The Cake A Slice of Cake '68 RARE Chick band Near Mint

$

30

Here is a beautiful copy of The Cake!

Decca DL75039

Cover is near mint! Still in shrink.. no splits.. excellent corners.. beautiful shape!

Vinyl is glossy and near mint! Blemish free.. NICE!

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I used to buy 20-30 albums at a time... only to ever listen to maybe five. Most of my auctions are those OTHER albums that never had a needle touch it!

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• Rock

• Girl Group

Review by Psych Tripper

Regardless of genre, the realm of rock has been blessed with scads of females who have possessed wondrous voices. And while female band members have not been infrequent, there has, for some reason(s), been a dearth of "chick" bands and superlative female rock compositions. And as I find this exiguousness inexplicable, I try to maintain somewhat vigilant watch for standout femme rock.  

Joni, Carole, and Carly along with a few pure popsters and Motown acts aside, Linda Perhacs, These Trails, and Daisy Chain seem to grace everyone's list... and rightfully so. Yet as all the lists seem perplexingly short, I have for some time pined to ear A Slice of Cake which has been highly touted by some. After a number of spins, I can state quite categorically The Cake LP ain't no fuzzed out rocker; nor is it brimming with lysergic fireworks. And while there are many adjectives that one might use to describe my reactions... disappointing is not one.

Though some might pigeonhole this album as pop, to my ear it's lyte, sunshine, hippie rock with some varied and unusual influences and punctuations. In fact, I find the varied tapestry of texture arresting. Included are two R&B tonkers, Medley: Walking the Dog/Something's Got a Hold of Me/Big Boy Pete and Who Will Wear the Crown, I could do without. And yet this same spin features the beautiful and totally unexpected a cappella, Under the Tree of Love and Laughter.

Equally unanticipated are "island" influences, both Hawaiian and Caribbean. Island of Plenty might not seem out of place amongst the opening tracks of the These Trails album while Extroverted Introvert exudes calypso with its steel band orchestration. And, positioned at the opposite of the texture spectrum are the rococo-like ballad, Tides of Times and the rather cryptic P.T. 280.

Two of my favorites cuts exhibit not only the aforementioned baroque aura but also reveal rather caustic social commentary. In addition to its odd harmonics, the ever haut caste aspiring Annabelle Clark concludes by dissipating into chaos.  And a lyte, almost frivolous, Have You Heard the News 'bout Miss Molly masks a tale of scorn for a maiden with child. A Slice of Cake is not a Holy Grail of female rock; nor is it a sike masterpiece. However, it is a rather amazing composition; and, in the Psych Tripper's opinion,  a significant album in the annals of "chick" rock... it is well worth a spin.

The second and final album by this under-appreciated trio is by no means perfect, but it's a notable improvement on their extremely spotty self-titled debut. The Spectoresque girl groupisms are largely gone, and the R&B covers are reduced to one four-minute medley and a spectacular funky voodoo version of Mac Rebbenack's "Who Will Wear the Crown." That leaves the folk rock and lite-psych influences, and both are combined in a delightfully baroque fashion that both screams its 1968 recording date to the world and sounds uniquely timeless. The three members of the Cake, Eleanor Barooshian, Jeanette Jacobs, and Barbara Morillo, wrote seven of the ten songs in varying combinations, and that more hands-on approach (as opposed to the Jack Nitzsche-produced debut, which featured a much smaller songwriting contribution from the group) gives the album a cohesive quality lacking in the all-over-the-map debut. Many of the songs are spooky minor-key ballads, with the beautifully orchestrated although entirely inscrutable "P.T. 280" and the madrigal-like a cappella miniature "Under the Tree of Love and Laughter" among the highlights in that vein. However, the album's best track, and a minor lost classic of psych-era pop, is "Extroverted Introvert," a completely over-the-top tune (a steel band and a full orchestra!) with an unforgettable chorus and lyrics as oddball as the title. A Slice of the Cake is a terrific album just begging for rediscovery by psych-pop fetishists.

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This is one of many from my own personal collection for sale. All LP's have been VERY well maintained over the years.

I check mail often. PLEASE write with any questions at all.

I use brand new quality record mailers. Vinyl separated from cover, sandwiched in cardboard and bubble wrapped for security. No additional shipping charges for second item.  

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An excellent source for reviews and links by the venerable music critic Eric Dollinger (better known as Psych Tripper)... can be found at: http://www.headtripsandflashbacks.squarespace.com/

Check it out!

Thanks for looking!

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Coming Soon!

These albums are either currently for auction or will be soon:

Bjorn Jayson Lindh/Sissel

Vanilla Fudge/Beat Goes On

Oberon/A Midsummer's Night Dream

If/If2-If3

Cake/A Slice of Cake

Dry Ice/Diededelic

Tommy James

John Kongos

Games/Stargazer

Oracle/Nataraja da Nada

Condello

Dream

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