Ranking the Albums: Cardiacs (w/Steven Reid & Chuck Alvarez)
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- Опубліковано 18 бер 2022
- Join Pete Pardo, Steven Reid, and Chuck Alvarez as they rank the albums of punk/prog/art rock act Cardiacs. #cardiacs
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Greatest quote Ever: “It feels like someone is attacking you with music, but you’re thanking them for it.” Well put, Stephen.
Thanks Satchboogy. Can you tell how much fun we had doing this one? Loved it!
@@TranquilityFireReid I think you totally rock man and I want to thank you for turning me on to the two bands Thunder and Cats in Space, I can't get enough of these guys
@@steelmonkey7609 Thanks Steel Monkey. Two GREAT bands for sure. Delighted to have put them your way!
Had a wonderful time with these two gentlemen.
Hard not to!
The pleasure was all mine Chuck. Can't tell you how much fun I had talking Cardiacs with you and Peter.
Great chat about a great band!
@@TranquilityFireReid Heho Steven Reid, sorry to be slightly weird out of nowhere. Just wanted to say a huuuuge "Thank you" for turning me on to The Wildhearts with your great lecture about them in the "Ranking the albums" Video. That came in perfect timing during Covid Lockdowns and it was great escapism diving into their catalogue. Thanks a bunch. I'd be very interested in your opinion on 21st century lovesongs as well, but I get If you don't want to write it here. I think it's a real banger. :) Anyway thanks again and cheers from munich, germany.
I'm with Chuck. Sing to God is my fav. the first time I heard "Dirty Boy" the closing note went on for so long, I hid under my desk until it finished.
I didn’t come to Cardiacs until Tim was already sick. This is phenomenal music, incredibly played, as complex and tight as anybody, but wicked. But you can tell listening to you guys talk, Cardiacs make people happy, deep joy under all that. Hearing of Tim’s death brought me to tears. A truly beautiful mind. Thanks for this. You’d be amazed at the list of musicians they influenced
Just to point out, it's always 'Cardiacs' not 'The Cardiacs' - not sure why but there you go. I always half remembered 'Is This The Life?' as a semi-hit single but Wikipedia tells me that it reached no. 80 in the UK charts (but was my favourite single of 1988) I'd go 1. A Little Man... 2. Sing to God 3. On Land... 4. Heaven Born... 5. Songs for Ships... but all are worth hearing. Probably would be appreciated by fans of Comus and Sleepytime Gorilla Museum.
I subsist on a steady diet of extreme metal and 70s prog. So why is it that Cardiacs are my favorite band of all time? Cardiacs are on another level.
I think they make sense as a bridge. After all Napalm Death covered them
Pete, I already loved you and your show, but the fact that you're doing Cardiacs makes me love you even more.
Just listened to Cardiacs for the first time with A Little Man…. What an incredible album and band. How on earth did they play this stuff live? Some of the arrangement are so dense. There’s no verse chorus structure here. Just a succession of small musical universes. Really incredible.
"small musical universes" is a brilliant description of Tim's music! Cheers
'How on earth did they play this stuff live?' Really, really well. Never seen anything like em, before or since. Lots of practice and military discipline I expect.
This is the 1st time I've heard Cardiacs mentioned on SoT. Well done, gents. Excellent work. Wonderful group. The sound of English eccentricity.
They have had an occasional mention here and there on SoT Nigel, but it was great to be able to spend an hour focussing on their music.
"Everything turns out nicely, in the summertime". Very impressed by this band. Saw them first in the Marquee London 1987, and I was delighted when the came to my hometurf a month later ( Melkweg Amsterdam) with the complete British Cardiacs fanclub 😁
What an awesome surprise, I never thought I'd see a Cardiacs ranking on this channel! It's always great to see Chuck; of all the people in the Sea of Tranquility family, I'd say I relate closest to his taste in music.
It was an absolute joy doing this show with Chuck and Peter - I could listen to Chuck talk music all day!
@@TranquilityFireReidyou’re a natural broadcaster Steven would love to hear you cover more non metal and hard rock acts - eg Stones, Who, Floyd, Clash, Cure, Joy Division/New Order, Radiohead, Oasis, Blur, Smiths, Nirvana, Pavement etc
@@Ed-cc7do Thanks Ed, much appreciated. Sorry to say I couldn't bring much value to many of the bands you've mentioned there. Thanks for watching.
