Official CAKE DLC Thread (Actively Updated!)

[pmpboarder]

rockband.jpg
This picture accompanied CAKE's poll that ran from July 1, 2009 to July 13, 2009. Hopefully it doesn't reflect CAKE's opinion of the game!
[Update: apparently it does.]

UPDATES!
Words straight from CAKE manager Tommy Manzi himself.
7/21/09 | 9/9/08 | 3/17/08 | 3/16/08



"...music that defies simple-minded pop paradigms."
- Los Angeles Times

"...a small number of bands can claim an actual catalog of worthwhile tunes.
Count CAKE in that category..."
- Oakland Tribune

"Every now and then, a band with actual personality
sneaks onto the modern rock radio playlist."
- Washington Times

"Every time I play Rock Band now,
after a few songs, I start wishing for some CAKE."
- TakeABow




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Platter of Contents
Because this "first post" is five posts long.
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• This post contains...

  Part 0.1: What You Can Do
  Part 1: Introduction To CAKE
  Part 1.2: Music Videos

• Post 2 contains...

  Part 2: CAKE Songs That YOU Want in Rock Band
  Part 2.2: A Few Select Quality Comments

• Post 3 & Post 4 contain...

  Part 3: CAKE Songs That DO Belong in Rock Band

• Post 5 contains...

  Part 4: CAKE Songs That DO NOT Belong in Rock Band

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Part 0.1:
What You Can Do
Because I can't do this on my own.
==============================
==============================

These are some of the many ways to get the word out that we want CAKE in Rock Band:

• Vote "Yes" in the above poll.
• Reply to this thread, listing the songs you want to play in Rock Band and why you want them. Even if it's only one song, every vote counts! Or just express your love for the band.
• Tell all your Rock Band and CAKE-loving friends about this thread.
• Visit CAKE's official site and participate in the constantly changing message board. (From here, click "Current Results".)
• If all that still doesn't satisfy you, and you want to do more, then contact CAKE!

  - Visit CAKE's MySpace page and message them or leave a comment on their page.
  - E-mail CAKE. According to this page on their official site, "...all mail will be read."
  - E-mail CAKE's manager, Tommy Manzi (for The Umbrella Group)
  - If you prefer, write CAKE a letter the old-fashioned way!

  CAKE
  3104 "O" Street, Box 109
  Sacramento, CA 95816

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Part 1:
Introduction To CAKE
Because quite a few of you have yet to be introduced to the band.
==============================
==============================

Credit goes to jr174200 for his threads "Top 20 Phish Songs for Rock Band DLC" and "Official Modest Mouse DLC Thread," which inspired me to fuse aspects of each into this thread.

But even more credit goes to CAKE for being the best band ever. (That's my opinion.)

132663017_l.jpg
Wait, is that a trumpet? Yeah. It is. And it's ingeniously prominent on most CAKE songs.

I've posted in all the threads with "CAKE" in the title, and in other relevant threads. So what's the next step? To make an Official CAKE DLC Thread, of course!

CAKE is a band you either love to death or haven't heard of. There's no "hating them" option. Though, if you really do hate them, I beg you to tell me why. I respect your opinion, and even though I am obviously a huge fan of the band, I realize they aren't for everyone. I am also very adamant on valuing others' taste in music - a common courtesy many on these forums seem to lack. I am just curious what you don't enjoy about them. That said...

They've had hits such as "The Distance," "Short Skirt/Long Jacket," "I Will Survive," and "Rock 'n' Roll Lifestyle," among others. Singer-songwriter and guitarist John McCrea's lyrics are sophisticated, witty, humorous, sardonic, sarcastic, quirky, uplifting, intelligent and meaningful -- somehow, all at the same time. Their sound is varied, yet distinctive. They defy being classified into any one genre. Rock? Pop? Alternative Rock? Soul? Geek Rock? Country? Hip-Hop? Jazz? Rap? New Wave Pop? White-Boy Funk? YES! When you hear CAKE, you know it's CAKE!

2215898350_caa7bb5f98_o.jpg
Their major releases so far.

CAKE is a perfect fit for Rock Band. Their basslines are so catchy that, when in Band Quickplay, the two guitarists would be arguing over who gets to play bass instead of guitar. (No, really.) That's not to say the guitarists aren't incredibly talented also, because they most definitely are. The drums aren't the most complex patterns, but they're fun! John McCrea's style of singing means we'd see a lot of "talky parts." But that's okay! Each song is rich, and filled with only the best sounds from each instrument. I know it's fanboyish and biased to say, but CAKE has the winning formula for turning out one masterpiece after another. Of course I like some songs better than others, but each one just has that ... feel to it, you know?

