B-Sides and Rarities

Cake

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 2, 2007)
• Original Release Date: 2007
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Upbeat
• ASIN: B000TSTTYG
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (25 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #22,236 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
Since breaking on to the music scene in the early nineties, CAKE has not only survived, but thrived in a tumultuous industry where major labels have continued to merge themselves out of existence, indies are regaining power, and the average band's life span is a meager two albums. CAKE's distinctive brand of music has transcended scene and genre alike for over a decade, garnering the band several platinum records and a dedicated following. The band now brings forth a unique collection of "b-sides and rarities", their first release since 2004’s studio album "Pressure Chief". Songs on the album were originally sung by legendary singers such as Frank Sinatra, Barry White, Buck Owens, George Jones, Ozzy Osborne, and Kenny Rogers. The band has used these songs to find new creative elements within themselves, producing eloquently accomplished tracks that simultaneously maintain the band's own unique stamp. CAKE's "b-sides and rarities" comes complete with a collectible "scratch and sniff" CD package and features re-mixed and re-mastered tracks, plus an exclusive live bonus track of "War Pigs" with Steven Drozd of the Flaming Lips.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Nice companion, October 27, 2007

By	E. DeCota (Buffalo, NY, 14150) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Cake is a band that doesn't break a whole lot of new ground. The production values have gone up significantly since their Motorcade days, but the overall sound is much unrefined, at least in spirit. This album is a collection of B-sides, meaning if you have done your homework, you should have heard most or all of this before. It contains almost entirely material that was not included on previous studio albums, and then a few live cuts. I really like their version of 'Strangers in the Night' as well as 'Subtract One Love (Multiply the Heartaches). Also notable are 'War Pigs' and 'Conroy' for some good instrumentation. Also it has a alternate take of one of my favorites 'It's Coming Down.' I will say again, most of this stuff you can find in other places but is fun nonetheless.

There are some live cuts that in my opinion, add very little to the album. 'Short Skirt' is a song I was tired of the first time i heard it, and 'War Pigs' is unecessary, even considering the Flaming Lips cameo. A studio take and a live take together on one collection is filler to me.

So I dunno buy the album if you like cake. Its not expensive. It's good. The liner notes smell nice.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars One of my favorite bands--blows it big time., September 14, 2008

By	K. J. Hendrickson "~Kyle" (Pennsylvania) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I don't know whether they've run out of ideas, they're hard up on cash, or WHAT the exact explanation is here, but after three years between the release of "Pressure Chief" and this "thing", I expected a LOT more from what I consider to easily be one of my top five bands.

Don't pay over eight bucks for this album because you're not really even getting an album. With two instrumental tracks, several covers (none of them fantastic) and a god-awful rendition of the muppet's "Mahna Mahna", this collection simply didn't deserve a retail release, and I feel ripped off. I should have just gone with my gut after listening to the previews at Barnes and Noble. You also get two unnecessary, crappier-sounding, early versions of "Short Skirt Long Jacket" and "It's Coming Down". If anything, these tracks seem thrown in just to pad the unbelievably short length of this release.

After the serviceable but minor let-down of the 11-tracked "Pressure Chief", I was really hoping that Cake would step it up to the greatness of their best album "Fashion Nugget" again. Cake has yet to even show ANY indication that they have the creativity left in them to produce anything worthwhile.

With three years (on average) between the releases of their albums, they'd better not be counting this turd, thinking they can rest on their laurels til 2010.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars I like it, but not a ton.., June 4, 2008

By	William Hoffknecht "Worms in Utero" (Fernley, NV) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

So I love Cake and have been waiting for this release for a long time, but I was sort of disappointed when I finally got it.

I like some of the covers, those are cool, but really, there is not much substance on this disc.

If you are Cake fans, pick it up because this is the first truly indie release by Cake since they got away from a horible record company and I will always support them, but if you are not that big of a fan, this is not a needed disc.