Cardiacs: Album by Album

[at least 100 dead]

Hi!

This thread is meant to provide a closer look at all the Cardiacs albums in chronological order (kind of what they do over at the Steve Hoffman forum). Everyone is invited to join in, the seasoned Cardiologist as well as the newcomer; even ultracrepidarians will be tolerated.

Cardiacs then, yeah?

You might ask yourself: Is this band for me? Let’s put it this way: If you like quirky, high-energy psychedelic tunes that might veer off into otherworldly dreamscapes at the drop of a hat, then the answers is a resounding: Fuck Yes!

Cardiacs have occasionally been described as “early Genesis on speed.” Some captious critics even claim to have detected trace elements of Gentle Giant, Yes, Sex Pistols, Gong, Frank Zappa, XTC, Van der Graaf Generator, PIL, Henry Cow, Devo, Captain Beefheart et al in their oeuvre. While not entirely unfounded, any comparisons are inevitably misleading. Suffice to say that Cardiacs, due to their innate eclecticism, cannot be compared to anyone else. They exist in their own skewed space/time continuum: Always extremely melodic and complex, both rhythmically and harmonically, there’s never a note wasted on any Cardiacs album.

I won’t bore you with the gory details of the band’s history. They were formed in 1977 as Cardiac Arrest by brothers Tim and Jim Smith, later renamed themselves Cardiacs and have been on indefinite hiatus since 2008. If you want to delve deeper, here’s a self-proclaimed “epic overview” (by one Mr. Spencer with help from Damon Albarn, Graham Coxon and Captain Sensible) to get you started:

http://louderthanwar.com/the-cardiac...tain-sensible/

Kavus Torabi's Guide to Cardiacs is required reading, of course:

https://prog.teamrock.com/features/2...de-to-cardiacs

And then there’s this (probably completely unreliable) account from the Alphabet Business Concern, the band’s fearsome and faceless record company.

http://www.cardiacs.net/history/

(Did I just say fearsome? I meant provident, ever-caring and benevolent. Actually, no one knows who the Alphabet Business Concern is or what they do, not even the band members. The less said about the ABC, the better, OK? Just know that THEY are probably watching YOU right now…for your own sake, of course.)

Next up: Archive, a collection of their earliest recordings made between 1977 and 1979.

[loosefish]

Yeah, they're alright.

[at least 100 dead]

This CD collects their earliest recording, made when they were babies! To be precise:

1989 fan-club only cassette. CD mid-90s (Archive incuded five tracks from Toy World, three from Obvious Identity, and four Tim & Dominic Luckman demos that first saw the light of day on Archive - Piffol I,III,IV and T.V.T.V)

Most of the songs would be re-recorded for the epic 2005 live double CD The Special Garage Concerts Vol I / II. To be honest, this is the last Cardiacs CD I got because I figured that SGC cannot be improved. Turns out, that’s absolutely correct. Yet these recordings, while not exactly an audiophile’s wet dream, offer a fascinating glimpse at the earliest incarnation of the band.

01. "Aukamacic"
A short (0:45 min) slightly Devo-like ode to a dog that’s over before it starts. Of note are the weird vocal treatments, which add a nice psychedelic flavor.
02. "Icky Qualms"
Fun, slightly punkish up-tempo number. Love that part around 01:04 when Tim’s picks those neat chords over the keyboard arpeggios...
03. "Piffol Four Times" *
An instrumental (a thus a rarity in the Cardiacs catalogue), that apparently was a demo recorded just by band leader Tim Smith and drummer Dominic Luckman for some side project. Sounds like Zappa strolling home alone late at night through some haunted funfair.
04. "Scratching Crawling Scrawling"
A dissonant and riff driven Larks’ Tongues-era Crimson meets Devo romp. Slightly annoying, but that’s probably exactly the point.
05. "As Cold As Can Be in an English Sea"
This fantastic epic is one of my all-time favourite Cardiacs tunes (although I prefer the unbeatable SGC version). Clocking in at just over seven minutes, this sucker has more twists and turns than the mind of a schizophrenic after thirty hours of sleep deprivation.
06. "T.V.T.V." *
Another cool instrumental, again recorded for the side project mentioned above. The triumphant sounding theme introduced at the one minute mark always reminds me of Gentle Giant.
07. "My Trademark"
Straight punk/new wave tune. Nothing too unusual happens until around 2:17 when Tim comes in with an awesome riff that I wish would go on for twice as long as it does.
08. "The Obvious Identity"
Ha ha ha ha ha.
09. "Piffol One Time" *
Another highlight, this instrumental illustrates not only Tim’s unique melodic sensibilities but also his arrangement skills. Somewhat atypically, it features a Moog solo – not something they would repeat later on.
10. "A Game for Berties Party"
Tim sounds a bit like Neil Young here, no? Truth be told, I’ve yet to bond with this mini-epic.
11. "Piffol Three Times" *
Sonically the best sounding track on this collection, this instrumental again contains too many wonderful parts to enumerate.
12. "Rock Around the Clock"
Couldn’t be further removed from Bill Haley, could it now? RAtC moves through shifting meters (7/8 and 5/4) and sounds like Gary Numan meeting Captain Beefheart on a proto-NWOBHM party. This one would really come to life on the Special Garage Concerts.