CAKE was a major label band since their first release in 1994 (Capricorn for the first three, Columbia for the next two), but always managed to fly just under the radar. Big enough to go platinum on a couple albums, but small enough to not be known by every living soul. That's one thing I love so much about them. They make music because they love making music. In fact, they just recently decided that being a major label band wasn't for them. So they created their own record label, Upbeat Records. The first release on the label is their newest B-Sides and Rarities. I mean, honestly, how many successful bands out there go from being a major label band to an independent band? I know there are quite a few, but it's awesome that CAKE is on that list now.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2032/...6356d95691.jpg
CAKE performing live at their very own Unlimited Sunshine Tour in December '07.

The point of this thread is to organize all the CAKE fans in one place, a friendly place to discuss their music and recommend their songs for DLC. If you've posted in other threads, please post whatever you've said there in here, too! I'm only gonna take others' suggestions from this thread. I know a lot of you out there love CAKE. I've seen proof over the last few months, with posts that only affirm the band. I've yet to see a single post of anyone saying they don't like CAKE. So I finally gave in to making an official thread.

2110937953_c82fa07f0c.jpg
Yeah, that's my car. So what? Oh, and the joke "Your CAKE got frosted!" has been made.

Now, let's show Harmonix how much we really want CAKE in Rock Band! Feel free to show any pictures or videos of anything relating to the band CAKE! Or, simply express through words your love for them. Your feedback is the whole reason I'm doing this!

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Part 1.2:
Music Videos
Making it easy to see how much fun these songs would be!
==============================
==============================

These are all official music videos made by the band for the fans. I'm listing them chronologically.

Note: these videos are also found in the next few posts. I just thought it'd be convenient to list them chronologically here.

Motorcade of Generosity (1994)

• Jolene
• Rock 'n' Roll Lifestyle

Fashion Nugget (1996)

• Frank Sinatra
• The Distance
• Friend Is a Four Letter Word
• I Will Survive

Prolonging the Magic (1998)

• Never There
• Sheep Go To Heaven

Comfort Eagle (2001)

• Short Skirt/Long Jacket
• Love You Madly

Pressure Chief (2004)

• No Phone
• The Guitar Man

Extra Value:

• Lots of great live videos here!
• "War Pigs" Music Video Contest entries! - Took place back in April 2007. It was awesome.

[pmpboarder]

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Part 2:
CAKE Songs That YOU Want in Rock Band
Ranked and Updated By Your Votes
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Here is the list of songs and albums you guys want in Rock Band. Cast your votes simply by posting your list of favorites. Or, if you aren't too familiar with CAKE's work (ie. heard a song on the radio and don't remember the name), post here and tell us so! We'll help you figure out which one it was. Feel free to post as often as you'd like! The only way to figure out the top songs and albums we want is to vote for songs already on the list!

And share what you love about each song you vote for, too. I'll put excerpts of your quotes with the songs. For example, if you say something like, "I would love to play that killer bassline in She'll Come Back To Me!" I would list "She'll Come Back To Me - "killer bassline!" or something like that. Anyway, here are your choices so far:

1. The Distance (26 votes)
   • "Their most known song."
   • "Signed up just to say 'The Distance' would rock out my face!"
   • "I was just listening to 'The Distance', and realized how great it would be, and even more plausible than my usual 'OMG this should be in Rock Band' moments. A BIG vote YES for 'The Distance'."
   • "I've been thinking of songs I want in the game and 'The Distance' is definitely #1."
   • "I think first, that this song would be great for Rock Band because it is CAKE's most well known song. It would have a much larger appeal than other CAKE songs simply for that reason. That being said, it is also an amazing song. The guitar part would be fun to play, it has a great beat and it's simply a song you can rock out to."
   
   
2. I Will Survive (18 votes)
   • "Seems like a no-brainer."
   • "Would be one of the best bass songs on Rock Band."
   • "I heard 'I Will Survive' in my friend's car on Sirius, and it was crazy good. Needs to be in Rock Band."
   
   
3. Comfort Eagle (15 votes)
   • "Use 'Arco Arena' as the intro." (Great idea, sandswipe!)
   • "First song that got me into the band, first song I learned on guitar, and I remember going around and just starting to sing the song, and my friends would join in, and we'd all be singing Comfort Eagle, and people would be looking at us funny. Those were the days."
   • "Has a very pronounced bass riff. May be repetitive in that aspect though. Excellent lyrical properties."
   • "This song represents all that is good about CAKE, it has a great bass line, the drums would be fun to play on this and of course as a perfect representation of a great CAKE song it's fun to sing to."
   
   
4. Short Skirt/Long Jacket (14 votes)
   • "I think 'Short Skirt/Long Jacket' has about the best bassline ever. I'm all for this."
   
   
5. Sheep Go To Heaven (12 votes)
   • "'Sheep Go to Heaven' would be so freakin' great."
   • "Not a fan of CAKE, but the song is a classic in my book."
   
