Peter's Cardiacs' Anomalies

[PeterG]

I feel I am perhaps hijacking AL100 Dead's thread. So I have moved my posts from there to here, so we can discuss the obscure, geeky stuff here and free up AL100 Dead's thread for the very interesting and important discussion of the albums and their songs. Others may not feel I am intruding and hijacking but I feel I am and I feel I should have started a seperate thread from the start. Anyway, there's no such thing as too many Cardiacs threads

Peter's Cardiacs' Anomalies No. 0
Talk of lost and hard to come by tracks made me go over to the Mares Nest website & look for this post that I wrote in December 2006 - bear in mind, some of my comments about availability are no longer correct, so please don't point those out to me...I KNOW!

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"As my thread about this went awol along with the old forum, I'm posting it again in light of two threads asking about B sides and rare tracks:

When I say "still only available" I mean official releases not bootlegs or mp3s

"Hidden"

1. Cameras - Radio 1 Sessions -1987 - still only available on vinyl EP
SFNT 013

2. Susanah's Still Alive - single - 1988 - still only available 7" & 12"
ALPH 009T

3. No Bright Side - Day is Gone CD EP - 1991
4. Ideal - as track 3
5. Joining The Plankton - as track 3
ALPH 015 CD

6. Spinney - Manhoo CD EP - 1995
7. What Paradise is Like - as track 6
ALPH CDS 025

8. Hurricane - Odd Even CD EP - 1996
9. Devils - as track 8
ALPH CDS 026

10. Insect Hoofs on Lassie (instrumental) - split single with Camp Blackfoot - ORG 056 CD

11. Sang 'All Away Away!' - Signs CD EP - 1999
12. Dog-Like Sparky (instrumental) -as track 11
ALPH CD 028

The rest of the cd-r I filled out with tracks from the two Garage albums that I'd never heard before, namely:

13. Gloomy News
14. Pip As Uncle dick But peter Spolied It
15. Left Alone My plastic Doll
16. Pilf
17. An Ant ("I'm talking to Johnny..")
18. Hello Mr Minnow
19. Hopeless


Then I added the "new track"

20. Faster Than Snakes With a Ball & Chain

Then I added three tracks from the "Rarities" bootleg cassette that a few of us bought from you know who in Camden High Street many years ago. Really early tracks that I haven't got on any other format, that aren't on Archive or the Garage albums or any of the live albums:

21. Hymn
22. The New General
23. Bitter Pill

And that's my "Hidden" album. I'm listening to it right now and it's bleeding great .... I'm talking to Johnny!!!!!"

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...It must be an ant farm...

[PeterG]

Peter's Cardiacs' Anomalies No. 2 (in true Cardiacs style, No. 1 will come later) - THE SEASIDE

1. The Seaside (1st version) original cassette 1983 (sold a gigs & by post) ALPH 0001 b & w man, house, wave cover– 13 tracks: Jibber & Twitch, Gina Lollabrigida, Hello Mr Sparrow, It's A Lovely Day, A Wooden Fish On Wheels, Nurses Whispering Verses, Is This The Life?, A Little Man And A House, Hope Day, Dinner Time, Ice A Spot And A Dot On The Dog, R.E.S., To Go Off And Things. Tracks in bold missing from 1990 releases. NB: some sources say the CD was first released in 95, that is incorrect.

2. The Seaside (1st version) 2nd cassette issue 1984 ALPH 0001 full colour cover Jim crying - 13 tracks: Jibber & Twitch, Gina Lollabrigida, Hello Mr Sparrow, It's A Lovely Day, A Wooden Fish On Wheels, Nurses Whispering Verses, Is This The Life?, A Little Man And A House, Hope Day, Dinner Time, Ice A Spot And A Dot On The Dog, R.E.S., To Go Off And Things.

3. The Seaside (2nd version) LP/MC/CD dated 1984 but issued 1990 ALPH LP 013, MC 013, CD 013 – all with the new b & w flowers cover - 9 tracks: A side: Jibber & Twitch, Gina Lollabrigida, Hello Mr Sparrow, It's A Lovely Day, A Wooden Fish On Wheels, B side: Hope Day, Ice A Spot And A Dot On The Dog, R.E.S., To Go Off And Things.

