Hey Scot! ProgRadio Friday at 12 noon est. The Prog Corner Sunday at 1pm est. 👍☮️👑😎

I’ve just barely discovered this band. I’ve decided to go chronologically and have only heard their debut album (Little Man…). But I’ve heard it around 10 times and MAN IT IS SO GOOD!

Also well worth hearing is 'Tim Smith's Extra Special OceanLandWorld', which sounds like Cardiacs, but everything is played by Tim; he recorded these in his spare time over a period of years... There's an outside chance that one day we'll hear 'LSD' with guest vocals, as I understand that it was almost done except for Tim's vocals when he fell ill.

Scot I can't believe you're doing the Cardiacs! I dont care about the order it's fantastic you are covering them I saw them loads of times! and they supported the Stranglers a few times Tim Smith was a genius and they are Prog on Nitro! 👍😁👍

Cardiacs really deserve more content like this. P.S.: A Game For Bertie’s Party is the best track for me in The Obvious Identity.

Great to see such love for Cardiacs! Regarding their youthful cassette offerings, I'd recommend getting into The Special Garage Concerts double album from 2003. Although it's a live recording, it's (imho) the definitive iteration of these early songs, and a comprehensive argument for the fully formed songwriting chops of baby Tim: two hours of sustained, energetic brilliance, previously mucky pebbles shined up into jewels and set in the crown where they belong, played by a tight, authoritative late-era Cardiacs at the top of their game.

Here's an odd coincidence I discovered: Kavus Torabi from The Cardiacs plays on a couple of very old tracks by UNIT - Buckingham Palace Burns Down and, er, another one, both off an album called Class War released in 2008. Anyway, seeing as how my knowledge of The Cardiacs doesn't go beyond that, your video is an excellent education. I now intend to investigate some of these albums so THANK YOU again for adding to my knowledge of prog and prog-adjacent groups.

How? All astonishing. Buy them all. Listen to them forever and ever and ever and ever and ever and ever and…

I would have gone my whole life without having even heard of 'em if it wasn't for Steven Wilson's great 'Intrigue' compilation - I heard R.E.S. - my immediate thought was 'Bohemian Rhapsody with Terry Hall (Specials and Fun Boy 3) on vocals!'. Went to Qobuz and streamed some more and that was that - into the pond!

My favourite band. Off the scale brilliant.

Another band I have to check out. Those influences really intrigue me to check these guys out.

My favourite band of all time. Great job on the ranking! (Though I'd have been generous and included Songs for Ships and Irons even though its technically a "compilation"). Re: That Fiery Gun Hand solo I'm sure I read once in an interview with Jon Poole that he felt like he'd laid down the best solo of his life for it, only for Tim to take it, chop it up into tiny fragments and rearrange it into its final demented form. So i guess they ought to take equal credit for it, really!

I only found out about Cardiacs when Tim Smith passed away and they got some air play on the evening shows of BBC 6 Music radio as a result. Subsequently really came to love Sing to God in particular. Their back catalogue has recently gone back up on Spotify.

Great stuff, Scot! Just listening to a couple of Cardiacs' albums the last couple of nights! That IS Jon Poole on the crazy guitar solo on 'Fiery Gun Hand'. Jon is responsible for some seriously crazy stuff and he wrote a few songs on here as well. Did you notice on 'The Duck and Roger the Horse' that he took a line from Kate Bush's song 'The Dreaming' and changed the words a bit? It's a shame you couldn't have gotten 'Songs For Ships and Irons' as that comp has some of their very, very best songs that are not available elsewhere except live and a Greatest Hits. Much more worthwhile music than the 2 cassettes. But that's the way we all go....

Thanks for the video. I still can't comprehend, after all these years, how can this band mix so many genres and be melodic at the same time. just amazing. Sing to God, what a masterpiece. Prog on my friend

I have loved "Little Man ......." for over 30 years.

I would also add the Special Garage Concerts, distilled versions of their early masterpieces. So good.

Thank you so much for covering Cardiacs output...once you've heard them it will turn your musical world inside out and upside down 😂

Great ranking Scott 👍 long term request honored, cheers fella😊

Great ranking, those top 3 albums are absolutely fantastic.

One the most underrated groups of all time.

Great job Scott! My second favorite band, favorite band is on your shirt, but you knew that already haha. Sing To God is definitely my favorite and it is just long enough.

I agree that Sing to God is head and shoulders above the rest. Tim's masterpiece. Good luck ranking GBV's 1,001 albums, by the way!

Huge influence on bands like Oceansize and Major Parkinson.

🌼🌼🌼 Thanks for covering Cardiacs! 🚹🏠🌐🪟 my personal ranking- (#3,4,&5 interchangeable) #1 sing to God #2 a little man and a house and the whole world window #3 songs for ships and irons #4 heaven born and ever bright #5 on land and in the sea #6 the seaside #7 day is gone(EP) #8 guns #9 toy world additional must haves - Tim Smith's extra special oceanland world (solo LP) All that glitters is a maresnest (live) Special garage concerts(live)

Oh and Dirty Boy can affect people in a way no other song can. It’s just…wow.

love the pacman on the shelf

Great ranking as always scott! I would REALLY love a Nektar ranking 🥺😎 Cheers!

The Cardiacs are a great band, and I need to acquire more releaes other than Sing to God.

Just finished listening to A Little Man And His House. Definately getting Atom Heart Mother vibes mixed with Peter Gabriel vocals.

Zolo Pronk? It sounds like a brand of floor cleaner. I prefer 'neo-prog' or 'prog-adjacent'. Anyway, in response to that fellow below (or above, wherever this appears) who mentioned Kavus Torabi, yes, he did indeed play one of the guitars on Buckingham Palace Burns Down which we recorded in 2008. The other was played by Malcolm 'Scruff' Lewty of heavy metal band Hellbastard whom I've known since I first visited him in Birtley Children's Home in 1984. Oh and I am so looking forward to the Sunday live stream. Mind you, the Mount Rushmore scenario is giving me a headache: I have 5 vocalists, every one of whom merits a place. I cannot decide which 1 to sacrifice. Maybe I'll have to cheat and go down the Deep Purple In Rock route!

I hope that king gizzard ranking you promised will cone soon…

The STG vs OLAITS controversy lives on. For what it’s worth, OLAITS just pips STG at the post. What I would say if asked (which I never am of course!) is, STG is the best album ever, but On Land is my favourite

Scot, What about a show of ranking AMORPHIS studio albums? They are fantastic. Prog-metal.

I haven’t heard them for decades. I had a couple of their earlier albums but was never completely sold. Punk and Prog make uncomfortable bedfellows. I remember that it sounded a little forced to me albeit they certainly had the chops. I think Stranglers and Public Image did it a lot better.

The best band in the Whole World!

GUNS IS MY FAVORITE AND JITTERBUG IS THE BEST SONG!!!

SING TO GOD 24/7 man!!!!!!