@@TranquilityFireReid fair enough I’d watch you & Simon discuss the setting of the Libor rate. Back to the Cardiacs - they were played loud and proud before Blur came on at a packed and sweaty Wembley stadium this summer (Graham Coxon’s stipulation no doubt)and it was great to see 90,000 people feel the effects of their brilliance.
@@Ed-cc7do Now that indeed must have been something special!
Fantastic show guys! Cardiacs a hugely underrated band. On land and in the sea a fave for me.
Like them or not, there has NEVER been another band quite like the Cardiacs.
This is the last video I ever expected to see on SoT. When I listen to music, typically the weirder it is, the more I like it. The Cardiacs are the one band that I regrettably have to tell others are "too weird for me". God bless any and all who can enjoy their truly incomparable work!
They remind me of the Cleveland band Pere Ubu .Tim Smith has a lot of David Thomas in him.
Cardiacs are my favourite band, just stumbled across this looking forward to watching
A tip of the hat for covering this ingenious band. 🤠
Thanks JC!
Great video! Cardiacs are one of my top 5 favorites bands! Like Chuck said, the big 3 really could go in any order . Here's my ranking:
7. Guns
6. The Seaside
5. Heaven Born and Ever Bright
4. Songs for Ships and Irons
3. A Little Man and a House and the Whole World Window
2. Sing to God
1. On Land and in the Sea
Long-awaited and brilliantly executed. Never got a chance to see them live. Long live Cardiacs! I agree with Chuck’s top 3. The kings of sui generis rock.
Gracias mi hermano Luis, it was a ton of fun doing this show.
Great to hear you enjoyed it Luis. As Chuck says, this was a load of fun to put together.
@@TranquilityFireReid AND, maybe Pete will give "Sing to God" a try? Dirty Boy will win him over!
@@lahloonatic We await his thoughts with bated breath!
Greatest ever, Luis!
Thank you for this. I once read a review that likened a Cardiacs album to listening to Frank Zappa, Gentle Giant, Devo, and XTC - simultaneously. I bought four of their albums on Bandcamp, but never connected with them as much as I hoped to. Hearing all this commentary from people whose opinions I’ve come to respect makes me want to give them another shot.
Hopefully they click this time round. Thanks for watching.
When they click, they will become your fav of all time. Happened to me!
Great discussion! I do agree that it's impossible to rank them, any album could take almost every spot on that ranking depending on which day you're asking. So here's how I currently feel, but keep in mind that aside from the 1st and 7th place, none of these are permanent:
7. The Seaside. Definitely the one I return to the least. It's great, but the demo-quality simply does not do justice to the music on here, and while it doesn't ruin it either, the fact that all of these songs have better versions on other releases (mostly live ones), renders this one a bit redundant. Not completely redundant though; for example, you can't compare this version of Nurses Whispering Verses to the one on Sing To God, they're drastically different implementations of the same idea.
6. Songs For Ships And Irons. I agree with Steven, that even though this is not a studio album, it flows like one. The first half of it, which is the Big Ship EP in its entirety, is absolutely phenomenal. It has Stoneage Dinosaurs, which might be one of the simplest, most straightforward, and perhaps the only clear-cut ballad that they've ever written, vastly contrasted by everything in the second half of the record, which are some of their most jumbled cuts. It's a masterpiece, and it ranks so low on my list not because there's anything wrong with it, but because the rest of their discography is even better - if you can imagine that.
5. On Land And In The Sea. The spots from 5 to 3 were the most difficult to rank, and putting OLAITS so low will probably seem like blasphemy to some, but keep in mind, that from this point onward, we're in 10/10 territory, so it's like picking a favorite child. This album is their quintessential piece, in my opinion. It's Cardiacs distilled. It sounds like nothing else, and nothing else sounds like it either. There is no combination of genre labels you could possibly come up with, that would aptly describe a song like Baby Heart Dirt. Speaking of Baby Heart Dirt, that track, Buds And Spawn, and The Everso Closely Guarded Line are three of their greatest songs.
4. Heaven Born And Ever Bright. This almost feels like the complete antithesis of its predecessor (OLAITS) - and that's probably the reason why it tends to be the least popular among fans. The instrumentation mostly stays within rock confines, and it has a really singular vision; a lot of the tracks on here are pretty similar, but it's not a bad thing in my book, considering that one of them is Goodbye Grace, which might just be the greatest song ever conceived and performed in the history of mankind. Unbelievable album.
