The Cars – Shake it Up (Rhino Reserve Edition)

Rhino Records introduces the Rhino Reserve series, a high-quality vinyl line, emphasizing sound over packaging, with LP’s pressed at their brand-new facility in Oxnard, CA.

This is the first time I’ve delved into this series, and I’m very impressed.

I have a stone-cold, original 1981, radio promo pressing of this album that I used for comparison.  Although my old vinyl has a little more high end, it also sounds tinny, while this new, Reserve edition feels more EVEN.  There’s more warmth and depth in the mids and low ends.  

Right off the bat, I notice that “Since You’ve Gone” has more bass – a fuller sound, on the new pressing.  The percussive keyboard on “Shake It Up” is more pronounced, while Ric Ocasek’s vocals seem less detached than they were on the 1981 LP. 

All of this digital technology was in its infancy in the early Eighties, contributing I think to the brittle sound originally.  This new pressing has largely eliminated this, creating a warmer soundscape.  

Take another example, “I’m Not the One” – the percussion felt cold and robotic originally, while there’s more depth now.  

The tracks near the end of album sides traditionally suffered some fidelity loss inherent with the vinyl format.  On my OG copy, Ocasek’s vocals rolled off on “Victim of Love,” while this new version corrects this.  “Cruiser” benefits the most; the bass is more pronounced and the entire track just seems to breathe more. 

Side two features more experimental and odd tracks, and the blips and beeps of “Think it Over” definitely shine better in this new light. There is a small, mastering error near the beginning of “This Could Be Love” – the right channel drops out briefly in the Reserve version.  “Maybe Baby” is another example where there’s an improvement in the low end.

There’s no extra booklet or new liner notes, no heavy-grade album jacket – yet, is that really a big deal?  The most important thing is the sound – and Shake It Up from Rhino Reserve is the best-sounding version ever issued of this classic LP.  -Tony Peters