4. The Seaside - (CD reissued in 95) – ALPH CD 013 – This is just a pure reissue, it is exactly the same as the 1990 CD, same cover, same tracks, same cat. No.

[PeterG]

Peter's Cardiacs' Anomalies No. 3 – Nurses at Seasides


1. These are the 4 tracks on The first version of The Seaside that were missing from the 2nd version, which was released on all formats in 1990, but still dated 1984 - Nurses Whispering Verses, Is This The Life?,A Little Man And A House, Dinner Time.

2. It should also be pointed out that The Seaside was not a studio album in the usual sense of the word i.e. new material created roughly round the same time for a new release, The Seaside was in fact a compilation of stuff performed by Cardiacs between 1980 and 1983.

3. Seaside Treats – ALPH 002 - the 1985 12” EP contained the following 4 tracks from ALPH 001, the original Seaside cassette - A side: A Little Man And A House, Hope Day. B side: R.E.S., To Go Off And Things.

4. The cover for the Seaside Treats 12” is the b & W man, house cover from the 1st version of the cassette.

5. Two of the lost 4 tracks turned up in 1988 on the next album, ALMAAHATWWW (ALPH LP007) namely: A Little Man And A House, Is This The Life.Also appearing on ALPH LP007 from The Seaside is R.E.S. The original studio versions of Nurses Whispering Verses and Dinner Time were lost forever.

6. We had to wait until Sing To God for a new studio version of Nurses Whispering Verses

[PeterG]

Peter's Cardiacs' Anomalies No. 1. - Lost Toys & Lost Identities

These studio versions from The Obvious Identity and Toy World are doubly interesting, in that not only did they never appear again under these names on an album they were also not played at either of the two Garage Concerts

Bite 3/a,
Over and Over and Over and Over,
Big Noise In A Toy World,
Nurses Whispering Verses,
A Time For Rejoicing.

That said, I think Bite 3/a was renamed but I can't remember what to. AND before anyone says it, I can assure you that the studio version of Nurses that appears on The Seaside is not the same as the earlier version on Toy World, I have both versions, and the one on Toy World is much more basic and rough.

ALSO, 3 more tracks in my collection of early Cardiacs cassettes, which never appear again under these names are:
Bitter Pill,
The New General,
Hymn.
But again I think they may have been renamed.

Next up: Peter's Cardiacs' Anomalies No. 4. - Missing tracks & unexpected new tracks

[PeterG]

Peter's Cardiacs' Anomalies No. 4. - Missing tracks & unexpected new stuff

UNEXPECTED NEW STUFF

Well far from release a full 33 rpm LP of new material like normal people would have done, those twisted Surrey lads, released a few mini albums of all new material, talk about unexpected new stuff! And WOW, what new stuff it was!

So,we'll kick off with the Big Ship 12” EP ALPH004 from 1986, which was the first recording of ALL NEW material since Toy World. Five sublime tracks, for me this is where the quintessential Cardiacs sound commences, just seeing five such classic Cardiacs songs together on one EP still sends shivers down my spine.

Big Ship, Tarred And Feathered, Burn Your House Brown, Stoneage Dinosaurs, Plane Plane Against The Grain

Then they did it again in 1987 on ALPH006, with the Theres Too Many Irons 12” EP, with three more new tracks but still no new studio album (if you dont count the cassette only Mr & Mrs Smith & Mr Drake album)
There's Too Many Irons In The Fire, All Spectacular, Loosefish Scapegrace.

Then in 88, we got two more new tracks on the 12” of Is This The Life, ALPH008, namely Goosegash, I'm Eating In Bed

And to finish off their period of new material on mini albums & EPs in 1988 they gave us Susannahs Still Alive ALPH009 with three more new tracks on the 12”
Susannahs Still Alive, Blind In Safety And Leafy In Love, All His Geese Are Swans

Then all of that of course as you fishies in the pond all know found its way on to Songs For Ships And Irons ALPH014 in 1990 and the tracklisting was roughly in the same order as the tracklistings on the EPs:
A SIDE:
Big Ship, Tarred And Feathered, Burn Your House Brown, Stoneage Dinosaurs, Plane Plane Against The Grain
B SIDE:
Everything Is Easy, There's Too Many Irons In The Fire, All Spectacular, Blind In Safety And Leafy in Love, Loosefish Scapegrace, All His Geese Are Swans

But where is Susannah? Well, not being a Smith lads toon,she was replaced by yet another new track Everything is Easy

MISSING TRACKS
Right then, On Land And In The Sea ALPH012, 1988, who the bollocking hell nicked the Horse Head off my vinyl LP? My cassette sits on the shelf and laughs demonically at her vinyl sibling, while playing Horse Head very loudly. It found its way onto the CD though but with a slight name change, now called Horsehead.