3. Guns. I was surprised how both Chuck and Steve felt like Tim kinda compromised on this one. I think he just continued exploring newer and newer sounds, like he's always done, and on Guns, he brought the Sea Nymphs and Spratleys Rats styles into Cardiacs, which made perfect sense in my opinion. Some of the tracks here are more subdued and/or meandering than usual, but it's still a 100% Cardiacs. Signs is probably their angriest, most passionate song. I haven't made any mention of Tim's poetry so far, but here I gotta say that I love how he used English As She Is Spoke in the lyrics on this one.
2. A Little Man And A House And The Whole World Window. Sonically, this album might be the one that fits the most snuggly into the "pronk" classification (which Tim hated very much), also making it perhaps their least original, most dated release, and yet, I think it's one of their absolute best, and likely the one I've heard the most times. It's also probably their darkest record, exemplified by the two title tracks. The first track is super sad and frustrated, and while it starts out pretty quiet and slow, it keeps escalating towards its climax, which is just face-melting. And the last track, man... It actually took a few listens to grow on me, because initially, I just couldn't comprehend this stunningly gorgeous song being the closer to such a shitshow of an album. The whole thing is truly magical and mind-bending. Also, the song R.E.S. is one of the finest examples of Tim's superhuman compositional genius.
1. Sing To God. Might just be the greatest piece of music of all time, perhaps even the peak of human creativity in general. Such a varied, colorful, electrifying, otherwordly journey of an album. This album is so good, I have a hard time cherrypicking highlights, because it's so densely packed with them; almost every song on here achieves something that's noteworthy even within the context of this band's unparalleled discography. Fairy Mary Mag is their best-sounding song production-wise, I could listen to the lush, organic sounds of this track, even if there were no chords or melodies to it. Fiery Gun Hand has the funniest guitar solo of all time. Nurses Whispering Verses is their most blood-pumping banger. Odd Even is probably the most accessible Cardiacs song, it's basically their take on indie pop. Dog Like Sparky sounds like the cocaine-induced fever dream of a clown, it's one of the most deranged things they've put out; my girlfriend says the melodies in that one feel like they're played backwards. Wireless is absolutely mesmerizing, with its polyrhythmic patterns and its whimsical soundscapes - it also features the best use of scissors I've heard in music. And of course, Dirty Boy is an epic, grandiose anthem, that's one big crescendo which already starts on a climax. I could go on and on. This album is so good, it's unreal.
Great post. Thanks for writing that out - and watching the show!
@@TranquilityFireReid Glad you liked it.
Love the way you described Sing To God. I'm in total agreement.
The reason I started listening to them, is because Chewy (Voïvod) is a huge Cardiacs fan, often wears a t-shirt and I got curious. Very atypical band worth checking out! Great show. Cheers.
Same here purpletemple1! 😁
Brilliant guys, cardiacs are just incredible. Check out All The Glitters is a Mares Nest, also available on dvd and one of the best live music films ever. Also you must get the Special Garage Concerts which is all the really early stuff and literally opens up a whole new (old) world, to think those songs were originally written and recorded when Tim was still a teenager is completely mind blowing to me, a true genius for sure…..
Thanks for the recommendations David!
Glad you mentioned this, so I don’t have to…but I will. See this film, you will understand the precision-crafted British Mayhem!! Not for everyone, but certainly for me!!
Good one guys, I love his band. R.I.P. Tim Smith. One of the most original bands ever.
I can't describe my pleasure at seeing this. Many Cardiacs fans are deeply committed to the band and their works. We all love different tracks/albums/shows for a myriad of different reasons. Hearing you guys talk through the catalogue is a real joy, the ranking isn't as important as introducing the Cardiacs soundworld to new sets of ears. Thank you all, a real, unexpected pleasure once more from Pete and the Sea of Tranquility family! There is a post Cardiacs masterpiece that displays the ecstatic intensity of the band
ua-cam.com/video/sYT1oo4tICE/v-deo.html
PS Bless Kavus Torabi for his commitment to Cardiacs and Gong!
Thanks Colin. Really appreciate the kind comments - and the link. WOW! Awesome stuff!
Fantastic!!!! Along with VDGG, Cardiacs are one of my absolute favourite bands. Tim Smith was a genius/national treasure and is greatly missed... I spent a fortune years ago chasing down all their stuff, thankfully, as Stephen mentioned, it's almost all available on their website (though I am still desperate for 'On Land And Sea' on vinyl!). Not a bad record in their canon, with the aforementioned' On Land And Sea'('Buds and Spawn'!) and "Sing To God1+2' ranking the highest. "Big Ship' was my gateway drug. Upon hearing it, i could not believe that something that great had remained unheard by me until that point. A major paradigm shift had occurred! Great show and many thanks.
