Cardiacs: Classic or Dud?

it is a magnificent clarion call, now we await the carnival

Speaking of arriving late... Every time I see this thread I'm reminded, bitterly, of my regrettable forgetfulness -- I never remember wot's that one Cardiacs CD I've got is called, nor wot's the title of that Tim Smith solo thingy on the same shelf. Or when did I listen to them properly.

It's going to be good, I have no doubt about that. Obviously the album will be a varied affair but judging from Ditzy Scene they are charging pell-mell into the storms of intensity that they've been getting into over the last few years. I mean, that double live CD from a couple of years back is the heaviest thing they've done EVER.

There's a Tim Smith solo album is call "Extra Special Oceanland World". Is that the one? 6/10 at best.

I'm so happy that the real, proper Cardiacs are finally releasing something. All these side projects/production jobs/guest things etc are so unsatisfying in comparison. Other than the Silver Ginger 5 album which was ace, they just leave you wishing there was a proper Cardiacs album coming. Now there is.

Why does ILM not go gaga for this band? Seriously? I blame ignorance. I beg of you, all who stumble upon this thread, at least say you've
heard some.

Oh, and to continue the plugging, Cardiacs' #1 fan in the music biz is the main songwriter of this lot.

*goes checks*

Um yeh, that's the solo T-Smith, yes.
And my Cardiacs is the 1995 Sampler on Alphabet...

<i>There's a Tim Smith solo album is call "Extra Special Oceanland World". Is that the one? 6/10 at best.</i>

Ooh, I can't agree there. I think the Smith solo is grate. You've got jump-around power pop like "Rat Mice Lice Time", but also some of Tim's saddest, fragilest ditties like "Savour" and "Bug From Heaven". Plus an excellent homage to Duran Duran. What's not to love? The production is a bit wonky in places, but then it was recorded on an eight-track.

One thing I've never been able to determine when it was actually recorded. Mr Smith has claimed at various times that it was done either in a week in 1989, between 1989-90 or from 1989-95. I'm sure he does this on purpose.

I should really go and listen to it again - it's been a while.

Any thoughts as to all the line-up changes they have had over the years. This current line-up with the choir and so on seems so different from before. Getting into Magma territory. I guess it's principally to boost the live experience - fabulous spectacle and all that.

My random thoughts:

A major change occured when Dominic Luckman was replaced by Bob Leith on the drums. Dominic played in this playful way and was very percussive while Bob is a rock drummer that can sometimes make me think of the likes of Neal Peart.

I really liked Christian Hayes as the extra guitarist. Although I'm not sure which songs on Heaven Born and Ever Bright he played on, the Mares Nest cd/video is friggin' awesome. Seems like he revitalised the band at the time.

I'm still not that comfortable with the pre-recorded keyboards at live gigs. It would be weird to see William D Drake back in the band, but why don't they just hire someone to play them? What's Rick Wakeman doing?

I think the argument was that if they hired another keyboard player they wouldn't be able to afford to keep them on during the band's lengthy periods of inactivity. But in the end that excuse doesn't really wash, as I'm sure there are plenty of people out there who'd be willing to do it just for the love of it. Sometimes I wish they would just bite the bullet and get a new guy in.

Buds And Spawn is rapidly shooting up my Cardiacs top 10. What an astounding piece of music. Still some work to do before 'Dirty Boy' and 'Dog-Like Sparky' are displaced, mind.

PEOPLE, IF THERE IS ONE BAND IN THE WORLD YOU SHOULD LISTEN TO ME ABOUT, IT IS CARDIACS.

ya, buds and spawn and the safety bowl but then THE EVERSO CLOSELY GUARDED LINE
all one after another like that
it's just ridiculous
everyone should listen to cardiacs. but they're not for everyone. sometimes i wonder what the hell is wrong with me for liking such bizarre music, but then mostly i wonder what the hell is wrong with everyone else for not.

Dog Like Sparky is an amazing track, I've never grown tired of it. Why? Amazingly catchy and fun, but still interesting, and how's this for a reason. I like dogs!

