View source for Bakesale

{{about|the Sebadoh album|the fund raising event|Bake sale}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2019}}
{{Infobox album
| name       = Bakesale
| type       = studio
| artist     = [[Sebadoh]]
| cover      = Sebadoh-Bakesale.jpg
| alt        =
| released   = August 23, 1994
| recorded   = 1993/1994
| studio     =
| genre      = [[Indie rock]]
| length     = 41:51
| label      =
* [[Sub Pop Records|Sub Pop]] (US)
* [[Domino Recording Company|Domino]] (UK)
* [[City Slang Records|City Slang]] (Germany)
| producer   = [[Tim O'Heir]]
| prev_title = [[Bubble & Scrape]]
| prev_year  = 1993
| next_title = [[Harmacy]]
| next_year  = 1996
}}
'''''Bakesale''''' is the fifth album by American [[indie rock]] band [[Sebadoh]], released by [[Sub Pop]] 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]], aged one-year-old, taken by his mother.
==Recording==
Initial sessions for the album were done at [[Steve Albini]]'s home in [[Chicago, Illinois]] 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 Further sessions were held at [[Fort Apache Studios]] in [[Boston, Massachusetts]] after Gaffney had quit and been replaced by Fay.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.wonderingsound.com/interview/the-making-of-sebadohs-bakesale/ |title=The Making of Sebadoh's Bakesale &#124; Wondering Sound |access-date=July 23, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150723182600/http://www.wonderingsound.com/interview/the-making-of-sebadohs-bakesale/ |archive-date=July 23, 2015 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
==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 guitar|acoustic]], [[lo-fi music|lo-fi]] 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,<ref name="allmusics">{{cite web | url=http://www.allmusic.com/artist/sebadoh-mn0000840523 | title=Sebadoh | publisher=AllMusic | accessdate=August 10, 2014}}</ref> and several [[music single|singles]] and even a few [[music video]]s were released from the album.
==Reception==
{{Album ratings
| rev1 = [[AllMusic]]
| rev1score = {{Rating|4.5|5}}<ref name="allmusicb">{{cite web|last=Deming|first=Mark|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/bakesale-mw0000625153|title=Bakesale – Sebadoh|publisher=[[AllMusic]]|accessdate=September 30, 2011}}</ref>
| rev2 = ''[[The Austin Chronicle]]''
| rev2score = {{Rating|4|5}}<ref>{{cite news|last=Hernandez|first=Raoul|url=https://www.austinchronicle.com/music/2011-07-29/sebadoh-bakesale-deluxe-edition/|title=Sebadoh: Bakesale: Deluxe Edition (Sub Pop)|work=[[The Austin Chronicle]]|date=July 29, 2011|accessdate=September 30, 2011}}</ref>
| rev3 = ''[[The A.V. Club]]''
| rev3score = A−<ref>{{cite web|last=Hawthorne|first=Marc|url=https://www.avclub.com/sebadoh-bakesale-deluxe-edition-1798168538|title=Sebadoh: Bakesale: Deluxe Edition|work=[[The A.V. Club]]|date=June 14, 2011|access-date=September 30, 2011}}</ref>
| rev4 = ''[[Christgau's Consumer Guide: Albums of the '90s|Christgau's Consumer Guide]]''
| rev4score = A<ref>{{cite book|chapter=Sebadoh: Bakesale|chapter-url=https://www.robertchristgau.com/get_album.php?id=3116|accessdate=September 30, 2011|title=Christgau's Consumer Guide: Albums of the '90s|title-link=Christgau's Consumer Guide: Albums of the '90s|last=Christgau|first=Robert|author-link=Robert Christgau|publisher=[[St. Martin's Griffin]]|year=2000|isbn=0-312-24560-2}}</ref>
| rev5 = ''[[Los Angeles Times]]''
| rev5score = {{Rating|3|4}}<ref>{{cite news|last=Ali|first=Lorraine|author-link=Lorraine Ali|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1994-09-18-ca-39870-story.html|title=Sebadoh, 'Bakesale' (Sub Pop)|work=[[Los Angeles Times]]|date=September 18, 1994|accessdate=June 6, 2020}}</ref>