   
6. Never There (10 votes)
   • "This song would have not only a fun and challenging drumline and guitar part, it's a song you can really get into. This song, while not as well known as 'The Distance', is still very recognizable as it was a single that was featured on many radio stations for a very long time."
   
   
7. Stickshifts and Safetybelts (8 votes)
   • "A must."
   
   
8. Shadow Stabbing (7 votes)
   • "A fun song all around."
   
   
9. Jolene (6 votes)
   • "From start to finish, this is a fun song to play for every instrument. I just want to play the guitar intro over and over..."
   • "This song is so powerful, it's one of my all-time favorites."
   
   
10. Arco Arena (5 votes)
    • "Even though it has no vocals - AWESOME intrumental."
    • "I would suggest 'Arco Arena' as in my mind it is the BEST musical composition CAKE has ever put together... but without words."
    
    
11. Satan Is My Motor (5 votes)
    • "Would be so freakin' great."
    
    
12. Commissioning a Symphony in C (4 votes)
    • "Would for sure download in a second."
    • "My favorite CAKE song."
    • "It ROCKS!"
    
    
13. Italian Leather Sofa (4 votes)
    • "I'd KILL to have "Italian Leather Sofa" in, but it has a pretty long trumpet "solo" in it (and features it quite a lot). Love the lyrics in the last minute in a half though."
    
    
14. Love You Madly (4 votes)
    
    
15. Pretty Pink Ribbon (4 votes)
    • "My current favorite."
    
    
16. Daria (3 votes)
    
    
17. Friend Is a Four Letter Word (3 votes)
    
    
18. Let Me Go (3 votes)
    
    
19. Meanwhile, Rick James... (3 votes)
    
    
20. Frank Sinatra (2 votes)
    
    
21. Guitar (2 votes)
    
    
22. Long Line of Cars (2 votes)
    
    
23. Opera Singer (2 votes)
    
    
24. Rock 'n' Roll Lifestyle (2 votes)
    
    
25. Wheels (2 votes)
    • "'Wheels' deserves a nomination, too."
    
    
26. Carbon Monoxide
    
    
27. Comanche
    
    
28. Mahna Mahna
    
    
29. Mexico
    
    
30. She'll Come Back to Me
    
    
31. Take It All Away

Albums:
Fashion Nugget (1)
Comfort Eagle (1)



Oh, and if you're curious, or if you've voted and just like seeing your name, <a href="#votes">here are the votes</a>.

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Part 2.2:
A Few Select Quality Comments
Because when I say it, it just sounds biased.
==============================
==============================
"I'd love to see CAKE in Rock Band, it's just a matter of finding which songs...
You know, I'm coming up with a really long list, why not just throw it all on there as DLC? That works for me."
- DopeHatMan

"CAKE would be fantastic, and a great addition to Rock Band. Lots of fun for everyone involved."
- Vriess

"This is an awesome thread. Very well put together. I am a big CAKE fan from Sacramento and would love to see them in this game!"
- Silent Snooch

"Wow. I created an account just so I could reply to this thread. CAKE would be absolutely PERFECT for Rock Band. Too many songs to name. In fact, that would be the only drawback to having CAKE DLC. No matter what they pick, there will always be another song that I wish they had put in! I think they can solve this by having every CAKE song ever made."
- Mister_Derp

"I can't believe I haven't seen this thread before. Hell yeah we need some CAKE in Rock Band. I absolutely love CAKE, too. I have been asking for CAKE since I got Rock Band."
- skyking613

"Seriously though, I'd LOVE to have some CAKE in Rock Band. I can't say I'm a hard core fan, but over the past 10+ years, they've put out some great stuff."
- BAntboy

"I just love this thread. I heard 'I Will Survive' in my friend's car on Sirius, and it was crazy good. Needs to be in Rock Band. I'm gonna look into more songs by them now."
- pinkbrassmonkey

"Signed up just to say 'The Distance' would rock out my face!"
- greatghandi

"Every time I play Rock Band now, after a few songs, I start wishing for some CAKE."
- TakeABow

"Yeah, I whole heartedly support this thread. CAKE has the perfect mix for Rock band."
- feqqr

"Great thread, as likely as anything to get the job done."
- Oatmeal2k

"I love CAKE and would probably have half a heart attack if they were announced as DLC."
- GEEMIEE

[pmpboarder]

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Part 3:
CAKE Songs That DO Belong in Rock Band
Ranked by my breakdown.
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I developed a ranking system, a 100-point mini-review. Each song earns an overall percentage. Top scores listed first. This reflects what I believe is the song's compatibility with Rock Band. That is, how well the song fits in the game and how much fun it will be for each band member playing -- basically, how awesome it would be to have the song in the game.

Songs in the 5th post won't be considered, as they have already been "disqualified." If you really want them to be, let me know.

