Cake
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...set sail in a ship in a bottle...
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Cake was the Trashcan Sinatras' first album, released on June 25th, 1990. It featured the singles "Obscurity Knocks", "Only Tongue Can Tell" and "Circling the Circumference".
The Trashcan Sinatras' first album - Cake. This is the 12" vinyl LP version, containing the singles "Obscurity Knocks", "Only Tongue Can Tell" and "Circling the Circumference". Very colorful and abstract cover, with interesting blurring effects in the photography of the band members.
Front cover
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Back cover
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Back cover (magnified)
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Record sleeve, front
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Record sleeve, back
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Record sleeve, back (magnified)
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Side one
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Side one (magnified)
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Side two
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Side two (magnified)
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This "white label" version of the Cake album was an early pressing used to promote the album with radio stations, distributors, etc. The album is the same as the official LP release (directly above), but has a plain white label. Typically, these type of "white label" releases often times include handwritten notations regarding the band, album name, etc.
Side A
Side B
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On this record, the inner groove is etched with "WHEN IS ADORE NOT ADORE?" on side A.
Also, the inner label looks like it was stamped imperfectly on the center of the vinyl, with a small area that got crimped. Interestingly, I've seen another white vinyl Cake album that has the exact same flaw, so I suppose the label-stamping machine wasn't working so well that day. 
Side A label, magnified
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Front cover
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Four versions of the Cake cassette are pictured below. The versions are from the US, Canada, the UK, and Holland. Each has obvious differences that make each country's version unique.
Cassette spines (t-b: Holland, UK, Canada and US)
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Below: Side 1, Side 2, and back cover (l-r: US, Canada, UK and Holland)
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Here is the first album Cake, in CD format, US version. Though the format is smaller than with the 12" LP vinyl above (obviously), the enclosed booklet has more photographs of the band, again with the stylish blurring photography effect. "Made in USA" and "Printed in USA" distinguish this version from releases made in other countries (see below).
There are subtle differences between the layout of this CD vs. the other versions: The band name in the upper-right corner of the front cover has a larger spacing from the top edge than do the other UK and Canadian versions. The catalog number on the back cover is in a different spot, and the booklet itself is in a fold-out accordion style unlike the UK and Canadian versions, which is in a standard book style with staples in the center. Lastly, writing on the back cover and on the CD itself identifies it as the US version. 
Back of booklet
Inside booklet
Inside booklet
Back cover
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Front cover / booklet
Back of booklet (magnified)
Inside booklet
Inside booklet
CD
CD (magnified)
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Here is a second Cake CD released in the U.S., with some very subtle differences. Everything is the same as version 1 (above), except the back of the booklet does not have "FL02" in the lower-left corner, and the back of the CD case has the London and Go!Discs labels situation differently. Also, it mentions Polygram in the lower-right corner of the back of the case. Lastly, the CD itself has etched "Made in USA by PDO" whereas version 1 (above) says "Made in USA by PMDC" (a different CD manufacturing process).
Not exactly major differences, but interesting to a "completist" like me. 
Back cover
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Front cover / booklet
Back of booklet
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Front cover / booklet
Back of booklet
Inside booklet
Back cover
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Below is the UK version of the Trashcan Sinatras first album Cake, and it looks very much like the US version, though with some differences: The band name is significantly tighter to the top edge of the CD booklet (left) than in the US version, and the booklet itself is in a standard book format instead of the accordion style that the US version has. The back of the booklet has the catalog number in the upper right instead of the lower left (US), and there is no mention of country of origin (US issue has "Printed in U.S.A.")
As you can see by the discolorization in the photo of the CD itself, this CD is a victim of the phenomenon of "bronzing". According to Wikipedia: "CD bronzing is a specific variant of disc rot, a type of corrosion that affects the reflective layer of CDs and renders them unreadable over time...CD bronzing seems to occur mostly with audio CDs manufactured by Philips and Dupont Optical (PDO) at its plant in Blackburn, Lancashire, UK, between the years 1988 and 1993. Most, but not all, of these discs have 'Made in U.K. by PDO' etched into them." As luck would have it, this CD is one of those "Made in U.K. by PDO". So far, however, the disc plays flawlessly. 
Inside booklet
Inside booklet
CD
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The Canadian version of Cake is very much like the UK version--the booklet is laid out exactly the same (which is why I didn't photograph the inside), and the back of the CD cover is mostly identical, except for some wording in the upper-right corner below the bar code, and the wording that identifies it as being made in Canada. The same goes for the CD itself, with the "Made in Canada" stamped at the bottom.
The band's name is not as far from the top edge as the US version, and not as close to the edge as the UK version (bottom photograph).
The band's name is not as far from the top edge as the US version, and not as close to the edge as the UK version (bottom photograph).