| rev6 = ''[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]]''
| rev6score = 8.5/10<ref name="pitchfork">{{cite web|last=Harvell|first=Jess|url=http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/15522-bakesale-deluxe-edition/|title=Sebadoh: Bakesale [Deluxe Edition]|work=[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]]|date=June 14, 2011|accessdate=September 30, 2011}}</ref>
| rev7 = ''[[Q (magazine)|Q]]''
| rev7score = {{Rating|4|5}}<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Sebadoh: Bakesale|magazine=[[Q (magazine)|Q]]|issue=98|date=November 1994|page=124}}</ref>
| rev8 = ''[[Rolling Stone]]''
| rev8score = {{Rating|4|5}}<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Eliscu|first=Jenny|author-link=Jenny Eliscu|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/albumreviews/bakesale-reissue-20110621|title=Bakesale Reissue|magazine=[[Rolling Stone]]|date=June 21, 2011|accessdate=September 30, 2011}}</ref>
| rev9 = ''[[The Rolling Stone Album Guide]]''
| rev9score = {{Rating|4|5}}<ref>{{cite book|chapter=Sebadoh|last=Sheffield|first=Rob|author-link=Rob Sheffield|title=The New Rolling Stone Album Guide|title-link=The Rolling Stone Album Guide|editor1-last=Brackett|editor1-first=Nathan|editor2-last=Hoard|editor2-first=Christian|publisher=[[Simon & Schuster]]|edition=4th|year=2004|isbn=0-7432-0169-8|pages=[https://archive.org/details/newrollingstonea00brac/page/723 723–24]}}</ref>
| rev10 = ''[[Spin Alternative Record Guide]]''
| rev10score = 9/10<ref>{{cite book|chapter=Sebadoh|last=Tignor|first=Stephen|title=Spin Alternative Record Guide|title-link=Spin Alternative Record Guide|editor1-last=Weisbard|editor1-first=Eric|editor2-last=Marks|editor2-first=Craig|publisher=[[Vintage Books]]|year=1995|isbn=0-679-75574-8|pages=345–46}}</ref>
}}
''Bakesale'' was initially well received by critics. It was included in a number of year-end lists in 1994, including ''[[Spin Magazine|Spin's]]'' "20 Best Albums of '94" (#16), the ''[[Village Voice]]''{{'}}s "1994 [[Pazz & Jop Critics Poll]]" (#20), the ''[[NME]]''{{'}}s "25 Best Albums of 1994" (#27), and ''[[Mojo Magazine|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.<ref name="allmusicb" /> Upon its re-release in 2011, Jess Harvell of ''[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]]'' called it "their most focused and purely pleasurable record", and "a strong and lovable essay on 90s [[indie rock|indie's]] charms".<ref name="pitchfork" /> Zachary Houle of ''[[PopMatters]]'' 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]]' ''[[Bee Thousand]]'' and [[Pavement (band)|Pavement]]'s ''[[Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain]]''."<ref>{{cite web|last=Houle|first=Zachary|url=https://www.popmatters.com/142334-sebadoh-bakesale-deluxe-edition-2496009306.html|title=Sebadoh: Bakesale (Deluxe Edition)|work=[[PopMatters]]|date=June 15, 2011|accessdate=May 1, 2020}}</ref> In 2014, John Everhart of ''[[Stereogum]]'' wrote that the album "doesn't have the highs of ''[[Bubble & Scrape]]'', nor the epochal status of ''[[Sebadoh III]]'', but ''Bakesale'' is the [Sebadoh] record you'll find yourself captivated by most immediately, listening to from start to finish."<ref>{{cite web|last=Everhart|first=John|url=https://www.stereogum.com/1700531/bakesale-turns-20/franchises/the-anniversary/|title=Bakesale Turns 20|work=[[Stereogum]]|date=August 22, 2014|accessdate=May 1, 2020}}</ref>
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]]''.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.sandiego.com/articles/2011-06-27/sub-pop-reissues-sebadohs-1994-classic-bakesale|title=Sub Pop reissues Sebadoh's 1994 classic Bakesale|date=June 27, 2011|website=www.sandiego.com|accessdate=May 1, 2020}}</ref>
