New to me - mildly interesting, but that short quirky piano bit that came out of nowhere at the very end caught my intrigue - had 15 to spare, gave the next track a listen...one and a half hours later I was in awe - one of the best first listens to a band I've ever experienced. There were times I felt like I was turning that old radio dial quickly catching snippets of many a song...it felt just like that but on a single track, and each and every track...one moment I hear Sparks, then the Polyphonic Spree, no its deffo It Might be Giants but with a a dash of Split Enz, was that Queen?...oh wait, thats Bolan, no its Syd Barretts Floyd, no its Gilmours and on and on it went...IT SHOULD NOT WORK...but it does, its a brilliant brilliant album...genuinely stunned, very talented group....stick with it JP, I get the confusion, but stick with it and see what you think. For all the familiarity...its unique. Music is like a bag of Liquorice All Sorts. Outstanding.

This album is my Sergeant pepper, Cardiacs are the best band ever, Tim was a lovely man and a musical genius. RIP

Oh man, you've GOTTA listen to the whole album!

Justin, this band is the hidden gem of all hidden gems. I think the more you listen to them and the more you discover how deep their artistry goes, you'll end up at least amazed at having found them if not in love with them.

I remember my old mate Ed Poole being very proud of his brother Jon joining the Cardiacs, we were both fans and to have this was as cool as can be!

Great band. Glad I got the chance to see them live. Bout 40 times.

An absolutely essential album. You've got to do the whole thing!

It's OK if you don't like Cardiacs, they are not everyones cup of tea. Some people get it right away others hate them. But to dismiss them as trite or meaningless would be a huge mistake. Cardiacs were never weird for the sake if it, Tim just new how to mix styles and genres to get the sound he wanted. In fact he was a master at it. Ear-worms are everywhere, as are melodies, if you know how to listen. Scales and chord progressions could be punk one minute and baroque the next. Sound a bit like Sparks? Of course! Reminds you of Queen, I’ll bet it does. Is that the same progression as Messiaen uses in Quartet for the End of Time? Probably. Mike Patton, Dave Grohl, Dan Mongrain of Voivod, and Grindcore legend Shane Embury are loyal fans, they were hugely influential on Blur and Radiohead, members of which were regulars at gigs before their own bands became famous. Such was Tim's musical skill and influence on other artists that a couple of years before Tim's death he was awarded an honorary Doctorate in composition from the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, one of the world's top music schools. Tim died peacefully on the evening of July 21 2020 just as plans were underway to bring him home after years of residential care following hypoxia and paralysis after a heart attack in 2008. He has left a huge hole in the lives of those who knew and loved him, but he has also left a remarkable musical legacy and back catalogue of unique and extraordinary music.. Go and have a listen, but it’s OK, you don’t have to like it. (sorry to go on :) )

Nice one JP, it’s a year to the day we lost Tim so very timely too. Eat it up worms Hero is probably a tough one for newish listeners and there’s more going on in that one song than most bands careers! I would suggest the following 2 tracks being Dog Like Sparky and Fiery Gun Hand, utterly fantastic. Great work!

Omg the Cardiacs This is one album that gets better and better with repeated plays My favourite song is Fiery Gun Hand Please go further with this album RIP Tim Smith - genius

Listening to the Cardiacs is a bit like spending a week in Paris when you know a fair bit of French but you're not fluent by any means. After two or three days you begin thinking in French because your subconscious has been reprogrammed. A few more tracks in and you'll get it. You just won't be able to explain it to anyone, not even yourself. For anyone who enjoyed Mad Max Fury Road, someone called ChasingTheBumblebee has put together an excellent video of 'Fiery Gun Hand' with footage from that movie.

If you want more Cardiacs, continuing with the rest of this album wouldn't be the worst choice, since you've already heard the 2 opening songs.

Two of their most diverse songs and yet you get so much of it - the heaven and hell, Gentle Giant, the melodic brilliance, the hidden depths - yes! Keep going, keep going.

One of the best albums of all time, though not for everyone. Definitely worth your while.