[chalkpie]

Pretty much the worst band I've ever heard.

BTW, I *LOVE* "A Game for Bertie's Party". Don't give up on that one yet - those chords!

[loosefish]

re: Archive

The consultant sez

personally, i find it irksome and distasteful

and to be honest i did too, until i heard the same tunes all tarted up and loud on the Garage cd's. I do enjoy the Piffols though. Here's a couple that went unreleased

[Kavus Torabi]

Regarding the Piffol pieces, they're pretty much all Tim (including drums and flute) although Sarah provided the clarinet.

[Lieto]

The Piffols, Scratching, Aukamakic, and English are my favs here, not a favorite by any means, but I do need to revisit this. I absolutely adore these tunes on Garage Concerts. Love this thread!

[alanterrill]

A great version of TVTV was included on the recent album by Stop Motion Orchestra https://stopmotionorchestra.bandcamp.com/track/t-v-t-v

[loosefish]

Not heard that before!

I'm listening to their album now. It's lovely.

[iguana]

the diehards – and i include myself – will scoff at this but i have always that that P6x sounds like an old IQ/THE LENS outtake.

[thedunno]

I love this album although I have to admit I play it less frequently since the garage concerts were available.

I still find it hard to believe that they recorded these pieces when they were still teens. Most kids at that age do not get any further then copying their heroes but Tim already created his own musical universe.

The sound quality is crap, the band is sometimes a bit shakey, Tims voice is still a bit unsteady but this is an absolutely essential piece of work for any Cardiacs fan. More casual listeners better stick with the garage concerts.

[alex92]

I am following this thread...

[loosefish]

Didn't Mick Pugh sing on some of the Archive stuff? Can't remember what songs now. I think Colvin Mayers sings on 'Rock around the clock' and that's Jim on 'Food on the wall' (or at least he sings it on the Garage concerts).


You'll doubtless already know this, but this album was a collection of tracks from the first two tapes and there were songs that never made release, even on the GC cd's ('A big noise in a toyworld' is maybe the best one).

[PeterG]

Well done for starting this thread sir!
-------

This is perhaps the most complete site for Cardiacs gigs (up to 2007) and releases(up to Guns) that anyone needs. I don't know if he is here or has ever been a member here, but he is used to be on Mares Nest where we had loads of discussions. The site was last updated in 2009

http://www.death.plus.com/cardiacs/newcardiacs.htm
--------------

Oddly or curiously or bafflingly one of my fav C albums isn't available on the homepage, namely Sampler.
It is a must have for Cardiac-archeologists (Cardiarcheologists?) wanting to get an overall grip of the band up to 1995 when it was released:

1."Is This The Life?"
2."Angelworm Angel"
3."Burn Your House Brown"
4."Goodbye Grace"
5."Piffol Four Times"
6."Two Bites Of Cherry" (Live)
7."Tarred And Feathered" (Live)
8."Blind In Safety And Leafy In Love"
9."Big Ship" (Live)
10."Veronica In Ecstasy"
11."Christ Alive"
12."The Everso Closely Guarded Line"
13."To Go Off And Things"

-----------------------------------

Yeah, they're alright.

I wouldn't go that far!

---------------------------------

Pretty much the worst band I've ever heard.

No, they're actually worse than that!

[at least 100 dead]

^ Thanks all for your thoughts/input. Worthy of laudation you are, yeah.

@loosefish: Damn, that second Piffol you posted is wonderful. Thanks!

So, given what Kavus wrote, were those Piffols intended to be part of a Tim Smith solo album?

[at least 100 dead]

Next up: A trip to The Seaside. Put on your blue turtlenecks…

[at least 100 dead]

[battema]

04. "Scratching Crawling Scrawling"
A dissonant and riff driven Larks’ Tongues-era Crimson meets Devo romp. Slightly annoying, but that’s probably exactly the point.

Love this one...something about it actually reminds me of VDGG. Only wish is that it could have been longer

[chalkpie]

I still find it hard to believe that they recorded these pieces when they were still teens. Most kids at that age do not get any further then copying their heroes but Tim already created his own musical universe.

.

So true.

[chalkpie]

The Piffols blew my head apart when I first heard them - I couldn't believe it.