Why wasn't I'm Eating in Bed on the Album?
The story here is that I'm Eating in Bed was written in 88 for the Is This The Life single ALPH008, which was released AFTER the album ALPH007. But also B sides usually don't appear on albums anyway. It was added to the re-released CD version of ALMAAHATWWW in 95.

[PeterG]

Peter's Cardiacs' Anomalies No. 5. - "We rarely play them live"

Nurses Whispering Verses, Plane Plane Against The Grain and Stoneage Dinosaurs were rarely played live and none of them are recorded on any of the six official live albums

Cardiacs Live, Rude Bootleg, Mares Nest, Janice Long Session, and the 2 Garage Concerts.

I was over the moon when they played Stoneage Dinosaurs at one of the Special Xmas gigs at The Astoria, 2005 or 2006. And I seem to remember them playing Nurses at a gig round the time of STG. But I'll have to check my bootlegs to be sure, as it might just be wishful thinking.

[PeterG]

Peter's Cardiacs' Anomalies No. 6. - Borrowed lyrics and texts

This is just a sampling of my extensive study of Cardiacs lyrics I could almost write a paper on the subject....no, seriously.


Gibber & Twitch

With silver bells and cockle shells
And pretty maids all in a row

From the English nursery rhyme, Mary, Mary, quite contrary, first published in 1744.

Tarred & Feathered

This hymn, O God Who Metest in Thy Thine Hand is from 1867, lyrics by Richard F.Littledale for the People's Hymnal. And for those Cardiacs newcomers not yet that well versed in Cardiacs lyrics, it is word-for-word the last verse of Tarred & Feathered
http://www.hymnary.org/text/o_god_wh...thy_thine_hand

Arnald

The last verse of Arnald is taken from Syren Songs by Geroge Darley (1795-1846), Irish poet and novelist.
Go to page 91 in this facsimile to Syren Song VI, The Mermaidens Vesper Hymn
https://books.google.se/books?id=3VM...ves%22&f=false

I'm Eating In Bed

Second verse of William Blake's London
In every cry of every man,
In every Infant's cry of fear,
In every voice: in every ban,
The mind-forged manacles I hear.

Cardiacs verse starts with:
In every cry of every man
The mind forged manacles and it calls my bluff

It's a Lovely Day

Wild thing you make everything groovy
You make everything groovy

Borrowed from The Troggs Wild Thing


Then there is the borrowed title from the trad. folk song Sumer is-acumen-in for the Mr & Mrs Smith & Mr Drake (album) & Sea Nymphs (live) song Summer is-a-coming in


And to end on a modern borrowing, in Pip As Uncle Dick But Peter Spolied It , we hear some lyrics from a TV theme from our childhoods:
Spiderman, spiderman, does whatever a spider can.

If you know of any more, see if you can surprise me!

[PeterG]

Peter's Cardiacs' Anomalies No. 7. - Deeper than deep...so deep that you won't think you can surface again and ever focus on any other band ever again...WARNING....stop reading now, if you hope to return to your bland indie pop albums

And now my fellow Cardiac archeologists I am going to take you so deep into Secret Cardiology, that I should really at the very least require you to provide me with a secret handshake or some phrase in Latin. This is from a thread I wrote on Mares Nest a few years ago. Now if you've never played or collected vinyl you will have no idea what this is all about.

Messages on run-out grooves.

I’ve looked through all my Cardiacs and related bands vinyl and the following are the only ones with interesting hand etched messages. The rest, not included here, are either blank or just have a presser’s name or initials.

