RUclips randomly put this in my recommendations about 6 weeks ago. Before that, I'd never heard of Cardiacs. I am now a lifelong fan and still completely enraptured.
www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/timsmith tim smith (singer in this band) has a rare illness and needs our help (posting this under top comment so more people will see it)
I was thinking 1950s, personally. And that's part of why I was so confused on the first listen - I could not tell what decade this was filmed in, along with... Everything else.
I'd never heard of them 9 months ago when you posted this. Now I've watched this more than any other video probably. It is actually, literally, perfect.
My daughter and I only found out about this band two days ago and we can't stop binge watching everything on RUclips about them. We came to the conclusion that they have quite a unique sound/genre and we have named it "Nonsensical fairground music = NFM"
Sorry to say it's not a circus...just seemingly...I have been in the cult 40 years...You have to work your way up to the lyric poetry...crack the code...Just as you would with Shakespeare...it don't come easy...Nevermind the theater...the speaktacle...Listen and Learn!$!
The crazy guy with glasses (Tim Smith RIP) was awarded an honorary PhD in music composition in 2018 by the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. The bloke was no dummy dumb dumb, yet rather he was a total original autodidact musical genius. I have a bachelors and masters in music, and trust me, what he accomplished in this music is totally off the charts incredible. Search the ceremony, its here on YT. Enjoy the ride - Cardiacs are life!
Ok but peter never said tim and cardiacs aren’t smart or aren’t aware of what they’re doing, just that it sounds like nonsensical fairground music, which it absolutely does . Y’all sound real pretentious right now
@@SaintBeatrix I don't care if you or anybody thinks that we Cardiacs fans sound pretentious or otherwise...this music is extremely special to us and we are allowed to express our gratitude and love for Tim's music. No apologies from me. Also, nonsensical is a term used for music that isn't well composed or random BS, which is is the furthest from the truth in Cardiacs. Tim was acutely aware of every single measure of his music, every modulation, every rhythm and time signature, every harmony, etc etc.
If this song were a feeling, it'd be running late for a job interview while stuck in traffic with explosive diahorrea EDIT : Given how this comment has taken off, I'd just like to clarify that I really like this song and Cardiacs in general. I'd rather a song give me a strong feeling than a strong headache
In terms of achievements of mankind that have occurred, I'm impressed every day by the works of physicists, biologists, people practicing medicine, engineering, and so on. But there is a special warm glow in my heart because of the fact that this musical performance occurred on our planet. Let that sink in for a second, you should be proud to share the same species as these individuals.
I think Tim Smith is a genious. And I think that the band of Cardiacs is one of the most important in the story of Rock. I never heard nothing in music that make me to say "Oh, this is similar to Cardiacs!" And we know that Cardiacs is, at first, Tim Smith. I'm an italian (nobody is perfect...) Jazz pianist and composer (and also an ex-progressive keyboard player) and, surely, my music has been influenced by the compositions of T.S. Thank you, Tim, your music is simply great.
To see the Cardiacs live was just something else. I had this privilege many times. The best live band I ever saw, and I've seen many. They still have a place in my heart thirty years later. Just incredible. The best.
I’ve seen them all over 40 years..Iggy, Bowie, Reed, sonic youth, the fall, butthole surfers, you name them I’ve seen them. Nothing has ever come close. Whatever you think of Damon Albarn, he has always said Cardiacs at ULU London in 1992 was the best gig he’s ever seen and changed his whole perspective on music (I was there on extremely strong speed)
I kept getting this video recommended to me in the early pandemic days. When I finally caved and the song fully kicked in, I was so stunned I couldn't process anything I was seeing or hearing. It was like it was begging me to be repulsed, yet something about it kept bringing me back... I've since grown to really like Cardiacs. Wish I had caught the wave a little sooner. RIP Tim Smith and Tim Quy!!!
Tim Smith (gtr, vox)- Jester of all he surveys; Jim Smith (bass)- the most miserable Englishman since Richard Bucket; Sarah Smith (sax)- needs to feed her 83 cats when she gets home; William Drake (keys)- "I THINK I'M A RABBIT!" Dominic Luckman (drums)- Lurch; Tim Quy (perc)- Glad Tim Smith can't reach him.
Amazing band. I have almost all of their records but I cannot stop revisiting this video. It is right on the verge of chaos but never goes over the line. Bloody brilliant
Why wasn't this Number 1 for 16 weeks? It's the absolutely the greatest video ever made and the song is obviously the classic of all classics. This video got me into Cardiacs and I want it played at my funeral.
1: I've heard they were blacklisted in the music industry. 2: 1986 is pre-common internet era, and it was alien to 2021. If you played this at the little old ladies' quilting session then, you'd be wondering why you thought it was a good idea.