Yes this band is extremely weird! I'll drop a brief summary of them below: The band started in the late 70s as Cardiac Arrest, but gained popularity in the early-to-mid 80s as Cardiacs (not "The" Cardiacs). Their two main lineups were a six-piece band with saxophone, keyboards and extra percussion (1980s), and as a quartet with two guitarists (1990s onwards). The singer/frontman/main creative force behind the band was Tim Smith, arguably one of the most creative and interesting musicians of all time. His brother Jim was the bassist, and the two of them were there from beginning to end. Tim never liked to put their music into a category, he always called it pop - maybe psychedelic if you had to name it. The media and the music industry absolutely hated them. Their music was always either completely ignored or was given unfairly negative reviews ("Cardiacs are the sound of both feet in the grave"). A newspaper even ran a smear piece claiming that Tim and his then-wife Sarah (the saxophone player) were brother and sister and were having an incestuous relationship. Sadly, Tim had a heart attack in 2008 which left him paralysed, and Cardiacs never performed again; he died in 2020, effectively ending the band. If you want to hear something that's easier to get into (but still complex and interesting), try the songs Odd Even, Gina Lollobrigida, or Signs (there's a great live performance of Signs on KZfaq). If you want something more rock-y with some punk elements, try Fiery Gun Hand, Jibber and Twitch, Ditzy Scene, or Bell Clinks. And if you want to dive deep into the rabbit hole of creative weirdness, listen to R.E.S., Burn Your House Brown, To Go Off and Things, or Tarred and Feathered. Have fun!

I do hope that you go further with them. Whether you liked it or not I bet you weren't bored, they are well worth the trouble. Great idea anyway!

I've discovered cardiacs 3 years ago and not a single day pass without me listening to some of their songs. Thank you Justin for reacting to cardiacs music. I will said that based on your reactions on gentle giant, Van der Graaf, frank Zappa and Jethro Tull I think you will end up loving cardiacs, most of the people on the cardiacs fan groups are also fans of those other bands as well. By the way, many people mentioned that they get a sparks vibe from cardiacs music, in my case, I get that vibe specially in the song that follows up eat it worms hero in the album: dog like sparky

I discovered Cardiacs during covid, and they saved my life. Love this band. I actually sent away to England to get a vinyl copy of Sing to God (I'm in Canada).

Somehow these guys escaped my avant prog explorations of the early 2000s. I probably would’ve latched on hard to this, but now it’s just pretty good. Nothing grabs me right away but several listens usually cure that for me with this kind of music.

Thank you for giving these songs a shot! Not a great introduction, though. Eat It Up Worms Hero is one of their roughest songs by far, I think purposely placed at the start of the album to filter out closed-minded listeners. Things get much more fun and catchy from here on. I think you'd probably love the next two songs, Dog-Like Sparky and Fiery Gun Hand. They're a lot less grating and they'll be able to give you a much clearer picture of what the band is about. Or if you want more soft and beautiful stuff like Eden, you'll probably enjoy Foundling, the album closer.

Cardiacs first blew me away in 1984 and they still do. No other band gets even close! I've never really understood Tims' lyrics but it doesn't matter. He paints pictures with his words. Beautiful pictures. Be warned - if you catch a heavy dose of Cardiacs other music will never be the same. x

Oh yes! Dog Like Sparky is my fave off this album... these guys are nuts haha - You won't be able to form much of an impression off these two tracks alone. I also recommend Duck & Roger The Horse, the Everso Closely Guarded Line, Tarred and Feathered and Firey Gun Hand.

Awesome. Glad you checked these guys out. It's really hard to put into words my love for Tim and this band. Nobody else hits me the way Cardiacs music does and to be frank, they made a lot of music obsolete for me. Yes, indeed dive deeper into them and this lp. I'm a fan of all the 'difficult double albums" - including this one. At first it will seem impenetrable, but after repeated listens, the kaleidoscopic nature of the music and the multitudes of hooks and beautiful melodies will start to sink in. This album is like going to church for me.

