The Cars’ debut album is the closest that mainstream radio rock has ever gotten to perfection. The first three tracks are some of the greatest singles in pop music (Let The Good Times Roll, My Best Friend’s Girl, Just What I Needed), and I say that completely without exaggeration. And unlike other great album opening trifectas, the rest of the album doesn’t slip into forgetability (I’m looking at you, Joshua Tree). Rather, the non-single tracks showcase frontman Ric Ocasek’s ability to balance his avant-garde leanings with a delicious pop sensibility (see: I’m In Touch With Your World), and the results are pure pop bliss.

It’s also worth noting that Ric Ocasek produced Weezer’s Blue Album, as Weezer debuted as heir apparent to the Cars’ easily digestible yet seldom-boring pop rock. Granted, the Cars’s aesthetic is one of ultra-cool rather than geek chic, and their sound is markedly synth-heavy in comparison, but the spirit is the same: this is music that is made by people who enjoy it, with the intention of being enjoyable to listen to. And like Blue, the Car’s debut is proof that pop music doesn’t have to be inane, and that art rock doesn’t need to be avant-garde to the point of being unlistenable.