GARAGE CONCERTS VOL. I

I must first own up to a slight bias as I promoted the Garage shows from which these recordings are taken. I have promoted many Cardiacs shows but this was a special 3 day event featuring early Cardiacs / Cardiac Arrest material .

This CD reveals the genesis of Cardiacs and to borrow from John Peel they somehow change but always stay the same. These offerings could come from any stage of their career and highlight everything that makes them such a special band. The wayward, kooky shifts in time signatures and key changes direct from heaven. You are left wondering how on earth they managed to remember all the chord changes and notes.

Anyways, a great showcase for them and a pleasure to hear particularly because of the unfamiliarity of a lot of the music. It flaunts the genius of Tim Smith & his Cardiacs band and I'd recommend it as a taster for anyone new to the band. (As Cold As Can Be In An English Sea deserves special mention for demonstrating proto-Cardiacs so brilliantly).

I'll give this 4.5 stars but will click 5 because I can find no fault with it.

Get well soon Tim.