''Bakesale'' is the fifth album by American
indie rock
Indie rock is a Music subgenre, subgenre of rock music that originated in the United Kingdom, United States and New Zealand in the early to mid-1980s. Although the term was originally used to describe rock music released through independent reco ...
band
Sebadoh
Sebadoh () is an American indie rock band formed in 1986 in Northampton, Massachusetts, by Eric Gaffney and Lou Barlow, with multi-instrumentalist Jason Loewenstein completing the line-up in 1989. Barlow co-created Sebadoh as an outlet for his ...
, released by
Sub Pop
Sub Pop is an independent record label founded in 1986 by Bruce Pavitt and Jonathan Poneman. Sub Pop achieved fame in the early 1990s for signing Seattle bands such as Nirvana (band), Nirvana, Soundgarden, and Mudhoney, central players in the gru ...
in 1994. It was the first Sebadoh album released following the departure of founding member,
Eric Gaffney, though he did drum on four of the album's tracks from a session engineered by
Bob Weston.
Tara Jane O'Neil contributed drums to three tracks. Bob Fay, who had previously filled in for Gaffney, officially joined the band for this record. The cover is a photograph of
Lou Barlow
Louis Knox Barlow (born July 17, 1966) is an American alternative rock musician and songwriter. A founding member of the groups Dinosaur Jr., Sebadoh and The Folk Implosion, Barlow is credited with helping to pioneer the lo-fi style of rock ...
, aged one-year-old, taken by his mother.
Recording
Initial sessions for the album were done at
Steve Albini
Steven Frank Albini (; July 22, 1962 – May 7, 2024) was an American musician and audio engineer. He founded and fronted the influential post-hardcore and noise rock bands Big Black (1981–1987), Rapeman (1987–1989) and Shellac (band), ...
's home in
Chicago, Illinois
Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...
with
Bob Weston, though the band didn't work with Albini. Four songs were recorded with Gaffney, which became his final recordings with the band. Further sessions were held at
Fort Apache Studios
Fort Apache Studios is a New England recording studio focusing on alternative rock sessions produced there since 1986. It is currently located in New Hampshire.
History
The studio was initially built by a collective begun in 1985 by musician/p ...
in
Boston, Massachusetts
Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...
after Gaffney had quit and been replaced by Fay.
Music
As a result of Gaffney's departure, the songwriting on ''Bakesale'' was handled primarily by Barlow and Loewenstein, with Fay contributing the lone track, "Temptation Tide". The album continues the band's departure from the largely
acoustic,
lo-fi
Lo-fi (also typeset as lofi or low-fi; short for low fidelity) is a music or production quality in which elements usually regarded as imperfections in the context of a recording or performance are present, sometimes as a deliberate stylistic ch ...
sound and shorter song structures that characterized their first three albums, and boasts a more polished production value than previous Sebadoh albums. This helped the band not only expand its underground following but flirt with mainstream success,
and several
singles and even a few
music video
A music video is a video that integrates a song or an album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing device intended to ...
s were released from the album.
Reception
''Bakesale'' was initially well received by critics. It was included in a number of year-end lists in 1994, including ''
Spin's'' "20 Best Albums of '94" (#16), the ''
Village Voice
''The Village Voice'' is an American news and culture publication based in Greenwich Village, New York City, known for being the country's first alternative newsweekly. Founded in 1955 by Dan Wolf, Ed Fancher, John Wilcock, and Norman Ma ...
''s "1994
Pazz & Jop Critics Poll" (#20), the ''
NME
''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming and culture website, bimonthly magazine, and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a "Rock music, rock inkie", the ''NME'' would be ...
''s "25 Best Albums of 1994" (#27), and ''
Mojo's'' "25 Best Albums of 1994" (unranked).
In the years since its release, ''Bakesale'' has come to be regarded as Sebadoh's most accessible album, with a more polished production than previous Sebadoh albums, and consistent songwriting from Barlow and Loewenstein.
Upon its re-release in 2011, Jess Harvell of ''
Pitchfork
A pitchfork or hay fork is an agricultural tool used to pitch loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. It has a long handle and usually two to five thin tines designed to efficiently move such materials.
The term is also applie ...
'' called it "their most focused and purely pleasurable record", and "a strong and lovable essay on 90s
indie's charms".
Zachary Houle of ''
PopMatters
''PopMatters'' is an international online magazine of cultural criticism that covers aspects of popular culture. ''PopMatters'' publishes reviews, interviews, and essays on cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, ...
'' called it "a totemic touchstone of a record, one that is arguably as important to the development of indie-rock as a form as
Guided by Voices
Guided by Voices is an American indie rock band formed in 1983 in Dayton, Ohio. It has made frequent personnel changes but always maintained the presence of principal songwriter Robert Pollard. The most well-known lineup of the band consisted o ...
' ''
Bee Thousand'' and
Pavement's ''
Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain''." In 2014, John Everhart of ''
Stereogum
''Stereogum'' is a daily Internet publication that focuses on music news, reviews, interviews, and commentary. The site was created in January 2002 by Scott Lapatine.
''Stereogum'' was one of the first MP3 blogs and has received several awar ...
'' wrote that the album "doesn't have the highs of ''
Bubble & Scrape'', nor the epochal status of ''
Sebadoh III'', but ''Bakesale'' is the
ebadohrecord you'll find yourself captivated by most immediately, listening to from start to finish."
Barlow himself wrote that ''Bakesale'' seems to be "the most fondly remembered and the most highly regarded" Sebadoh album, though he doesn't consider it the band's best, calling it less interesting than ''Sebadoh III'', ''Bubble & Scrape'' and ''
The Sebadoh''.