Thanks for watching!
Wow - Glad Cardiacs have been featured on your channel - great, unique, band!! 🖤
Thank you for uploading this. It really says a lot about how open-minded you are, and respecting other peoples' opinions on music you're not necessarily into. I had always wondered if you were a fan of Cardiacs, particularly as they have prog credentials (links to bands like Gong). My recommendation for you is On Land and In the Sea from 1989. It's wonderful
As far as the live albums go (or the ones I know, anyway), the Special Garage Concerts are more like a re-recording of their early music. They got ripped off by the company that recorded their first cassette album (so two hits against the recording there), and the second album also had quite a poor recording, so Tim fixed this, using those concerts as a foundation. (The rehearsal video is very entertaining. Same songs, but it's fun to see the stories being told.) They played the Garage Concerts as a four piece, but to a backing track, too (I think because big bands are expensive - especially in terms of road crew - their road crew were always paid the full rate, even if the concert didn't make enough to buy the musicians a beer to share.)
And then Maresnest (the video) shows what Cardiacs, live, were like. Looks like it was a lot of fun. I think that one is probably best enjoyed as a DVD, where, the Garage Concerts were mainly intended to be a "live recording studio" - with some of that live energy feeding back into it. (There's a great "fake video" of it you can find on UA-cam, too, though.)
As for Tim's voice? At first you mainly hear how unusual (and in-your-face) it is, but as time goes by what you start to hear is that he's only ever out of tune if that's his intention. (Unless he's on some stage where he can't hear himself think.)
(And I think I must go find the video of his response for things being so loud he can't hear himself think. Or a brief, "half-act-play" bout that)
One moment please.
Moment mal.
Here: *Everything is Easy* - with an introduction demonstrating how to put an unruly crowd back in order. ua-cam.com/video/ATJthAsfYYg/v-deo.html
(Fun. Probably that's the best one-word summary you could give of them? It misses a lot, but if you only had one word, it would do quite nicely. Nice short word, too.)
since the prog-punk door has been kicked down : can we expect a ranking on the masters : No Means No ?
Great episode by the way! 2 contributors I enjoy very much.
Yes, NoMeansNo need to be embraced by the masses! I imagine Mr Martin Popoff would have to be involved with that ranking.
No Means No? Wow, I haven't listened to them in years. That's probably something I need to rectify!
@@TranquilityFireReid Definitely Steven! I highly suggest you revisit their catalog. People are starting to give them credit for how amazing it is, in recent years (and rightfully so). But they are still underrappreciated in my book, wish more people knew how incredible this band is. One of Canada's finest for sure.
Great to watch this in depth look at Cardiacs discography. I know very few people that share my enthusiasm for these nutty traveling circus eccentrics. Chuck, you nailed it when you referenced Split Enz, Wire and XTC. I would also add a pinch of Frank Zappa to the mix. The one song that showcased their ability to flirt with radio is "Is This The Life" from A Little Man..... A tight tour de force anthem that stays on the rails. It rides out on a killer demented guitar solo that appears to employ retrograde effects, that add to the ear bending quality of the section. I'd put money on Pete liking this tune! Thank you Steven ,Chuck and Pete for an hour well spent!
Thanks Geoffrey!
Tim drew influences from acts like Gentle Giant, Canterbury scene music - specifically Egg, XTC, the composer Messiaen, and others. Not sure about the Pistols mention by the chap at the bottom. William D. Drake was amazing 👏 🙌 on the keys. Cardiacs music can be overwhelming to many people as they do employ unusual music structures and chord shifts, that are unsettling. Tim's lyrics often are phrased in such unusual and poetic ways, making it hard to sing to perfectly without years of study. Cardiacs first two records were called TOYWORLD and THE OBVIOUS IDENTITY. They were not mentioned here for some reason. But they both contain many tracks that Cardiacs played live over the years. There's a video called 'Rottten Fairytales from the Shed' which has the band rehearsing many of these early songs. Two examples are 'Let alone my plastic doll' and 'Pip as Uncle Dick but Peter spoiled it'. These songs are phenomenal so a big oversight for the two Gents not to mention them, especially as the special Garage shows were put together to resurrect and celebrate these early albums.
There is also an AMAZING video on YT called 'Why I love #cardiacs'. It details exactly how Cardiacs are musically different to many other artists out there - basically on their own; specifically by examining the arrangement and composition. #timsmith was awarded a fellowship from the Royal Conservetoire for his services to music 🎶 The gents didn't really discuss the musicality of #cardiacs but if you are a musician and enjoy genuinely unusual arrangements and want to be pushed into new territory - check the Why I Love Cardiacs video out as a starting point.
