Alternative Wednesday!
In 1993, I was a regular at Heroes for Hire. It's gone now, a victim of the 90's comic book boom and bust, but during it's time it was my second home. We were a blue collar bunch except for one guy. Never before have I ever met someone more obsessed with himself and the toys that daddy's money could buy; leather jackets, convertibles, and bag phones were the sorts of things that defined him. Yes, bag phones. This was 1993, remember?
It was thus that my friends and I had an appreciative ear when the first single from CAKE, Rock and Roll Lifestyle, dropped. Rarely has a song been so accurately written about someone without the artist knowing the person he was writing about. Naturally it became quite popular around the shop and incensed the shallow bastard to no end. That was my introduction to John McCrea and CAKE.
Compared to other artists that have been discussed on Alternative Wednesday, McCrea has a rather unique delivery. Unlike Black Francis' yelp or the earnest delivery of Teenage Fanclub, McCrea's lyrics are delivered in such a way that you can hear the smirk through your speakers. That's alright, though, since Cake songs don't really seem like they're making fun of you, rather that they are fun. And hell, they were the band that brought brass back to rock n' roll! Nothing showcased these two traits more than the song that the band is still known best for, "The Distance".
Somewhere in my collection of cassette tapes, I've got a tape of a local alternative station from 1996. The centerpiece of that tape is Cake's "The Distance". And with good reason - for most of a year you couldn't go anywhere without hearing that track. Yes, I eventually bought Fashion Nugget, the CD that spawned "The Distance" and the band's cover of "I Will Survive", just as I had bought Motorcade of Generosity and Prolonging the Magic, the follow up to Fashion Nugget.
There are several bands that I lament that were never bigger than they were, that fate screwed them over, that the universe somehow denied them their moment of utter glory. I don't feel that way about CAKE. Which isn't to say that the band isn't good or that I don't still song along to one track or another or smile whenever I hear Sad Songs and Waltzes, but that CAKE'S sound was never one that would set the world on fire. Rather, it's a sound that lends itself to a niche audience that will remain forever faithful. And there's some truth in all of that. Despite several alternative radio hits, CAKE would never hit as big as they did for "The Distance", but that's okay. There's still that core audience (myself and uglyfish included) who still buy their albums, still smile when we hear certain tracks used in TV and movies and still sing along like no one else is around. Among those songs that still make my head bop is the band's ode to women with a fondness for short skirts and looooooong jackets.
It was thus that my friends and I had an appreciative ear when the first single from CAKE, Rock and Roll Lifestyle, dropped. Rarely has a song been so accurately written about someone without the artist knowing the person he was writing about. Naturally it became quite popular around the shop and incensed the shallow bastard to no end. That was my introduction to John McCrea and CAKE.
Compared to other artists that have been discussed on Alternative Wednesday, McCrea has a rather unique delivery. Unlike Black Francis' yelp or the earnest delivery of Teenage Fanclub, McCrea's lyrics are delivered in such a way that you can hear the smirk through your speakers. That's alright, though, since Cake songs don't really seem like they're making fun of you, rather that they are fun. And hell, they were the band that brought brass back to rock n' roll! Nothing showcased these two traits more than the song that the band is still known best for, "The Distance".
Somewhere in my collection of cassette tapes, I've got a tape of a local alternative station from 1996. The centerpiece of that tape is Cake's "The Distance". And with good reason - for most of a year you couldn't go anywhere without hearing that track. Yes, I eventually bought Fashion Nugget, the CD that spawned "The Distance" and the band's cover of "I Will Survive", just as I had bought Motorcade of Generosity and Prolonging the Magic, the follow up to Fashion Nugget.
There are several bands that I lament that were never bigger than they were, that fate screwed them over, that the universe somehow denied them their moment of utter glory. I don't feel that way about CAKE. Which isn't to say that the band isn't good or that I don't still song along to one track or another or smile whenever I hear Sad Songs and Waltzes, but that CAKE'S sound was never one that would set the world on fire. Rather, it's a sound that lends itself to a niche audience that will remain forever faithful. And there's some truth in all of that. Despite several alternative radio hits, CAKE would never hit as big as they did for "The Distance", but that's okay. There's still that core audience (myself and uglyfish included) who still buy their albums, still smile when we hear certain tracks used in TV and movies and still sing along like no one else is around. Among those songs that still make my head bop is the band's ode to women with a fondness for short skirts and looooooong jackets.
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