Cake, led by John McCrae, has sold millions of albums nationally after originating in the 1990s Sacramento
music scene. Other members have included Greg Brown on guitar and organ, Vince DiFiore on trumpet, Victor
Damiani on bass, Gabriel Nelson on bass and Todd Roper on drums.
The band gained attention from touring and college airplay, then began to get substantial airplay
on alternative station KWOD 106.5 starting in 1995. "Rock'n' Roll Lifestyle" became a national hit after the release of the 1994
album Motorcade of Generosity on Capricorn Records. KWOD began playing several tracks including "Jolene,"
"Mr. Mastadon Farm" and "Ruby Sees All." The next album, Fashion Nugget, went double platinum in 1996, driven by the national alternative
hit "The Distance."
Here is a tracklist for the 1994 album Motorcade of Generosity on Capricorn Records:
Comanche
Ruby Sees All
Up So Close
Pentagram
Jolene
Haze of Love
You Part the Waters
Is This Love?
Jesus Wrote a Blank Check
Rock'n'Roll Lifestyle
I Burned Korea
Mr. Mastodon Farm
Ain't No Good
Here is a tracklist for the 1996 album Fashion Nugget on Capricorn Records:
Frank Sinatra
The Distance
Friend Is a Four Letter Word
Open Book
Daria
Race Car Ya-Yas
I Will Survive
Stickshifts and Safetybelts
Perhaps, Perhaps, Perhaps
It's Coming Down
Nugget
She'll Come Back To Me
Italian Leather Sofa
Sad Songs and Waltzes
Cake continued to have alternative hits for several years, proving they were more than
a novelty act. In 1998 "Never There" was a #1 hit on Billboard's Modern Rock Tracks. The
album Prolonging the Magic went platinum and contained the hits "Let Me Go" and
"Sheep Go To Heaven."
Here is a tracklist for the 1998 album Prolonging the Magic on Capricorn Records:
Satan Is My Motor
Mexico
Never There
Guitar
You Turn The Screws
Walk On By
Sheep Go To Heaven
When You Sleep
Hem of Your Garment
Alpha Beta Parking Lot
Let Me Go
Cool Blue Reason
Where Would I Be?
After several successful hits with Capricorn, Cake signed with Columbia, which issued the
band's first major label release in 2001, Comfort Eagle. The lead-off single "Short
Skirt/Long Jacket" made the alternative top ten and was followed by the singles "Arco Arena"
and "Love You Madly." The album went platinum.
Here is a tracklist for the 2001 album Comfort Eagle on Columbia Records:
Opera Singer
Meanwhile, Rick James ...
Shadow Stabbing
Short Skirt/Long Jacket
Commissioning a Symphony in C
Arco Arena
Comfort Eagle
Long Line of Cars
Love You Madly
Pretty Pink Ribbon
World of Two
"No Phone" had marginal success in 2004, peaking at #13 on Billboard's Modern Rock Tracks chart. The
follow-up "Carbon Monoxide" did not get much airplay. The album failed to go gold and would be the band's
final release on Columbia.
Here is a tracklist for the 2004 album Pressure Chief on Columbia Records:
Wheels
No Phone
Take It All Away
Dime
Carbon Monoxide
The Guitar Man (written by David Gates)
Waiting
She'll Hang the Baskets
End of the Movie
Palm of Your Hand
Tougher Than It Is
Despite leaving Columbia for the smaller indie label Upbeat, Cake managed to top the Billboard
album chart in 2011 with its release of Showroom of Compassion. The album only sold about 100,000
units, but at that time album sales were declining for all major artists as internet listening escalated.
The album's lead-off single "Sick of You" made top 5 on the alternative chart. The follow-up singles
"Long Time" and "Mustache Man" also made the national alternative top 30.
Here is a tracklist for the 2011 album Showroom of Compassion on Upbeat Records:
Federal Funding
Long Time
Got To Move
What's Now is Now (Frank Sinatra cover written by Bob Gaudio, Jake Holmes)
