For February’s C-D prompt, my choice is to write about a band I’ve written about several times and apparently can’t seem to get enough of: Cake. When my younger son went away to college, he rode with his high school buddy. The buddy loved Cake so my son was force-fed cake for 3 years (he had his own car by the 4th.) I must have learned about them that first year before he got sick of them. His loss was my gain.
Cake is an American rock band from Sacramento, California, consisting of singer John McCrea, trumpeter Vince DiFiore, guitarist Xan McCurdy, bassist Daniel McCallum, and drummer Todd Roper. The band has been noted for McCrea’s sarcastic lyrics and deadpan vocals, and their wide-ranging musical influences, including norteño, country music, mariachi, disco, rock, funk, folk music, and hip hop.
Looking at the band member timeline McCrea has been there from the beginning and the others except for the drummer has been fairly consistent for the past 25 years.
From 1994-2011 there have been 5 studio albums, one compilation album, one live album, one demo album, 2 EPs, and 22 singles released per wikipedia. I’ve got all of the studio ones, the compilation one, and one of the EPs.
You know how with so many albums, there will be a fair number of chaff songs that act as filler? With Cake you just don’t find that. They make every song quality. The reality that they’ve made so few recordings over their 30+ years lends support to my statement. I was blessed to go see them live with my older son at Royal Oak, a small music theater near Detroit many moons ago now. Instead of row seating, the place was set up with tall tables and chairs. The intimate setting, with everyone there knowing all of the words, was a magical experience.
My first choice is, “Alpha Beta Parking Lot,” from Prolonging the Magic. Wiki says:
With Brown (guitar) and Damiani’s (bass) departure, McCrea felt “free to experiment” with the next album, 1998’s Prolonging the Magic; he wrote (or co-wrote) and produced every song. As a result of this experimentation, the album was noted as “loaded with spiced-up instrumentation, including a few new ingredients like the pedal steel guitar and musical saw thrown in for extra flavour“. McCrea stated that he deliberately “approached writing this record without the guitar as the central assumption of all life in the universe.” Alpha Beta Parking Lot is written by Vincent DiFiore, McCrea
Standing in the Alpha Beta parking lot
Watching the sunset, I’ll never forget
Watching all the reds, and oranges slip away
Letting go of yet, another dirty day
Breathing in the fumes from so many idling cars
Right beneath the sign with the dusty yellow stars
Watching the sun go down
Watching the sun go down
Watching (the sun) the sun (watching the sun) go down
Standing in the Alpha Beta parking lot
Watching you leave me, not quite believing
Standing in the Alpha Beta parking lot
Watching the sunset, I’ll never forget
Breathing in the fumes from so many idling cars
Right beneath the sign with the dusty yellow stars
Watching the sun go down
Watching the sun go down
Watching (the sun) the sun (watching the sun) go down
Breathing in the fumes from so many idling cars
Right beneath the sign with the dusty yellow stars
Watching the sun go down
Watching the sun go down
Watching (the sun) the sun (watching the sun) go down
Watching (the sun) the sun (watching the sun) go down
Watching the sun go down
Written by: John M Mc Crea, Vince Di Fiore
Album: Prolonging the Magic
Released: 1998
The second song is a cover of, “Ruby, Don’t Take Your Love to Town,” which is found on both one of the EPs and the compilation album. Ruby, Don’t Take Your Love to Town” is a song written by Mel Tillis about a paralyzed veteran who lies helplessly as his wife “paints [herself] up” to go out for the evening without him…
“Ruby” was first recorded by Waylon Jennings in 1966. Johnny Darrell reached number nine on the country charts with the song in 1967, and Kenny Rogers and The First Edition released it in 1969.
Glyn Wilton is the host of Mixed Music Bag. Glyn says:
February, the theme for this months MMB is to find a band or singer that starts with the letter C or D
Tao Talk 
You making a convert here Lisa, ABPL has some great lines and a killer version of Ruby. You’re the second blogger and third refer to Cake I heard this week!
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Glad you like them, Glyn. Who else is baking Cake? :)
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Dave did and I heard it on a radio program.
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I can always use another piece of Cake. (K)
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:)
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The Ruby cover was really good.
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Glad you enjoyed it, Jim.
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I’m new to Cake and like both songs you highlighted. I also saw in Apple Music they have a “Deluxe Edition” of their 2004 album “Pressure Chief” scheduled for March 15.
That said, it looks like what makes it “deluxe” is only one additional track, a live version of “Wheels”. That track is already available and not bad either, though if you already have the original edition of the album, I’m not sure it would be worthwhile getting the “deluxe”. I wanted to flag it anyway! :-)
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You’re right, Christian, I already have everything they’ve made, but thanks for the heads-up. Glad you like what you are hearing in the songs.
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👍 Also wanted to make sure you saw my email I sent on Monday around 7pm ET. Given the Word attachment, it may have gone to your spam filter!😀
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I just re-sent my response to it. Let me know if you get it, OK?
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Thanks, I did, and it went into my spam, even though I initiated the email chain – can you believe that?!😂
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Knowing the internet as I do, yes, I can :)
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My knowledge of Cake begins and ends with the song about the race car driver that the alternative radio station in Virginia played to death in the 1990s. At least your son got to hear a variety of songs, I presume. :)
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What did you think of these 2? He got burnt out on them.
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I was listening to Cake this morning. Sheep Go To Heaven…they are quirky and a great sort of quirky. They are not for everyone but I like them. I like how they think out of the box.
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Being in that theater and singing this song was a hoot. We also sang, “Satan is my motor.” You’re right, they are not for everyone.
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Yea…quirky is not for everyone. Devo…another band although way more out there…that is an aquired taste. But I do like Cake because they are quirky.
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Good comparison with Devo.
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❤️
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Not my cup of tea but I do like to eat cake so that’s got to count for something! 🍰
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haha! Of course it does!
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I’ve certainly had my fair share of Cake. They do kind of grow on you. I like the ‘Ruby’ cover.
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What’s your favorite Cake song?
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Thanks for this Lisa, a new band for me, just listened their song, Frank Sinatra… brilliant!
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JIM, brilliant is an adjective that fits them. One of my favorite bands.
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That comment above is from Jim over at stopdraggingthepanda!!
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Hi, Lisa :-) I did not know of this band! I am glad I do now though! I like what I am hearing!
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What the heck, Carol Anne? You’ve been missing out!
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