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.<ref>{{cite web|last=Staff |first=Pitchfork |url=http://pitchfork.com/features/staff-lists/7150-sub-pop-20/ |title=Staff Lists: Sub Pop 20 &#124; Features |publisher=Pitchfork |date=July 11, 2008 |accessdate=September 30, 2011}}</ref> In July 2014, ''[[Guitar World]]'' placed ''Bakesale'' at number 37 in their "Superunknown: 50 Iconic Albums That Defined 1994" list.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.guitarworld.com/superunknown-50-iconic-albums-defined-1994 |title=Superunknown: 50 Iconic Albums That Defined 1994 |date=July 14, 2014 |work=[[Guitar World|GuitarWorld.com]] |accessdate=July 14, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140715053900/http://www.guitarworld.com/superunknown-50-iconic-albums-defined-1994 |archive-date=July 15, 2014 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
==Singles==
"[[Rebound (Sebadoh song)|Rebound]]" was released as the album's first single in 1994, as a [[gramophone record|7" vinyl record]] in the UK. The second single was for the song "[[Skull (song)|Skull]]", released in 1994 as a 7" in the US and as a CD in the UK, both versions featuring the same three [[B-side]]s, but the US version featuring a [[remix]]ed version of "Skull". The UK releases were handled by [[Domino Recording Company|Domino]], while the US release was put out by Sub Pop.
The following singles, both on CD, were for the songs "[[Careful EP|Careful]]", released in 1994 in Germany by [[City Slang]], and "[[Magnet's Coil]]", released in 1995 in Australia by [[Shock Records|Shock]]. The final single was for the song "[[Not Too Amused EP|Not Too Amused]]", released in 1995 as a CD and 7" in the UK by Domino. A "Rebound" [[extended play|EP]] was released by Sub Pop in 1995, featuring different b-sides and cover art from the 1994 UK 7".<ref>{{cite web |url=http://sebadoh-and-suchlike.org/discography/sebadoh/singles.html |title=sebadoh – singles and eps |publisher=sebadoh and suchlike |accessdate=September 30, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110826225615/http://sebadoh-and-suchlike.org/discography/sebadoh/singles.html |archive-date=August 26, 2011 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
==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]].
==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 (song)|Skull]]" (Barlow) – 2:24
#"Got It" (Loewenstein) – 2:16
#"S. Soup" (Loewenstein) – 3:16
#* Short for "Shit Soup"
#"Give Up" (Barlow) – 2:27
#"[[Rebound (Sebadoh song)|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]] – vocals, guitar, organ
*[[Jason Loewenstein]] – vocals, bass guitar, guitar
*Bob Fay – drums, vocals
'''Additional personnel'''
*Anne Slinn – vocals, organ
*[[Eric Gaffney]] – drums
*[[Tara Jane O'Neil|Tara O'Neil]] – drums
==Charts==
===Weekly charts===
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders"
|-
!Chart (1994)
!Peak<br />position
|-
! scope="row"| [[UK Albums Chart]]<ref name="UK">{{cite web |url=https://www.officialcharts.com/artist/33016/sebadoh/ |title=Sebadoh {{!}} full Official Chart History |publisher=[[Official Charts Company]] |accessdate=September 9, 2020}}</ref>
| style="text-align:center;"| 40
|}
===Singles===
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders"
|-
!Year
!Song
!Chart
!Position
|-
| 1994
! scope="row"| "Skull"
| [[UK Singles Chart]]<ref name="UK" />
| 94
|}
==References==
{{reflist}}
==External links==
*[http://russellbates.com/work/sebadoh-skull/ "Skull" music video]
{{Sebadoh}}
{{Authority control}}
[[Category:1994 albums]]
[[Category:Sebadoh albums]]
[[Category:Sub Pop albums]]
[[Category:Sub Pop compilation albums]]
[[Category:Domino Recording Company albums]]
[[Category:Domino Recording Company compilation albums]]
[[Category:City Slang albums]]