@@lancelove9700 Undoubtedly, this song's "crazy," and that's the point. It's about being sane in a world of insanity, which means that you're going to be "tarred and feathered." Your integrity holds you together ("What's it like, flying high? I've a cone for a beak, but the tar makes me cry; that holds me together, tarred and feathered.") but the rest of the world thinks you should have been plunged in lava a long time ago. Not as though you deserve it, but the persecution thinks you're fucking crazy. They, however, seek their own demise; they may not know it, but with the way they go? They do. "There is a way that seems right to a man, but the end is death."
This song has the odd property of starting out fast and herky-jerky, shifting to mid-tempo in the middle, and ending up quite slow - and somehow making that sound like it is completely normal to do and inevitable, and the most natural possible thing.
Going by the lyrics, it starts out with a lot of stress and maybe panic. It calms down as the lyric progresses, ending calmly. However, later live versions (from at least 1989 - forward) had the last part "When they who to the sea go down" sounding more like a Church Organ.
Try some of their other songs, someone described "Jibber and Twitch" (the 2003 rehearsal version) as "Gentle Giant snorted all the coke, and picked a fight with Madness."
The first thought i had when i came across this video was that it sounded like Madness having a stroke. And the video looks like something Tim & Eric would come up with.
Stunning, this was one of the first times that I was exposed to Cardiacs. I had obviously never seen, or heard anything like it before. Totally hooked now of course, how did I miss these for nearly 40 years?
@CaJoel Hi! I'm Tim Quy's nephew. He absolutely loved playing with The Cardiacs and when we as a family mentioned him and his funeral the grey sky cleared and the sun came about on a bright Yorkshire day. Glad to see some remember their rather eccentric music!
@@natelandherr5202 Tim Quy is the percussionist who's standing in this video. A decent shot of him is at 2:19. Also, the vocalist (and songwriter's) name is also Tim - that is, Tim Smith. He died in mid 2020, but not from Covid - he had Dystonia, a rare disease that left him in a wheelchair. He had Dystonia for the 12 years leading up to his death at 59.
Oh man. I didn't know he had passed, I was friends with him on Facebook due to the Pond and was aware that he had been in poor health for some time. Only spoke with him briefly a couple of times (I didn't want to impose) but I did tell him that he was in my favourite band of all time and I am someone who usually doesn't play favourites. My deepest condolences, hopefully him and the other Tim are together and having a great time with one another.
as an extreme Mr. Bungle fan for almost two years now, HOW DID IT TAKE ME SO LONG TO FIND THIS MAGNIFICENT BAND?! AND WHY aren't they on spotify noooooohh...
SotetAmoeba I know. I was ignorant when I wrote this comment and just wanted to listen to everything! I’ve boight all the major Cardiacs albums on CD, have the seaside LP box set and the rest bought from Bandcamp ;)
I feel like every member of this performance represents one instance of my fragmented self, and this clip shows how I manage to make this mess function in day to day life.
Bill's grown a beard and let his hair go grey, which helped a bit. Now, he looks like he's called you in to his office to discuss your last paper in his underwater clockwork conjuration class.
5 years after this comment I now own all Cardiacs albums, all William D Drake albums, all the Tim Smith solo and collaboration albums, and many other albums by artists in the Cardiacs universe including The Shrubbies, North Sea Radio Orchestra, and many more. This song sent me down the most amazing musical rabbit hole and It’s still doing it. It helps that Cardiacs fans (pondies) are some of the nicest people on the internet. Tim Smith is a musical genius of the highest order.
@@jumpinonthebandwagon Cardiacs are something like a cross between an addictive drug and a cult, but, and this is the twist, *not evil*. And Cardiacs fandom is the best fandom ever.
I cannot stop watching this. Until recently Peter Gabriel Sledgehammer was my favorite video. The last few moments are beyond description. Tim takes of his glasses and breathes a heavy sigh. ❤
Video made by the BBC, autumn 1986, in a southwest London railway station for the program "The Tube." Stage set and props were for their live shows at the time. (So this is what a live CARDIACS show looking like in 1986, if you add strobe & black lights + day-glo streamers.} Recording originally from 1986 CARDIACS "BIG SHIP" 12-inch vinyl EP. (Alph004). Live version appears on CARDIACS 1986 Reading Festival album "Rude Bootleg." (Alpha005). Brilliant!!!
@@krashd i was being glib and thinking more of Paula Yates, but you have a point. Though I do remember hours and hours of the C4 test card and thinking gerronwidit!
They truly were incredible. The first time I saw them was at the Wardour Street Marquee. Fucking hell what a gig. Then when they filled The Town and Country Club that was something else esp with the acoustics
I listened to this for the first time a few days ago. Very sad to hear about Tim’s passing, here’s to his obscure accomplishments, and how much he gave us through music. Cheers, Tim.