Hey, ILM Cardiacs peeps. Maybe you know this already, but a couple of new fancy-looking vids of the band rehersing for their forthcoming tour have been put onto Youtube for our viewing pleasure. And very wonderful they are too.

As Cold As Can Be In An English Sea
Jibber and Twitch

I did know that already, in fact! For all those that can't get down to the Astoria on the 16th, I'll have a drink for you... :D

sometimes, every now and then, I wish I lived in the uk

i'm expecting their greatest hits in the mail any day now. anyone want to tell me what it's like?

"...they sound like a pit-head brass band attempting to play full-steam punk rock in a gale." - NME

sometimes, every now and then, I wish I lived in the uk
Yeah, me too. Still I'm stoked that at least L0uis is going to see them. He'll give us a full report I'm sure.

i'm expecting their greatest hits in the mail any day now. anyone want to tell me what it's like? -- kamerad

anyone called kamerad wanna tell what it's like? any day now? :)

not nice, t**t

i'm all about the packaging. the back has four of the same mollusks ween used

After last night's astonishing show at Nottingham's Rescue Rooms, they have a new fan. (Well, actually they have three new fans; we were all completely blown away.) I asked the nice lady on the merch stall for a good place to start - and after prolonged rummaging, she selected On Land And In The Sea for me. They definitely played its closing track, the epic "The Everso Closely Guarded Line".

So, the keyboards are pre-recorded? We were wondering about that all night. I kept trying to spot a hidden keyboardist. It would have fitted with the overall mystique.

I have also never seen a more discplined mosh-pit! They knew when to start, they knew when to stop, they knew when to start again, they knew when to stand stock still with their arms raised. I mean, this stuff is TRICKY. I like trying to work out complex time signatures, and I got nowhere...

I am more than a little stunned that it has taken me 30 years to stumble across this lot, but I'm glad I got there in the end. (And how come that the songs which they wrote when they were 16 - of which they played three or four - are the most complicated of the lot?)

For all who are attending tonight's Astoria show, all I can say is: you lucky, LUCKY people.

*feels lucky*

I've never been more psyched for a show, and I may not ever be. Glad you enjoyed them. Like I say, they're popular music's best-kept secret, and if everyone on ILM had heard or seen them I think they'd be absolutely canonical here. I see sentences such as "I am more than a little stunned that it has taken me 30 years to stumble across this lot" and I nod, knowingly.

OLAITS is a good starting-off point, but take my word for it: although the actual music may get less 'weird' and digressive the later you go, the songs, the level of beauty, the compositional complexity, all improve IMO. OLAITS has a few stunners; "Buds And Spawn" is still one of the best things they've ever done (with TECGL not far behind), but if you love this band, PLEASE get hold of "Sing To God" and "Guns". They will knock you flat.

Anyone else here going to the Astoria? Thought not. :(

if everyone on ILM had heard or seen them I think they'd be absolutely canonical here

Drop it Louis, we've heard them, we don't like them, get over it

You're all WRONG then! I like to think I'm tolerant of other people's musical opinions, but NOT THIS! Besides, I think you're winding me up. What Cardiacs have you heard?

That "As Cold As Can Be In An English Sea" number is pretty great & rocking! W/o wanting to come over all muso, it's a rare pleasure to see a band that can play for shit.

(x-post, I'm sure Tom has heard plenty of cardiacs in his time? He's an oldfart like me!)

Listen, I used to have a friend who was always trying to get me in to them until I had to say, "Don't you get it, I DON'T LIKE THEM!!!!"

To explain myself, the reason I read this thread is because Dr C's "Repulsively dud. Idiotic prog-wacky for the lower sixth." comment amused me so much

...but it's one of the most flat-out misguided, incorrect, prejudiced comments on all of ILM! I guess you're right in that it's the sort of comment you'll remember. I certainly do.

i think it's a hilarious comment and i love the cardiacs. although for me they went off the boil from 'heaven born...' onwards

I'm still a bit stunned that they were able to play such trashy, full-tilt, rhythmically complex music while still keeping perfect synch with a backing tape.

