Shake It Up is the fourth studio album by American new wave band the Cars, released on November 6, 1981, by Elektra Records. It was the last Cars record to be produced by Roy Thomas Baker. A much more pop-oriented album than its predecessor, its title-track became the band's first top ten single on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100. Spin magazine included it on their "50 Best Albums of 1981" list.
The Globe and Mail wrote that "Ric Ocasek and the boys have produced an understated and decidedly underwhelming package that makes no attempt to deviate from their patented, semi-robotic pop." The Boston Globe deemed the album "a conservative, cautious work that breaks no new ground." AllMusic critic Tim Sendra said, "Coming after the middling success of Panorama, it's not surprising that they swung back toward something more familiar; it's just too bad they didn't have the songs or production savvy to make it work."
The Cars
Production