Heaven Born and Ever Bright (ALPH LP017)
Side one: WALK IN SHADOW WALK IN DREAD and A PORKY PRIME CUT.
Side two: LOOSEFISH WALK AS LIKE ONE DEAD and PORKY

Rude Bootleg (ALPH 005)
Side one: Dirty Bootleg...Mud
(Presumably a reference to recording in a field in Reading.)
Side two: "RUDE"

Seaside Treats (ALPH 002)
Side one: IS EVERYBODY HAPPY? A PORKY PRIMECUT
Side two: PORK ORK ORK

Big Ship (ALPH 004)
Side two: DAMONT then next to that upside down: "MUMMY"

Baby Heart Dirt 7” & 12"
Side one: MATHEW CUTTS SORELY MISSED (Kavus...any info? When he moved out?)

Ablemesh (Cancel Life)
Side one: YOU FAN ASIA and A PORKY PRIME CUT.
Side two: SKIP AND JUMP and DAMONT and PORKY

Sidi Bou Said (Ode to Drink)
A side: NURSE, THE SCREENS
B side: THE EXCHANGE

Sidi Bou Said (Thing)
Both sides: MIKE’S – THE EXCHANGE

House of Dolls 4 track 7” (Cardiacs, Orange Cartest, In Two a Circle, Decadent Few) -
Side one: ALL RIGHT STAG

[at least 100 dead]

I feel I am perhaps hijacking AL100 Dead's thread.

You aren’t, man.

You are completely nuts, though.

[zombywoof]

I feel I am perhaps hijacking AL100 Dead's thread.

No, but I think we may be hijacking PE.

Go us!!

[Steve F.]

So, speaking of anomalies, this is the craziest publicity stunt ever (assuming it was a publicity stunt and was not some sort of joke perpetrated by the newspaper and the band and the management or - god help us - a prank that they set out and one of the tabloids actually bit on).

Cardiacsdocs_SundaySport.jpg

Does anyone know how this crazy thing happened? Was it actually taken seriously? Did any home viewers kick in their television in disgust ala the Bill Grundy show?

I'd like to know more because I'd like to try it with one of my bands.

[zombywoof]

I'd like to know more because I'd like to try it with one of my bands.

Oooh, which one?! The Eyesores?

[at least 100 dead]

It worked for The White Stripes too, it can work again.

[Steve F.]

Oooh, which one?! The Eyesores?

all of them. I want them all to have sex with each other. And then I want to preside over the mass wedding. They will be blessed in holy Cuneiformatrimony. And the Westboro Baptist Church and the Supreme Court can get all entangled in the debate!

That's the only way to get any press in this jaded day and age.

[zombywoof]

I can't wait until the photo of Trigaux and Kerman hits the stands.

[at least 100 dead]

all of them. I want them all to have sex with each other. And then I want to preside over the mass wedding. They will be blessed in holy Cuneiformatrimony.

All you need then is a Cuneireformatory à la Jonestown.

[bob_32_116]

"Peter's Cardiacs Anomalies". What a great name for a band.

[Steve F.]

All you need then is a Cuneireformatory à la Jonestown.

[sung like Tim]

Yes! Yes! Yes!

[Scrotum Scissor]

all of them. I want them all to have sex with each other.

Please make an exception for the guys in Keith Tippett's group.

[PeterG]

So, speaking of anomalies, this is the craziest publicity stunt ever (assuming it was a publicity stunt and was not some sort of joke perpetrated by the newspaper and the band and the management or - god help us - a prank that they set out and one of the tabloids actually bit on).

Cardiacsdocs_SundaySport.jpg

Does anyone know how this crazy thing happened? Was it actually taken seriously? Did any home viewers kick in their television in disgust ala the Bill Grundy show?

I'd like to know more because I'd like to try it with one of my bands.

As I remember it from an interview with Tim in The Organ Fanzine or some other 90s fanzine, The Sunday Spurt (as we used to call it) had been "tipped off" about it, probably by a fan as a joke, and The Sunday Sport made the assumption that Tim, Jim and Sarah Smith were siblings.
http://www.death.plus.com/cardiacs/cdxhistory.htm

[walt]

all of them. I want them all to have sex with each other. And then I want to preside over the mass wedding. They will be blessed in holy Cuneiformatrimony.

.

These marriages will all fall by the Wayside.

[Kavus Torabi]

Is Sis The Wife?

[PeterG]

Is Sis The Wife?

Ah ha....was that the daft Q that the spurt asked Timmy?

[Kavus Torabi]

I thought it would be a great chapter title covering this event in the non-existent Cardiacs biography.

[Steve F.]

Is Sis The Wife?

I just got the pun. ooooooof!