If you are not an emotional wreck by the time you reach the 'over and and out' sequence you have no soul. It is the sound of the universe. RIP TIm- now out there amongst the stars. W will praise him.

I discovered Cardiacs about 6 years ago, via 'Sing To God'. I had spent the better part of my youth obsessed with the likes of Yes, Genesis, Zappa, even Magma and other "off-center" prog bands, and then things like Mr. Bungle, Sleepytime Gorilla Museum, and others, came along and blew my mind out even further. When I discovered Cardiacs, I remember thinking, over and over "Hold on...is this, somehow, greater than ALL the other truly wonderful bands/musicians I have loved from the bottom of my heart for SO LONG? And, if so, HOW? WHY? What IS it about Cardiacs that is absolutely lighting me up from my very core and makes me pretty sure I have finally discovered a band I can truly name as my singular, all-time favorite?" Needless to say, I quickly consumed ALL Cardiacs' albums, repeatedly, and ended up only being reinforced in the notion that yes, I had discovered the pinnacle of music, that even the greats such as Zappa et al, they were ultimately left wanting in their (admittedly GREAT) musical contributions when compared with CARDIACS. Whew...bear with me. All this to say that, six years later, I have yet to find a band (or even composer) that comes CLOSE to rocking my world and mind and body in the specifically same way that Cardiacs' music does. You, good sir, have stumbled upon a great Secret in music, and my heart swells with joy seeing you light up in the same way I did six years ago upon hearing THIS MUSIC. Follow the trail, keep diving, all the way to the bottom, and back to the top. I suggest listening to 'Sing To God' in its entirety multiple times. And then move on to either 'Guns' (their 1999 follow-up that remains, in my view, THE most truly psychedelic album of all time), or maybe 'On Land And In The Sea', the band's earlier masterpiece where a 27-year-old Tim Smith was BEYOND firing on all cylinders. Can't wait to see what you think of all the other great things Cardiacs have done. I wish you well, good sir, and I wholeheartedly welcome you to The Pond, for life. ❤

It's a religious experience, this song.

Nothing will ever come close. Tim Smith was a genius 💔

You GET IT, bro. Welcome to the pond!

This is how it starts. In my opinion this is the greatest band ever and it's great to see someone get into them for the first time. Sing To God is probably their best album and Dirty Boy is probably the best song on the album, even though the rest of the album is incredibly close and the rest of the albums are incredibly close. Somehow Tim made every album incredible but also very different from anything before.

For those who might be curious, this is an ACOUSTIC cover I did in 2010! This one found its way into a splendid Tim Smith tribute album called "Leader of the starry skies"... Check it out! kzfaq.info/get/bejne/b7mhY9GFvJy2oHk.html

The greatest song by anyone ever. I only stumbled onto Cardiacs 4 years ago and this was the song which hooked me. It changed my life. Now I can't imagine not having Cardiacs in my life. Ruined the rest of my music collection though! 😄

Its truly an astonishing song , more like a hymn really ,gets to you emotionally

It's so great to see the 'click' moment when the brain "gets it" concerning Cardiacs. There are songs that will make you laugh and songs that will make you cry. You will mourn the death of a man you have never met, and you'll hate that you'll never witness them live (believe me it was a spectacle). BUT it's worth it... Personally given your reaction to this song I'd follow it up with Signs off the Guns album. But thats just me.

This is one of my favourite reaction vids on the whole of KZfaq. It’s so moving to see the way you connect with the song. There’s so much more brilliant Cardiacs music out there to discover. Lucky you! 🌼

It's funny how you mentioned it goes up and up and up It took me several listens to get my head around what makes it feel that way and it was when I was trying to sing along that I noticed there was this repeating chord progression but somehow when I was singing a long I quickly found myself hitting the top of my vocal range... "What's going on here? It's the same riff repeating, how am I reaching to top of my range?" I listened back to it again paying extra attention to the section between about 3.30 and 5.00, I realized that everytime the chord progression repeats it actually goes up a key without you even consciously noticing that it happened... I counted it out and in just that 90 second section they repeat the same 7 chord sequence in 8 different keys, each higher than the last... What the actual fuck? How do you come up with an idea that bold and then execute it so tastefully that it just feels completely natural and logically where the song is supposed to go? It blows my mind and makes me feel dizzy, it really does feel like you're ascending to the heavens The day Tim passed away I played this at full volume and by the time it gets to that enormous, world ending crescendo at the end I was in absolute floods of tears, it was one of the most cathartic experiences I've ever had, i was devastated by the news we had lost him but so grateful for the joy his music has brought to so many people, his legacy will live on for a very very long time, of this I am certain My family have all been made well aware that the only request I have for my funeral when I finally kick the bucket is for the funeral ceremony to end with Dirty Boy being played at terrifyingly loud volume on the biggest speakers they can get their hands on, I won't even need to be cremated because that crescendo played loud enough will simply flay the flesh from my bones through sheer sonic power Over and oooouuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuut...

