A Little Man and a House and the Whole World Window | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | 21 March 1988 | |||
Recorded | 1985–1987 | |||
Studio | The Workhouse (London) | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 44:47 | |||
Label |
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Producer | Tim Smith | |||
Cardiacs chronology | ||||
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Singles from A Little Man and a House and the Whole World Window | ||||
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A Little Man and a House and the Whole World Window is the debut studio album by the English rock band Cardiacs. [nb 1] It was released on 21 March 1988 in the United Kingdom by their own label the Alphabet Business Concern and in the Netherlands by Torso Records. Its single "Is This the Life" saw brief chart success due to exposure on mainstream radio, and garnered the attention of a wider audience when it entered the Independent Top 10 in the UK, peaking at number 80.
At the start of March 1987, Cardiacs were accused of incest between Tim and his then wife, and band saxophonist, Sarah Smith by the Sunday Sport tabloid, due to the mistaken belief that the pair were related, with the joke being kept up by the band ever since. Sessions for the album began in 1985 at The Workhouse Studios with the songs "There's Too Many Irons in the Fire" and "All Spectacular" being released as a double A-side single in August 1987 and left off the LP, only appearing on deluxe Torso releases of the album. They, along with B-side "Loosefish Scapegrace", were recorded at Soft Option Studios and were included on the Songs for Ships and Irons compilation.
The album was loosely conceptualised as a performance by a band of clowns under the tyranny of the Alphabet Business Concern label and the fictional characters of the Consultant and Miss Swift, an idea that was conceived on the Seaside Treats video. The band re-recorded many tracks from their previous album, The Seaside , this time with a larger budget and better studio equipment. With manager Mark Walmesley and engineer Graham Simmonds (previously a Cardiacs member), the group coloured much of the recordings with sound effects and orchestration, as exemplified on "A Little Man and a House", "The Breakfast Line" and "Victory Egg". Recording was completed in 1987.
The only picture I'd seen of them was the cover of Cardiacs Live . So I'd been banging on about this amazing group ... when a friend bought Seaside Treats . I remember going around there to watch it and afterwards thinking "Oh Christ. What the fuck have I let myself in for with this lot?" [5]
By 1984, Cardiacs had donned a clown aesthetic with suits and smeared make-up. [6] According to Tim Smith, "we were not aware that we looked strange back then. The strange suits and make-up we wore in those days was us just trying to look our best. We read somewhere that pop groups were supposed to look their best so we were told to do it. Maybe we got it a bit wrong." [5] In August 1986, two years after finishing the album The Seaside , the group recorded the live album Rude Bootleg at Little John's Farm, featuring many previously unreleased songs. [7] Studio versions of two tracks from the show, along with three new songs, were released on an extended play titled Big Ship the next year. [8] The band were receiving skeptical reception from critics whilst garnering more attention from their appearance on Channel 4's The Tube . [9]
The publication in the UK of Smith's remarks about him and his wife "sharing the same mum and bed" then embroiled the band on controversy when the story was published in the Sunday Sport . [10] Kingston Police reportedly investigated the claims, but it is believed to have been a publicity stunt, with label representatives keeping up the incestuous narrative. [11] The tabloid writer Madeleine Pallas writes:
Now a whole new dimension has been added – it seems the in-thing in 1987 is having a passionate fling with your brother or sister! Suddenly it's cool to indulge in incestuous rolls in the hay, the more the better. ... Sarah, the band's 26-year-old saxophonist ... said brazenly: "Yes, there is one bed in the bedroom next door, and we both share it." Tim, 25, explained, "We often have to tell people we're Mr and Mrs to make it easier. That's why we don't get people asking why we're holding hands all the time, or living together." [12]
During that time, members Marguerite Johnson and Graham Simmonds left the band. [13] Johnson reportedly went missing in 1984, though it was likely said as satire. [11] The same year, the group worked on other projects. Tim Smith, Sarah Smith and William D. Drake formed the group Mr and Mrs Smith and Mr Drake, releasing the album of the same name. [14] Smith also produced, directed and acted in the short film Seaside Treats [15] and played brass with his wife on the Sound's third EP Shock of Daylight . [16]