0:00 - 1:28: An existential crisis that takes up almost half the song. 1:29 - 1:48: A calming acceptance and solitary resolution. 1:48 - 1:56: (Abusively?) Hammer it in. 1:56 - 2:10: Inquisitive, wondering what rejection from society en large is like. 2:10 - 2:29: "I feel great, an I want the world to change! But the world hates me!" 2:29 - 2:38: Time to die... No choice. But at this point, does it matter? 2:38 - 3:01: They in the massive sea, they do not see. (Note - later live versions from 3 to 4 years later had a churchy-sounding organ playing from here to the end. I think that's more fitting.) 3:01 - End: Sigh of exhaustion, but it's all over. Still breathing.
This feels like something that would come on at 2.30 AM while you're half asleep in front of the TV. I also like how the music seems to cut off the announcer mid-sentence. The music and performance perfectly capture the hilarious absurdity and suffering of life in general.
:-) There's an entire little world behind that looking glass. I think you're meant to take the red pill and not the blue one, but I might have forgotten which. Fortunately there's always an *Everso Closely Guarded Line* to follow. ruclips.net/video/61CicoCgyd0/видео.html
I can't read the comment above, so I'll just say, you might also want to listen to Trout Mask Replica. Not to disrespect Cardiacs, I have two of their album re-releases, but TMR also deserves a spot in the Bizarre topic.
Saw Cardiacs many times during 80s, including Champagnes in Horsham, Time Box in Camden (?) on night of great storms in '87, Camden Palais, and Reading Festival. Have loads of cassettes (Seaside etc), video, T Shirts, vinyl and even the Sunday Sport article! Brilliant band and still love listening despite now being in my 50s...
I remember watching this on channel 4 in 86? Loved the song and the video is sooo funny. Ive seen it so many times but it still makes me laugh. The lad in the glasses reminds me of mark off peep show.
Beautifully scary. Reassuringly frightening. Odd. Weird. Delicious. DISTURBED and DISTURBING. The music reminds of JS Bach fugues in the minor scale: you know what's going to happen, but it is always surprising. I only became aware of this band in 1987, but have enjoyed being thrilled and mystified by them ever since. Best of all, Cardiacs fans always seem to be so heartwarmingly loyal and enthusiastic without being cloying. I still hope that one day something really good and amazing will happen to Tim.
who else hears The Small Faces, Adam & the Ants, Madness, Devo, Mr.Bungle, Major Parkinson and all the other favourite band at the same time? How can it be that I have never heard of them until today??? There you are! ❤Finally! 🎁
Tim Smith was actually big fan of Madness and Devo. Mike Patton loves Cardiacs and called them a big inspiration for Mr Bungle. All the members of Major Parkinson are huge fans too and were thrilled when Tim showed up to one of their shows once.
I absolutely love this. Impeccable musicianship, artistic to the bone, soulful performance, funny, original. Maaaan, how did I not hear about these guys before?!
It's amazing how offended some people were and still are by this music. I need a psychoanalyst explain to me why that happens. This is pure brilliance.
@@Luschan Yes, I'm pretty sure that's not just an assumption. I'm referring to news stories such as this, for example: upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0d/Cardiacs_incest_headline.png
Justin Hawkins brought me back here. Almost forgot what an absolute gem this was. Almost; but not quite. I had no idea that Tim had passed though. Thanks for the beautiful madness, you absolute genius.
Beautiful anti-music, it's like saying 'UP YOURS' to all other music & its rules, boundaries & structures. It's like it's going nowhere & yet everywhere at the same time. They're no rules here. You'll be mad for it or hate it. Totally unique, utterly brilliant. XXX
Hal Emmerich Totally agree....everything they do is at least very interesting as is/are all the bands and performers that sprout from them. Mr and Mrs Smith and Mr Drake and so on.
Tim's songs go deeper and deeper the further you get into them... The structures are like Mozart, the riffs inside the structures, are like Beethoven...
Very sad. Saw them a few times in the late 1980,s and last playing in a muddy tent at Reading Festival 1992. Top notch live band as well as being very amusing with it. RIP Tim. You really were a one off.
800th comment. Don’t know how I found this but so glad I did. It is crazy yet intoxicating at the same time. Ever since first hearing this I can’t stop listening to it.
![This Band Changed My Life! [Cardiacs]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/ZF0n1gI-d9w/mqdefault.jpg)
![This Band Changed My Life! [Cardiacs]](/img/tr.png)
![Cardiacs - Is This The Life (Official Video) [HQ]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/s31eL8Y_pBM/mqdefault.jpg)
I mean this in the best way possible…. This gives Muppet Vibes. I love it
Exactly why I love them so much!! Now why haven't The Electric Mayhem covered any of their songs?
When Cardiacs act like this, they call it brillant. When I do it, they call the fuzz. Unfair.
Well said.