The most beautiful crescendo I have ever witnessed in contemporary music. This music brings tears to my eyes each and EVERY TIME I listen to it. Goosebumps, shivers and and overwhelming sense that I have been touched by art. By something more powerful than a melody, a rhythm or a word. #cardiacs #dirtyboy #RIPTimSmith

Broadly speaking, the incarnations of the band can be split into two periods, first as a seven-piece band with the on-stage theatrics you saw with 'Tarred and Feathered', and then stripped down to the four-piece you see here with 'Dirty Boy', by which time Tim's got his own studio so he can stretch out with experiments in audio production, "turning the studio into an instrument", as they say. I love the way you read out the lyrics like they were poetry at the end. You made them really moving, which is hard to do with lyrics that are basically about dogs and wanking.

Had minimal exposure to these guys over the last 30 odd years. Came across this a year or so ago and have played it at least once a day since. This is a bloody masterpiece. Thank you and R.I.P Tim.

I NEVER write comments on KZfaq videos, but this warmed my heart

Another dives into the pond. Hail our leader of the starry skies.

How do you even begin to write something as beautiful and epic as this?

It ascends, it soars, it ascends again, and up and up beyond that and, up it rises on that thermal yet again, up, up, up, ever ascending to somewhere impossible. And even so, there are other candidates for the opus magnus. One that comes to mind is *The Everso Closely Guarded Line* kzfaq.info/get/bejne/bJdznMagqM3dlGQ.html (It's completely and utterly different to dirty boy, but just another kind of brilliant. Some song writers write several great - truly great - songs).

The first time I heard Dirty Boy I was left in a puddle on the floor. Intense and beautiful song.

Composition without fear or regret. Just found them and feel like I have been lost for a long time. Be well. JT

I really do genuinely think that this is the best song ever written. The way it constantly modulates without being noticeable. And then the ending... It's so heartwarming to see someone suddenly getting it.

One of the beautiful things about seeing someone getting in to cardiacs is kind of knowing that there are others out there who are your people.

The content of your words really does justice to this song. If only our voices were loud enough to have this song known by larger viewerships... Yeah, I entirely share that sentiment of yours. Now, I have seen a very famous music reviewer, teacher, and producer loudly express his enjoyment at just one, let alone two key changes in a rock song during videos that get hundreds of thousands of views, sometimes over a million views (he can get those numbers routinely). If he or some other reviewer with similar expertise was sent this song to have him review it -actually, so many other Cardiacs songs are already so rich in this respect that almost any Cardiacs song would do-, he'd have to stand in awe at it, not saving any words for the caption or the video thumbnail, to start getting all those views this song deserves. If those most popular music reviewers out there who can dissect the song musically are truly intellectually honest, then they're bound to appreciate this song quite especially. I'm praying for this to happen. Cause this song still gives me chills and tears, and I know it's the music itself rather than any interpretation of it. At the same time, I know that the power of this music is so great it can actually cause dislike in some people, usually people who aren't used to it. But still, I know that still many people are missing it, and others should have the chance to learn why it's so good musically. As for the lyrics, most confident interpretations I've read or heard say it's a song about masturbation, and I tend to agree though not that confidently. This is, after all, poetry. I've also read that Tim Smith himself, like other band members, was rather reluctant to have lyrics interpreted as if they were simply codified or so. Again, I really appreciate your words about Cardiacs! I'm looking forward to more of your reviews about them or other artists.

You must also cover 'Big Ship' another Cardiacs anthem, a non-album single.

Chills, bursting heart, tears every time. I am forever grateful I got to see Cardiacs a bunch back in the late '80's early 90's - thank you for your excellent commentary!

Thank you for posting this. It reminds me of my own first time....life changing. Tim Smith is a genius.

Thank you, Greg. Thanks for reminding me what it was like to discover Cardiacs, thirty years ago now. "Awesome" is a cheapened word now. But Sing to God is "awesome" in the archaic, biblical sense. It strikes awe. It renders incapable. It sublimes. Welcome.

As you say they always had a trick, the trick with this song was to start off intense and take the same theme further and further. Only Major Parkinson come close as a band. We are so lucky to have lived in these times with the finest bands in history.

Hi, I have watched your reactions and I think you get them. I have been a massive fan for decades and had the wonderful opportunity to support the band on a few occasions, best live band ever, you needed to see them live to see Tim's actual visual/audio vision. as You have said genius and I totally agree. Been a great watch thank you

This was so wonderful to hear such unvarnished love for Cardiacs, I'm overjoyed about your enthusiasm for you. Incidentally, just as an aside - there's really no way to describe Cardiacs to anyone who hasn't heard them, but the best I've heard is some music reviewer described them as "imagine if Husker Du covered a Gentle Giant album in it's entirety."

Yes, they definitely deserve more, more recognition, and you really do contribute to getting them recognized with these videos! Thank you man, it really matters.

Great! You instinctively grasped the essence of song, the story of the lyrics as I understand it is of the titular 'Dirty Boy' waking up with a hangover, drinking the hair of the dog, getting some breakfast, having a restorative hand-job and then being suffocated to death, before ascending into bliss. The wordless finale gives an ever-ascending feel (musically-adept friends tell me) through a circling chord sequence. You should listen to 'Nurses Whispering Verses', 'Day is Gone' and 'Is this the Life' for more of their rockier numbers.