In July 2008, it was listed by ''Pitchfork'' as one of the publication's 20 favorite Sub Pop albums, with Stuart Berman writing that it represented "a long overdue document of the band's pop prowess" for many longtime fans. In July 2014, ''
Guitar World
''Guitar World'' is a monthly music magazine for guitarists and fans of guitar-based music and trends. The magazine has been published since July 1980. ''Guitar World'', the best-selling guitar magazine in the United States, contains original a ...
'' placed ''Bakesale'' at number 37 in their "Superunknown: 50 Iconic Albums That Defined 1994" list.
Singles
"
Rebound" was released as the album's first single in 1994, as a
7" vinyl record in the UK. The second single was for the song "
Skull
The skull, or cranium, is typically a bony enclosure around the brain of a vertebrate. In some fish, and amphibians, the skull is of cartilage. The skull is at the head end of the vertebrate.
In the human, the skull comprises two prominent ...
", released in 1994 as a 7" in the US and as a CD in the UK, both versions featuring the same three
B-side
The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph record, vinyl records and Compact cassette, cassettes, and the terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side of a Single (music), single usually ...
s, but the US version featuring a
remix
A remix, also sometimes called reorchestration or rework, is a piece of media which has been altered or contorted from its original state by adding, removing, or changing pieces of the item. A song, piece of artwork, book, poem, or photograph ca ...
ed version of "Skull". The UK releases were handled by
Domino
Dominoes is a family of tile-based games played with gaming pieces. Each domino is a rectangular tile, usually with a line dividing its face into two square ''ends''. Each end is marked with a number of spots (also called '' pips'' or ''dots'' ...
, while the US release was put out by Sub Pop.
The following singles, both on CD, were for the songs "
Careful", released in 1994 in Germany by
City Slang
City Slang is an independent record label based in Berlin, Germany.
History
The independent music label City Slang was founded in 1990 as a European outpost for American indie rock. Thirty years later, the imprint represents a diverse roster o ...
, and "
Magnet's Coil", released in 1995 in Australia by
Shock
Shock may refer to:
Common uses
Healthcare
* Acute stress reaction, also known as psychological or mental shock
** Shell shock, soldiers' reaction to battle trauma
* Circulatory shock, a medical emergency
** Cardiogenic shock, resulting from ...
. The final single was for the song "
Not Too Amused", released in 1995 as a CD and 7" in the UK by Domino. A "Rebound"
EP was released by Sub Pop in 1995, featuring different b-sides and cover art from the 1994 UK 7".
Music videos
Music videos were released for the songs "Rebound" and "Skull".
Reissue
The album was reissued in 2011, featuring a second disc of bonus material and new
liner notes
Liner notes (also sleeve notes or album notes) are the writings found on the sleeves of LP record albums and in booklets that come inserted into the compact disc jewel case or cassette j-cards.
Origin
Liner notes are descended from the prog ...
.
Track listing
#"License to Confuse" (Barlow) – 1:45
#"Careful" (Loewenstein) – 2:44
#"Magnet's Coil" (Barlow) – 2:27
#"Not a Friend" (Barlow) – 3:40
#"
Not Too Amused" (Loewenstein) – 4:15
#"Dreams" (Barlow) – 2:39
#"
Skull
The skull, or cranium, is typically a bony enclosure around the brain of a vertebrate. In some fish, and amphibians, the skull is of cartilage. The skull is at the head end of the vertebrate.
In the human, the skull comprises two prominent ...
" (Barlow) – 2:24
#"Got It" (Loewenstein) – 2:16
#"S. Soup" (Loewenstein) – 3:16
#* Short for "Shit Soup"
#"Give Up" (Barlow) – 2:27
#"
Rebound" (Barlow) – 2:12
#"Mystery Man" (Barlow) – 3:08
#"Temptation Tide" (Fay) – 1:53
#"Drama Mine" (Loewenstein) – 2:42
#"Together or Alone" (Barlow) – 4:03
Extra disc (2011 reissue)
#"MOR Backlash"
#"Not a Friend" (4-track)
#"Foreground"
#"40203"
#"Mystery Man" (4-track)
#"Drumstick Jumble"
#"Lime Kiln"
#"Fancy-ass / Destitute"
#"Perfect Way" (4-track)
#"Give the Drummer Some"
#"Cementville"
#"Social Medicine"
#"On Fire" (acoustic)
#"Magnet's Coil" (acoustic)
#"Rebound" (acoustic)
#"Punching Myself in the Face Repeatedly, Publicly"
#"Sing Something / Plate of Hatred"
#"III Screams"
#"Monsoon"
#"Rainbow Farm"
#"Hank Williams"
#"Careful"
#"Dramamine"
#"Not Too Amused"
#"Shit Soup"
Personnel
*
Lou Barlow
Louis Knox Barlow (born July 17, 1966) is an American alternative rock musician and songwriter. A founding member of the groups Dinosaur Jr., Sebadoh and The Folk Implosion, Barlow is credited with helping to pioneer the lo-fi style of rock ...
– vocals, guitar, organ
*
Jason Loewenstein – vocals, bass guitar, guitar
*Bob Fay – drums, vocals
Additional personnel
*Anne Slinn – vocals, organ
*
Eric Gaffney – drums
*
Tara O'Neil – drums
Charts
Weekly charts
Singles
References
External links
"Skull" music video
{{Authority control
1994 albums
Sebadoh albums
Sub Pop albums
Sub Pop compilation albums
Domino Recording Company albums
Domino Recording Company compilation albums
City Slang albums