Cardiacs--where to start?

[Lieto]

I think Tim is quite lyrical and a poet in some cases too. Little man is my favorite too but man, check out Icing on The World, Victory Egg (the whole ALMAHATWWW album), hell even Loosefish has some amazing lyrics within. But Ian is right, the music is the ultimate beauty. Cardiacs are on of the very few bands were I am continually wowed by new things in the music. Genius to the nth degree.

[Gazoinks]

I think Tim is quite lyrical and a poet in some cases too. Little man is my favorite too but man, check out Icing on The World, Victory Egg (the whole ALMAHATWWW album), hell even Loosefish has some amazing lyrics within. But Ian is right, the music is the ultimate beauty. Cardiacs are on of the very few bands were I am continually wowed by new things in the music. Genius to the nth degree.

The Whole World Window actually probably has my favorite Tim lyrics. That, Flap Off You Beak, Savour, and Swimming With the Snake are his most emotional songs for me.
"There's a sign outside your house saying everyone is happy.
Well I for one am most certainly not!"

And yeah, Tim's words are quite lyrical. If anything, I think their often abstract nature enhances that (and really fits the music). Plus, gotta love when he throws out something completely wild like The Duck and Roger the Horse.

[aith01]

Well, I've had On Land... basically playing on repeat since Friday and it gets better with every listen! I keep hearing new things in the songs every time. This is seriously addictive stuff... Love it.

Great, great intelligent pop album in the best sense. Favorite songs currently are probably Leader of the Starry Skies, Buds And Spawn, Arnald, Baby Heart Dirt, Fast Robert, Mare's Nest...

It rotates every day it seems! Love the instrumentation as well; all of the members are great! The sax and keys are perhaps my favorite aspect, as they just sound so darn strange sometimes, for this kind of music at least. Wonderful!

My only complaint: Now I'm champing at the bit to dig into more of their music, and I have to wait until the next order and for the postman to deliver it.

[loosefish]

Sing To God will make you shit your pants.

[Mr.Flower]

Sing To God will make you shit your pants.

Ha ha ... now that's an incentive!!!!

[chalkpie]

My $0.02 on the lyrics - I don't claim to understand all of them (actually probably most of them), but they are so whimsical, surreal, creative - fits the music perfectly. Also so unpretentious, which is my favorite aspect. Most lyrics are cringeworthy IMO - not these.

[aith01]

Just ordered the following from Wayside:

A Little man.....
Songs For Ships...
Sing to God


Funds did not permit me to get The Special Garage Concerts at this time, but it's on the list. Plus, these will give me plenty to occupy my time with until the next paycheck comes along.

Thanks again everyone for the advice.

[zombywoof]

Nice! Wow. Do Little Man and Ships next. Then you'll be ready for StG! There's a LOT to discover there, so don't be afraid to take your time and let them sit for awhile while you concentrate on one or two. Happy happy!

As for StG, I treated it as two separate albums. I spent the first few months just listening to disc 1 before I ever touched disc 2.

[chalkpie]

Just ordered the following from Wayside:

A Little man.....
Songs For Ships...
Sing to God


Funds did not permit me to get The Special Garage Concerts at this time, but it's on the list. Plus, these will give me plenty to occupy my time with until the next paycheck comes along.

Thanks again everyone for the advice.

Yeah man! Enjoy. Like Ian said - that is a LOT to absorb, but let us know when you're ready for more

Cardiacs = Life.

[chalkpie]

Yeah man! Enjoy. Like Ian said - that is a LOT to absorb, but let us know when you're ready for more

Cardiacs = Life.

PS - Don't take too long before ordering the Garage Concerts - the sooner the better.

[Lieto]

The Whole World Window actually probably has my favorite Tim lyrics. That, Flap Off You Beak, Savour, and Swimming With the Snake are his most emotional songs for me.
"There's a sign outside your house saying everyone is happy.
Well I for one am most certainly not!"

Yes to all of this! Flap and Swimming are top 5 Tim compositions for me. When I hear the riff entrance to Flap I almost break down everytime, theres some serious aching beauty there.

Whole World Window is the song that got me into Cardiacs, and it was the lyrics. Since then it was a dive head first

[zombywoof]

Since then it was a dive head first

D-D-D-D-DIVE!!

[aith01]

Last night I played Two Bites of Cherry for my cousin (who is just a few years older than me) so he could hear it. His first response was: "...You like this?!"

Then it was followed by: "So far it's like you took everything I don't like about music and layered over each other. In and out of rhythm."

Simultanously funny and disappointing, but not unexpected. Maybe I should have played him a less "thrashy" sounding song of theirs... He really doesn't care for punk, and neither do I actually, but this stuff doesn't sound like what I associate punk rock with so it works for me -- there is far too much musicality going on.

[zombywoof]

And now you've discovered the other side of Cardiacs fanboyism. Other people just don't get it.

[Kavus Torabi]

^ True dat.

[aith01]

And now you've discovered the other side of Cardiacs fanboyism. Other people just don't get it.

^ True dat.

Their loss, really.