Cardiacs were single handedly responsible for keeping prog alive in the 80s. Unique and beloved. There's more accessible stuff too, like RES, Big Ship, Is This the life.

the everso closely guarded line

Wow, I love your background :)

Afternoon, Justin. Dave from scorching London. The world of Cardiacs? Wow, this is Some Fantastic Place to be! Like you, I'm not sure I'm in the same orbit. A collage of so many sounds, styles, rhythms; many not yet coalescing in my rather conventional brain. I want to listen to more, so I have explored the rest of this album online. One track stands out - Dirty Boy - I see someone commented that the key changes are like a ladder to heaven (thanks, kevoutus).

I was lucky enough to see Cardiacs live over 50 times, simply uniquely sensational live. Sing to God is an amazing album but I would recommend a review of some of the older stuff.. you won't regret it!

You cannot get cardiacs out of your head. Repeated listens reward as you can't hear it all at once-and that's probably the point in some tracks. Not an easy listen-but it's just fucking brilliant and even more so when you understand and consider Tim Smith's music wasn't born out of 'jamming' sessions, each part was scored and orchestrated for each member of the band before a single note was recorded.

No doubt Cardiacs are a challenging band. I’m sure in the end you will discover that’s why you really dig them. No ear candy but oodles of brain protein. I have never understood Cardiacs lyrics yet somehow the word salads leave a deep and disturbing impression with an inner sense of SOMETHING lurking inside more felt than comprehended. Musically it seems designed to disorient to unlock your mind from expectations and be free to understand a whole new sense of beauty. I absolutely love The Cardiacs - the minute I try to describe why I fail. But I’m hoping you are hooked enough to continue your journey. I would quite understand why you might not! WARNING: THIS BAND ON PLAYLISTS EMPTIES TOURBUSES

Have'nt been able to comment in a while,but I bribed my nurse to unhook my arm so I could respond! Can you say, myocardial infarction,sure, I knew you could,(apologies Mr.Rogers!)Cardiacs feed my inner dark side,which is a pretty constant traveler with me lately. More please and Peace from cardiac wing and room # 4012.

Cardiacs lyrics are notoriously cryptic especially in the later years. It can be hard to make sense of them but there is a story in each of them. If and when you return to Cardiacs I'd recommend listening to A Little Man And A House And The Whole World Window or at least the first track. That album seems to be the best entry point to their stuff.

You have to do ,is this the life by them ,brilliant

Unfortunately this band wasn't on my radar until Tim Smith died last year. The response to his passing brought me to this album. I find it delightful and am happy to see you check it out. Please do proceed.

Love Cardiacs but this is a tough introduction to them. Fiery Gunhand is a great tune from this album along with Dirty Boy !! Well done for giving them a listen. Well worth checking out "Big Ship", "Stoneage Dinosaurs", "It's a Lovely Day", "Too many irons in the fire", Leader of the starry skies" and "Is This The Life".

Thank you Justin! Not the first choice I'd have gone with, but these tracks give some idea of the diversity of musical styles employed by Tim Smith. There are a number of tracks with wonderful (and weird) vocal arrangements. Dirty Boy springs to mind. Your reaction is not uncommon to first (or second) time Cardiacs listeners. It took me about 6 months to wrap my brain around what I was listening to. Then I heard Fiery Gun Hand and Will Bleed Amen and it all made glorious, bat-arsed crazy sense. Also, you thought Yes lyrics were impenetrable? Hold Tim's beer!

It’s an amazing record

Just waited for the day that you present a Cardiacs song! Sing To God is still one of my favourite prog rock albums! Enjoy!

Ah! Just found The Cardiacs over the last year, and between them & Ween I'm wondering how much amazing stuff I just missed the bus on in my time.

Genius #rip Tim smith

he heh - i stumbled across your pod and i always love watching a human being listening to cardiacs for the first time - bit like listening to your child fart for the first time - the shock and awe of it for them personally makes me chuckle. but anyway, you started too deep with this song and album, go back to basics and listen to thier first album "A little man and a house and the whole world window", in particular listen to "In a city lining" (theyre all good), do a pod on that, itll be a good gateway into later albums and songs

There's an amazng cover á capella version of this whole album.