The Breakdown:

Guitar: 15 Points - Is there a solo or at least an interesting series of riffs and chords?
Bass: 15 Points - Most tracks will score very highly on this one. Trust me.
Drums: 15 Points - Complex, fun or at least somewhat varied?
Vocals & Lyrics: 15 Points - Do I even care enough about what's being sung to sing it myself?
Overall Quality & Band Energy: 30 Points - Hey, it's gotta be fun to play, right?
Misc.: 10 Points - These points that can be deducted if the song is too trumpet-heavy, or if there are breaks in the song for a trumpet or piano solo.

Using that breakdown, and to save space, I will display each song's ranking to include: (Guitar / Bass / Drums / Vocals & Lyrics / Quality & Energy / Misc.)
So a perfect song (100%) would look like this: (15/15/15/15/30/10).

Current Rankings:

The Distance - 100%
Oh, man. Here it is. Is anyone surprised by this one getting a perfect score? It's THE song that CAKE is associated with, and rightfully so! I'm pretty sure everyone has heard this song at one time or another. It scores so highly because it's an awesome song across all the instruments. I would say this is absolutely the most fun CAKE song Harmonix could pick, simply because everyone is rocking out hard the whole time. It never lets up. A perfect match for Rock Band. This being their biggest hit and still one of my favorites (the die-hard fan I am), I've heard it at least 200 times, easily. (No, really - I have. I've been listening to CAKE religiously for over 14 years.) The best thing is that it doesn't get old. Ever.
(15/15/15/15/30/10)
[ Music Video | MP3 ]

I Will Survive - 100%
This is an excellent cover, from start to finish. It's hard to deny that. It's also hard to deny how perfectly it would fit in Rock Band, from start to finish. Don't blame me for yet another 100%. I didn't make the music this good! The guitar solo at 1:41 (1:48 in the music video) is something to die for. The bassline throughout the entire song is sick as hell - easily one of my favorites in any song. All the instruments are absolute perfect fits. If you can argue that, I beg you to do so.
(15/15/15/15/30/10)
[ Music Video | MP3 ]

Jolene - 100%
Wow. WOW. I knew I wanted to play this song in Rock Band, but until listening to each individual part, I didn't know I wanted it this badly! This song has two great guitar parts and a sick solo; a sick bassline and an awesome solo (of sorts); incredibly fun singing, talking and screaming; and tons of energy on the drums throughout. There's not a single break where anyone gets bored. This is the perfect song. Whether it ends up in Rock Band or not. Though, it was pretty much destined to be in Rock Band. Look at that score! 100% Rock Band compatibility! That isn't bias, either. Listen to it for yourself.* It's incredible. It's hilarious. It's sweet. And it makes you want to cry. All while rocking out to it. Name another song that can do that. Seriously.
*Please note: the music video does not contain the entire song. Once the song in the video finally starts, it's actually 40 seconds into the album version of the song. Also, much of the ending is cut out. Only 4:09 is heard in the video, where the album version runs 5:19. Listen to the MP3 for the full song.
(15/15/15/15/30/10)
[ Music Video | MP3 ]

Sheep Go To Heaven - 100%
Okay, I no longer know what to say in defense of all these 100% rankings I'm giving out. But seriously. Listen to this song! There's no way you can deny how much fun it would be to play in Rock Band!
(15/15/15/15/30/10)
[ Music Video | Live in 2006, great audio! (Includes a couple mini-interviews and "Frank Sinatra.") | MP3 ]

Never There - 99%
I think the fact that I'm giving out 99% to some of these songs strictly because I feel guilty of being biased if I gave them 100% tells you something about these top songs -- that they desperately need to be in Rock Band. This is another one of those songs. Watch the video and hear for yourself.
(15/15/14/15/30/10)
[ Music Video | Live in 1999, poor audio | Live in 2006, great audio! | MP3 ]

Stickshifts and Safetybelts - 99%
This is a very fun song for the entire band. It kicks off with a kick-ass guitar solo/intro thing. And it's just a very high-energy song. Even the singer has a few surprises in store (like holding a note for 12 measures, twice)! This is a very worthy candidate for being in Rock Band. By the way, it was really hard not to give this song 100%.
(15/14/15/15/30/10)
[ Live in 2006, perfect audio! (Includes "Love You Madly") | MP3 ]

Short Skirt/Long Jacket - 98%
This is a blast to play for the entire band. Besides, who doesn't love singing along to this one?
(15/15/15/15/29/9)
[ Music Video | MP3 | MP3 Sample (Live Studio Version) ]

Carbon Monoxide - 98%
A very high-energy song for CAKE, this would be brilliant fun in Rock Band!
(14/15/15/15/30/9)
[ MP3 Sample ]

