Customer Reviews

Motorcade of Generosity

5 star:		(65)
4 star:		(14)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I became a huge Cake fan when "The Distance" hit the radio and I bought Fashion Nugget. I later picked up Prolonging the Magic, which I think is great, but is also distinctly missing the 2 lost band members. However, when I purchased Motorcade of Generosity (which was buried in the racks at a SuperTarget), I realized what a great band Cake really is. It's an excellent record from start to finish. I'm buying it again today because I gave my copy to a good friend of mine when we were sent to different corners of the world (it was one of the most difficult things I've ever done). The consistent fun across the album is helped by a truly phenomenal track like "Jolene". I can count on one hand the number of times a song has given me chills on the first listen, but, even the first time I heard it, I knew I was listening to something extraordinary. I still get goosebumps every time that second guitar comes in at the beginning. Wow -- one of the best songs I've ever heard on the best album I own. Whoever is selling the one used copy at the top of the page either went deaf or is completely insane. Buy this disc.

Although not as commercial as their later albums, MOG has much sharper (Rock and Roll Lifestyle) and more interesting (Mr. Mastadon Farm) Lyrics. While Prolonging the Magic is cheery, and Fashion Nugget is somewhat less, I believe MOG is weightier than either of the others. Though I normally enjoy happy party music, the mix of lyrics, guitar and trumpet solos make this my favorite cake album. But you should be warned, although The Distance and Never There are great songs, there are none like them on this album. If you like the quirkier side of Cake, you'll love this album.

This is Cake's first and best CD. Not as many people know about it because it was before "going the distance" came out but just because no one knows about it dosen't mean you shouldn't buy it. In fasion nugget the good songs are at the end (nugget, perhaps . . ,ect.) and in Prolonging the magic, the good sons are all at the begining (Satan is my motor, mexico, walk on by, ect.)Buy in this CD they are all really good. Try "rock and roll life style", a coment on consumption and rebellion. "Comanche" is great and then there is my personal fave: "Birds fall" If you are still a bit antsy about geting this CD, let me tell you this: if you like the Cake songs that are on the radio (never there, Going the distance) you will like this CD.

but i know they can do better. it has several good songs on it that paved the way for their later albums, Fashion Nugget and Prolonging the Magic. any hardcore cake fan can see that John's style has matured so much since Motorcade but without it no one would be able to see that. if you are a first time buyer of a cake album, please allow me to say that you will be much happier with buying fashion nugget or prolonging because the insturmentals and vocals are better. but if you are thinking about buying this album and you already have the other two, i would definantly recommend it. it is a pretty good album,especially the songs jolene, is this love, rock 'n' roll lifestyle, i bombed korea, and mr. mastadon farm. great songs from a great band.

I first discovered Cake at the Whiskey a-Go-Go in LA before the release of this, their debut album. Despite the fact that I was there to see another band, Cake absolutely blew me away. While 'Fashion Nugget' and 'Prolonging the Magic' are both excellent albums, 'Motorcade of Generosity' has an unabashed irreverence that their subsequent releases don't approach. Combined with this album's rawer, lower-than-lo-fi sound, 'Motorcade' better communicates the band's don't-give-a-fig attitude much clearer than their glossier later releases. Anyone who's listened to 'Rock n' Roll Lifestyle' can understand the depths of irony and pathos that this album offers. Add to that a few truly disturbing tracks, such as 'Pentagram' and 'Mr. Mastodon Farm' and you see the band operating on a far more unrepentant level.