They’re great friends of XTC. Also influenced a ton of bands like Blur, Radiohead , Steven Wilson, Oceansize etc. I’m glad you decide to listen again instead of making up your mind already. Tim Smith is also the main songwriter/composer. He also writes all the bass guitar parts besides guitars and lyrics and stuff. Recently passed away :/ and yes they’re huge fans of gentle giant, Zappa, and also David Lynch haha. That explains the disjointed, dreamlike lyrics

Cardiacs - a great album but a bigger sample was needed - the third track needed to be added here. I deleted a post blasting you - but I was wrong - sorry - You started the album at the beginning - I was so excited to see Cardiacs but the newcomers would need to hear the next song in this series. Yeah - this needed to be heard with the first three songs. Oh well - not a big enough sample to wow over the JP commenters I'm afraid - but this really does illustrate how important listening to an album is - sometimes it's more important than other times - to listen to the right amount of 'chunks' of the album if you don't listen to it all the way through. You were confused - sometimes you've made executive decisions and carried on with another track - too bad you didn't here. This album explains itself more thoroughly once you get to the third track 'Dog Like Sparky.' Cardiacs are indeed influenced by Gentle Giant as well as Genesis and others.

Definitely listen to Dog-like Sparky. It's the next song on the record and is more pop based, and may add some necessary context to what the album is like. Constant twists and turns and a lot to take in, but one of the most rewarding musical journeys out there.

So good to see you giving Cadiacs a go. As others have said, you didn't pick the easiest two to start off with, maybe Dirty Boy or Fiery Gun Hand would be a more comfortable way to ease in. Saying that, Eat It Up Worms Hero is one of my favourites, now, it just takes a while for the catchy bits to come out and bite you.

Sing to God is a must listen. Tim Smiths genius is often overlooked cause of how left field the music gets, but it's absolutely incredible. RIP Tim, we miss ya

Mate, seriously you should do Dirty Boy (first track of part 2). The madness is toned down a bit, it’s anchored in “rock guitar” more than a lot of other Cardiacs tunes and is more accessible to the casual listener, BUT it’s loaded with plenty of Cardiacs goodies and twists. Look out for the infinite climb and the never ending note (as I like to think of them).

Interesting. There is a classical feel to Eden on the Air. The second song is incredibly frenetic. Technically, I think they are very talented and an occasional listen isn't bad but I don't think I could manage a steady diet. Still, I wouldn't be adverse to hearing more... just not too often. Freedom day in my household! The wife's big plans involve getting a haircut. Smoke from forest fires will likely keep us in the house other than that.

You got Cardiac'd

Great! This album is worthy of a full reaction. Tim Smith was a unique mad genius and we are all richer for him

Not sure whether this was intentional... but this video was uploaded on the anniversary of the death of Tim Smith (the lead singer).

Please continue listening to this album! The next two songs, Dog Like Sparky and Fiery Gun Hand, are considered among their very best. Eat It Up Worms Hero even hints to Dog Like Sparky with the piano part at the very end. Either way thanks for reacting to Cardiacs!

Ha,ha, this was high on the wacky scale! But there's some really interesting ideas behind that "punk" power. Eden on the Air; While I agree with you on the Sigur Ros comment, I would also add Enya into the mix for more 90's pop sensibilities (wich aren't too prominent in Sigur Ros). The harmonies in Eat it Up Worms Hero, combined with the album cover made me immediately think of Queen and songs like Bohemian Rhrapsody, though they quickly changed into something else. I'd say keep going through this album and maybe we'll understand more eventually :)

Huzzah! Cardiacs are tied with Gentle Giant for my favourite band of all time. Similar in some respects, but very very different in others. This album is a towering work of glorious folly and is ultimately much greater the sum of its parts. I'm hopeful you can just keep dipping into it one or two songs at a time in order, because it's one hell of a journey, and one I'm sure many Cardiacs fans would love to join you on. At the very least, give the next track a whirl (Dog-Like Sparky) and see how it strikes you.