Front cover / booklet
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Back cover / booklet
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Back cover
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Back cover (magnified)
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CD
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CD (magnified)
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Back cover
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The version of Cake released in Germany looks almost exactly like the UK version, though the writing underneath the barcode on the back cover is different. Also, it states on the CD itself in small fine etched print that the CD is manufactured in Germany.
Front cover
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Front cover
Pictured below is the Japanese version of the Cake album. As with a lot of Japanese CDs, this one has an always-stylish obi strip along the spine of the CD case.
The inside booklet has the standard Cake liner notes, photos and graphics, but also includes several extra pages of Japanese liner notes as well as lyrics in both English and Japanese. The English language versions of the Cake CD (releases from the US, UK and Canada) do not have lyrics supplied in the CD notes, so this is an added bonus.
Not sure if it's due to the language barrier, but there are some curious omissions and typos in the lyrics and/or song titles, such as "Junuary's" Little Joke, and the line in "Thrupenny Tears": "It's time for sin and Catholic" (omitting the word "guilt").
The inside booklet has the standard Cake liner notes, photos and graphics, but also includes several extra pages of Japanese liner notes as well as lyrics in both English and Japanese. The English language versions of the Cake CD (releases from the US, UK and Canada) do not have lyrics supplied in the CD notes, so this is an added bonus.
Not sure if it's due to the language barrier, but there are some curious omissions and typos in the lyrics and/or song titles, such as "Junuary's" Little Joke, and the line in "Thrupenny Tears": "It's time for sin and Catholic" (omitting the word "guilt").
Back cover
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Obi strip
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Inside booklet (Japanese)
Inside booklet - regular liner notes
Lyrics
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Lyrics (magnified)
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Back of booklet (Japanese)
CD
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CD (magnified)
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Front cover
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Another version of the Cake CD from Japan, this one with 6 added bonus tracks. The extra 6 tracks are songs that eventually make it on the B-side/extras compilation On A B Road.
As with the Japanese version of Cake shown directly above, this one has a snazzy-looking obi-strip. These paper strips are highly sought after and will reduce the value of a collectible Japanese CD if it is missing or lost. The liner notes for this Japanese release, unlike the one directly above, are split up into two separate booklets instead of contained together. One has the standard Cake graphics, and the other contains the Japanese notes with lyrics in both English and Japanese. |
Back cover
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Obi strip, front
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Obi strip, back
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Two booklets
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Front of booklet (Japanese)
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Back of booklet (Japanese)
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CD
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CD (magnified)
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There is yet a third version of the Japanese version of the Trashcan Sinatras' Cake album, shown below. This one also has the extra 6 bonus B-side tracks that the one directly above has. However, this CD has been manufactured using the SHM-CD (Super High Material-CD) process. According to Wikipedia:
"SHM-CD is a digital optical disc data storage manufacturing process. It is an improved compact disc product with the greatest change being a different polycarbonate material that allows more precise physical representation of stored bits during pressing and less laser scatter during reading."
...if you care about that sort of thing...
"SHM-CD is a digital optical disc data storage manufacturing process. It is an improved compact disc product with the greatest change being a different polycarbonate material that allows more precise physical representation of stored bits during pressing and less laser scatter during reading."
...if you care about that sort of thing...
Front cover
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Back cover
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White CD jewel case
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White CD jewel case
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Front of booklet (Japanese)
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Front of SHM-CD info
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Back of SHM-CD info
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CD
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CD (magnified)
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Remember these? You don't see CD long-boxes too much any more - most CDs (if that's even how you buy your music anymore) come in either bare-bones shrink wrap, or if they are in a long monstrous package, its that lethal hard plastic variety. These types of packages harken back to the dinosaur days of buying CDs 25-30 years ago.
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Promotional cassette tape containing four tracks, two of which would be on the Trashcan Sinatras' first album Cake ("Obscurity Knocks" and "Best Man's Fall"), and two tracks that are B-sides ("Drunken Chorus" and "Who's He?"). This promo tape has a 1989 date, over a year prior to the official release of Cake in June 1990.
Front
Spine
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Back
Cassette
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As with the promotional cassette above, this one also was released prior to the official release of the Cake album, and also contains four tracks. Three of them are from the Cake album, the only exception is the B-side "Drunken Chorus".
Front
Spine
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Back
Cassette
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Front cover
Side A
Side B
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Trashcan Sinatras' first single as a 12" vinyl version.
Back cover
Side A (magnified)
Side B (magnified)
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Front cover
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Back cover
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Side 1
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Side 1 (magnified)
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Side 2
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Side 2 (magnified)
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Outside front cover
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Outside back cover
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Front cover
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Back cover
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Side 1
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Side 2
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Side 1 (magnified)
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Side 2 (magnified)
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Front cover
A side
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Back cover
B side
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Front cover
Side A
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Back cover
Side B
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Front cover
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Back cover
Spine
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Side 1
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Side 2
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Liner notes
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Liner notes
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The "Obscurity Knocks" single was packaged as a cassette single promo, much like the 12" promo album shown a few photos above. Unlike that 12" version, the cassette single only had one song on Side 2, "Who's He?".
