earthy, definitely more 70s groovy and so, so funky.  It’s like he was able to let loose a little more than he did in The Cars. 

Here’s Jezebel-

Both Ric and Ben sang but Ben took the lead.  His voice was so resonant- I’ve said this before but his voice had the capability of getting into your soul- the syllables and vowels that he accentuates just gave you (or me) the feels. I also need to add that Elliot Easton’s guitar work here is brilliant. Another song where he absolutely shines.

He was so dreamy when he sang  Goes on Sleeping:

You were stayin’ the night over

Cuz you're such a laaady

Dropping his voice on the line - Giving up on you

Goes on sleepin’, yeah.

That “yeah” just makes you melt.  Whenever Ben sang yeah you could feel the electricity from the top of your head all the way down to your toes and everywhere in between.

One of my all time favorite songs is Wake Me Up.  His voice was low and deep and emotive and so, so sexy sounding.  He could make Ric’s lyrics come alive….and fill them with a passion and feeling and warmth that was very special.

I’d like to slow-ow-ow this spin I’m in

Roll me up and drop me down…ayyy,,, back in New York town.

Listen here to the provocative seductiveness of the live version of Come Back Down that they performed when they opened for Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band at Boston Music Hall in March of ‘77. It starts with an early 50s-ish rock and roll sounding intro that then slides into Velvet Underground territory. Ben just oozes sex all over the place here. Everything about this song is fantastic from the drums to Elliot’s guitar. This could have been a hit if it had been released as a single.

There was a rawness that suited his voice.  Those early tracks were just so…so….I don’t know… sultry and a little dirty.  Because Ben was born to perform, I think his voice was a window to his soul. I hear a joyousness in the early work, a sense of fun.  It was a real contrast to the tone and feeling in his unreleased solo work post Cars.  

Here is a link to Ben fan ElectricAngelRockandRoller on Youtube who posted all of the Cap’n Swing/Cars songs:

https://www.youtube.com/@benjaminorrelectricangelro5493

Those early songs showcased whatever it was that Benjamin Orr had that made him different. Famous singers of course have something that sets them apart, that indefinable charisma. And Benjamin Orr must have possessed a special kind of entrancing magic. A vibration, an aura, a magnetism that was different from others.  If you read Joe Milliken’s book Let’s Go, many  of the people who knew him describe how Ben just had something that set him apart even when he was very young.  For someone who has been gone for over 24 years, and had really been out of the spotlight for the last ten years of his life, yet he still holds people in thrall. There are Pinterests,  Youtube channels, Instagram accounts, blogs, and many Facebook groups devoted to beautiful Benjamin. And I find that so compelling. Of course there are all kinds of websites and tribute pages and social media related to other rock stars.  But they don’t have the absolutely intense fan base that Ben has.  

He really seemed to be two different people: the singer with that voice, alluring stage presence and rock star sexiness who literally had a hold on multitudes of women, yet so private and mysterious,  the quiet musician who did not seek the spotlight and who spoke very little about his personal life. Who lived not in New York or LA, but in a Boston suburb, and then even further away from the music industry in Vermont.

All bands have ups and downs.  And all bands break up at some point.  (Except for the Rolling Stones and The Grateful Dead.  And the only reason the Dead have different players now is because the former members  died. If they hadn’t, they’d all still be truckin’.) So it’s not really a shock that The Cars didn’t make it longer than a decade.  They officially broke up on this date in 1988. Sad how quickly things fell apart after the enormous success of Heartbeat City. I wish they had taken a break instead of completely disbanding.  I’ve said this before, but I firmly believe that if Magic Pants hadn’t died so young he’d still be doing what he had his whole life. Having fun on stage with that sexy as hell grin, the blonde shag and that absolutely unmistakable voice.