This song lays eggs in your brain, Im sure of it.
Ear worm. That's the first time I've heard it said _that_ way, though.
A brilliant ear worm!
i caught toxoplasmosis from that
2:43 in and your comment made me straight up feel tingling on my scalp lol!
My friend described it as "some MK Ultra shit" and yeah that too.
This is High Art. There is not a second of it which is wasted. Everybody in it is magnificent.
Check out the early stuff by Split Enz
@@danieljames8588 The vocalist and songwriter Tim Smith _was_ a Split Enz fan. He also liked Gentle Giant and XTC.
Apparently I am not high enough then.
It's British. As high in human evolution as you can get.
RUclips randomly put this in my recommendations about 6 weeks ago. Before that, I'd never heard of Cardiacs. I am now a lifelong fan and still completely enraptured.
Same thing happened to me! Now I'm hooked as well.
You've been tarred and feathered musically🤭 Now you want to stay there. Congrats!
still?
Finally!!! Real music with a sensible group of musicians who understands the needs of their audience.
Hell yes.
This feels like a Terry Gilliam movie that I somehow missed.
Because it is! Great analogy! ♥️
@@Rshields388 Thank you.
Great reference
he's American. He could never come close to this.
Fear and Loathing in the Insane Asylum😂😂😂😂
One of the principal rules of psychiatric ward: never leave the key to the music room unattended.
Or do leave it unattended. It seems like they're enjoying themselves. (Well, both Tim and Tim seem to be, at least. Maybe Sarah is, too?)
Why would that be a principal rule of a psychiatric ward?
At the state asylum, on the second floor...
But they lock into each other’s rhythms so well…
I agree idiotic stupidity at its best
This song makes me feel the same way as when you're walking at night and some oddball starts following you asking for a light and won't go away
+Dan Bull didn't expect to see you here xD
The people and things you find on youtube lel
got light ?
www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/timsmith
tim smith (singer in this band) has a rare illness and needs our help
(posting this under top comment so more people will see it)
Hahaha. My new favourite description.
this entire video has the color palette of a 1970s microwave cookbook
I was thinking 1950s, personally. And that's part of why I was so confused on the first listen - I could not tell what decade this was filmed in, along with... Everything else.
The phrase "microwave cookbook" makes me feel a little sick, not gonna lie.
... and I'm here for it.
Microwave potato
And it’s great
Pretty certain this is the best music video of all time.
tbh yeah
It is absolutely genius.
It is
I'd never heard of them 9 months ago when you posted this. Now I've watched this more than any other video probably. It is actually, literally, perfect.
this is incredible, how have i missed this in my years of enjoying fun, strange and chaotic music?
A long time ago, this video led me to Sing to God, Parts I & 2 and my life was forever changed. RIP Tim
RIP Tim. A musical lunatic if ever there was one...
Frank zappa
@@Chickenassable he’s very funny 😂
Mike Patton
sid barrett
R.I.P Tim, his genius will remembered by fans across the nation 🕊
My daughter and I only found out about this band two days ago and we can't stop binge watching everything on RUclips about them. We came to the conclusion that they have quite a unique sound/genre and we have named it "Nonsensical fairground music = NFM"
Sorry to say it's not a circus...just seemingly...I have been in the cult 40 years...You have to work your way up to the lyric poetry...crack the code...Just as you would with Shakespeare...it don't come easy...Nevermind the theater...the speaktacle...Listen and Learn!$!
Dzà
The crazy guy with glasses (Tim Smith RIP) was awarded an honorary PhD in music composition in 2018 by the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. The bloke was no dummy dumb dumb, yet rather he was a total original autodidact musical genius. I have a bachelors and masters in music, and trust me, what he accomplished in this music is totally off the charts incredible. Search the ceremony, its here on YT. Enjoy the ride - Cardiacs are life!
Ok but peter never said tim and cardiacs aren’t smart or aren’t aware of what they’re doing, just that it sounds like nonsensical fairground music, which it absolutely does . Y’all sound real pretentious right now
@@SaintBeatrix I don't care if you or anybody thinks that we Cardiacs fans sound pretentious or otherwise...this music is extremely special to us and we are allowed to express our gratitude and love for Tim's music. No apologies from me. Also, nonsensical is a term used for music that isn't well composed or random BS, which is is the furthest from the truth in Cardiacs. Tim was acutely aware of every single measure of his music, every modulation, every rhythm and time signature, every harmony, etc etc.
If this song were a feeling, it'd be running late for a job interview while stuck in traffic with explosive diahorrea
EDIT : Given how this comment has taken off, I'd just like to clarify that I really like this song and Cardiacs in general. I'd rather a song give me a strong feeling than a strong headache
noooooo, thats a bad feel, this creates freedomm, the woerld finellee makesssensssss
You absolutely nailed it. The ending is when you finally get to the bathroom in the building and woefully realize that it is too late to get clean.