For me, it's always been the way it constantly builds to the crescendo. Also the way Tim's vocals get higher & higher during the second chorus, just an amazing track

If I could pick just one Cardiacs song to call my favourite... well, that changes from day to day. And that's a testament to how good they are. But I would highly recommend listening to Faster Than Snakes With a Ball and a Chain. It's only on their greatest hits album, and it's a phenomenal psychedelic rock song. I don't think anyone else has reacted to it. It's a bit faster than Dirty Boy and a bit more weird, but still very accessible (compared to something like Tarred and Feathered!) Thanks for the content. Great to see people diving into this band.

"This is greatness... This is greatness". It was a joy just watching your face while the song progressed, I can only imagine that it looked just like mine the first time I heard it, agog and amazed...

Wish I could hear this fpr the first time again.

Watched it again mate, your reaction, this Band x

Talk about raising the roof. Incredible stuff.

Hi Greg, 9 months ago you predicted this would get about 100 views . . . 1.6k now . . . worthy of laudation sir!

praise him❤‍🔥

"This is greatness", yes, yes it is. What a loss Tim is, but thankful for what he gave us. Genius

That first time you listen to Dirty Boy...

Absolutely loved Cardiacs since A Little Man and a House and the Whole World Window came out. They were amazing live. What awesome energy! God, I wept buckets when Tim passed away. We lost a genius that day

Moved beyond description….. brilliant

Really good music, like really good art, requires effort on the part of the listener. Tim Smith's music is not for the faint-hearted or passive listener. If one can listen to it with depth of mind it becomes HUGE; I get a similar sense of vastness with Bach. The only snag with getting into Cardiacs music is that a lot of other music becomes small and predictable.

My favourite 3 Cardiacs songs would change from day to day but buds and Spawn is always in it.

I saw them perform at Manchester University in 1990 or 1991, a concert I will never forget, with my late friend Angus McGill. Amazing sights and sounds with lots of confetti.

I'm one of those Cardiacs fans dripping into the comments. When I first heard them it made all the music I'd previously loved seem a bit ordinary.

Best band ever, great review

I've been listening to Cardiacs since 1988. Welcome to the pond. This is the best anthem to wanking in the history of music. Classic.

Glad you've finally seen the light. To be honest, I enjoyed you're Tarred and feathered reaction. There's something oddly satisfying seeing the confusion and wtf is this expression on the faces of the initiated.

Yeah this song is a fucking masterpiece. A lot of them are to be honest though. It's so bombastic and majestic and weird and trippy and tight all at the same time.

Welcome to the pond!

You made me relive the moment I first heard this song. Even though I had heard the first disc of Sing to God by then, there was nothing to prepare me for this song, which is the opening track of disc two.

It's all snowy in the pond...sing to god is magnificent but my favourite is on land and in the sea, would also suggest as I did before check out the live film all that glitters is a mare's nest which is all the stuff off the first two albums and the ep stuff absolutely staggering band

It would be good if you reacted to some of the tracks from Tim Smith's Extra Special OceanLandWorld, don't think anyone has done a reaction to this superb album

It's about masturbation! "Kiss and stroke and praise him", "mister regal jelly in hand", etc. So lovely that it genuinely left you speechless, it truly is one of many masterpieces written by Tim Smith ❤️ I recommend The Everso Closely Guarded Line and Buds and Spawn from their album "On Land and in the Sea"

yes i'm still here ... I keep popping back when I can....life gets in the way sometimes... I'm flattered you rememberd me. ...as I might have already said at the time of my suggestion, you were reacting to Arctic Monkeys, Stone Roses etc who I also love but wer 'traditional pieces of music'...so I chose something quite unlike them for you to hear... plus 'tarred and feathered' was MY first song I heard by them, so it seemed fitting, even though almost everyone said "its the wrong choice" lol... well, I'm just glad you didn't write Cardiacs off and I'm happy you're now enjoying them... thanks for the mention, keep safe and well. :) ....(plus this song is truly amazing)

Check this live version: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/kLhidJp9v6u1hGg.html

Drums are programmed. On the whole album.

Everything you say, I agree with 👍

I think 1 of the guys is my mate from London he said cardiac I hard worck

I was involved with a sort of jazz punk band my sister said give me 50 pound guitar for band

Have you reacted to Is This The Life yet?

Well he said chord changes?

Fantastic, this track definitely turns people on to cardiacs who may not have been previously familiar with them. It has a euphoric feeling to it for sure. Definitely try Nurses Whispering Verses from the same album and also The Everso Closely Guarded Line from On Land and In The Sea for another amazing track, very different to this but you’ll see a number of mentions for it due to it being utterly brilliant!

Me mate was in this band?

Happy New Year Greg! Thought you might like this . . . the very first time that they played Dirty Boy live! Enjoy m'lud kzfaq.info/get/bejne/qp6DpKqar7SWqGg.htmlsi=9kDSgYC77YMq80Rg

Tim smith did my sisters best record

Gertrude

And the cool sexey Spanish drummer !!!

Well the Gertrude were OK when they had Tim smith prudce them

So unique they make my tummy go funny!