I've never thought that Heaven Born or StG were the best sounding records but the production is a small part of what makes them distinct; anyway no mattter how harsh and trebly they are you can still hear the bass so it's OK by me.
― obnoxious pun (ultros ultros-ghali), Sunday, 27 May 2018 09:29 (five years ago) link
I always thought that the sound of StG and HBaEB were a result of the limitations of Tim's home studio plus how his own brain reacts to mid freqs, you can hear it also in some (but not all) of the records he produced and recorded. he def has a way of mixing that can sometimes be a little pushy in that spectrum.
They're not, by any means, full of screeching mids, he balances quite tricky middle frequencies (mostly guitar blare) fairly well, but as my own ears get older they're less well equipped to handle certain mids, so I tend to watch what I'm doing to preserve it.
― MaresNest, Sunday, 27 May 2018 10:06 (five years ago) link
The '95 reish of HBAEB (I always read that as Hey Babe!) is supposedly utterly trashed and distorted for some reason (something to do with a bucket and some nails....)
The recent vinyl and digital versions are I believe from the '92 master which is quite light on bass but not too bad at all, jt's appropriate to the style and what he intended.
― Absolute Unit Delta Plus (Noel Emits), Sunday, 27 May 2018 11:04 (five years ago) link
STG frustrates me a bit on that front. It is just a little harsh in those mids and my ears are also very sensitive to that. My preferred way to listen has become a normal position cassette of a CD-R rip of the vinyl ;-)
― Absolute Unit Delta Plus (Noel Emits), Sunday, 27 May 2018 11:08 (five years ago) link
Whenever this thread is bumped I'm expecting news of an obscurities or live recordings dump on Bandcamp.
Ditzy Scene and Faster Than Snakes should appear at some point. What else is missing (apart from LSD)?
― Absolute Unit Delta Plus (Noel Emits), Sunday, 27 May 2018 11:15 (five years ago) link
One day, the original A Balloon For Bertie's Party will emerge in its best-prog-song-by-a-teenager-ever glory
― imago, Sunday, 27 May 2018 11:18 (five years ago) link
StGs big secret is that it's all drum machine apparently.
― MaresNest, Sunday, 27 May 2018 11:49 (five years ago) link
Every beat was sequenced, it's a library of sampled Bob.
― Brainless Addlepated Timid Muddleheaded Awful No-Account (Pheeel), Sunday, 27 May 2018 12:52 (five years ago) link
Thanked by Cardiacs-hating record store employees for buying one of the band’s LPs because “our boss loves them and now he can’t play this in the shop anymore.”— Andy Zax (@andyzax) June 6, 2018
― mookieproof, Wednesday, 6 June 2018 16:41 (five years ago) link
He'll find a way
― imago, Wednesday, 6 June 2018 19:17 (five years ago) link
Guns seems pretty laid back for this band despite some typically energetic tracks. Or did Sing To God have this same balance?
― Robert Adam Gilmour, Saturday, 15 September 2018 10:33 (five years ago) link
It's definitely quieter but the emotions and the compositions are just as intense. It's a very tragic and mysterious album - very inspired by Night Of The Hunter
― imago, Saturday, 15 September 2018 10:51 (five years ago) link
Had no idea about that. Wikipedia says it's utilized in a cut-up technique way, so perhaps not exactly inspired but just spliced in?
― Robert Adam Gilmour, Saturday, 15 September 2018 11:45 (five years ago) link
Hello.It is now nigh on nine months since the start of the Just Giving campaign, and perhaps high time for an update on how things have been going for Tim since then.Unfortunately, at around the time of the launch, Tim became seriously ill, and it has taken him a while to get his strength back. Thankfully though, in the last couple of months his health has improved enough to start his rehabilitation in earnest.
So he now has:*A Speech and Language Therapist *A neuro-physiotherapist*A masseuse*A Feldenkrais therapist *A Support Assistant to help with the everyday stuff...and his own PA to coordinate things for him.
As well as this, he has a new state-of-the-art touch screen computer, and access to the resources needed to enable him to attend gigs more often.Tim is at the beginning of what we hope will be an exciting journey for him, and it's all down to the financial support given, with love, by you.
With love from Mary x
― MaresNest, Tuesday, 9 October 2018 10:48 (five years ago) link
Wow!
It's one of those things - if a 6Music show begins with "is this the life", I fear the worst thesedays. Thankfully, it's just that it's "time to play that record"
― Mark G, Tuesday, 9 October 2018 11:01 (five years ago) link
The JustGiving is still open so I'll bump it here:https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/timsmith
(hopefully this will also remind to chip in again later)
― a passing spacecadet, Tuesday, 9 October 2018 11:47 (five years ago) link
Would be amazing if those of us who care could keep him afloat with the yearly care costs as long as is required.
― MaresNest, Tuesday, 9 October 2018 13:56 (five years ago) link
was really heartwarming to see a bunch of people donate to that campaign under famous musicians' names with a message about how inspired they were by him
I think I did three of the Monkees
― frogbs, Tuesday, 9 October 2018 14:01 (five years ago) link
Oh smart! I'm totally going to do that from now on.
― MaresNest, Tuesday, 9 October 2018 14:16 (five years ago) link
From the Royal Conservatoire Of Scotland's FB page -
The man who inspired musicians Blur, Radiohead and Biffy Clyro is to be honoured at the RCS winter graduation on October 25. Tim Smith of the Cardiacs is to receive an Honorary Doctor of Music to celebrate his remarkable contribution to the music industry.
― MaresNest, Friday, 19 October 2018 17:57 (five years ago) link
Sweet. Congrats, doc.
