Cardiacs - the best/worst band in the world ever

[catinthehat]

Updated July 2018 (catinthehat) - Aaaaand we have the original thread back.  Woo.  The post below was originally by "Guest":

 

Couldn't help noticing that there wasn't a cardiacs thread. Jolly bad show, what? They are the bestest ever band.

Proof if proof be need be

An old one (R.E.S)

A very old one but done recently (Gibber and Twitch)

and a newer one (Fiery Gun Hand)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NqAJcBh3sEQ

Any fans on the board?

[Mercury]

I went to pretty much every gig of theirs in the late eighties/early nineties. I still have my little man and a house fan club badge somewhere. I was listening to the sampler album just the other day. Amazed they are still going.

Andy

[Quest]

Horrible band. To me they always sound like Madness if Madness were a self-consciously wacky carnival Prog band.

[scissorkicks]

A very old one but done recently (Gibber and Twitch)

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I love that video. I've been watching it loads lately.

I dunno if I'm a "fan", but I know plenty of people who are. They're one of those bands that whenever I hear them, I usually end up thinking I ought to buy a load of albums.

I tell you what though - their song "Buds & Spawn" is magnificence incarnate.

Oh and Tim Smith is a shit hot producer. He produced a couple of my favourite albums of the last few years, "The Dance Of Death" by The Scaramanga Six and "Secrets & Signals" by Stars In Battledress. I think he did the forthcoming Scaramanga Six album as well.

[Davros sock drawer]

I have a new love in my life.

And it's all thanks to Kevvy Metal, who scored big when he said that Cardiacs were the most underrated band of the 80's in that thread I did about U2.

Never mind the 80's, they are the most under-appreciated band ever.

I don't know how I missed them really. I was vaguely aware of the name, but thought they were a simple Punk band. They were not.

Imagine Prog. Now imagine Punk. Now imagine Pronk. It still doesn't cover it. Thankfully videos exist which explain far better:

Best. Solo. Ever.

To me this is Prog with a sense of humour. But also a sense of disturbed mental home abuse. And songs which are routinely in 7/8, or 6/8, or God knows what but which have a bar in 4/4 just to throw you. And then a waltz. This tickles me immensely, given my love for early Genesis, King Crimson, Gentle Giant et al.

The two videos above are from the "classic" early line up in the 80's, but later years saw them coalesce into a streamlined guitar-based outfit, still with Tim and Jim Smith at their core, but minus the sax and keyboards. This is them doing Jibber & Twitch, a song from 1984:

Just genius. You can see why they have been credited with inspiring Math Rock and why Mike Patton is such a fan.

In fact I'm not really qualified to do this thread, as I'm only just discovering them myself. Kevvy Metal deserves to do this thread really, and I know there is at least one other fan on here with a Cardiacs avatar who I hope will post. Since Kevvy mentioned them though I have seeded Cardiacs love far and wide and at least three of my mates have totally fallen in love with them. So thank you.

Sadly Tim Smith had a stroke in 2008 and is still recuperating. Hope he gets better and one day makes music again. It would be awful for him to only be recognised as the genius he is after it's too late.

So far I own:

The Seaside

A Little Man and a House and the Whole World Window

Songs for Ships and Irons

Which are all amazing. Going to get On Land and In The Sea Next, then onto the 1990's stuff.

Any prog fans around here will find a lot to like, and I commend them to the house.

[Davros sock drawer]

So you did! Pearls before swine.

They were an amazing band, I'm so annoyed I never saw them live. The Maresnest gig was reputedly a nightmare, but it's very good to watch on Youtube, and there's a gig they did in Surbiton which also looks like it was amazing. Fantastic versions of songs like Hope Day.

[ben-k]

Had the extreme pleasure of seeing Tim Smith, Random Jon Poole and Ginger Wildheart do a thoroughly bizarre acoustic set on one of Ginger's solo tours once. Lovely.

[jonamok]

Saw them pretty much by accident at a nightclub in Liverpool in about '92. Best gig I have ever been to.

[Davros sock drawer]

So I finally bought On Land and In the Sea, Heaven Born and Ever Bright, and the amazing Sing to God:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kXHPlNG_AR8

Great, satisfyingly chunky pick-scrapey riff to start, in 10/8 I believe. And then that little section from 0:25 to 0:30 which just makes me grin from ear to ear. My mate said it reminded him of "what music sounds like when you're on Cake" from Brasseye.

I also really love On Land and In The Sea, which is the original line up firing on all cylinders, totally confident and full of solid tunes like Mare's nest:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I4qkPq7JuZU

As well as more batshit mental stuff like this:

I seriously can't understand why this band aren't lauded to the hilt as total geniuses. I wouldn't be surprised if this only happens once Tim Smith buys the farm, sadly.

[Vimster]

On a less manic note you might like to track down a Cardiacs-related project Shrubbies

Produced by Tim Smith and featuring Sarah Smith on vocals. It's got that prog complexity but is more relaxed and down-tempo. I picked a copy up for £1.50.

Remember hearing them on Mark & Lard in the mid-90s. Mark asked how the hell they remembered the arrangements, to which Tim Smith said it was easy as they were so unique.

[zy]

They were an amazing band, I'm so annoyed I never saw them live.

October 26th 1990, Warwick University SU. So much fun. And beer was served, so I don't think you'd have been let in. Besides, I gave my spare ticket to little Jess Jones, and I can still picture her pogoing up and down (though missing all the half-beats, which the trufans had down pat) while screaming "This is like a nursery rhyme gone mad!"

The percussionists even turned up with music stands and scores. I wonder now if it was another joke, or not.

