Prolonging the Magic

Last updated

Prolonging the Magic
Prolonging the Magic Cake album.jpg
Studio album by
ReleasedOctober 6, 1998
Genre Alternative rock, experimental rock, alternative country
Length48:13
Label Capricorn
Producer John McCrea
Cake chronology
Fashion Nugget
(1996)
Prolonging the Magic
(1998)
Comfort Eagle
(2001)
Singles from Prolonging the Magic
  1. "Never There"
    Released: September 27, 1998
  2. "Let Me Go"
    Released: June 16, 1999
  3. "You Turn The Screws"
    Released: 1999
  4. "Sheep Go to Heaven"
    Released: 2000

Prolonging the Magic is the third studio album by American alternative rock band Cake. It was released on October 6, 1998, on Capricorn Records. The sole successful single was "Never There". The album was recorded after the departure of guitarist Greg Brown and features a rotating lineup of musicians to replace him. One of them, Xan McCurdy, became his full-time replacement. On its opening week, Prolonging the Magic sold about 44,000 copies, debuting at No. 33 on the Billboard 200 chart. [1] On 28 September 1999 the album was certified platinum by the RIAA for shipments of one million copies. [2]

Contents

The album was given a parental advisory sticker not because of profanity but for Satanic-themed lyrics. Some copies do not feature a sticker, with the only difference being that the song "Satan Is My Motor" has been retitled "Motor".

The song "Hem of Your Garment" was featured in the film Me, Myself & Irene .

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [3]
Christgau's Consumer Guide Rating-Christgau-neither.png [4]
Entertainment Weekly C+ [5]
The New Rolling Stone Album Guide Star full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [6]
Pitchfork 6.8/10 [7]
Rolling Stone Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svg [8]
Spin 6/10 [9]

Allmusic wrote, "Supposedly their attempt to make a smugness- and irony-free album, Cake's third release does hold back the barbs a bit more than usual. And the strain shows. In these guys' hands, love songs without smirks and pop tunes straight up come out forced."

Track listing

All tracks are written by John McCrea, except where noted.

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Satan Is My Motor"McCrea, Gabriel Nelson, Tyler Pope3:12
2."Mexico" 3:26
3."Never There" 2:44
4."Guitar" 3:40
5."You Turn the Screws" 4:13
6."Walk on By" 3:48
7."Sheep Go to Heaven" 4:44
8."When You Sleep" 3:58
9."Hem of Your Garment" 3:43
10."Alpha Beta Parking Lot"Vincent DiFiore, McCrea3:30
11."Let Me Go"Jim Campilongo, McCrea3:29
12."Cool Blue Reason" 3:27
13."Where Would I Be?"McCrea, Nelson, Joe Snook3:52
Japan bonus tracks
No.TitleLength
14."Satan Is My Motor" (Karaoke Version)3:14
15."Never There" (Karaoke Version)2:46
16."Sheep Go to Heaven" (Karaoke Version)4:49
17."When You Sleep" (Karaoke Version)3:59

Personnel

Cake
Additional musicians
Additional personnel

Charts

Album - Billboard (United States)

YearChartPosition
1998The Billboard 20033

Singles - Billboard (United States)

YearSingleChartPosition
1998"Never There"Adult Top 4029
Modern Rock Tracks1
The Billboard Hot 10078
1999"Let Me Go"Modern Rock Tracks28
"Never There"Mainstream Rock Tracks40
"Sheep Go to Heaven"Modern Rock Tracks16

Certifications

RegionCertification Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA) [10] Platinum1,000,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. Paul Grein (January 19, 2011). "Week Ending Jan. 16, 2011: Albums: Even Lower". yahoo.com. Retrieved January 3, 2012.
  2. "Searchable Database". riaa.com. Archived from the original on December 13, 2015. Retrieved January 3, 2012.
  3. Michael Gallucci. "Prolonging the Magic". Allmusic . Retrieved January 3, 2012.
  4. Christgau, Robert (October 15, 2000). "Cake". Christgau's Consumer Guide: Albums of the '90s . Macmillan Publishing. ISBN   9780312245603.
  5. Matt Diehl (October 9, 1998). "Prolonging the Magic Review". Entertainment Weekly . Archived from the original on May 26, 2007. Retrieved July 29, 2012.
  6. Harris, Keith (2004). "Cake". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian David (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide . Simon and Schuster. ISBN   9780743201698.
  7. Mirov, Nick. "Cake: Prolonging the Magic". Pitchfork . Archived from the original on August 16, 2000. Retrieved March 30, 2018.
  8. Tom Moon (October 29, 1998). "Cake: Prolonging The Magic : Music Reviews". Rolling Stone . Archived from the original on November 12, 2007. Retrieved July 29, 2012.
  9. Eddy, Chuck (November 1998). "Cake: Prolonging the Magic/Soul Coughing: El Oso". Spin . SPIN Media LLC. p. 18.
  10. "American album certifications – Cake – Prolonging the Magic". Recording Industry Association of America . Retrieved August 11, 2022.