The actual tape cassette was housed inside a matchbox-like covering which allowed the cassette to slide out for use. 
Cassette sleeve front
Cassette sleeve spine
Side 1
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Cassette sleeve back
Cassette with sleeve
Side 2
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Front cover
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Back cover
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CD
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Front cover
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Back cover
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Liner notes
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Liner notes (magnified)
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CD
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This is the white label promo version for "Obscurity Knocks". the label on Side A is blank, whereas the Side B label has the band and single name written in indelible ink.
As noted above with the Cake white label promo, the band would usually have some clever phrase etched into the vinyl's run-out groove. Interestingly, in most cases of the "Obscurity Knocks" white label promo, the etching shows "!!YOUTHENASIA!! (as in the example directly below for the yellow label version of Obscurity Knocks). However, this particular version has the words "IF YOU'VE GOT IT...", but nothing else. I looked high and low on the vinyl for a completion of this phrase, but found none. Strange... |
Side A
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Side B
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Side B (magnified)
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This example is of a rare "yellow" label version of the "white" label promo for "Obscurity Knocks".
This version exemplifies the fact that these promotional issues, while with a "blank" label (i.e. not the label that is on the official releases), often have unique info written on them extemporaneously. The label on Side A has the name of the band with "A" on both sides of the center hole. This version has the etching that is typical for this single ("!!YOUTHENASIA!!") on the run-out groove; an example of an exception to this phrase is described for the white label version shown directly above. |
Side A
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Side A (magnified)
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Side B
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Below is an extremely rare 7" white label test pressing of the singe "Obscurity Knocks". While 12" white label versions of this single can be found occasionally, the 7" version is so rare that it's not even listed in the band's discography.
Sleeve
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Side A
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Front cover
Side A
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Pictured below is the 12" vinyl single for "Only Tongue Can Tell", backed by "Useless" and "Tonight You Belong to Me". Trivia: this latter tune was sung by Steve Martin (on ukulele) and Bernadette Peters in the film "The Jerk".
On the single's front cover, Frank is depicted kicking a football into the sea. On the single's back cover, it's not clear whether he is satisfied with the result. 
Back cover
Side B
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Side A (magnified)
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Side B (magnified)
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Unlike the 12" vinyl single (directly above), the 7" single below for "Only Tongue Can Tell" is backed only by the B-side "Useless".
Front cover
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Back cover
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Side A
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Side B
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The 7" vinyl release of the German version of "Only Tongue Can Tell" (below) is virtually identical to the UK version directly above with regards to the record sleeve. The record itself, however, is markedly different: the center label is a completely alternate one, and the record has the large hole more reminiscent of the old classic 45 rpm that would require an adapter in order to put the record on a turntable spindle. The label also says "Made in West Germany" at the top, a Cold War designation that ended with German reunification in 1990.
Front cover
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Back cover
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Side A
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Side B
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Front cover
Back cover
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Here is the cassette version of "Only Tongue Can Tell", with the same image of Frank kicking a football into the ocean as is also seen on the CD and 7" vinyl versions.
This cassette plays the same on both sides, with "Only Tongue Can Tell" and "Useless". 
Inside
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Side 1
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Side 2
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Front cover
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Back cover
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CD
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Side A
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This is the 12" white label promo version of the Trashcan Sinatras' single "Only Tongue Can Tell". This version has "Trashcan Sinatras" written on the label of Side B. I am guessing that this notation was not written when the original vinyl was pressed, as the band was known as the Trash Can Sinatras (three words) back then, and the fact that the notation is written on Side B instead of Side A where the single being promoted was located.
As the Trashcan Sinatras were known to etch clever phrases in the run-out groove on their white label promos, this single is no exception. The phrase "MINGLE MINGLE LITTLE STAR, HOW I WONDER WHO YOU ARE" is presented on this version. |
Side B
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Side B (magnified)
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Front cover
Side A
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Here is the 12" vinyl single for the single "Circling the Circumference". I've always liked the rotated view on the front cover which makes the pictured Trashcan (George?) look like he's hanging vertically with no visible means of support.
Side A has "Circling the Circumference"; Side B has "My Mistake" and "Wild Horses". 
Back cover
Side B
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Side A (magnified)
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Side B (magnified)
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"Circling the Circumference" was also released as a promotional 12" vinyl version, sent to radio station DJs. These DJ promos were typically in black sleeves with the Go! Discs logo prominently displayed in the center label.
Side A
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Side B
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Side A (magnified)
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Side B (magnified)
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Front cover
A side
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Back cover
B side
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"Circling the Circumference" is one of the few singles in the TCS canon that rarely (if ever) gets played live.
dssdf 
Back cover
Side 1
Side 2
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Front cover
Liner notes
Spine
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Front cover
Liner notes
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Back cover
CD
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