[Davros sock drawer]

Crumbs, yes. I would have been 16 and too busy listening to Slayer.

The more I listen to them, the more I think that sheet music would have been required all round. The original drummer in particular astounds me, given that none of the drumers I've ever played with can distinguish between a verse and a chorus, never mind the multitude of mini sections most Cardiacs songs contain.

[Davros sock drawer]

I've got that next on the agenda after Guns, which is the only Cardiacs album I don't own now.

Absolutely loving Fiery Gun Hand from Sing to God at the moment, especially the "skanking" section, for want of a better word, which happens for the first time at around 1:20:

It's just fucking awesome. I found an 8-bit version that someone had done on Youtube, unbelievably, but I can't seem to find it now so I must have dreamt it.

[Professor Puzzles]

I think I'm beginning to like this lot too, perhaps because they sound like such a huge influence on 'The Great Escape' by Blur, and that's one of my favourite albums, with the whole creepy fairground vibe.

[Davros sock drawer]

Yes, I think Blur have said as much, although obviously they didn't take the odd time signatures, probably because they are absolutely insane and impossible to work out. I thought Apocalypse in 9/8 by Genesis was mind blowing a few years back, but that's child's play compared to even the simpler Cardiacs stuff.

What have you checked out so far Staplehead?

[Davros sock drawer]

Nice article here by the way:

http://thequietus.com/articles/04192-why-a-heart-attack-must-not-arrest-the-cardiacs

[Mercury]

Great to see other people discovering The Cardiacs. Other than The Wedding Present, I have seen them more than any other band and pretty much stalked them in the late 80's/early 90's. The gigs were very ritualistic with Tim Smith giving a fair amount of abuse to the crowd and his band mates. I was even a member of their club and still have the badge to prove it:

[Davros sock drawer]

I am most envious, of both gigs and badge. Must have been awesome seeing the classic line up firing on all cylinders. From the few Youtube vids they looked like an incredibly tight live act.

[Mercury]

they looked like an incredibly tight live act.

Yeah, it's strange because at the time it all seemed very chaotic to me but I watch it now and it must have been so rehearsed. Never seen anyone remotely like them live.

[Professor Puzzles]

What have you checked out so far Staplehead?

I've been using those youtube videos as a starting point and then clickylinking my way through videos. So far I've heard a lot from Sing to God and that little man something window album plus something about a ship, I liked that one. The live rehearsal of jibber and twitch is utterly astonishing.

EDIT: I've been listening to that Tarred and Feathered track quite a lot this evening, trying to untie some of those glorious musical knots, but I admit I haven't really been listening to the lyrics properly. Love the video, too, especially their dusty bus conductor zombie uniforms.

EDIT EDIT: I like Is This The Life as well, but it seems very very mainstream compared to the other stuff I've heard.

EDIT EDIT EDIT: And this is just great, another more accessible song but some wonderful stuff in there, from Sergeant Peppery trumpets to Stone Roses guitars all blended together at an Elizabethan dance with magic fairy dust.

http://youtu.be/FYMkS11D_nA

[___]

Never heard of 'em before.

insin is 29

[Davros sock drawer]

I've been using those youtube videos as a starting point and then clickylinking my way through videos. So far I've heard a lot from Sing to God and that little man something window album plus something about a ship, I liked that one. The live rehearsal of jibber and twitch is utterly astonishing.

EDIT: I've been listening to that Tarred and Feathered track quite a lot this evening, trying to untie some of those glorious musical knots, but I admit I haven't really been listening to the lyrics properly. Love the video, too, especially their dusty bus conductor zombie uniforms.

EDIT EDIT: I like Is This The Life as well, but it seems very very mainstream compared to the other stuff I've heard.

EDIT EDIT EDIT: And this is just great, another more accessible song but some wonderful stuff in there, from Sergeant Peppery trumpets to Stone Roses guitars all blended together at an Elizabethan dance with magic fairy dust.

Ah yes, the last one is Manhoo. Great track. And This is the Life is great too. Mainstream yes, but then again the solo!

You're basically doing what I did on Youtube at first, before getting the albums. I wasn't expecting much from The Seaside, I mean it was released on tape in 1984, so it must be pants right? No, tis marvellous. Start there is my advice.

The great thing about getting the albums is of course that the sound quality is so much better than Youtube uploads.

A wild Insin appears!

[Davros sock drawer]

Some more of my favourite tracks:

Bit of a long one this, but worth the effort. How they can go from the ultra-slow funeral dirge part at around 2:35, and then into such an uplifting section immediately afterwards is beyond me. Magic.

Surprised I didn't put this in my original post. Perhaps I thought the cat masks would scare people. Full on musical insanity, especially from about 2 minute onwards. How many changes?!

And what a brave way to end a gig!

Not enough wubs in the world.

[Mercury]

RES is outstanding.

[Davros sock drawer]

That chopped up version of the main riff at about 4 minutes in melts my brain. I always try and hum along in my head, and I always fail. Great, high-wire guitar solo as well.

[Mercury]

Currently listening to "All That Glitters Is a Mares Nest" having downloaded from iTunes.

[Davros sock drawer]

Is that the album which accompanies the live video?

[Mercury]

Is that the album which accompanies the live video?

I believe so. I had forgotten how good they are. I am going to end up downloading all the albums over the next few days.

[___]

Nothing about this isn't amazing:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UTrK0mBxoT4

[Davros sock drawer]

Another great track Insin. You getting properly into them then?

Found myself properly getting into this track on the train this morning. Bit long, but the main song stops about 3 and a half minutes before the end:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j8YLCyZAM74

But it was only upon looking for it on Youtue that I realised it's a track from 1984:

Awesome.