Confusion is the correct reaction to the Cardiacs. Also, you kinda called them the Punk version of Gentle Giant. I never looked at them like that, but it's an observation I can understand.

Queen meets Gentle Giant performed by Oompa Loompa’s on an acid trip.

The 180 Gs . . . kzfaq.info/get/bejne/qt6bic6b2J-vpWg.html Only double album in existence to have been covered entirely in the genre of acapella. Enjoy.

As we say in the UK: 'Stick that in your pipe and smoke it!'

Cardiacs!! Fantastic but these 2 songs are NOT a good way to start. I think Dirty Boy would be a good song to start with

Listen to the whole album! Other tracks to checkout: 'Core, Signs, Firey Gun Hand, Sleep all eyes Open, Come Back Clammy Lammy. Bodysbad, Snakes-a-sleeping,...All the album's are amazing.

I don't think that would be the song to introduce someone to the cardiacs although its great 😂

Reminds me of older Split Enz and 10cc. You should check out 'Walking Down a Road', 'Jamboree' and 'Without a Doubt' by Split Enz. For more pop/prog weirdness check out 'Une Nuit a Paris' (One Night in Paris), 'Clockwork Creep' and 'I'm Mandy, Fly Me' by 10cc.

You could try ,2 pints of lagar and a packet of crisps please ,by splodenessabounds . It's mad ,but great .

The song "Air" by the Talking Heads is pretty quirky and funny.

Were you aware that you posted this on the exact day, one year after the passing of the brilliant Tim Smith? If not, apparently there were some invisible creatures around directing you. This is possibly the best album ever made. But you're merely scratching the surface of it here. Please keep going. Your reaction was well worth the ticket price. ;-) As for the lyrics: I've been listening to this band for 30+ years, and I still don't get what most of the songs are about. (I have a feeling Tim always wrote the music before the lyrics, and then squeezed them in as best he could, which resulted in quite a bit of odd syntax and stresses on the wrong syllables.) (And yep, there's certainly something Gentle Giant-y about 4:30-4:36.)

Oh this whole album is insane, everything this band did was. It's a long album and maybe not the most accessible starting point, but if you want an idea of how absolutely batshit their sound was, it definitely gives you that. It might be an acquired taste but you certainly won't get bored.

From "Amadeus" when Emperor Joseph attends a rehearsal of "Marriage of Figaro", the dance scene without the music: What is this? I don't understand. Is it modern?

LOL.... Mr. Bungle... Frank Zappa,,, and The Cardiacs... these are three groups that will make you lose friends. LISTEN TO THEM ANYWAYS!!!!!

The band "Of Montreal" is kind of a next decade version of this. maybe...... And I'm not sure about the Sigur Ros connection.

Holy mother of God...you hit the highwire here. Trying to imagine how your condition will be after the whole thing. Cardiacs is like Johnny Rotten has beaten the sh*t out of Frank Zappa while Yes starts to cover a tune by Madness. I stole this comparison by the way, I'm not that funny, but it describes it like it is in a way. Enjoy. Check your health insurance first.

I would love you to react to the video Tarred and Feathered it's a unique experience. The same for the video of RES. You feel like you accidentally sumble upon some sort of snuff video wth music on it.

Hm, what's next? The Residents?

Gentle Giant, Cardiacs, Van der Graaf Generator, Magma. All well away from the mainstream. All could be considered 'difficult' listening but when they click , they click big time. Sorta like malt whisky....caviar....Jackson Pollock paintings....I'm sure you can think of a few others. Well done for at least giving these bands a chance. Many would run a mile in the other direction.

Great album by a fascinating, wildly uncool group! Worth listening to all the way through, I think. Influenced by prog bands like Gentle Giant, Genesis, and Van Der Graaf Generator, but also the anarchic art-punk-pop of early XTC and Devo. Some of the most uncompromising music you'll ever hear.

All reaction KZfaqrs have overlooked Quicksilver Messenger Service. The Fool from their first album is amazing and features Americas most overlooked guitarist John Cipollina. Sixties psychedelia owes more to these guys than The Greatful Dead.