Omg thanks Chuck and Stephen for my new obsession!!!
Great to hear that Joseph!
I first heard Cardiacs in 1990 when I was 16. A friend of mine ribbed me for liking Yes, Genesis, Van der Graaf Generator, Marillion and ELP. He said that Cardiacs were a much better band. He played me All His Geese are Swans and the whole of The Little Man album and I loved it.. In return I got him into Songs from the Wood and Heavy Horses. I only have Sing to God, The Little Man ...... and Songs of Ships.
Steven, they were played and did sessions on the Mark Radcliffe evening show., in the early 90's. Aswell, as Porcupine Tree.
Ah, now that makes sense Das. We used to have the Mark and Lard show on in the evenings at work back in the day. I knew I'd heard them on the radio at some point but couldn't remember when!
" Guns " are trippy ...fantastic .
In Kingston we had The Trudy and The Cardiacs . Their was always a great hippish/new wave feeling in the late 70's until early 90's.
Here and Now another band the keyboard player Gavin really nice guy . Here and Now prog,punk,dub.
The Ozric Tentacles followed that sound
A great and really underestimated band. Listening to the early Faith No More recordings, the influence of The Cardiacs is unmistakable. The Cardiacs plan to release a new album soon. It should be called LSD. I'm really happy about this album ranking here today. It was fun to watch. Especially because of Steven Reid & Chuck Alvarez whose expertise I really appreciate.
Thanks Patrick!
@@TranquilityFireReid 👍👍👍
I have been scrolling the comments looking for others who noticed their influence on Faith No More
@@Howsoonisnow2009 I think only professional musicians notice that
Great show guys. Love the tshirt Steven, huge huge fan here of Ayrton and remember the 1st of May 1994 like it was yesterday, even though was I only twelve! 🤘😎
An undoubted legend Keith. One of the best we were lucky to see.
Great video gents. I first heard the in '96 with 'Sing to God' and I've loved them since then. Absolutely top band, massively underrated!! Next to impossible to rank, but I'll give it a go...
7) Guns
6) The Seaside
5) Heaven Born and Ever Bright
4) On Land and in the Sea
3)Songs for Ships and Irons
2) A Little Man and a House and the Whole World Window
1) Sing to God.
Great stuff Matt!
Wow ranking The Cardiacs .knew Them growing up in Kingston in the 80's .Use to drink with them in the Local pubs.Sad about Tim was a lovely guy.
Love it guys. Best band ever!
I once emptied a room in under 10 seconds playing Cardiacs... great band, but not for everybody!!!
Cardiacs mush... yeah, they could start a fight live n all....oh yes.
I bet you were never asked to DJ a wedding again.
@@philrichards7240 Ahahahahahahaha...right!
Great hearing you guys discuss this subject!
Quite possibly my favorite band. No other band fills my heart with joy and pride quite like them. Very difficult to pick a favorite album, but it's probably Sing To God. It just means so much to me and has helped me get through some hard times. Definitely not for everyone. My wife even likes them!
Coincidentally, I'm getting a package from them today with Cardiacs and Sea Nymphs vinyl.
RIP and much respect to Tim Smith, the Leader of the starry skies.
Does anyone know if there are plans to reissue some of the gaps in the vinyl catalog? Little Man, On Land..?
Great post Jason!
Oh my goddddddd how can I not have know you were going to do a #cardiacs ranking! #timsmith is a GENIUS and made music like no other. Unique (truly), as was Gentle Giant or Yes - laws unto themselves. Tim's music is other worldy at times and he composed (scored) pretty much most of the music by hand. I hope you ARE going to count #songsforshipsandirons as an album in this list as it's technically TWO different EPs mixed together but it's my favourite 'album' for me! #pondlife #pondies #shutupjim There IS WORD THAT LSD will be released at some point. Kavus said so! Ditzy Scene is the lead track from that record. 👌 Also SEARCH FOR #SILVERY - which is a song written by JON POOLE for that album. There is a recording of Cardiacs doing it on UA-cam. It is IMMENSE - that song too will be on #LSD
Thanks Chuck and Steven! Definitely going to check this out.
Oh man, I love this video. Cardiacs are the band I miss seeing the most. I first saw them at the Stonehenge free festival in 1980 when they were Cardiac Arrest, as one may imagine, I don’t remember much about it. The next time was by accident in 1987 at the Marquee club in London, and to this day, I’ve never seen anything like it. I saw them a further 8 times that year, one time supporting It Bites which is easily in my top 10 gigs ever.