Cake's first album, Motorcade of Generosity, released on a shoestring budget, is my favorite album of the four, which I believe will be looked upn many years from now, and probably not until then, as classics. Cake is a band that does not require a perfect recording to get their music across and MOG is by no means a high quality studio production, but Cake is best in their rawest form. Cake's music meshes so many different genres together into a unique sound that added to McCreas vocals and metaphorical lyrics represents the most original music being made today. Cake songs are made to be sung, and are all ridiculously easy to sing to. Many are sad, some tragic, some a little crazy, and many are laughably funny (and sometimes all of these elements appear in the same song). Yet many can be danced to as well. The use of instruments is brilliant at times. Is Cake's music 50 years ahead of its time or 50 years behind it? It's actually a strange thing to think about. Cake is to music right now what South Park is to television. It is full of meaning and metaphors without a thread of self-righteousness. It is the truth... It examines and communicates many things through its metaphors and expands knowingly or unknowingy into many realms of humanity and then brings you back to simply enjoying the music with a silly or disturbing lyric. Of course, McCrea would deny any deeper meaning to his music, and there is genius in this insistence. McCrea makes his point about the meaning of music, to make you think without letting the meaning being lost in always trying to find meaning; ultimately you fall back to simply laughing and singing these crazy tunes. This is timeless music, and will not fad e. I think he would be honored by the comparison with South Park. This album is a work of art, and every song should be enjoyed. Do not skip any! You may start to realize that excess ain't rebellion, you're drinking what they're selling... or maybe that Jesus wrote a blank check, one you haven't cashed quite yet...

Ah, the beginning of one of the greatest bands to grace us with their talents. Cake has come a long way from this album, yet if you want to find the essence of the group, I'd buy this CD. The beats remain relatively uncomplicated yet you'll find yourself pressing the repeat button a couple of times for a large selection of the songs. Unlike most artists, Cake explores a variety of music genres but, nothing that they perform comes off as contrived or familiar. For the ecclectic, Cake stands out as a beacon of fresh beginnings from album to album. By the way, I'm listeninig to this CD as I type this review. Get it, I haven't run across a single person that dislikes Motorcade of Generosity or any other of Cake's works.

'Motorcade of Generosity' is the album that begins this experiment that is/was Cake with an interesting and musically ingenious attempt. While Fashion Nugget is Cake when they had solidified and perfected their peak, distinctive ('true') sound, 'Motorcade of Generosity' is an early Cake that is toying with its acoustic palette and identity. This is the 'back-story' to Fashion Nugget; this is where Cake began.

There are virtually no low points to this album (if one approaches this as an experiment). The lyrics prove to be accessible to the listener, but they are by no means simplistic. The music creatively divulges in a variety of genres, but everything makes sense.

At this point, I want to clear up a misunderstanding that seems to be rampant in these reviews. The very name of the song gives the meaning away. 'Mr. Mastodon Farm' is NOT a parallel between McCrea's life and those 'birds that fall like stones.' Rather, McCrea is actually describing (in Cake's typically sarcastic way) the person who reads too much into everything in life. This is indicated by the narrator's need to 'get up and see' the birds everytime they drop, since they are a symbol of his 'entire existence.' He is compelled to make sure they make their 'last second curves toward flight,' because he has read so much into their descent. The refrain/chorus places this revelation beyond a doubt: 'Mr. Mastodon Farm ... cuts swatches out of all materials.' Mr. Mastodon Farm is literally taking slices of material from life and 'growing' huge mastodons out of them. The struggle the narrator faces is with himself, and McCrea pokes fun not-so-subtly at the bondage.

This cd is my favorite release by any rock band in the last twenty years. Other albums have a greater amount of listenable songs, but the good songs on "Motorcade" are incredible. That said, the average listener probably won't like it. It's an acquired taste. The instrumentals are like nothing I've ever heard or will ever hear again, and the lyrics often make me laugh out loud. On top of that, though I hate to say it, less appreciation by the mainstream adds to its appeal, because it really is good. The cd is a must for anyone who considers themself more than a casual fan. Those who have heard of "Motorcade" are indeed few and far between.

Being their first album, this one's a good deal rawer than the other two -- which turns out to be a good thing. They stand up as a distinctively indie band, not afraid to make fun of anything; any other style of music or even of their own fans ("How do you afford your rock and roll lifestyle?") They seem more uninhibited, and willing to cut loose. If you like that "cut-loosability" on their other albums, definitely check this out. If you prefer the "Cake" sound, maybe not -- it's not as well-defined here. If you've never listened to Cake, but like cynicism (that isn't angst) and sarcasm that's really FUN at the same time, (a la Violent Femmes), check this out.