Frank Sinatra - 97%
This song is a very powerful start to CAKE's second album, Fashion Nugget. It's not the fastest most rocking CAKE song. But it is a damn solid song. It's hard not to fall in love with it. And lucky for you, there's even a video link so you can see for yourself. It would have scored 99% if there wasn't the trumpet break at 0:50-0:54 and at 2:45-2:52. The 12-second intro is drumsticks clanking (no way to map that in the game) and an organ before the drums come in. Then the vocals, then the guitar, then the bass. Then it's magic. The drums aren't complicated at all, but sound incredible.
(15/15/14/15/30/8)
[ Music Video | Live in 2006, great audio! (Starts at 5:56 during the interviews, "Sheep Go To Heaven" is first.) | MP3 ]

Guitar - 97%
If you want to know how awesome this song is, all you need to know is that it has a musical saw in it. A musical saw! Nothing in the world is cooler than a musical saw in a rock song. And it's a very rocking rock song.
(14/15/15/15/28/10)
[ MP3 ]

Wheels - 97%
This should have been the single for Pressure Chief (and not "No Phone"). I believe that it's superior in every way. Better guitar, bass, vocals and drums. And I think it's even catchier! Especially the very end triple-overlapping vocal break: "Why you say you are not in love with me?" plus "Wheels keep on spinning 'round, spinning 'round, spinning 'round" plus "Spinning 'round! I don't know" repeated a few times. It's real fun to sing. So, seriously, why wasn't this the single for Pressure Chief?
(15/15/14/15/28/10)
[ MP3 ]

Rock 'n' Roll Lifestyle - 96%
Ah, the radio-friendly CAKE songs. They're obviously a lot of fun to listen to. Would they be fun in Rock Band? In this case: absolutely. It was released on CAKE's debut album back in 1994. And you still catch it on the radio, 14 years later! I think that pretty much speaks for itself.
(15/15/14/15/29/8)
[ Music Video | MP3 ]

Walk On By - 96%
This song is an awesome fit. The guitar solo is sweet.
(15/15/14/15/28/9)
[ MP3 ]

Shadow Stabbing - 96%
This is a great song. It certainly opened the movie 'Orange County' with the right tone.
(15/15/13/15/28/10)
[ MP3 ]

Let Me Go - 95%
One of my favorite CAKE songs also happens to be one that would translate very well in Rock Band.
(15/14/14/15/28/9)
[ MP3 ]

Love You Madly - 95%
Another great song with the winning formula!
(14/15/14/15/28/9)
[ Music Video | MP3 ]

Comfort Eagle - 95%
Awesome, awesome, awesome. This song needs to be in Rock Band.
(14/14/14/15/29/9)
[ MP3 ]

Meanwhile, Rick James... - 95%
Anyone who claims singing would be boring needs to listen to this song. Granted, the majority of it is done in John's talky voice, there is a very beautifully sustained "Whoa-oh" that is a lot of fun! All the instruments are great, too.
(15/15/14/14/28/9)
[ MP3 ]

Pretty Pink Ribbon - 95%
This one has everything going for it. Guitar solo, melodic bass, steady drums and a pretty challenging vocal track (for a CAKE song). Easy recommend for Rock Band.
(15/15/14/15/27/9)
[ MP3 ]

Long Line of Cars - 95%
Here's another great track to consider.
(14/15/14/15/29/8)
[ MP3 ]

Palm of Your Hand - 95%
This song goes to show that wild instrumental complexity isn't necessarily a requirement to be a fun song to play in Rock Band.
(15/15/14/15/27/9)
[ MP3 ]

[pmpboarder]

Opera Singer - 94%
This song kicks off CAKE's third album with a bang! It introduces a totally new side to the band, while still remaining true to their staple sound. I would love to play it in Rock Band.
(15/15/14/14/27/9)
[ MP3 ]

Is This Love? - 92%
This song is a bassist's dream. I'm just gonna throw that out there first. It's very bass-heavy. And that's a good thing. Because it's an awesome bassline. As is the guitar track. Drums have a lot of energy, too. And of course, the vocals are great, too!
(13/15/13/14/28/9)
[ MP3 ]

Open Book - 92%
An all-around great song. It's a little trumpet-heavy, but not enough to take away from the main instruments. As usual, great guitar, great bass, and even the drums get pretty challenging (for a CAKE song)!
(15/15/13/15/26/8)
[ MP3 ]

Commissioning a Symphony in C - 91%
This is a very fun song across the board. The guitar isn't too complex either, and there is some downtime. But there's also a solo, so that makes up for it. The bassline is a rather simple one, but also elegant. I can sing this song and play the bass at the same time. The vocals are no challenge but the lyrics are fun and interesting. Forum user TakeABow vouches that this is a fun song to play on drums, as he does so in real life. This is a fine song to be considered.
(13/14/14/14/26/10)
[Credit goes to TakeABow for his breakdown, which I agree with and support.]
[ MP3 ]