I was also very fortunate to have met Tim Smith a couple of times, he amazed me with his shyness. Pure genius.
Did some research on CHUCKS summary. He was 💯 right in 88, had some success on a “ hit” IS this the LIFE”? No 8️⃣0️⃣ on United KINGDOM charts. Good show” trio” 👍💯
I really only know their first album, but have heard and like all of their stuff. Though they don't really sound like them, I always compare them to Pere Ubu. Tim was a really cool guy, too. RIP.
I definitely hear some vocal similarities between Tim and Dave Thomas at times.
I remember the name Cardiacs, but I can't remember the music. Have to give it a listen. Another great show. Thanks guys.
great episode i didn't think i would ever get to see, i used to see them in the pubs around kingston and putney when they first began and chuck was right, not musically but seeing them live they really had an early split enz vibe on stage full of energy and quirkiness
Someone played a VHS compilation of Cardiacs music videos at a house party in my late teens, I fell in love with the music and the insane presentation but could never quite remember enough to figure out who they were. Finally rediscovered them after almost two decades and I’m so happy I get to dive into their full library. Pure genius.
Thank you so much guys, that was an absolute pleasure. Discovered Cardiacs in 1986 and saw them about 30 times, more than any other band. Although many fans consider Sing to God, their masterpiece, I wouldn't start there, I think A Little Man and a House and the Whole World Window is a slightly more accessible entry point. The Special Garage Live Albums are definitely worth a listen as they contain only early material, most of which is not available elsewhere on vinyl or CD. My order of the seven chosen would be. 1. ALMAAHATWWW 2. OLAITS 3. STG 4. SFSAI 5. TS 6. HBAEB 7. G
Great post Simon. Thanks!
Woooooooo!!! Can't wait!! 👍👍👍
39:45 Chuck, you are absolutely correct - The Everso Closely Guarded Line IS their best piece in a discography full of greats.
I'd highly recommend checking out the Special Garage Concerts live album. Not sure you all are aware, but most of the songs are terrifyingly tight and high-quality versions of the very first stuff Tim wrote as a teenager pre-seaside released on the "Toy World" and "The Obvious Identity EP's". The quality on those albums make them a bit hard to listen to for me personally, which is why it's so great that this live album exists and they were able to record it before Tim's accident.
At a certain point you just come to acknowledge that Tim was an absolute genius, and that every song he wrote is worth listening to. There are so many songs on those albums that I would consider to be "essential cardiacs". Can't miss out on that one, and it's fascinating to track Tim's musical evolution from the very beginning.
Likewise, I'd highly recommend Tim Smith's Extra Special OceanLandWorld, a "solo" album, which I'd personally rank right up there with Sing To God. I could spend hours going on about that one.
Hadn't heard of Cardiacs before watching this. Yet to check out any albums but have now watched a few videos. I now haven't slept properly for 2 nights and think they may be to blame. Good songs though, totally get the Blur reference. Also, bits of Bill Nelson's Red Noise and even Robert Wyatt came to mind as well as those mentioned here. Def be checking out some more.
That is good to hear Ron - although maybe not the lack of sleep part!
@@TranquilityFireReid the videos are really quite eh..disturbing.
Is This The Life has been my ringtone the entirety of this millennium
Great show, loved it.
Sing To God
Little Man
On The Land & In The Sea
Highly recommend Garage Concerts and the Maresnest DVD
Is This The Life charted and was played on daytime Radio One in the UK. Get The Mares Nest DVD it's Cardiac joy from start to finish.
Thanks for the recommendation!
Gentle Giant meets Devo without really sounding anything like either band.
Unusual band for SOT but great to see. I keep my fingers crossed for a Kate Bush ranking, avant garde and proggy a ranking would sit well.
Thanks for mentioning the Kate Bush show. Myself and Chuck have discussed doing that. I'll give him a reminder.
@@TranquilityFireReid great news I’m sure it will be popular.
My fav band EVER EVER EVER EVER. Thanks fellas!
A new band to discover! Thanks guys. About bands that Chuck like and Pete don't get. What about a Radiohead ranking with another guest? Lol
There are far more Radiohead fans amongst our cast, yet this is Pete’s forum and if he chooses to do so with a few others, I’ll definitely be part of that show.
checking out " sing to god " had to minimize the screen...