*_TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE_*
Are you the one with diarrhea, or does the traffic have the diarrhea?
@@TheGreatMunky Once you’ve reached that point, it makes no difference who or what. The only thing that can save you is a Cardiacs song.
I liked how the captions appeared only at 0:55, like they knew that the viewer needs time to process what he has just seen.
It was necessary.
In terms of achievements of mankind that have occurred, I'm impressed every day by the works of physicists, biologists, people practicing medicine, engineering, and so on. But there is a special warm glow in my heart because of the fact that this musical performance occurred on our planet. Let that sink in for a second, you should be proud to share the same species as these individuals.
Andrew Nakaska I can't stop laughing
sp spot on mate. I feel the same way
That's a double edge sword right there.
Not quite sure what you mean by 'and so on'.
This comment has new poignancy for me with Tim's passing.
I think Tim Smith is a genious. And I think that the band of Cardiacs is one of the most important in the story of Rock. I never heard nothing in music that make me to say "Oh, this is similar to Cardiacs!" And we know that Cardiacs is, at first, Tim Smith. I'm an italian (nobody is perfect...) Jazz pianist and composer (and also an ex-progressive keyboard player) and, surely, my music has been influenced by the compositions of T.S.
Thank you, Tim, your music is simply great.
I've just listened to this song, and I'd say the artist it reminds me of most is Lemon Demon
ruclips.net/video/eouyn8W0a9A/видео.html
This is my comfort song
To see the Cardiacs live was just something else. I had this privilege many times. The best live band I ever saw, and I've seen many. They still have a place in my heart thirty years later. Just incredible. The best.
I’ve seen them all over 40 years..Iggy, Bowie, Reed, sonic youth, the fall, butthole surfers, you name them I’ve seen them. Nothing has ever come close. Whatever you think of Damon Albarn, he has always said Cardiacs at ULU London in 1992 was the best gig he’s ever seen and changed his whole perspective on music (I was there on extremely strong speed)
I kept getting this video recommended to me in the early pandemic days. When I finally caved and the song fully kicked in, I was so stunned I couldn't process anything I was seeing or hearing. It was like it was begging me to be repulsed, yet something about it kept bringing me back...
I've since grown to really like Cardiacs. Wish I had caught the wave a little sooner.
RIP Tim Smith and Tim Quy!!!
Tim Smith (gtr, vox)- Jester of all he surveys;
Jim Smith (bass)- the most miserable Englishman since Richard Bucket;
Sarah Smith (sax)- needs to feed her 83 cats when she gets home;
William Drake (keys)- "I THINK I'M A RABBIT!"
Dominic Luckman (drums)- Lurch;
Tim Quy (perc)- Glad Tim Smith can't reach him.
You deserve much more likes for this summary. I wish I could grant you a daisy or something.
My sides
I thought the bassist was comedian Dave Thomas! 😂🤣
"most miserable Englishman since Richard Bucket" made me LOL
Idk about most miserable englishmen... Karl Pilkington is pretty damn miserable haha.
Amazing band. I have almost all of their records but I cannot stop revisiting this video. It is right on the verge of chaos but never goes over the line. Bloody brilliant
I asked for something that is a mixture of punk and prog. My prayers are answered!
Try NoMeansNo as well!
Henry Cow
Why wasn't this Number 1 for 16 weeks? It's the absolutely the greatest video ever made and the song is obviously the classic of all classics. This video got me into Cardiacs and I want it played at my funeral.
1: I've heard they were blacklisted in the music industry.
2: 1986 is pre-common internet era, and it was alien to 2021. If you played this at the little old ladies' quilting session then, you'd be wondering why you thought it was a good idea.
We can all die now in peace since we've seen this. There's nothing more to attain and we should slough off this mortal coil.
One of many Cardiacs masterpieces.
So sad to hear of TIm's passing today. Incredible live band, not for everyone which only made them even more special.
He died😥?
Vrdd
In other words they suck but bad music is like good racism...who can get away with cheering out loud that it is what it is...no one.
@@lancelove9700 Undoubtedly, this song's "crazy," and that's the point. It's about being sane in a world of insanity, which means that you're going to be "tarred and feathered." Your integrity holds you together ("What's it like, flying high? I've a cone for a beak, but the tar makes me cry; that holds me together, tarred and feathered.") but the rest of the world thinks you should have been plunged in lava a long time ago. Not as though you deserve it, but the persecution thinks you're fucking crazy. They, however, seek their own demise; they may not know it, but with the way they go? They do. "There is a way that seems right to a man, but the end is death."
Lance Love who sucks? This music?!
Who else has watched this 100 times in the last week?
guilty as charged
I love this so much. Music for those with severe ADHD.
