Cardiacs--where to start?

[loosefish]

Middle section of Baby Heart Dirt, very very Zappa...

[chalkpie]

I'm a huge FZ fanatic, but IMO there is less of a FZ influence than there is more of one - if that makes any sense? I'm not sure I even understand what I just wrote

There are many, many pieces by Tim that I don't think have any FZ influence whatsoever, and I would consider many pieces being influenced by nobody but himself. Even on "Dirty Boy" for example, I don't hear one stitch of anything Zappa related whatsoever - people will be listening to a song 10-20 years from now and say "Wow, that sounds like a Tim Smith chord change, harmony, rhythm, cadence, etc etc" in the way that we notice a FZ influence for example. The guy is a true original in so many ways - and although he draws inspiration and flash glimpses from many genres, bands, artists, composers, he is largely an island unto himself, and to me that is the biggest compliment any musician can receive.

I love this music in the same way I love Ives, Sibelius, Mahler, etc etc and simply put the music created sounds like nothing else that exists.

Ultimately speaking, I think Tim's music would exist and still be utterly original and captivating had he never heard FZ, but to deny SOME influence here and there is simply untrue and a bit naive. You can pretty much take any musician and composer and know that in some way their musical fabric would not exist if it weren't for X, Y, and Z.

[zombywoof]

^ yeah, thanks for stating that a bit more eloquently than I am capable of right now!

[arthurfrayn]

I agree, I just finished listening to the first 2 XTC discs because I felt that if there was anyone Tim/The Cardiacs were the most reliant in terms of sound, it was that band. I came away with a very distinct difference between the two. So yeah, Tim pulls in a lot of influences -XTC, Zappa, VanDerGrafGenerator etc., but he definitely ends up in a distinctly Tim/Cardiacs place.

[arthurfrayn]

"I'm Eating in Bed" is very Gentle Giant...

[hamblehound]

Anyone been listening to Marc Riley on 6 music recently?

He has a new jingle which is very Cardiacs like - Could it be William D Drake?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b06djgk3 at 33.37

[PeterG]

Anyone been listening to Marc Riley on 6 music recently?

He has a new jingle which is very Cardiacs like - Could it be William D Drake?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b06djgk3 at 33.37

It does sound very like Mr. Drake singing there. And that very abrupt end at 34.04 is of the same style as some of the abrupt ends on STG.

[zombywoof]

Seaside Original Edition?

http://www.progressiveears.org/forum...ginal-Edition!

[Gazoinks]

Seaside Original Edition?

http://www.progressiveears.org/forum...ginal-Edition!

Yes! Forgot to mention this when I saw it. Super excited, and will probably splurge for the boxset. Dinner Time sounds great, and I'm really looking forward to hearing the other missing tracks with actual good audio quality. Especially Nurses Whispering Verses!

[arthurfrayn]

That's awesome! I was just listening to that disc and thinking how great it would be to have it remastered. An item I'll probably grab....

[Stumpybunker]

Just gone mad and placed an order for the Seaside Box, replacement CDs and for some that I never owned on CD. Going to have a a right old fashioned listening sesh when they all arrive!

[zombywoof]

Our loyalty demands, cause that's the way we all go.


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[Stumpybunker]

The ABC made me do it. Their didactic missives and pressurising epistles meant I had no choice. It was either this, perish, or put my hand on the holy Bible and scream.......you know.

Hopefully it will go a small way to help Tim.

[loosefish]

'citing news innit? Dunno if i can stretch to the boxset however

This turned up a couple of days ago, courtesy of Mike from Oceansize (who supported them at this show).

Contains the legendary one off Worms Hero swapover thing.

[schlep]

Isn't this wonderful - out of nowhere, to become one of my favorite bits of live Cardiacs ephemera on YouTube.

'citing news innit? Dunno if i can stretch to the boxset however

This turned up a couple of days ago, courtesy of Mike from Oceansize (who supported them at this show).

Contains the legendary one off Worms Hero swapover thing.

[Geoff O'Donoghue]

^ Mike Vennart's story about how the Oceansize support slot came about is here: http://mikevennart.tumblr.com/post/1...oceansize-2002
He is an absolutely massive Cardiacs fan.

[chalkpie]

^ Mike Vennart's story about how the Oceansize support slot came about is here: http://mikevennart.tumblr.com/post/1...oceansize-2002
He is an absolutely massive Cardiacs fan.

Such a great story - his passion comes through in spades there

Spinning my son Lucas's Cardiacs mix on the way home today and realizing that Tim Smith 'the guitarist' is pretty exceptional. Hell, I have no qualms about placing him in my list of all-time favs - the tone, the riffs, the unbelievably tricky and lightning fast chord changes, the picking patterns, etc....its all there. Not to belittle greats such as Lifeson, Summers, May, Townshend, etc etc i.e. the higher profile cats, but, fuck, Tim is right there with those guys and dare I say surpasses them in some ways. He is such an unknown (unfortunately) in the big picture, but in my little fantasy world he is a true guitar hero - the real deal. His other many incredible abilities sometimes overshadow his skills too, but man I hereby raise this I have here to Mr Smith - the guitarist. Prost!

[thedunno]

Facebook generally sucks, but sometimes you find some nice bits there:

Tim Smith’s health and well-being update, October 2015:

Tim continues to work hard at getting better and is receiving plenty of help to enable this. There are ups and downs but progress is being made all the time. He isn’t back at work yet but who knows what ideas are accumulating in his mind? There’s definitely something going on because he gets cockier by the day. He wanted me to tell you how grateful he is for your support and love and says he will send a personal message out to you all soon.

Love Mary x

[Lieto]

That gig was absolutely amazing. And yea I saw that facebook post and was thoroughly touched.

Tim is a master guitar player methinks too!

[Phlakaton]

Cardiacs Live - buzzin through my ears for the first time ... Loosefish Scapegrace & Is This The Life --- that is a badass 13+ minutes! Then to make it even better - There's Too Many Irons In The Fire ... I have been patiently pushing more and more into my head since starting with "Guns" On the fence - now over a side and one foot on the ground with this band. The bicycling riding religious people finally converted me!

[zombywoof]

Cardiacs live records are next on my list

[thedunno]

Cardiacs Live - buzzin through my ears for the first time ... Loosefish Scapegrace & Is This The Life --- that is a badass 13+ minutes! Then to make it even better - There's Too Many Irons In The Fire ... I have been patiently pushing more and more into my head since starting with "Guns" On the fence - now over a side and one foot on the ground with this band. The bicycling riding religious people finally converted me!

I was in the audience at this show (recorded in the Paradiso club, Amsterdam). This concert completely converted me into a loyal and obedient servant of the Alphabet Business concern.

[Phlakaton]

I was in the audience at this show (recorded in the Paradiso club, Amsterdam). This concert completely converted me into a loyal and obedient servant of the Alphabet Business concern.

Must have been quite a righteous passage! The sound is so good on that album. Mixed to perfection with a touch of ambience.

[zombywoof]

Am I the only one who seems to have Victory Egg amnesia and am still flattened by it every time?

[Stumpybunker]

Zombywoof, get flattened by all Cardiacs songs. They are just so essential!