The secrets behind Elliot Easton's tone on The Cars' Touch and Go

Elliot Easton
(Image credit: Rick Diamond/Getty Images)

The guitar solo Elliot Easton recorded for the Cars’ Touch and Go is considered one of his all-time greatest performances, but producer Roy Thomas Baker and Easton’s bandmates weren’t completely convinced when the guitarist first recorded it in the studio. 

“I wrote a solo that was a really crafted, jazz/bop, Steely Dan-style thing where I played through the chord changes,” Easton recalls, noting that he perfected it over a three-week period. “I was really excited to record that solo, and the first time I recorded it, I played it perfect. I was elated, but when I looked around at everyone else, it was crickets.

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