Cardiacs - Seaside Treats E.P - Alphabet Records - 1985

The first vinyl outing for the Cardiacs, a 12" E.P which followed on the back of two cassette tape albums released in the years prior.
The band's music is hard to define. If I was asked for the musical ingredients to put in the ceramic bowl, then I would probably measure out; a quarter of Kevin Ayres, a quarter of Inner City Unit, a quarter of Gong and a quarter of Syd Barrett. Add a sprinkle of Legendary Pink Dots and a pinch of Devo. Stick the bowl in the oven on medium heat until you get the Cardiacs pie.
I would hear Cardiacs records and the cassette tapes being played often in London squats, on converted buses and trucks, where peaceful folk called home (and quite rightly) and inside Club Dog and the Whirly-Gig type affairs. Excellent!
Wiki words below:
In 1981, Cardiacs self-released the cassette album, ‘Toy World’, featuring both new material and recordings dating back to the Cardiac Arrest period (consequently, some tracks featured Michael Pugh as lead singer rather than Tim Smith). During 1981, Colvin Mayers left the band to join the Sound, a group led by Borland. Sarah Cutts briefly covered live keyboards as well as saxophone before Mark Cawthra swapped drums for keyboards and Dominic Luckman was recruited from the road crew as the new drummer. At around the same time percussionist Tim Quy became a full-time member (also doubling on bass synthesizer). In July 1983, Tim Smith married Sarah Cutts - taking his surname, she was henceforward known as Sarah Smith.
In mid-1983 Mark Cawthra left the band, to be replaced on keyboards by William D. Drake. Tim Smith had previously met Drake in 1982 at the debut performance of Drake's band Honour Our Trumpet (who promptly invited him to join as bass guitarist.) Following Cawthra's departure, Smith returned Drake's favour by inviting him to join Cardiacs. Drake played his first concert with the band on 31st August 1983. Later in the year, Cardiacs added Marguerite Johnston (alto saxophone) and Graham Simmonds (guitar), and for about a year the band worked as an octet. Both Johnston and Simmonds left during the following summer (in July and August respectively), although Simmonds stayed on as Cardiacs' sound engineer. At some point in 1983, Tim Smith produced two issues of a comic alternatively called ‘Peter and His Dog’ and ‘Peter and His Dog Spot’.
By autumn 1984, the band lineup had settled as the sextet generally referred to as "the classic lineup" - Tim Smith (lead vocals and guitar), Jim Smith (bass and vocals), William D. Drake (keyboards and vocals), Sarah Smith (saxophones and vocals), Tim Quy (percussion and keyboards) and Dominic Luckman (drums). The first Cardiacs release featuring the "classic" lineup was their album, ‘The Seaside’ (although Cawthra featured throughout on drums, keyboards, and voice; and Simmonds and Johnston also appeared on several tracks). The album was released on Cardiacs own record label, Alphabet (which later became Alphabet Business Concern). The bizarre and sinister "Alphabet Business Concern" mythology now began to become a significant part of Cardiacs' artistic presentation, and the band members would promote and add to it at every opportunity. The band evolved an elaborate and theatrical stage show, involving off-putting "bandsmen's uniforms, makeup, Sarah's music stand, (and) Tim's mile-wide grin".
Between November and December of 1984, Cardiacs performed their first major British support tour, supporting Marillion at the personal invitation of Marillion's vocalist, Fish. Whilst the tour afforded the band a new level of publicity, generally they were not well received by Marillion's fanbase. On most dates of the tour, the band was pelted with a variety of makeshift missiles. During the 13th December show at the Hammersmith Apollo, Fish himself was indignant enough about the Marillion fans and their hostile behaviour to come onstage during Cardiacs' set and berate the audience about it. The band eventually ducked out of the last three days of the Marillion tour.
On 1st April 1985, an attempt was made to film Cardiacs at a live concert at the Surbiton Assembly Rooms. The band had been approached by film-maker Mark Francombe, and his colleague Nick Elborough, both of whom were at that time students at Portsmouth College of Art and Design. Francombe and Elborough offered to film the band for free as part of their coursework project. However, when the band viewed the resultant footage, they decided against releasing it. Instead, they retained Francombe and Elborough for a new video project which would become 'Seaside Treats', named after the 12" single that was released at the same time. As well as containing three music videos, ‘Seaside Treats’ contained a ten-minute film named The Consultant's Flower Garden. The latter featured Cardiacs (and various people connected with them) in bizarre, comedic situations which continued to propagate the absurdist Alphabet Business Concern mythology which surrounded the band.

[@daviderskine966]

But I'm lost not for words or for kindness or sympathy
That's the way we all go
And if you're bigger you fall a bit harder
But that's the way we all go

[@martinjohnston6685]

thanks micheal for this excellent upload.

[@farfisa]

You've got goooood taste.

[@alfrombrum777]

Amazing. Tim Smith *