Satan Is My Motor - 91%
This song is a great start to CAKE's third album, Prolonging the Magic. It would also work really well in Rock Band. Not my first choice, obviously, but I would love to play this song.
(14/14/13/14/27/9)
[ MP3 ]

Jesus Wrote a Blank Check - 90%
This song was the first sign of CAKE's ability to add country in their mix of genre-encompassing sound. And it's great. There's even a "dueling guitar and trumpet" section, too. Man, I wish Rock Band had a trumpet.
(15/12/12/15/27/9)
[ MP3 ]

Daria - 90%
Another great track that is very likely to making the cut. It's really got everything going for it.
(14/15/13/13/26/9)
[ Live in 2005, great audio! (Includes "Ruby Sees All") | MP3 ]

No Phone - 90%
A pretty catchy, but a rather weak, song as a whole.
(14/13/14/13/27/9)
[ Music Video | Live in 2005, great audio! | MP3 ]

Take It All Away - 90%
A pretty good fit, but I can't recommend it too highly.
(14/14/14/15/25/8)
[ MP3 ]

Mr. Mastodon Farm - 89%
This is a song that kind of either hits you right away, or takes time to grow on you. It has kind of an "Uh...what?" introduction. But it quickly builds to an awesome, fun jam. The bassline just flows, as always. Another prominent trumpet track, but it's matched equally by all the other instruments, so it doesn't take away from the song at all. The guitarist does have a few breaks, though.
(13/15/14/15/26/6)
[ MP3 ]

Dime - 89%
A great listen, but just too much dead space for some of the instruments.
(14/14/13/15/26/7)
[ MP3 ]

She'll Come Back To Me - 88%
A very country-esque song from CAKE. It has one of my favorite basslines out of all their songs. It's also got some great guitar and drums.
(13/15/13/13/26/8)

Italian Leather Sofa - 88%
This is a great song, but it suffers from a brilliant trumpet solo (including bass and drums) that lasts from 2:40 to 4:04. Though, at 3:03, the guitar comes back in. Otherwise, though, this would be a great addition.
(14/13/14/14/27/6)
[ MP3 ]

She'll Hang the Baskets - 88%
A rather slow and mellow song, but still a very strong one to consider.
(14/13/14/13/26/8)

Ain't No Good - 87%
I really love this song. I want this song to be in Rock Band, but the fact that the trumpet is the most prominent of instruments heard, you would really feel like you were missing out on as much fun as you could be having playing this song. There is, however, an incredibly sick guitar solo in it.
(14/12/13/15/28/5)
[ MP3 ]

Hem of Your Garment - 87%
This is a great one that could actually work quite well.
(12/13/14/14/26/8)
[ MP3 ]

Tougher Than It Is - 87%
A fun song to listen to, but I can't see it translating well to Rock Band.
(13/14/13/14/26/7)
[ MP3 ][/SIZE]

Alpha Beta Parking Lot - 86%
It would be pretty fun to play. Maybe a little slow, but still fun.
(14/13/13/14/24/8)
[ MP3 ]

Pentagram - 86%
I've always loved this song, but never realized how perfect it would be for Rock Band until really scrutinizing each part. It's all top-notch. There's a sick guitar solo in it, too, hence the perfect score.
(15/11/12/14/26/9)
[ MP3 ]

Friend Is a Four Letter Word - 84%
The guitar in this song is perfect - not fast or anything, just certainly not boring. The bassline is minimal, but still fun (for a bass track). The drums do suffer a bit and could be potentially be considered boring, but only because this isn't a fast song. Of course, it's fun to sing along with!
(15/11/11/13/26/8)
[ Music Video | MP3 ]

You Part the Waters - 84%
It has a grand piano intro and a very interesting orchestral strings break. I took points off for those. Otherwise, it's pretty much what you'd want it to be - fun to play for everyone.
(14/12/13/15/25/5)
[ MP3 ]

Waiting - 84%
A bit too mellow of a song to seriously consider.
(13/14/12/14/24/7)
[ MP3 ]

World of Two - 83%
Though it's got everything required to be in Rock Band, it's just a little too slow.
(14/14/13/14/20/8)
[ MP3 ]

Haze of Love - 81%
Don't let the slow start fool you. It builds to some excellent music for everyone involved. Then it dies back down, and then it builds back up!
(14/13/11/14/23/6)
[ MP3 ]

Where Would I Be? - 80%
This would actually be pretty fun, considering it's rather slow. It's not much of a challenge, but it would play well. The drummer has some fun crashes and fills at the end.
(12/13/13/13/21/8)
[ MP3 ]

Mexico - 79%
A great song that suffers from being just a little too slow for Rock Band. It's fun to listen to, but I don't think it would be too much fun to play.
(13/12/12/14/20/8)
[ MP3 ]