Me!!! I feel so good when I hear this and normal for once
This song has the odd property of starting out fast and herky-jerky, shifting to mid-tempo in the middle, and ending up quite slow - and somehow making that sound like it is completely normal to do and inevitable, and the most natural possible thing.
exactly
funny thing about cardiacs they pull off the most bizarre feats in their music and you barely notice it because it just feels natural
Going by the lyrics, it starts out with a lot of stress and maybe panic. It calms down as the lyric progresses, ending calmly. However, later live versions (from at least 1989 - forward) had the last part "When they who to the sea go down" sounding more like a Church Organ.
@@101Volts The final lyrics are lifted from the hymn 'O God, who metest in thy hand' so maybe the church organ is fitting.
It's musical documentation of a shift from mania to depression
It's like if Madness had a panic attack while on cocaine
And taking a trip to Wonderland while snacking on some of Alice's mushrooms 🤡
Try some of their other songs, someone described "Jibber and Twitch" (the 2003 rehearsal version) as "Gentle Giant snorted all the coke, and picked a fight with Madness."
The first thought i had when i came across this video was that it sounded like Madness having a stroke. And the video looks like something Tim & Eric would come up with.
This is hysterical.
You right!😂
Stunning, this was one of the first times that I was exposed to Cardiacs. I had obviously never seen, or heard anything like it before. Totally hooked now of course, how did I miss these for nearly 40 years?
I don’t think I’ve ever loved a band more than I love Cardiacs
I can not stress enough how important Sarah is to this video, that smile, that stare. Love.
rest in peace Tim Quy (the man on percussion) you will be missed :(
@CaJoel Hi! I'm Tim Quy's nephew. He absolutely loved playing with The Cardiacs and when we as a family mentioned him and his funeral the grey sky cleared and the sun came about on a bright Yorkshire day. Glad to see some remember their rather eccentric music!
Which one, there's 2 dudes on percussion
@@danielquy7497sing to god
@@natelandherr5202 Tim Quy is the percussionist who's standing in this video. A decent shot of him is at 2:19.
Also, the vocalist (and songwriter's) name is also Tim - that is, Tim Smith. He died in mid 2020, but not from Covid - he had Dystonia, a rare disease that left him in a wheelchair. He had Dystonia for the 12 years leading up to his death at 59.
Oh man. I didn't know he had passed, I was friends with him on Facebook due to the Pond and was aware that he had been in poor health for some time. Only spoke with him briefly a couple of times (I didn't want to impose) but I did tell him that he was in my favourite band of all time and I am someone who usually doesn't play favourites.
My deepest condolences, hopefully him and the other Tim are together and having a great time with one another.
as an extreme Mr. Bungle fan for almost two years now, HOW DID IT TAKE ME SO LONG TO FIND THIS MAGNIFICENT BAND?! AND WHY aren't they on spotify noooooohh...
if there is ever a band for which to buy an album, Cardiacs is one of them. The money goes directly to Tim smiths medical treatment.
SotetAmoeba I know. I was ignorant when I wrote this comment and just wanted to listen to everything! I’ve boight all the major Cardiacs albums on CD, have the seaside LP box set and the rest bought from Bandcamp ;)
*bought
@@sotetsotetsotetsotetsotet2379 :(
@@cam4617 :(
I feel like every member of this performance represents one instance of my fragmented self, and this clip shows how I manage to make this mess function in day to day life.
This is magnificent. Can't help thinking the keyboard player looks like David Mitchell. Love it!
He reminds me of Jason Shwartzman from Rushmore
His name is William D Drake and he makes his own wonky music and yes, he is exactly like that all the time
Bill's grown a beard and let his hair go grey, which helped a bit. Now, he looks like he's called you in to his office to discuss your last paper in his underwater clockwork conjuration class.
5 years after this comment I now own all Cardiacs albums, all William D Drake albums, all the Tim Smith solo and collaboration albums, and many other albums by artists in the Cardiacs universe including The Shrubbies, North Sea Radio Orchestra, and many more. This song sent me down the most amazing musical rabbit hole and It’s still doing it. It helps that Cardiacs fans (pondies) are some of the nicest people on the internet. Tim Smith is a musical genius of the highest order.
@@jumpinonthebandwagon Cardiacs are something like a cross between an addictive drug and a cult, but, and this is the twist, *not evil*. And Cardiacs fandom is the best fandom ever.
This is a masterpiece
I cannot stop watching this.
Until recently Peter Gabriel Sledgehammer was my favorite video.
The last few moments are beyond description. Tim takes of his glasses and breathes a heavy sigh. ❤
Video made by the BBC, autumn 1986, in a southwest London railway station for the program "The Tube." Stage set and props were for their live shows at the time. (So this is what a live CARDIACS show looking like in 1986, if you add strobe & black lights + day-glo streamers.} Recording originally from 1986 CARDIACS "BIG SHIP" 12-inch vinyl EP. (Alph004). Live version appears on CARDIACS 1986 Reading Festival album "Rude Bootleg." (Alpha005). Brilliant!!!
