Cut the Cake (album)
Encyclopedia
Cut the Cake is the third album released by Average White Band, released in 1975. This album included the hit single "Cut the Cake", which reached #10 on the Billboard pop singles chart.
The album would be considered soul
/disco
in genre, as opposed to the funk
sound of their first two albums.
The follow-up album to the immensely successful AWB
in 1974, recording was plagued by creative and artistic differences, with several members of the band walking out of the studio on three occasions. One point of conflict was the band's mourning for original drummer
, Robbie McIntosh
, who died of a heroin overdose in 1974. Producer Arif Mardin
considered pulling the plug on the project due to this tension but ultimately relented and oversaw its completion.
sampled a riff from the song "Schoolboy Crush" on the song "Microphone Fiend" for their 1988 album "Follow the Leader
".
The Beastie Boys
sampled a riff from the single "Cut the Cake" on the song "Shake Your Rump
" for their 1989 album, "Paul's Boutique
".
The song "Cut the Cake" is also featured in the Starsky and Hutch
movie soundtrack, as it was used in the movie during the end party scene where Snoop Doggy Dogg's character and 'Hutch' celebrate the downfall of Vince Vaughn
's character.
Father MC
sampled the song "School Boy Crush" on his song "One Night Stand" on Close to You (1992).
The album would be considered soul
Soul music
Soul music is a music genre originating in the United States combining elements of gospel music and rhythm and blues. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of...
/disco
Disco
Disco is a genre of dance music. Disco acts charted high during the mid-1970s, and the genre's popularity peaked during the late 1970s. It had its roots in clubs that catered to African American, gay, psychedelic, and other communities in New York City and Philadelphia during the late 1960s and...
in genre, as opposed to the funk
Funk
Funk is a music genre that originated in the mid-late 1960s when African American musicians blended soul music, jazz and R&B into a rhythmic, danceable new form of music. Funk de-emphasizes melody and harmony and brings a strong rhythmic groove of electric bass and drums to the foreground...
sound of their first two albums.
The follow-up album to the immensely successful AWB
AWB (album)
AWB is the second studio album by the Scottish funk and soul band Average White Band, released in August 1974 . An enormous best-seller, AWB was the Average White Band's breakthrough record, stunning many listeners with its soul and funk coming from a Scottish band.AWB topped Billboard's Pop...
in 1974, recording was plagued by creative and artistic differences, with several members of the band walking out of the studio on three occasions. One point of conflict was the band's mourning for original drummer
Drummer
A drummer is a musician who is capable of playing drums, which includes but is not limited to a drum kit and accessory based hardware which includes an assortment of pedals and standing support mechanisms, marching percussion and/or any musical instrument that is struck within the context of a...
, Robbie McIntosh
Robbie McIntosh (drummer)
Robbie McIntosh was a Scottish drummer from Dundee, who was a founder-member of the Average White Band. His father was American born actor, Bonar Colleano, who had a successful career in films,especially in the U.K...
, who died of a heroin overdose in 1974. Producer Arif Mardin
Arif Mardin
Arif Mardin was a Turkish-American music producer, who worked with hundreds of artists across many different styles of music, including jazz, rock, soul, disco, and country...
considered pulling the plug on the project due to this tension but ultimately relented and oversaw its completion.
Track listing
- "Cut the Cake" (White, Gorrie, McIntosh) – 4:07
- "School Boy CrushSchool Boy Crush"School Boy Crush" is a song from Average White Band's 1975 album, Cut The Cake. The song is not to be confused with "Schoolboy Crush", which was recorded by American pop singer Bobby Helms, and also UK rocker Cliff Richard as the b-side to his hit "Move It"....
" (White, Stuart, Ferrone, Gorrie) – 4:58 - "It's A Mystery" (Stuart, White, McIntosh) – 3:34
- "Groovin' the Night Away" (White, Stuart) – 3:42
- "If I Ever Lose This Heaven" (WareLeon WareLeon Ware is a soul music singer, songwriter and producer. Best known for crafting the hit album, I Want You, originally recorded for Ware, until friend and Motown icon Marvin Gaye was assigned to the album in 1976...
, Sawyer) – 5:00 - "Why" (Ball, Stuart, Gorrie) – 3:57
- "High Flyin' Woman" (White, McIntyre, Gorrie) – 3:47
- "Cloudy" (Stuart, Gorrie) – 4:18
- "How Sweet Can You Get" (Ball, Stuart, Gorrie) – 3:57
- "When They Bring Down the Curtain" (Gorrie, Ball) – 4:42
The Band
- Alan GorrieAlan GorrieAlan Gorrie is a Scottish bassist, guitarist, keyboardist and singer. He is a founding member of the Average White Band and remains one of two original members in the group's current line-up....
– vocals, bassBass (instrument)Bass describes musical instruments that produce tones in the low-pitched range. They belong to different families of instruments and can cover a wide range of musical roles...
, guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
(on "Cut the Cake" and "School Boy Crush") - Hamish StuartHamish StuartHamish Stuart is a guitarist, bassist, singer, composer and record producer.- Biography :Stuart had recorded a couple of singles with his first band, the Dream Police, before he was invited to join the recently formed Average White Band in June 1972.A member of AWB from 1972 to 1982, he went on to...