Ruby Sees All - 75%
A fun song across the board. The bassist might get a little bored, but there are some interesting basslines in there, though they are spaced out a bit. The guitarist would have fun, especially on the solo. The drummer would have fun, too. As always, it's a great song to sing along to. There are a few breaks in the song for the trumpet, I deducted some points for that.
(12/7/12/14/24/6)
[ Live in 2005, great audio! Starts at 4:10, "Daria" is first. | MP3 ]

[pmpboarder]

==============================
==============================
Part 4:
CAKE Songs That DO NOT Belong in Rock Band
See? I'm not entirely biased.
==============================
==============================

I'll break down the reasons these songs don't belong in Rock Band. I welcome any and all arguments.

• Covers
• Wrong Forumla
• Wildly Inappropriate

==============================
Covers
CAKE is known for their large amount of covers. My guess is that if Harmonix is gonna include a song, it will be the version made famous by the original artist. An exception is CAKE's cover of Gloria Gaynor's "I Will Survive." They transformed that from a disco song to a rock song. But still, some of these covers would work great for the game (and others, not so much), regardless of the original artist having priority.
==============================

War Pigs - Black Sabbath
Well, duh! We already have the original in the game. It is a great cover, though.
[ MP3 | MP3 (Live, with Steven Drozd of The Flaming Lips) ]

Sad Songs and Waltzes - Willie Nelson
This one is lacking in that one very important ingredient of a rock song -- rock. It's a good song and a good cover. It has guitar, bass and drums (and trumpet!). But it's just too ... slow for Rock Band.
[ MP3 ]

Strangers in the Night - Frank Sinatra
Like "Sad Songs and Waltzes," this is a good song and cover, just without the right feel for Rock Band.
[ MP3 ]

Perhaps, Perhaps, Perhaps - Doris Day
Kind of trumpet-heavy, but that's okay, because there's a lot of guitar and bass that blend with it.
[ MP3 ]

The Guitar Man - Bread
A worthy cover to be considered. Though I wouldn't mind the original, either.
[ Music Video | MP3 ]

Never, Never Gonna Give You Up - Barry White
It has an excellent bassline, fun drums and great guitar! Also, most people don't have a voice as deep as Barry's. John's is easier to match. It would be great in Rock Band.
[ MP3 ]

Ruby, Don't Take Your Love To Town - Kenny Rogers
What a sad song this is. A man loses use of his legs in a war, and then loses his woman whose wants and needs can't be fulfilled by him. Anyway, this cover is great! Would be a lot of fun for Rock Band, though it's more country than rock.
[ MP3 Sample ]

Mahna Mahna - Piero Umiliani
You know this one from The Muppets. "Mahna Mahna, Doo DOOO Doo Doo Doo!" It was recorded for VH1's For The Kids. It's a fun song. It could fit.
[ MP3 ]

Subtract One Love (Multiply the Heartaches) - George Jones
A slow country number. A good cover, but not really Rock Band material.
[ MP3 ]

Half As Much - Hank Williams, Sr.
I would love to see this cover make it in Rock Band! Very upbeat and fun across all the instruments. It's even got an excellent and not too challenging guitar solo. The biggest problem (or maybe not a problem) is that this hasn't been released on any of their studio albums. It is a studio recording, but it's only found on the single for Never There.
[ MP3 ]

Excuse Me, I Think I've Got a Heartache - Buck Owens
This is as country as CAKE gets, right here. Of course, it helps that the original version is a country song. Would be fun to play, though!
[ MP3 Sample ]

==============================
Wrong Formula
Like most bands, CAKE has branched off and recorded a few lighter and/or shorter songs (sometimes omitting certain key instruments) not conforming to the majority of their catalog. Here are those few: (Note: if it has a percentage, that means it's among the lowest-ranked, flunked-out songs from the above post.)
==============================

Cool Blue Reason - 74%
A great song to listen to, but it would be rather boring in Rock Band.
(12/12/10/11/20/9)
[ MP3 ]

It's Coming Down - 74%
It's a great song, just not one entirely meant for Rock Band.
(12/9/13/12/22/6)
[ MP3 Sample (Live Studio Version) ]

When You Sleep - 71%
A great song that just wouldn't be fun in Rock Band.
(12/12/10/9/20/8)
[ MP3 ]

I Bombed Korea - 69%
Another great song that just meets the Rock Band standard. Though it's highly unlikely Harmonix would be drawn to this one.
(11/12/8/12/19/7)
[ MP3 ]

Comanche - 65%
Okay, so it's a great song, but it obviously doesn't fit too well in Rock Band. It would work, but it's not the ideal choice for a CAKE song.
(8/9/8/13/19/8)
[ Live in 2007, poor audio | MP3 ]