Two of my favourite guests….is there any music Chuck doesn’t know about….? A guy from the Bronx talking about Split Enz. I’ve heard about this band my whole life and never heard a note…time to check ‘em out……SOT always killer…..Hail.
fell upon this podcast like a homeless guy in a restaruant but wasnt hungry - total blast. it was so nice to hear you united nations of armchair musicos wax lyrical about cardiacs. i knew tim from the early days in depford when i was writing plays and we'd turn up to the same venues (one was actualy called the venue) . he was a musical genius and i dont say that often - but one gripe? you couldve at least played snippets like everso closely guarded line or victory egg to punctuate the context - oh, and i totally agree with the scot - little man is the best album e ven though best albums dont exist when it comes to cardiacs
Know nothing of this band but love the shirt Steven. I will have to check them out
Thanks Stephen. I got the shirt at the British Grand Prix a few years back. Ayrton is a much missed legend.
Great to see this amazing band get some attention. Speaking of classic British bands I don’t think this channel has covered, do you think we could get a Killing Joke ranking video?
Sorry to say that I've never quite clicked with Killing Joke, although some of my friends ADORE them.
I was heavily into mainstream Prog in the late 80's (Genesis,Yes,ELP) as well as more leftfield Prog (Van Der Graaf Generator,Gentle Giant,Mental Notes ers Split Enz).When I heard the opening track off A Little Man and a House and The Whole World Window on the radio and I was instantly hooked.I immediately bought the album which had just been released and when I heard it I got it immediately.I thought it was brilliant then and decades later I still think it's brilliant now.On Land and In the Sea released the following year and is also excellent especially the closing track.Songs for Ships and Irons although a compilation of non-album tracks released on eps and singles has two of my absolutely favourite tracks the anthemic "Big Ship" and the totally bonkers-prog "Tarred and Feathered" and I agree the whole collection of songs still works as an album.Sing to God is also excellent but to be honest I personally would not recommend it as a first LP to someone who has never heard Cardiacs before.It took me a while to get into and I am a committed fan.
My ranking:
1.A Little Man And A House And The Whole Window
2. On Land And In The Sea
3.Songs for Ships and Irons
4.Seaside
5.Sing To God
6.Heaven Born
7.Guns
8.Archive Cardiacs (I noticed you did not mention this collection of early recordings)
The Rude Bootleg album is worth investigating because it includes the only live version (that I am aware of)of "The Whole World Window" and the album as a whole gives a real feel for what the band was all about in a live setting.
Thanks for the discussion gentlemen.
Seek out All That Glitters on DVD from ABC. I don't agree that the live material is vastly different. There are some intros/and slight diff arrangements on some and few diff tracks. Rude bootleg is worth having for a live versh of TWWW but otherwise just go for All that glitters VISUAL. Amazing with hilarious interludes. Special Garage Concerts are new versions of pre 1983 material. Brilliant.
Patton was gonna issue the back catalogue on Ipecac until Tim had his attack. Patton loved Cardiacs. And Sparks who are def an influence on Cardiacs
Tim was a genius on the same level as Zappa
The songs seem to have more “oomph” to their already fiery studio material.
Veeeery cool to see this video. Now go for Nomeanso! :D
Looking forward to the ranking the albums of Half Man Half Biscuit.
By that time this band came onto my radar i was already knee deep into extreme metal (Trash/Death). My association with 80's punk will always be with band like GBH, The Exploited, Discharge, Dead kennedys.
A couple of artists influenced by Cardiacs that should get much more attention than they do:
Sterbus (check out the album Real Estate / Fake Inverno)
Joanna Wang.(check out the album House of Bullies).
Thanks for this. Although it's like ranking your kids...
Just wanted to say, all the albums are now available in full as UA-cam playlists, put up there by Cardiacs - Topic. That's the seven ranked here, plus Cardiacs Live and Archive. Thanks Cardiacs - Topic, whoever you are!
ua-cam.com/channels/9HxoIUTwAjN0c_CXWQJLLg.html
RIP, Tim Smith... the world is a sadder place without you. THERE IS NOTHING LIKE THE CARDIACS.
Fairytales from a Rotten Shed is a great release.
Arguably, your rankings kind of confirmed to me that the most consistent album is On Land And In The Sea. Even if your all time favorite track isn’t there (mine kind of is).
it took me a while. but, i love this band they are adorable.
This band is like Trout Mask Replica to me. Never got it, never will. I just do not hear what everyone else is hearing. That's the magic of music though.
It took me a long time, but it finally clicked for me about a decade after their first album (probably due to my chemical intake at the time). Never could get into Beefheart, though.