– vocals, guitar, bass (on "Cut the Cake" and "School Boy Crush") - Roger BallRoger Ball (musician)Roger Ball is a Scottish saxophonist, keyboardist, songwriter and arranger.-Biography:Ball attended the Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art in Dundee from 1962, studying architecture. While there he met Malcolm “Molly” Duncan and Alan Gorrie...
– keyboards, synthesizer, altoAlto saxophoneThe alto saxophone is a member of the saxophone family of woodwind instruments invented by Belgian instrument designer Adolphe Sax in 1841. It is smaller than the tenor but larger than the soprano, and is the type most used in classical compositions...
& baritone saxophoneBaritone saxophoneThe baritone saxophone, often called "bari sax" , is one of the largest and lowest pitched members of the saxophone family. It was invented by Adolphe Sax. The baritone is distinguished from smaller sizes of saxophone by the extra loop near its mouthpiece...
s, arranger (Dundee horns) - Malcolm Duncan – tenor saxophoneTenor saxophoneThe tenor saxophone is a medium-sized member of the saxophone family, a group of instruments invented by Adolphe Sax in the 1840s. The tenor, with the alto, are the two most common types of saxophones. The tenor is pitched in the key of B, and written as a transposing instrument in the treble...
- Onnie McIntyre – guitar
- Stephen FerroneSteve FerroneSteven "Steve" Ferrone is a British drummer.He was a member of the Average White Band, and has recorded and performed with numerous other high-profile acts, including Slash, Chaka Khan, Eric Clapton, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers and Scritti Politti...
– drums, percussion
Additional
- Ray BarrettoRay BarrettoRay Barretto was a Grammy Award-winning Puerto Rican jazz musician.-Early years:Barretto was born in New York City of Puerto Rican descent...
– congas (on "It's a Mystery" and "When They Bring Down the Curtain")
Appearances in popular culture
Eric B. & RakimEric B. & Rakim
Eric B. & Rakim were a hip-hop duo composed of DJ Eric Barrier and MC Rakim .Hailing from Long Island, New York, the pair are generally considered by hip hop enthusiasts to be one of the most influential and innovative groups in the genre...
sampled a riff from the song "Schoolboy Crush" on the song "Microphone Fiend" for their 1988 album "Follow the Leader
Follow the Leader (Eric B. & Rakim album)
Follow the Leader is the second studio album by American hip hop duo Eric B. & Rakim, released July 25, 1988 on MCA-subsidiary label Uni Records. It is the follow-up to their debut album Paid in Full...
".
The Beastie Boys
Beastie Boys
Beastie Boys are an American hip hop trio from New York City. The group consists of Mike D who plays the drums, MCA who plays the bass, and Ad-Rock who plays the guitar....
sampled a riff from the single "Cut the Cake" on the song "Shake Your Rump
Shake Your Rump
"Shake Your Rump" is the second track on Beastie Boys' second studio album Paul's Boutique, released July 25, 1989.* Produced & written by the Beastie Boys and the Dust Brothers.* Engineered by Mario Caldato and Allen Abrahamson.-Samples:...
" for their 1989 album, "Paul's Boutique
Paul's Boutique
Paul's Boutique is the second studio album by American hip hop group Beastie Boys, released on July 25, 1989, on Capitol Records. Featuring production by the Dust Brothers, the recording sessions for the album took place in Matt Dike's Apartment and the Record Plant in Los Angeles from 1988 to...
".
The song "Cut the Cake" is also featured in the Starsky and Hutch
Starsky and Hutch
Starsky and Hutch is a 1970s American cop thriller television series that consisted of a 90-minute pilot movie and 92 episodes of 60 minutes each; created by William Blinn, produced by Spelling-Goldberg Productions, and broadcast between April 30, 1975 and May 15, 1979 on the ABC...
movie soundtrack, as it was used in the movie during the end party scene where Snoop Doggy Dogg's character and 'Hutch' celebrate the downfall of Vince Vaughn
Vince Vaughn
Vincent Anthony "Vince" Vaughn is an American film actor, screenwriter, producer and comedian. He began acting in the late 1980s, appearing in minor television roles before attaining wider recognition with the 1996 movie Swingers...
's character.
Father MC
Father MC
Father MC African American rapper Timothy Brown achieved success in the early 1990s on the Uptown Records label. Discovered and signed by then-Uptown executive Sean "Puffy" Combs, he is best known for introducing the public to Uptown's successful R&B act Jodeci in the track, "Treat Them Like They...
sampled the song "School Boy Crush" on his song "One Night Stand" on Close to You (1992).
Charts
| Year | Album | Chart positions | |
|---|---|---|---|
| US Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
US R&B Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums is a chart published by Billboard magazine that ranks R&B and hip hop albums based on sales compiled by Nielsen SoundScan. The name of the chart was changed from Top R&B Albums in 1999... |
||
| 1975 | Cut The Cake Cut the Cake (album) Cut the Cake is the third album released by Average White Band, released in 1975. This album included the hit single "Cut the Cake", which reached #10 on the Billboard pop singles chart.... |
4 | 1 |
Singles
| Year | Single | Chart positions | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
US R&B Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States.The chart, initiated in 1942, is used to track the success of popular music songs in urban, or primarily African American, venues. Dominated over the years at various times by jazz, rhythm and blues, doo-wop, soul,... |
US Dance |
||
| 1975 | "Cut The Cake" | 10 | 7 | 13 |
| "If I Ever Lose This Heaven" | 39 | 25 | — | |
| "School Boy Crush" | 33 | 22 | — | |