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Cardiacs

Printed From: Progarchives.com
Category: Progressive Music Lounges
Forum Name: Suggest New Bands and Artists
Forum Description: Suggest, create polls, and classify new bands you would like included on Prog Archives
URL: http://www.progarchives.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=1209
Printed Date: November 26 2024 at 07:17
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Topic: Cardiacs

Posted By: Guests
Subject: Cardiacs
Date Posted: July 18 2004 at 02:20

Absolutely essential to include this English punk/prog cult band on your site. Formed in 1980 and still recording and touring, this band sounds like a bastard hybrid of Gentle Giant, The Sex Pistols and Primus. Undoubtedly post punk, this band always offers traditional prog goodies: extended songs, mellotrons, unbelievably complex time changes and chord progressions and a majesty and sometimes genuinely terrifying aura. This is music which divides listeners - I have emptied tourbuses by playing this! But I fail to see how many subscribers to Prog Archives could not be attracted to this band.

Recommended first listening would be their 1988 release 'A Little Man and a House and the World World Window', or their live video 'All That Glitters is a Mare's Nest'. Just to ram it home, this band are in my top ten alongside King Crimson, Genesis, Gentle Giant, Yes and Gryphon. Visit their website at http://www.cardiacs.com/ - http://www.cardiacs.com/

Hope we can see their albums reviewed here soon.

Replies:

Posted By: Joren
Date Posted: July 18 2004 at 15:26

Hey! Welcome to the forum!

AND: Great that you mention this band! I have downloaded a few soundclips off the website about a year ago, and I liked it immediately! "To Go Off And Things" is a great song, but progressive rock? I'm not certain. What do the others think?

Posted By: goose
Date Posted: July 19 2004 at 12:45

From the first minute or so of "clean that mud"? it sounds fairly proggy, or at least more so than punky.

Posted By: EVO
Date Posted: July 23 2004 at 04:15

it has to b in the archive, its a perfect example that prog rock has progressed in very different ways (this time to puk style, and not to metal or others)

i know the band since 1989...it never bored me

-------------
Live Long and Prosper...

Posted By: Saskia
Date Posted: August 01 2004 at 11:57

The Cardiacs are undoubtedly prog. They've released so many good CDs, too many too mention. My favorites are The Seaside, The Little Man and the House, On Land and in the Sea and Sing to God. If "Stoneage Dinosaurs" and "The Everso Closely Guarded Line " aren't prog, you can scrap the whole Genesis catalogue as well. Another mark of greatness: they were booed off the stage by Marillion-fans!

Posted By: Saskia
Date Posted: August 02 2004 at 08:03

Joren wrote:

I was just listening to the "Ever So Closely Guarded Line" off the "On Land and In the Sea" CD. This is just such a great song :-) I think this is one of their most obvious prog songs. It certainly is one of their longest clocking at 8 minutes. It is also very Yes like IMO, reminds me a bit of Awaken to be honest with the chord changes, metre changes and Squirelike bass eruptions. If you're still not convinces, there's washes of Mellotron, too. http://www.cardiacs.com/audio/everso.ram - http://www.cardiacs.com/audio/everso.ram if you're curious.

Posted By: Saskia
Date Posted: August 03 2004 at 15:42

Wot, hasn't anybody listened to that RealAudio-sample so far? I'm rather interested to hear what those unfamiliar with the output of these toiling slaves of the Alphabet Business Concern have to say about their work. To make it easier I've uploaded two MP3 samples off their "Ships and Irons" CD.

The tracks are the IMO Genesis like http://www.flatearth.demon.nl/cardiacs_blind_in_safety_and_leafy_in_love.mp3 - http://www.flatearth.demon.nl/cardiacs_blind_in_safety_and_l eafy_in_love.mp3

and the powerful instrumental closer http://www.flatearth.demon.nl/cardiacs_all_his_geese_are_swa ns.mp3 - http://www.flatearth.demon.nl/cardiacs_all_his_geese_are_swa ns.mp3

And here's an excellent history of the Cardiacs: http://members.tripod.com/~keverteller/cardiacs.html - http://members.tripod.com/~keverteller/cardiacs.html

Posted By: Mategra
Date Posted: August 23 2004 at 09:29

I've been a Cardiacs fan since I first heard their masterpiece album "A Little Man and a House And The Whole World Window" back in 1988. This music is so innovative and original although it's firmly rooted in the seventies prog and punk movements. Cardiacs are seemingly influenced by Zappa, Genesis, Van der Graaf Generator, Gentle Giant, Slapp Happy and Henry Cow. Tim Smith, main songwriter, guitarist and singer has released one solo album and also been involved in the side-project THE SEA NYMPHS. All Cardiacs and Cardiacs-related records are highly recommended!

Little known fact about Cardiacs: They borrowed a mellotron from Martin Orford of IQ.

Posted By: Mumrah
Date Posted: August 23 2004 at 10:20

If you folks like Cardiacs, but wished they sounded a bit more like Mumrah, then I have a treat for you. We ARE Mumrah! Proggy-punky-ska-jazz-metal-blobs and blobs and blobs. Odd-jobs and corn-cobs with knobs on.

http://www.mumrah.com - www.mumrah.com

I've never been quite so astounded by a musical performance as I was by seeing the stint Cardiacs had at the Garage, London, UK, at the end of 2003. Utterly astounding. The fact that the three sets they played were ALL different, and drawn solely from the first 8 or so years of their career, makes me feel like I'm slacking in the writing department. Jebus, Tim Smith has more crazy and terrifying ideas than a KKK rally. But, you know, GOOD crazy terrifying ideas. Unlike a KKK rally. I wish I hadn't used that simile now.