I have to admit I never really know just how to compartmentalize Cake.
Surely, by Steve’s definition they are not rockers, and despite the trumpet, the band is neither soul, nor jumpin’ jive a la the Squirrel Nut Zippers, as an example.
The band’s vocals are not really sung, and well, if there is the beautiful ability of a band to coordinate back-up vocals and harmonies as Steve has pointed out, Cake breaks a those rules by shouting out the back-ups, in unison, and in tune, but hardly sung.
If I had to use a word for them, it would be quirky.
I believe the band hails from Stockton, California, a somewhat sleepy largely farm community about 40 miles southeast of Sacramento which also produced the equally offbeat Pavement.
My late wife, Cathy Hedgecock, was a reporter for the Stockton Record for a few years back in the late 80’s, in fact she was the first woman assigned to the farm beat in the history of the Record, something that may seem ho-hum these days, but at the time was a big deal.
Cathy actually wrote a collection of short stories called The Draping Effect that focused on the bizarre things that came through the newsroom of a community that was too big to be a town, and not quite big enough to really be a city. In fact, Cathy often said if there is a strange crime that occurs on the planet, chances are it was six degrees of separation from Stockton.
Anyway, here is my favorite Cake to go with your coffee this morning.
This isn’t terrible and is certainly more rock ‘n’ roll than a lot of stuff that’s posted around these parts. But the best of this is just “Sweet Jane” with a trumpet added.
Yes! No attempt to hide it, which is fine.
Never heard ’em before, you can tell the singer likes Jim Morrison. Don’t call that Sweet Jane, first of all the riff lacks the B minor chord and second Lou didn’t do it first. That’s actually a good question, who did that I-V-IV thing first. I can’t think of one farther back than “Can’t Explain.”
Thank you Gene. I kept humming each riff to myself and thinking they were completely different despite the similar attack. And what makes Sweet Jane IS the B minor. But, shit, I kept thinking it was just me.
I think if there is an earlier form than the Who (probably is, a la Aristotle and six plots) but I cannot think of one off the top.
No.
I’ll give you the B minor, but the rhythm pattern of the chords has to be considered as well. Like Lawr says, “the similar attack.” And it’s not exactly Sweet Jane, but all totaled it’s a lot more Sweet Jane than Can’t Explain.
And perhaps some caveman played the exact Sweet Jane chords with the exact same rhythm back in 1953, but I don’t care.
I’m calling it Sweet Jane. As Peter says, I’ll bet if you asked Cake what that is they’d say Sweet Jane.