If I were being bitchy (but oh-so-affectionately so), I'd say the front row resembled, from right to left: Uncle Fester on an Orange Lodge march, Michael Douglas in Falling Down, and Simon Amstell through a distorted lens. Behind them, the two backing singers stayed motionless and expressionless throughout, in matching floral pinnies, occasionally getting up to bash the raised drums that were positioned on either side of the drum kit.

There was a nice little coup de theatre at the end involving miniature glowsticks.

When you say the front row, do you mean the band or the audience?

You can have that one, Tom. :D

OK, I just realised it's Dr. C's birthday. Sorry Dr.C! I guess we can't all have the same tastes! Just that I'm seeing this band for the first time ever tonight and I'm bouncing around the room in anticipation!

xpost: Oh, you've never seen such a... mature moshpit.

Oh, their Oxford show was ace. Slightly disappointed that the Gasman was not actually live onstage, but had recorded a set in advance to go out over the PA; not disappointed at him personally, as he said it's a painstaking process and his gear is too temperamental, which is fair enough, and I guess it might have been a bit of a bad match for some of the more hairy metal-looking members of the audience, but this exclusive new Gasman wheezed quietly away unannounced between bands when obviously everyone just wanted to talk loudly and buy shirts and go to the bar. And the Whores were... not my thing, at all.

But Cardiacs themselves - awesome. Fiery Gun Hand! To Go Off And Things! Oh my eyes it's an epic Dirty Boy and they really do hold that note (tag-teamed I guess)!

Uh, yeah. Good night out. And nice to see Kavus effortlessly gliding through all these insane high-speed stop-start bits and bugging his eyes at the daft lyrics, seeing as I miss the Monsoon Bassoon something fierce.

PS I think "repulsive idiot prog-wacky for the lower sixth" is pretty much correct and I love them. Though it took me a while - when I was actually a little above lower sixth age a friend enthused about them at length and lent me many of their albums, to which my reaction was mostly "??". Three years later I got one of the tracks in my head and had to hear it again, bought the sampler, and ended up buying as much as I could get my hands on. (Which wasn't that much, as half of it was out of print, but some of those were for sale at the gig so I guess it isn't now? I couldn't buy any or I'd have missed my taxi.)

Oh my eyes it's an epic Dirty Boy and they really do hold that note (tag-teamed I guess)!

Ah, I was down the front and watching them like a hawk during that one. Yes, tag-teamed - but the pauses for breath were v.short and subtly done.

Who are the Cardiacs? They sound good!

:D

ffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFUUUUCCCCKKKKK !

unreal

THAT'S THE WAY WE AAAAALLLLLLL GO

(what way? multi-gender, multi-age, no-holds-barred mosh violence, that's what. as it was my initiation, i could be found flinging and flung at the centre of it all.)

this is making me happy and depressed.

happy because cardiacs love is spreading like a rash.

sad because I missed the whole tour.

bah.

I just ordered a copy of Sing To God pts 1 & 2. It'd better be good.

took yr time :D

i have a feeling a certain someone might be getting it in the neck if s0uthall disapproves

I like the Cardiacs, but does anyone else find their fans a bit creepy, in a new age religious cult kinda way?

This impression is easy to get given the fervour of the more hardcore fans, but when you've talked to them (as I have), they're very nice and knowledgeable, on the whole. "Creepy" not so much, "lethal" is more accurate, at least in the moshpit.

N1ck, if you like StG, then the next one you should get is "Guns", which I regard as possibly even better, certainly more consistent, and a candidate for my all-time favourite album. Early Cardiacs is a different but no lesser beast; "A Little Man And A House And The Whole World Window" is fairly brilliant from start to finish, and I suspect might be your favourite.

Fuck me this is insane.

:D

The constant snare whack at that (those) tempo(s) is a bit much. I'm not sure what I think yet, but it's definitely insane.

Prefer LFK, innit.

haha

i prefer cardiacs ;-)