― Walter Wegmüller Fruit Corner (Noel Emits), Friday, 19 October 2018 18:31 (five years ago) link
That said, FFS the man's contribution does not mainly consist of inspiring a bunch of more famous bands. Inevitable but ridiculous that Cardiacs (or anyone, really) should be framed like that. The Radiohead thing is highly spurious anyway so there's no need to hold him even partly responsible for that!
― Walter Wegmüller Fruit Corner (Noel Emits), Friday, 19 October 2018 18:42 (five years ago) link
I mean its essentially a press blurb, if it gets people interested mission accomplished. But yeah that really irks me too, I know nothing of "Biffy Clyro" but Cardiacs don't sound a thing like those other two bands. or anyone really.
― frogbs, Friday, 19 October 2018 18:45 (five years ago) link
except their army of devotee musicians keeping the flame alive :)
― imago, Friday, 19 October 2018 18:48 (five years ago) link
blur i can see btw; radiohead gtfo
Tim Smith, whose music inspired international luminaries such as Deep Turtle and Shrubbies...
Seriously though this is some nice news. ty Scotland
― obnoxious pun (ultros ultros-ghali), Friday, 19 October 2018 19:12 (five years ago) link
Dawson, Dog-Faced Hermans or Stretcheads if they needed token Scottish act rather than LOL Biffy Clyro.
― everything, Friday, 19 October 2018 21:24 (five years ago) link
Haha yeah, Buntychunks vs Radiohead
― MaresNest, Saturday, 20 October 2018 11:27 (five years ago) link
Didn't realize Biffy Clyro were still big.
― Robert Adam Gilmour, Saturday, 20 October 2018 14:18 (five years ago) link
Hope this links okay because it's unlisted, but here is the live stream for Tim's nomination at the Royal Conservatoire today, accepted on his behalf by Jim.
https://youtu.be/yQYOqUUsAAc?t=39m49s
― MaresNest, Thursday, 25 October 2018 19:40 (five years ago) link
Jim deserves an award almost as much for his services to bass guitar tbh
― imago, Thursday, 25 October 2018 20:11 (five years ago) link
that video's lovely, thank you
― imago, Thursday, 25 October 2018 23:24 (five years ago) link
I thought so too, made me a little teary
― MaresNest, Thursday, 25 October 2018 23:52 (five years ago) link
Dr Tim
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MybDbut1lFQ
― MaresNest, Wednesday, 28 November 2018 22:57 (five years ago) link
And now the whole thing -
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zr9SZVHjFT0
― MaresNest, Sunday, 16 December 2018 17:47 (five years ago) link
Just been announced Gong are headlining the Alphabet Business Convention weekender in July. Holy shit.
― Brainless Addlepated Timid Muddleheaded Awful No-Account (Pheeel), Sunday, 3 February 2019 21:34 (five years ago) link
hardly a holy shit given Kavus' involvement :) but it'll be great, will try to go
― imago, Sunday, 3 February 2019 21:39 (five years ago) link
Yeah, I guess. It still feels like a big deal for our little fan convention, though. It's growing!
― Brainless Addlepated Timid Muddleheaded Awful No-Account (Pheeel), Sunday, 3 February 2019 22:01 (five years ago) link
Finished listened to the selftitled Sea Nymphs album. Absolutely loved it, maybe even more than Sing To God, so it might be my favorite Cariacs album so far.
― Robert Adam Gilmour, Friday, 15 February 2019 16:34 (five years ago) link
One of the most purely lovely things I've heard in quite some time.
― Robert Adam Gilmour, Friday, 15 February 2019 16:35 (five years ago) link
The new Sea Nymphs is pretty much just as good! (It's more conventionally song-y, perhaps - the s/t is all mysterious fragments and snatches)
― imago, Friday, 15 February 2019 16:37 (five years ago) link
Cosign, all Sea Nymphs is great, including the Mr & Mrs Smith and Mr Drake recordings, love 'em just as much as Cardiacs.
― MaresNest, Friday, 15 February 2019 17:29 (five years ago) link
Also, I was listening to some Ligeti Keyboard Works CD the other day and this struck me as very Sea Nymphs/Bill D
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4OftWu4HPQI
― MaresNest, Friday, 15 February 2019 17:33 (five years ago) link
Bill definitely skews less avant-garde than that but there's definitely a reminiscence in the flourishes! Good spot
― imago, Friday, 15 February 2019 17:43 (five years ago) link
Bill once mentioned Debussy as an early influence, and you can definitely hear that from Debussy's Tarantelle.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bW01NSqOA7M
― Brainless Addlepated Timid Muddleheaded Awful No-Account (Pheeel), Friday, 15 February 2019 22:18 (five years ago) link
What is Tim saying at the end of track 2 on Songs For Ships And Irons?
"I'm allowed in here, am I?"
"I'm a loudy here, am I?"
Amused me every time but still couldn't quite make it out.
― Robert Adam Gilmour, Friday, 28 June 2019 20:13 (four years ago) link
here's what i can make out
sarah: bill
bill: yes
sarah: have you just had a wash
sarah: you smell lovely
bill: thank...thank you very m-
tim: HELLO, I AM ALLOWED IN HERE AM I
bill/sarah: whoooaaahh
tim: OH DON'T NOB ON YOUR OWN FACE YOU FILTHY DOG
― imago, Friday, 28 June 2019 20:21 (four years ago) link
Isnt it just Sarah making the mocking sound?
― Robert Adam Gilmour, Friday, 28 June 2019 20:27 (four years ago) link
Extra Special OceanLandWorld is really good but probably my least favorite thing so far. Still to listen to Archives, Mr & Mrs, Spratleys and second Sea Nymphs though.
― Robert Adam Gilmour, Friday, 18 October 2019 18:00 (four years ago) link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kkQSzrQxa4Y
Guy is a monster.
― Maresn3st, Sunday, 5 January 2020 14:14 (four years ago) link