Two words…..Dirty Boy.

Reminds me of Mr. Bungle or anything Mike Patton for that matter lol.

I can see the Gentle Giant comparison, but it’s so over the top jokey I can’t take it seriously. I guess like you I’d have to listen to some more, but there’s so much I’d rather listen to I’d throw this in the back of the drawer for a way later date.

As Monty Python would say... And now for something completely different

Firstly, Yes please! I suppose secondly, it might be something you can't afford to do too often, as far as building a channel by getting lots of views for videos goes, so my main hope here is that you, in your own good time, manage to find some time occasionally to use for orienting a bit more to the Cardiacs world. As some people have said (and it might even not truly be hyperbole) this is not a band, it's a genre. It took me quite a long time to properly appreciate them. I started on a very cute video that exists for one of their weirdest (and also most popular, so well done Human Race) songs, Tarred and Feathered, and found myself listening to that again. And then again ... And then over time (probably including at least one listen to Eat It Up Worms Hero where my teeth fell out I put my glass eye in backward, and could only think "wtf" - in lowercase, too) they wormed their way into my head. And here I am now, happily diseased right down to the very marrow by Tim Smith's strange and beautiful music. So I'm not surprised by equivocal first (or seventh) reactions to this, just because I'm not one of those who immediately got it. (There _are_ people like that. Good on you, Human Race. :D ) As far as the channel building goes, you might find there's not too much of a penalty incurred by reacting to Tarred and Feathered, since it does have something of a following, but now you've started on Sing to God, (the eyes on the pictures of the cover were enlarged if you find something strange about it, BTW), it would probably be better to try the next song, if you do another of these reactions. Eat It Up Worms Hero is about as crazy as things get. Certainly it never gets more frenzied. A lot of the songs are just really nice rock-pop or more pretty stuff like you get in Eden on the Air, so it's not like the album is wall-to-wall beserk - but occasionally it goes out into the wilds again for a moment or a few bars. I suppose one of the ways you could absorb the drop in view counts might be to do bigger batches of songs at once? (Although at times this is going to cause more "floods"). I don't know if it's quite a concept album as such, but Sing to God is definitely a single piece of work, and is always more enjoyable to hear all the way through. There's something musically coherent underneath all the craziness. There are some interviews with Kavus Torabi (the lead guitarist who took over from Jon Poole, when Jon left to join The Wildhearts) which give some insights into the mind of Tim Smith. Short version of that: the lunatic on stage was an aspect of his nature he amplified for entertainment purposes; Tim Smith, producer, was the kind of guy who always read the user manuals for equipment, always kept his equipment in beautiful condition, figured out how to do solder repairs himself when stuff broke. So the coherence of Sing to God is probably something consciously worked out by that Tim Smith. In a way that makes it a "concept album" of sorts. There's a concept, only the creator didn't think that the concept itself was a something people needed to know to enjoy it. And it's a musical concept of some sort, not some contrived theme from e.g. philosophy or something. Anyway, thanks for giving it a go. I hope that in time it gives you this same brain disease I now have. :D

That was weird. Puts me in mind of Sparks a bit.

I've heard some of these before, but been a while. There's weird, and weird for weirds sake, and i'm not sure where these fall. Of these tracks, the 1st i found a little dull. Slow start, almost church, choral vibe to it, with backing vocals by Pinky and Perky(?). Not bad per se, just no development. The 2nd, better of the two, started and finished well. The uptempo, thrashy guitar spoke to my old punk sensibilities. The stop/start, erroneous break in the middle did spoil it for me some what.

Too weird for me. I’m too old for this… maybe a year from now but I’m sure you’ll be back in 2-3 weeks. Can’t wait. Sorry, give me some melody quick. Peace and my Music

Bit of a poor mans early "Sparks" outfit .. A band called "Silvery" did the same stuff . punk pronto - sparks . Still good they explored that genre for the later born whippersnappers lol..

First song was ok, second song is unlistenable.

For Gods sake, PLEASE, PLEASE never play anything from this band again.