Cardiacs--where to start?

[PeterG]

Suzannah's Still Alive did surface on CD:- http://www.allmusic.com/album/shangr...s-mw0000202409

That's a nice rarity to track down.

Well, yes, silly billy, I knew thaaaat!!! That's why they recorded it in the first place. They were asked to record it for that album. It wasn't one of those tribute albums whereby they collated a load of previsouly recorded Kinks covers. All the bands were commissioned to record a song.

BUT I agree, it would be a great albul to find, I've been looking for decades, never come across a copy, and even when I used to visit all the right type of record shops in London (Berwick Street, Notting Hill, Camden, Islington, Croydon, Stoke Newington, Brixton) most of them had never even heard of it.

[alanterrill]

There are three CDs on Discogs -one at a reasonable 13.99 euros, the others a bit pricey. Lots of vinyl versions.

Well, yes, silly billy, I knew thaaaat!!! That's why they recorded it in the first place. They were asked to record it for that album. It wasn't one of those tribute albums whereby they collated a load of previsouly recorded Kinks covers. All the bands were commissioned to record a song.

BUT I agree, it would be a great albul to find, I've been looking for decades, never come across a copy, and even when I used to visit all the right type of record shops in London (Berwick Street, Notting Hill, Camden, Islington, Croydon, Stoke Newington, Brixton) most of them had never even heard of it.

[PeterG]

Wow! Thanks for that Alan.

[PeterG]

Can you guess the other 2 extras? Yes, the other 2 are also on Ships & Irons

Well, along with Goosy & Loosy, the other 2 extra tracks on the Dutch Torso version of the CD are "There's Too Many Irons in the Fire" and "All Spectacular"

[PeterG]

What's on the B-side?

Well, it wasn't Goosy as I guessed. I just had a look & along with I'm Eating in Bed on the B side of the Torso 12" EP of Is This The Life is....drum roll....There's Too Many Irons in The Fire.

The back cover is exactly the same as the ABC, but very excitingly the front is completely different. The front cover has a 10" x 8" dark sepia photo of the band on stage. I've seen it before,so Ill try & find it and link it up here.

[zombywoof]

Okay, I've been listening to "A Little Man and A House and the Whole World Window" on repeat for days. I can't stop. I think I've been infected!!

[iguana]

Am I the only one who gets a bit of a "Court of the Crimson King" vibe with that one?

for those seeking further convincement: swiftly see miss swift and then visit the consultant’s flower garden.

[PeterG]

Okay. I think I've been infected!!

Mwhoooooohaaaahaaa....und gladly zer iz no kure!

[Staun]

Has anyone been brave enough to ask Tim what he thinks of prog rock? I can imagine a reply or two.

[Progmatic]

Has anyone been brave enough to ask Tim what he thinks of prog rock? I can imagine a reply or two.

define prog rock

[PeterG]

Has anyone been brave enough to ask Tim what he thinks of prog rock? I can imagine a reply or two.

Yes, he has been asked in interviews about the punk-prog-pronk thing, and I remember he doesn't do genres, his view is "it's all just pop music" But why "brave enough?" Tim he is a very gentle nice person off stage.

[Staun]

Yes, he has been asked in interviews about the punk-prog-pronk thing, and I remember he doesn't do genres, his view is "it's all just pop music" But why "brave enough?" Tim he is a very gentle nice person off stage.

Of course he is. Just thought we simple folk might not be ready for one of his off center answers.

[Staun]

define prog rock

Hmmm, maybe he'll do an album on just this subject.

[iguana]

Hmmm, maybe he'll do an album on just this subject.

i'm afraid it looks like he will never do an album again. ever.

[Staun]

i'm afraid it looks like he will never do an album again. ever.

I know but it's never a problem to carry a good thought.

[The Twickerman]

Bit of a tangent, but I have always thought this sounded like Cardiacs:- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G3E8lL6HqfA&t=3m13s

[The Twickerman]

And this:- www.youtube.com/watch?v=9-fJQvVFG4g&t=11m25s

[PeterG]

Twickers, this is so weird. You are so spot on. About 5 years ago I was writing about this very subject on another website and I mentioned that bit in The Calling, as well as a couple of snippets on Tormato and some stuff on Squeeze's 1980 Argybargy album to highlight where Cardiacs had taken some influences from.

Listen here to Squeeze's Misadventure from 1.24 to 1.44 - it sounds, quite simply as if it's Cardiacs playing there!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uF1lHWIe1rQ

Squeeze's song Go, from the same album, is quite similar in style to Cardiacs Wooden Fish on Wheels

Squeeze's Here Comes That Feeling has a Cardiacs type drone at the start.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hpBp7Qz_Lk8

And finally from that album the song Going Crazy, could easily be one of the anthemic songs on Cardiacs' Sing To God with all the big bangs and chords going on
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JDetadDCDeE

On Tormato,listen to Release, Releae from about 2 minutes in for about a minute-

[iguana]

as i have pointed out before, “the ever so closely guarded line” is an “awaken” for the late 1980s. it’s that grand. *goosebumps from merely thinking about it*

[PeterG]

as i have pointed out before, “the ever so closely guarded line” is an “awaken” for the late 1980s. it’s that grand. *goosebumps from merely thinking about it*

A BIG +1 on that!

[The Twickerman]

Twickers, this is so weird. You are so spot on. About 5 years ago I was writing about this very subject on another website and I mentioned that bit in The Calling, as well as a couple of snippets on Tormato and some stuff on Squeeze's 1980 Argybargy album to highlight where Cardiacs had taken some influences from.

I can hear all of that. Are you familiar with this?:-

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MCTlfzL4MAs

[PeterG]

I can hear all of that. Are you familiar with this?:-

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MCTlfzL4MAs

Yes, totaly, I had a couple of OB albums and I'm a huge Danny Elfman soundtrack fan. Both DE and Cardiacs borrowed very heavily from Mr Zappa.

[PeterG]

While you're listening to these think of Tim's voice and the music of some of the more gentle, poignant, pastoral Cardiacs songs. This is I am convinced what Cardiacs would have sounded like in the 60s. No surprise they covered Susannah really.

Listen to the piano and those chords and that note change at 54 to 56 seconds.




Tim singing this song of social awkwardness would be perfect, and listen to those keyboards, remind you of anything?

[adap2it]

I can hear all of that. Are you familiar with this?:-

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MCTlfzL4MAs

When I first heard the Cardiacs in 1996, I immediately thought of Punishment of Luxury. Another prog/punk band from the UK that started around the late 70's, like the Cardiacs...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XLNOpfbAjR8

Dave Sr.

[PeterG]

the Cardiacs...

No "the", it's just Cardiacs A touchy subject and an in-joke amongst Cardiacs fans. On one website, if you write The Cardiacs, the website is programmed to delete the definite article