Up So Close
A great song for everyone but the drummer. There's not a drum track to be found anywhere in this song. It's rather slow, anyway. So yeah, not this one.
[ MP3 ]

Race Car Ya-Yas
This song is hilarious. Example: "...The land where large, fuzzy dice still hang proudly, like testicles from rear view mirrors." It's also very short. Running only 1 minute, 21 seconds, this is the shortest CAKE song. Other than that, it's got all that Rock Band requires it to have.
[ MP3 ]

You Turn the Screws
First things first, the piano intro (with trumpet) is 22 seconds long. Then comes the drums, bass and vocals. Cool. But the song goes on like this until 1:23 before the guitar comes in. And it's not too complicated of a riff. It's fun, but it's repetitive and only lasts until 2:31 (1 minute, 8 seconds). Then at 3:08, the same riff returns, lasting until the fade to silence at 4:01 (53 seconds). So we get just over 2 minutes of a simple guitar riff in a 4-minute song. Definitely not ideal. Although the bass, drums and vocals are really fun.
[ MP3 Sample ]

Arco Arena / Arco Arena (Vocal Version)
This instrumental track from CAKE is fabulous. It's such a cool-sounding song. I would love for this to be in Rock Band. But there are no vocals! Oh, no! What do we do? Well, CAKE covered that, as they also have a vocal version appropriately titled "Arco Arena (Vocal Version)." Sadly it is only found on a very rare promotional single. So even that one doesn't technically qualify. Which sucks. A lot. For the record, I have to admit that I prefer the non-vocal version to the vocal one when it comes to which one I believe sounds better. But the vocal version is obviously the only one that would work in Rock Band.
[ "Arco Arena" MP3 | "Arco Arena (Vocal Version)" ]

End of the Movie
Amazing song. Actually, one of my favorites from CAKE. The problem with trying to fit this one into Rock Band is there are no drums and no bass. Also, it's only 1 minute, 50 seconds long, making it CAKE's second-shortest song.
[ MP3 ]

Conroy
This is just John McCrea messing around on a synthesizer. Yeah, it could be mapped to guitar, bass and drums, but even then, there's no vocals.
[ MP3 ]

Thrills / Vanity
This song (referred to as either "Thrills" or "Vanity") is really cool. One of the very few instrumentals from CAKE. Though, this isn't technically an instrumental track, as it's set to this guy speaking/preaching that "Man is born, man lives, man dies. And it's all vanity." He eventually starts yelling about the life-like-a-merry-go-round analogy. Yeah, this song could be in Rock Band, but it would definitely give people the wrong impression of the band. It's unique in the wrong way (at least for DLC purposes).
[ MP3 ]

==============================
Wildly Inappropriate
There are four CAKE songs that make use of the f-bomb, but "I Will Survive," "Carbon Monoxide" and "Ruby, Don't Take Your Love To Town" can be edited or censored without taking too much away from their integrity. There is, however, one that can't...
==============================

Nugget / Shut the F*ck Up
Both are basically the same song, with only a few differences. The latter is an early version of Nugget, with a less 'mastered' sound. As I'm sure you can tell by the title of the latter, the song simply wouldn't work. It's not that John drops the f-bomb, so much as he picks it up and throws it all over the place, with much enthusiasm in his different ways of enunciating it. Quite entertaining, really. It'd be fun to play, but don't get your hopes up for this. It is not worth censoring. In doing so, the song would lose its spirit.
[ "Nugget" MP3 ]

[DopeHatMan]

I'd love to see Cake in Rock Band, its just a matter of finding which songs...

Satan Is My Motor
Never There
Sheep Go To Heaven
The Distance
Meanwhile, Rick James
Short Skirt, Long Jacket
Shadow Stabbing

You know, I'm coming up with a really long list, why not just throw it all on there as DLC? that works for me...

[The_Oreo]

Wow, I have to admit that having Cake in the game never even crossed my mind but it all makes so much sense! The Distance would be so awesome to play ingame.

As much as a fan as I am for Frank Sinatra, I suppose the song isn't really varied enough to fit, as awesome as it is. Oh and its shameful to say but I had only heard Fashion Nugget until I saw this post, and am happy to report im loving Comfort Eagle, I reckon that'd be an awesome song for the game too. Great idea man!

[GreenGrassAndy]

I'd like "Let me Go" I always loved that song.

[pmpboarder]

I'd like "Let me Go" I always loved that song.

Nice! Look at my rocker profile, under favorite song!

[GrayInvisible]

I can't believe overrated generiternative bands like Radiohead, The Strokes, and Modest mouse beat out David Bowie, Talking Heads, Joy Division, The Sex Pistols, Muse, Clash, and R.E.M (Some of my favorite bands). At least Cake is in. They are the only original unique band on the list. I hope they don't get beaten.