I think 'On Land...' has made a convert out of me. Been spinning it three or more times a day and it continues to entertain. There's a lot going on here.

[aith01]

Yes to all of this! Flap and Swimming are top 5 Tim compositions for me. When I hear the riff entrance to Flap I almost break down everytime, theres some serious aching beauty there.

Whole World Window is the song that got me into Cardiacs, and it was the lyrics. Since then it was a dive head first

You've whetted my appetite even further.

[zombywoof]

Yep, you're a pondie!!

[Sterbus]

I think to be really open-minded about music (in the end I was exposed to zappa by my father since I was maybe 6 or 8, in an age when you don't have to be ashamed if you like fast notes or marimba, you just think "this is good") and I discovered Cardiacs in october 2006, I was 27... A friend of mine who know my taste told me "you should listen to this, you'll love it" and it was a cdr of On land and in the sea... I put it on on my car stereo (takin' off Thick as a brick that was inside) and Duck and Roger the Horse, parts of Fast Robert and especially Buds and spawn made me realize how they were dfferent, crazy, and most of all, they really don't care about anyone else's opinion on how they see music...

Ar second listen I was totally hooked, then started to buy everything and happening to see them live in London in 2007 !

They just do what for years I looked for in a band...

[Steve F.]

^ True dat.

Yet, somehow, some of them find a mate.

I think my wife thinks of them somewhat as a musical Three Stooges. And she's not crazy about the Stooges either....

[zombywoof]

Sterbus,

It's absolutely amazing to me how similar our musical paths have been. I saw Tull when I was 3 years old and the first album I remember hearing all the way through was "A Passion Play". I heard Frank when I was about 8 or 9 too and thought it was the funniest, most amazing stuff I ever heard.

I had asthma as a kid and couldn't participate in sports and things normal kids did (and really had no desire to), so when he sang "it'll cure your asthma too" in Cosmik Debris, there was a connection. Weird how that works, huh? I discovered the rest of the catalog later on when I was 11 or so, including the MOI stuff, and FZ introduced me to a LOT. Avant garde, jazz, electronic, doo wop, and so on. I didn't hear Prog proper until I was like 16.

Cardiacs came to me nearly 2 years ago, about 20 I think, when I was a frustrated music major in the wrong discipline. I was a little bored with music and beginning to even hate it. When I heard Little Man, it was a 'this music was made for me' moment, from the very opening notes of the record.

I've always hated punk, but here were these guys, kicking prog's ass with a vengeance. The humor, the complexity, the energy, and with "we are playing tough music, but we don't care" attitude that is totally intoxicating and fun to me. When I listened to this music, it left me on a strange emotional high unlike any other music could. Other people dismissed it as noise, but I still don't care.

Yes, Cardiacs saved my life.

[chalkpie]

^that's great.

Allow me to add this: I've been a member of this place since 2003 (wow), and I have never seen a more genuine, loyal, respectful, and downright fanatical group than Cardiacs fans. I know that may come off as a bit corny, but in my eyes its 100% true. Maybe FZ has ushered this type of loyalty, but I've seen severe disagreements amongst the fans in his music, politics, interviews, etc. The comradery here is pretty special, and I for one am glad and proud to be part of it. I never saw this group live unfortunately, and I cannot imagine the atmosphere, but in my mind I think I can come close to what it must have been like.

Cardiacs=Life

[zombywoof]

^that's great.

Allow me to add this: I've been a member of this place since 2003 (wow), and I have never seen a more genuine, loyal, respectful, and downright fanatical group than Cardiacs fans. I know that may come off as a bit corny, but in my eyes its 100% true. Maybe FZ has ushered this type of loyalty, but I've seen severe disagreements amongst the fans in his music, politics, interviews, etc. The comradery here is pretty special, and I for one am glad and proud to be part of it. I never saw this group live unfortunately, and I cannot imagine the atmosphere, but in my mind I think I can come close to what it must have been like.

Cardiacs=Life

Totally true. I've met only a couple of Cardiacs fanatics who turned out to be nasty people. Most are very cool, open minded people, with a greater musical interest than just 'punk' or 'prog'. Nothing like Zappa fans who can behave terribly and snipe at each other mercilessly. Just check out the snake pit that is the Zappa forum. Most Cardiacs fans have a vast musical knowledge and interest. It's part of the game for liking this band, I think. As for the gigs - the vibe is in the Mare's Nest CD. You can almost hear the love for this band in the room. It's part of the music.

[Kavus Torabi]

Both as a fan and a member of the band, the vibe at Cardiacs gigs was unlike any other.

[aith01]

Yet, somehow, some of them find a mate.

I think my wife thinks of them somewhat as a musical Three Stooges. And she's not crazy about the Stooges either....

Hey nothing wrong with the Three Stooges -- although I don't see any similarities to Cardiacs (yet).

My previous girlfriend knew about my obsession with music, and wasn't scared away even when she heard Magma. In fact, she actually liked some of Koenjihyakkei!

BTW, Steve, thank you for being one of the few vendors in the US that actually stocks this music. Thanks to Cuneiform and the Wayside store, my horizons have been widening steadily over the last couple years.