The Tube was Channel 4 mate.
He's not wrong, one of the only reasons to watch 4 at that time
I remember seeing this back then and was like,,, whaaaaa
@@mitchdavies9171 You like this sort of stuff but you hate the Young Ones, Ben Elton, Smith and Jones, etc?
@@krashd i was being glib and thinking more of Paula Yates, but you have a point. Though I do remember hours and hours of the C4 test card and thinking gerronwidit!
I just found my new favourite band!!
Shame you won't get to experience the euphoria of their live shows.
***** would've been amazing!!
They truly were incredible. The first time I saw them was at the Wardour Street Marquee. Fucking hell what a gig. Then when they filled The Town and Country Club that was something else esp with the acoustics
Check out Henge
Exactly what I said!!
I listened to this for the first time a few days ago. Very sad to hear about Tim’s passing, here’s to his obscure accomplishments, and how much he gave us through music. Cheers, Tim.
RUclips suggested this....there is nothing that I listen to remotely close to this? Also why do I like it so much?
Cyriak loves them, maybe you watch his videos?
Same happened to me, now I have been listening to everything they do. No idea how I missed them in the 80's
I love this band, they're just beyond comprehension.
I have been blessed to have entered into the Cardiac zone.
Kill Crimson! Slay the Giant! Sat NO to YES! Porcupine barks up the wrong tree - THE SINGULAR GREATEST UK PROG band EVER!
0:00 - 1:28: An existential crisis that takes up almost half the song.
1:29 - 1:48: A calming acceptance and solitary resolution.
1:48 - 1:56: (Abusively?) Hammer it in.
1:56 - 2:10: Inquisitive, wondering what rejection from society en large is like.
2:10 - 2:29: "I feel great, an I want the world to change! But the world hates me!"
2:29 - 2:38: Time to die... No choice. But at this point, does it matter?
2:38 - 3:01: They in the massive sea, they do not see. (Note - later live versions from 3 to 4 years later had a churchy-sounding organ playing from here to the end. I think that's more fitting.)
3:01 - End: Sigh of exhaustion, but it's all over. Still breathing.
Thank you.
RIP Tim. You were a genius.
this is the most ominous thing I’ve ever had the pleasure of watching
I saw these play so many times and it never failed to be a bonkers event. Brilliant.
This feels like something that would come on at 2.30 AM while you're half asleep in front of the TV. I also like how the music seems to cut off the announcer mid-sentence. The music and performance perfectly capture the hilarious absurdity and suffering of life in general.
I found this by pure chance a few years ago & realised this is what goes on in my head!: Addicted ever since, Thank You Tim! RiP
Wish Tim & Co had been around for longer. Love this band, glad I got to see them live. A sad loss.
This is the most bizarre music I've ever heard. I like it.
:-) There's an entire little world behind that looking glass.
I think you're meant to take the red pill and not the blue one, but I might have forgotten which. Fortunately there's always an *Everso Closely Guarded Line* to follow. ruclips.net/video/61CicoCgyd0/видео.html
I can't read the comment above, so I'll just say, you might also want to listen to Trout Mask Replica. Not to disrespect Cardiacs, I have two of their album re-releases, but TMR also deserves a spot in the Bizarre topic.
Wait till you discover The Residents
@@Soft_Machine does Psychostick count?
The Parable of Arable Land
RIP TIM. A legend has left us
Thank you RUclips. I don't think I would ever remember this if it wasn't for you. Added to favorites.
Right now I think this could be mankind's most perfect creation
It just occurred to me after the tenth time watching this-John Lennon would have loved them. Brill silliness
Saw Cardiacs many times during 80s, including Champagnes in Horsham, Time Box in Camden (?) on night of great storms in '87, Camden Palais, and Reading Festival. Have loads of cassettes (Seaside etc), video, T Shirts, vinyl and even the Sunday Sport article! Brilliant band and still love listening despite now being in my 50s...
What an immense band. 30 years on, they still tower over everyone, still light years ahead....
I feel like this most days. What a brilliant song and fantastic performance.
This is what goes on in my head! HALP!
R.i.p Tim!
Thank You for all the Wonderful music that so many people either missed, or didn't understand!
God I saw this band so many times I lost count. Vivid memories. RIP Tim. A genius.
"Is the knowledge of my own existence real" What a fucking banger of a tune
R.I.P. Tim Smith. I fell in love with your music only a day after you passed.
UK's Mr. bungle. This is gold.
They were before Mr.Bungle..Paton worshipped them and moulded his band around them. Fact
@@davedmusic3598 did not know that! It all makes sense! Cheers!
