Testimonial 1.

When I was younger, buying a CD was a major event. I would look forward to the three hour round trip to town every Saturday. There was a surge of anticipation as I entered the record shop and saw all those colourful CDs stacked up, beckoning me. I browsed, soaked up the artwork, took my time and eventually left with a shiny plastic bag in hand and a warm glow inside. On the bus home I would open the inlay, read every word – the lyrics, the acknowledgments, the silly bits bands sometimes put in. When I listened to my latest purchase, it demanded 100% of my attention. I would spin to it over and over often well into the night. I would learn the lyrics and somehow I was compelled to inflict it upon everyone else whenever possible.

As I got older, something changed. I didn’t know if it was because increased spending power meant CDs were more plentiful, or because it was only a five minute walk to town, but somehow the magic was lost. I didn’t experience the same high anymore. I would buy two or three CDs each and every week, probably only listen to them once or twice ever. I’d have to be pretty bored to even bother looking at the inlay at all. And the strangest thing was that I didn’t realise that something was wrong. The passion had gone but I just attributed this fact to my maturing years. I still persuaded myself that I liked these bands and I kept spending my money; OK I’m not in heaven but then I’m not 16 anymore.

Then I heard the Cardiacs.

I heard them on the Mark Radcliffe show one evening. I was passing HMV the next day and popped in just to see if they had anything by this mysterious band that had somehow escaped my attention until now. Four suitably evil looking faces stared out at me from a recording called Sing To God. It was a double CD pack so I knew this was the one some bloke with a strangely mild-mannered but somehow disturbing voice had been whittering on about the night before.

My recollection of my early listens are a bit hazy. I remember smiling during the day for no apparent reason. I remember looking forward to getting home from work to listen to it again. I remember being astounded to find out that this amazing band had about twelve albums out and had been going for twenty years. I remember seeking each and every available recording out (plus many unavailable recordings), taking them home, giving them 100% of my attention, poring over the artwork, the lyrics, the acknowledgments, and there were silly bits by the sackful…

Basically, for the benefit of anyone who is still awake at this point, the moral of this story is that the Cardiacs change the way you look at music.

My advice to you is to go and pick up Sing To God Part 1 (or the double CD pack if you can find it) and once you’ve got it, if you “get it”, you will never again say that the Manic Street Preachers are “OK, I suppose” or think that “I might go into town and buy the new Catatonia album at lunch time if I can be arsed”. You will rediscover what it is like to be passionate about music.

It will change your life forever.

Simon Rigden

Testimonial 2.

First saw them on channel 4’s The Tube – recorded for “Tarred and Feathered”. Must have been around 1985 and I was 15. Instantly hooked and went down with my pocket money in hand to Eastern Blok records in Manchester and bought the afore mentioned 12”. Must have played it to death. Persuaded some friends to come and see them at Manchester’s International – my second ever gig! An experience it was and have never really gotten over it. Sat in amazement as fan’s shouted “Don’t Die Timmy!”. Lost all credibility with my trendy Smith-fan friends when I joined the fan-club. Yes, I did try to grow the sun-flower seeds. Managed to even get a signed photo.
I have Seaside Treats video and tape – parents were amazed I was never sectioned. Went onto University at Guildford and an unknown quantity hit me. Here’s me thinking they were my “special find” yet at a Town & Country gig the venue was packed. Although my fan club t-shirt allowed me to stand out. Got to the front and sang along to all the words.
Tim told me to “Shut Up” – wow – what joy. There actually were other people who knew of the Cardiacs and even new the songs.

It’s seems years since I last saw them. Now a civilised Director of an advertising agency and the Cardiacs hold a special place in my record collection. Saw them in Manchester some years ago – touring with God’s CD – but the line-up had altered significantly.
My life has had strange Cardiac-related events. Met a guy at a party who did some artwork for them, new a girl who filmed a cartoon for one of their songs, bumped into Tim at Waterloo Station (was too embarrassed to run up to him in the middle of rush-hour and express worthy laudations) and heard a track played at New York’s “Tulo” club in the chill-out room. You have to smile.

In retrospect I have always had a fascination for music stemming from the Cardiacs. I remember reading the NME, less and less, but still finding out, in utter amasement, that Blur and Faith no More were fans. How could this be – I saw them in venue’s with less than 30 people.
I can still play all of those early 12” and wonder why, on the first Radio One Evening Session’s, Simon Mayo seemed genuinely disturbed at “To Go Off and Things”. In all, my new “London” friends think that the Cardiacs should have been strangled at birth. I remind all of my old “Manchester” friends of the Cardiacs. All in all, the Cardiacs are criminally undiscovered and are pure geniuses. Many bands become famous and their early stuff escalates in value. These are the one possessions I could never, ever, sell.

Now I live in Kingston-upon-Thames. Irony or fate?

Ian Hughes

Testimonial 3.

One day in The Basketmakers pub in Brighton in 1991 I had arranged to meet an old friend, who turned up wearing an odd sweatshirt with a big daisy on it. On enquiry, he related strange tales about this band Cardiacs, who sounded so weird I decided they must be products of his over active imagination. Several pints and more than few joints later I found myself in his flat watching “Maresnest” and was astounded that such a band could have existed and yet I hadn’t heard of them before.

Cardiacs have this funny habit of periodically erasing your ability to listen to any other band at all, because nothing matches up to them for sheer exuberance, spirit, quality, and for me this phase lasted between about 1991 and 1993, when I had a nervous breakdown. (That sounds odd but its true….I’m sure it’s not connected. Or is it…??)