Well said Atlas, we can't all like everything.
Good reviews guys. Complicated band but you get it. Saw Cardiacs over 100 times and they sold records because they were an amazing live band - not because of the album covers ;-)
Well said Paul. Thanks!
Pete, RE: 'success' ... Before I started listening to Cardiacs properly I was well aware of the song 'Is this the life?' It was indeed played on radio at the time (on the evening shows) and played in 'alternative/indie/student' club nights too. It came out just after Pixies Surfer Rosa and was bought by a few people I knew who were into that sort of music back then. The album was pretty high in the 'indie chart' for quite a while too. They were certainly pretty popular (or at least known) in the late 80's indie music scene. I think if they had been playing Reading Festival in 1990 and 1991 and on a label like 4AD or Creation they would have had a little more success maybe because that was the time when underground music really started growing. I'm not convinced that was ever what they wanted though either.
Tim just said they was a pop band. Evoked extreme emotions live! To, to go off, to go off & fings. 1234....
Random disorganized thoughts. Just Cardiacs please, no The. Cardiacs were working on an album called LSD when Tim had his medical crisis. If the final released single is any indication it would have been a real corker. The Alphabet Business Concern was a big part of Cardiacs mythology and stage show. Kavus Torabi can be heard on the excellent double CD, Special Garage Concerts and is now leading the post-Daevid Allen Gong. Find the concert film All that Glitters is a Maresnest for a great representation of the band in their late classic period. It's available on Netflix in its entirety. Watching this film you can really feel the love between the band and their hardcore fans. While the band was never truly popular, Cardiacs fans are massively loyal. From all accounts, their shows were ecstatic events. There's a lot of really cool lo-fi stuff from some of their early cassette releases on a CD called Archive Cardiacs. They were great right out of the box when they were still in their teens,. For me Sing to God and On Land and In the Sea are the twin pillars of Cardiac's output. Tied for number one. Close on their heels are The Seaside and A Little Man. One thing Cardiacs did that no other band did was to mess with the tempos. They utilize a lot of slowing down and speeding up to great affect. In the rock and roll world, messing with tempos is largely taboo but not for Tim Smith. Cardiacs were despised by the rock press in Britain, which really hurt their career. They were too hard to compare to other bands and pidgeonhole. To their credit they never wavered from Tim's vision.
All that glitters is a masterpiece
Attacking you with music.... I was fortunate enough to have Cardiacs played at me in 1984! A friends dad played The Seaside (tape) at me as proof that his son was having serious mental problems!
Cardiacs and the Residents goes hands in hands for me
Steven, that is so funny -- I recently said that the Cardiacs were like the bastard child of Gentle Giant and the Sex Pistols. For me their
👍👍👍
the " circus " you mentioned. was it jim rome?
I think it was. Very talented people, but not really my kind of thing.
@@TranquilityFireReid actually it would be jim jose. as far as the cover of sing to god. bottom guy doesn't bother me he look's to be trying to hard to be scary. right guy I've hung out with , a little off kilter but a good guy . top guy is giving off a " Dexter " vibe . left guy will haunt me for the rest of my days.
@@TranquilityFireReid if you mean by " talented " chugging a mixture of beer , raw eggs a various blended of other degusting stuff. then having it pumped out of their stomach inti a pitcher and drinking it then yes!
@@brucybabyy7355 👍😂
@@brucybabyy7355 Well.... it's a talent of a sort!
Heaven Born and ever Bright is a top album.
Crap, not enough fanfare is given to this band. 3.8K views? Sounds about right. Love these guys to death, and although spreading the great word of them isn't the point of this video, I'm disappointed this won't reach many new fans.
..and you didn't mention Major Parkinson (Check out Blackbox).
Just had a listen to them. They’re not like One Direction, are they.
You've clearly not listened to the One Direction deep cuts! 😂
@@TranquilityFireReid Not yet! Give me time…
😀👍👍
Just to be sadly corrective as a huge fan of the band and seen them live many many times and well done doing this, it is Cardiacs. There is no #The' Cardiacs.
I was aware that I added The a few times IH. I do know better so happily take the slap on the hand. 👍
I love Trout Mask Replica and Ween, Cardiacs hasn’t hit yet.
Oh yeah and it's NOT 'THE' #cardiacs. It's just #cardiacs 🙃🧐🤪
The Gently Dead Giant Kennedys, check.
Tim Smith passed away in 2020 so I think the Cardiacs are no more alas.
No “the”