I first became aware of Cardiacs in 1977 before they were called Cardiacs; before they were called anything, and before they’d even had a rehearsal. Tim phoned me up and told me we were forming a band - Jim was going to play bass, Mick Pugh would sing and I was to drum Apparently Jim was going to wear a bottle of Worcestershire Sauce around his neck and that was all I needed to know – I was in.
It was great being in Cardiac Arrest and one of the high points was recording the single A Bus For A Bus On The Bus at Elephant studio, by which time Colvin Mayers & Ralph Cade hade joined the line-up. It was excellent as we had a luxurious 1 day to record and mix 4 songs. This seemed like loads of time because we’d previously recorded a 7 song demo at Elephant in 1 day, so this new recording would be 3 better! One of the 4 songs we recorded never made the single because the record was physically too small to accommodate so much high quality music. It was called Keep Your Dead Mice With You and for some reason that song had to be mixed in mono because something strange happened when it was recorded. Several rumours went round about mysterious external forces being brought to bear on the recording of this song, but none were proven as the engineer disappeared immediately after the session, the studio was locked-up and the master tape subsequently went missing. None of the band members have a copy of this version of the song now, but it did get re-recorded after I left and was released as Dead Mouse.
Everything went well for a while, but then I was told that our manager, who I’d never met and didn’t even know existed, had insisted that we all move into a house together, and this, combined with the feeling that we were being watched, lead me to feel very uneasy about things. Also, by then I had found out that I was tricked into joining Cardiac Arrest in the first place as Jim never did wear that bottle of Worcestershire Sauce. I therefore decided it would be best if I handed back my drum sticks and resigned. Ralph left at the same time and we later formed a beat combo known as The Trudy.
Still we remained friends with Cardiacs, and it is a little known fact that I recently re-joined the band. I was really pleased to be a member Cardiacs again after such a long time and in many ways it seemed like I’d never been away.
It was Tuesday 13th September 2005 and The Trudy were recording at Cardiacs’ Apollo 8 studio. It was a bit strange because Korvas kept coming in with his dark curly hair, then he’d stare at my feet and walk out again without saying a word. Anyway, their drummer Bob wasn’t around and it occurred to me that if Cardiacs had to unexpectedly record something, or have a drum-like sound made for any reason they would have a problem. I mentioned this to Tim and he said that although there were no plans for Cardiacs to do anything on that day I could be the stand in drummer just in case. Tim even entrusted me with the key to the glass cabinet that Bob’s drumsticks are kept in and it turned out that they are the same pair I handed back in 1979! In the end my services weren’t required but it was brilliant - a day I will never forget.
Peter Tagg
Testimonial 72
As a teenager growing up in & around sunny Kingston upon Thames, my first awareness of the Cardiacs came through T Shirts with a badly drawn house and a stick man. These T Shirts followed me in pubs and gigs to the extent I thought I was missing out on something (OH how I was!). One night whilst walking past the Grey Hoarse there was a whole pack of them waiting outside the pub ’so its definitely a band’ I recall thinking. Not long after a friend of mine said ‘I saw this band called the Cardiacs at Reading (I think) a while back and they’re from round your way, you up for seeing them this weekend?’ That was it I didn’t care if they were crap or not I just had to know.
We got to the gig between bands and all looked pretty normal, I got my beer lit my ciggy and waited with baited anticipation. Then came the now oh so familiar DRONE followed by the THUMP THUMP THUMP & straight into the icing on the world. It was like discovering Narnia in the wardrobe that had been there all along. I remember it as a revelation and transportation to another musical plane that just is what it is and neither needed or demanded explantion. Next day I was straight into Beggars Banquet to grab my ‘Seaside’ tape, it was played so much it litterally went transparent in places.
Many years have passed but the music has never left me. Just this week I was trying to describe the Cardiacs to somebody which people here will appreciate is nigh on impossible. Thank god for you tube, and thank god the cardiacs are still with us, cause they make me wanna get my doper out.
Glad to see the concern still goes on.
Phil