Over the years I discovered that several people I knew had come across them, but didn’t want to share their glorious secret for fear it would somehow spoil the magic. Discovering that secret, and attending the gigs, I suddenly found myself at home and welcomed by the most diverse fan base I’d ever come across, and felt like a personal friend of the band although I’d never met them.

I’ve seen them now far too many times to relate, but they were always good value at The Venue in New Cross. The best gig by far was at The Army And Navy in Chelmsford around the time of “Sing To God” – the band played their socks off, Tim got the whole room to dance while the band stood there and watched us while not playing a thing, and we all did a choreographed v-sign at the sound guy.

This band are astounding. Is ‘This The Life’ will be played – loud – at my funeral, and I will depart to the next life with fond memories of Jon Poole’s developing taste in eyebrow rings, picking up Wobbly Jim four times at a gig in Brighton, and having an unexpected but delicious snog with a complete stranger at the end of a gig as we had spent so long pushed up against each other in the mosh pit it just seemed appropriate. We never said a word to each other before or after. These things happen to you after Cardiacs. Enjoy.

Paul
Jazjoke@aol.com

Testimonial 4.

Well, my love affair began, as all good ones should, on a windswept and drizzly, yet undeniably romantic night in London. I’d been in the city for a year or so, studying to be a chef, of all things, after Uni at Brighton.
I was really into Levitation at the time, and thought I’d go see them at the Astoria. Support? Cardiacs and Radiohead. It’s quite nice to be able to say to people that you saw Radiohead before ‘Creep’ came out, and then go on to praise Cardiacs to the heavens. There must have been about five of us watching poor Thom and the guys go through a blistering set. I understand that Levitation and Cardiacs took turns at headlining, and so Mr Bickers’ bunch were on first. Nice set, but my memory has been all but wiped by what followed.
Oh, the confetti, oh the drones! I have never ever seen anything as wonderfully engrossing.
Tim and Jim were on superb form, and I went home in a tinnitus-numbed daze. Early next morning, I was knocking at the door of Tower Records in Kensington, and when they opened up I immediately went for a copy of ‘Heaven Born…’ And that started the ball rolling.

Back then there was little of the catalogue still about, but whatever I saw I bought. Another sleepless night preceded the re-release of the back catalogue. I only wish Mares Nest was still out there on video. Since moving back up north, I see less of Cardiacs, but their infrequent visits to the Duchess of York in Leeds make the waiting so much sweeter. And they are still the most stunning band ever. Quite how so much wonderful noise can come from four men on a tiny stage still baffles me. But thank Christ it does.
We have something very special to cherish.

Respectfully,
Stephen Jackson
Chef/Patron
The Weavers Shed Restaurant With Rooms

Testimonial 5.

‘Ahhh, I remember it as if it were only 13 or 14 years ago!! I dashed home from work and sat down to watch the Tube, eager to spice up my dull Outer Hebridean lifestyle by catching up with the latest sounds from civilisation. The programme progressed as normal, dire videos/performances/presenters until all of a sudden my eyeballs were dragged from their sockets by a vision of a very strange bunch of people. People?? I couldn’t be sure! The threadbare costumes from a long forgotten pantomine and the over-eager use of make-up made those people scream out ‘we’re different’. As the music started I was totally transfixed. By the time the song ended I wanted to know everything about them. But, unfortunatly, I didnt catch the name of the song, nor more importantly the name of the band!!

To my despair nobody else I knew had seen the Tube that night and hadn’t a clue what I was talking about. Was I going mad? Had I imagined it all? It must have all been a bad dream!

The years rolled slowly onwards. I gave up my quest, certain that I would never find out who had created these few moments of sheer brilliance/madness. And then, in 1988, whilst visiting my wife to be in Aberdeen I happened to stroll into a passing record shop, hungry for music and what should catch my eye almost immediatly? It was the cover to a tape of The Seaside!! I was drawn towards it and couldn’t beleive my eyes when I opened the cover to see the Cardiacs staring back at me in their lovely blue polo necks and ‘artistic’ lipstick. The tape was bought and quickly carried to my girlfriends student flat where I spent the rest of my stay driving her mad with the music of Cardiacs. Almost right away I knew they were the most brilliant band ever but also discovered that the majority of people in the world (including wife to be) would never come to appreciate the finer nuances of their music. It’s so strange how much hatred has been directed towards this band by people who never make the effort to actually listen to the music! It doesn’t take much!

Still, it’s their loss.

So, I digress, I knew the name of the band now but very little else. Another year went past. Another visit to Aberdeen and the wife to be. This time I found ‘On Land……’ and once again drove my better half mad for a several days.

Then another lengthy period of nothing until 1991, when waiting for the overnight train to Inverness, I wondered into Glasgow’s Tower Records to kill some time. I must have wondered round the shop for 2 hours trying to pass the time until I at last came to the video section. The first thing I saw was Maresnest. I swiftly purchased it and spent the train journey and ferry crossing staring at the video, trying to see the images held within. It’s hard to convey the excitement in mere words but I was a very happy person that night.

When I finally got to watch it I was totally carried away and felt as if I was in the audience. I’d never seen a video like this before, nor even a live gig. The excitement and passion flowing from the band, plus the warped sense of humour made it a whole new experience for me. If I had been hooked on Cardiacs before, I was now well and truely transfixed.

I feel so privilaged to be amoungst the happy few who have found Cardiacs. I still have yet to see them live, but I’m sure it’s only a matter of time until they finally play the Outer Hebrides!!

With respect
Wattie (Jane Watson)