My favorite episode of Twin Peaks
This actually makes Twin Peaks seem reasonably sane.
Magnificent!....lol
I'm kind thinking it's like a musical interlude from "the young ones", if directed by Peter Jackson.
Twin Peaks has a great soundtrack. This is trash.
@@josephmitchell6112 Yes and no (respectively).
When they who to the sea go down
And in the waters ply their toil
Are lifted on the surges crown
And plunged where seething eddies boil
i laugh everytime i see Tim boot the drummer hahahahahahahaaa!! it never gets old.
dannyofthededd ... which explains his blinking eyes prior to it: the poor guy knows the hit’s around the corner! 😂
I remember watching this on channel 4 in 86? Loved the song and the video is sooo funny. Ive seen it so many times but it still makes me laugh.
The lad in the glasses reminds me of mark off peep show.
Tim sos lo más lindo que encontré en mucho tiempo, saludos de Argentina ❤️
Mr.Bungle surely must have heard this.
Patton confirmed this upon the leads' passing.
Beautifully scary. Reassuringly frightening. Odd. Weird. Delicious. DISTURBED and DISTURBING. The music reminds of JS Bach fugues in the minor scale: you know what's going to happen, but it is always surprising. I only became aware of this band in 1987, but have enjoyed being thrilled and mystified by them ever since.
Best of all, Cardiacs fans always seem to be so heartwarmingly loyal and enthusiastic without being cloying. I still hope that one day something really good and amazing will happen to Tim.
who else hears The Small Faces, Adam & the Ants, Madness, Devo, Mr.Bungle, Major Parkinson and all the other favourite band at the same time?
How can it be that I have never heard of them until today???
There you are! ❤Finally! 🎁
Tim Smith was actually big fan of Madness and Devo. Mike Patton loves Cardiacs and called them a big inspiration for Mr Bungle. All the members of Major Parkinson are huge fans too and were thrilled when Tim showed up to one of their shows once.
RIP TIM, THANKS FOR EVERYTHING
I want to write a comment but words aren’t enough. There are no words for this. Xx
Utter British genius.
*best thing i've ever heard and seen in my entire life.*
totally agree with your sentiment : its quite incredible.
@@HOBMACHINE *do you study doppelgangers?*
I absolutely love this. Impeccable musicianship, artistic to the bone, soulful performance, funny, original. Maaaan, how did I not hear about these guys before?!
Came here via Andy Edwards's channel - first time listening. I get Sparks, Devo vibes to this - i.e. out there, unique and carving their own genre....
rest in peace tim, you mad, talented bastard!
The best video i have seen
10/10 this is the legend
Thanking the algorithm gods for this one
Rest in Peace Tim. You were an original
I've done the Tim dance on so many occasions.
What a guy.
It's amazing how offended some people were and still are by this music. I need a psychoanalyst explain to me why that happens. This is pure brilliance.
Are you sure these offended people aren’t just an assumption on your part? There’s nothing to be offended about, certainly not today.
@@Luschan Yes, I'm pretty sure that's not just an assumption. I'm referring to news stories such as this, for example: upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0d/Cardiacs_incest_headline.png
Justin Hawkins brought me back here. Almost forgot what an absolute gem this was.
Almost; but not quite. I had no idea that Tim had passed though. Thanks for the beautiful madness, you absolute genius.
Beautiful anti-music, it's like saying 'UP YOURS' to all other music & its rules, boundaries & structures. It's like it's going nowhere & yet everywhere at the same time. They're no rules here. You'll be mad for it or hate it. Totally unique, utterly brilliant. XXX
Cardiacs is what music should sound like in the far future.
Hal Emmerich
Totally agree....everything they do is at least very interesting as is/are all the bands and performers that sprout from them. Mr and Mrs Smith and Mr Drake and so on.
dude not anti-music at all? they just sound like they're having a good time.
Tim's songs go deeper and deeper the further you get into them... The structures are like Mozart, the riffs inside the structures, are like Beethoven...
I really don't see how this is anti-musical at all.
Very sad. Saw them a few times in the late 1980,s and last playing in a muddy tent at Reading Festival 1992. Top notch live band as well as being very amusing with it. RIP Tim. You really were a one off.
Prog is like ammonia and Punk is like bleach... and these guys combined them.
800th comment. Don’t know how I found this but so glad I did. It is crazy yet intoxicating at the same time. Ever since first hearing this I can’t stop listening to it.
Rest in Peace genius x
Lovely, I saw them back in 1986, Reading Rocks festival! Crazy as!
RIP Tim Smith. May you find some peace now x
MY FRIEND JUST SENT ME THIS HOLY SHIT THIS IS PEAK
If I ever form a band, we're going to perform this. On repeat. For 45 mins. And no other songs.
I'm here on my own free will and can't stop watching this amazing video.