[zombywoof]

So I take it The Seaside is up? Let me say that I LOVE this album. Raw, unbridled Cardiacs. Tim's voice is at it's most unrefined and at times grating and I love that! There's something charmingly lo-fi, mid-fi (is mid-fi a thing?) about it and it sounds sweet when you turn it up loud. So many great tracks but "To Go Off and Things" is an all time favorite. Just listen to that freakin' guitar solo. It's so defiant and angry and anti-virtuosic, yet expressive. If you haven't heard The Seaside in awhile, I suggest giving it another spin. Yes, it's not as slick as their later stuff, but it's got no shortage of energy and charm and brilliance.

[Steve F.]

I like The Seaside a lot too. That's the earliest of their recordings where I am really on board.

[at least 100 dead]

I’d say!


Tim Smith: guitar, vocals
Jim Smith: bass
Sarah Smith: saxophone
William D. Drake: keyboards
Dominic Luckman: drums
Tim Quy: percussion
Mark Cawthra: drums

The Seaside (1984)
If you come to The Seaside after you’ve been “in the Garage” first (all of the songs on the CD appear in beefed form on the Special Garage Concerts), this album may strike as a just very well recorded demo at first. I did, but I was dead wrong. It’s bloody brilliant because of the mid-fi© atmosphere and unfussy production. Not a weak track on here and many unassailable classics. Unfortunately, the CD omits some songs of the original release because tapes were either lost or damaged.

Turn this sucker up really loud!

No, LOUDER, dammit!

01. Jibber and Twitch
What a way to kick off an album! All the Cardiacs greatness condensed into four minutes: Rhythmic complexity, neurotic lyrics and a catchy-as-fuck chorus. A classic.
02. Gena Lollabrigida [sic]
03. Hello Mr. Sparrow
04. It's a Lovely Day
05. A Wooden Fish on Wheels
A highlight not just of this album but of the Cardiacs canon in general; after about three listens, it will be stuck in your brain, pop-up all day long and you will love it, biatch.
06. Nurses Whispering Verses
Missing from the CD because PeterG hates this version and told the Consultant to burn the tape; later re-recorded for the stellar Sing to God double CD.
07. Is This the Life?
Missing from the CD, but was re-recorded for the follow-up album.
08. A Little Man and a House
See above.
09. Hope Day
10. Dinner Time
Missing, but a fantastic version appears on SGC.
11. Ice a Spot and a Dot on the Dog
Contains the best AC/DC riff Angus never wrote.
12. R.E.S.
Contains the best guitar solo EVER! A nearly exact re-recording of this tune appears on the follow-up, albeit without the coda.
13. To Go Off and Things
If this tune does not make you want to jump up, raise a paw and topple your government, check your pulse. Great way to end an absolutely kick-ass album…

What the experts say?

From Steve F:

This is their 3rd album and it was originally released on cassette only. Lots of great ones on this one: how can you fault any album that brought us "To Go Off & Things" as well as "Gibber and Twitch". Well, you can't!
This is the album where they supported Marillion and were practically thrown off the stage by angry fans every night.

Apparently, the band was even pelted with batteries by the Marillion fans, although Fish personally announced them on several occasions, pointing out that it was his explicit wish to tour with dem Cardiacs. Kudos to him for that, even if the kaftan’ed goons didn’t get it…

[loosefish]

Are we at the Seaside already?

Yes indeed, after the brittle spikiness and murk of the early early works this one connected with me pretty much instantly. To be frank it's still something of a basement production job (i seem to recall Tim in some interview or other saying it was basically no better than a demo recording), but i love the big drum sound coupled with the blaring keyboard sound (the middle section of Jibber is a fine case in point) and of course the tunes win out. Early XTC gone completely off the rails. Too hard to name favourite bits. Even having bought both Garage Concerts i still listen to this now and again.

I did actually burn myself a copy with the missing tracks re-instated and it does flow a lot better as an album. I always feel like Hello Mr Minnow should have been included as well, think it was recorded at the same time (when it was called Dead Bird or some nonsense).

Just remembered, i didn't hear this album until after i first saw them live and they played Hope Day which at the time i assumed was a brand new song. I must have said as much 'cos i was stunned when a bloke stood nearby said "nope, reeeeeally old song actually".

[PeterG]

06. Nurses Whispering Verses
Missing from the CD because PeterG hates this version and told the Consultant to burn the tape; later re-recorded for the stellar Sing to God double CD.

LOL!!!! 'cos I know that you know that I luv the original version and think that the StG version isn't a patch on it!
It has a very special place in my heart, as it was the very first C track I heard when a friend played it to me in about 88 when he introduced me to the band.
This brings me on to the anomalies of the album, in that 3 more tracks were missing from the vinyl that were on the 1st version
which was only on cassette.