Whilst recording the Seaside album, Smith started writing longer, more theatrical compositions, inspired by the likes of the Red Krayola, Devo, Frank Zappa and Slapp Happy. [17] [18] According to music journalist Sean Kitching, this initiation into avant-garde afforded Cardiacs some of the "most sublime and effortlessly happy moments" that defined the group's next project, A Little Man and a House and the Whole World Window. The addition of keyboardist William D. Drake in the lineup also revamped the Cardiacs sound, [19] along with Smith taking over vocals after Mark Cawthra left in 1983. [20] Smith's war-related lyrics in songs such as "Hope Day" were expanded upon in "Loosefish Scapegrace", [21] a song that provided an anthemic theme to introduce the new album to fans, [22] as well as "Victory Egg" (originally titled "Victory"), [23] a song about the First World War. [24] Smith and Drake co-wrote the songs "I'm Eating in Bed" [nb 2] and the album closer "The Whole World Window". [25] Smith wrote the album's interlude in his youth, when he was about 13 years old. [26] Many tracks from the album were previously released in other forms. The songs "A Little Man and a House", "R.E.S.", and "Is This the Life" were re-recorded from the Seaside demo album, with the latter originating from Toy World . [27] The songs "The Icing on the World", "In a City Lining", "I'm Eating in Bed" and "The Whole World Window" were first released on the Rude Bootleg live album. [28]
In 1985, the Seaside Treats video album introduced the concept of the Alphabet Business Concern label having tyrannical power over the band. The idea involved two fictional members of Cardiacs' management, who were named "the Consultant" and "Miss Swift". [29] The former was portrayed by James Stevens, [30] with the characters appearing in Cardiacs live shows until 1989. [31] They were characterised with opposing personalities, with Swift being courteous and sensitive, and the Consultant being loud and overbearing. Smith's marriage to Sarah in 1983 was credited to the Consultant as a punishment to cover up the Sunday Sport scandal, [11] despite it not making sense chronologically. They, along with Cardiacs manager Mark Walmesley, provided vocals for the album. [32]
Sessions began in 1985 at The Workhouse Studios (formerly Maximum Sound Studios), marking the first time that Cardiacs had done a proper studio recording. [4] The studio loaned the band £40,000 to record the album, [33] which they finished two years later in 1987. [11] After the Workhouse sessions, they recorded "There's Too Many Irons in the Fire", followed by two other songs: "All Spectecular" and "Loosefish Scapegrace", the sessions for which took place in Soft Option Studios. [34]
"There's Too Many Irons in the Fire" and "All Spectacular" were subsequently released as a double A-side in August 1987. The songs were excluded from A Little Man, only included on the Torso deluxe CD [35] and the compilation album Songs for Ships and Irons. [36] A re-recording of the song "Is This the Life" was released as a single in March 1988, managing to chart due to exposure on mainstream radio, [37] peaking at number 80 in the UK. [38] It remains the most famous track by the band, [39] featuring the B-sides "Goosegash" and "I'm Eating in Bed". [40] [nb 3]
The album was produced by Smith. [3]
This section needs to be updated.(October 2021) |
A Little Man and a House and the Whole World Window was originally released on vinyl LP and cassette by the band's record label Alphabet Business Concern, on 21 March 1988. [42] [43] It was subsequently released on CD by the Dutch record label Torso Records with five bonus tracks added – the three tracks from the previous "There's Too Many Irons in the Fire" single ("There's Too Many Irons in the Fire", "All Spectacular" and "Loosefish Scapegrace") plus the B-side tracks from the "Is This the Life" 12" single ("Goosegash" and "I'm Eating in Bed"). Alphabet released a number of CDs which were actually the Dutch Torso Records version (TORSO CD060), with an Alphabet album number sticker over the Torso release (although the CD has the Torso number printed on it.)
The album was reissued on CD in 1995 (along with the rest of the band's back catalogue) by Alphabet Business Concern. The track listing on this release followed the original vinyl and cassette track listing and removed all of the bonus tracks, with the exception of "I'm Eating in Bed" which was reinstated as the album's third track in accordance with the wishes of the band.
After a long period of unavailability, the album was re-pressed in August 2007, and again in 2013 for its 25th anniversary, and is available on the band's official website.
For its 35th anniversary in 2023, the album received a remaster and expanded boxset treatment, quickly selling out. This release was one of Tim Smith's last contributions for Cardiacs, having overseen the process in 2020. [44] Tim Quy also provided an interview for the release's booklet before his passing.
This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (September 2021) |
Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [42] |
Encyclopedia of Popular Music | [45] |
Classic Rock | [46] |
Record Collector | [47] |
Sounds | [48] |
Uncut | [49] |
The Virgin Encyclopedia of Eighties Music | [50] |
Vive Le Rock | 8/10 [51] |
In New Musical Express , reviewer Jack O'Neill savaged the album for what he perceived to be its retrospective musical approach and (in his opinion) unwelcome leanings towards progressive rock. "Just when you thought Marillion had taken us to the very limit along comes this schizo-progressive anachronism wherein the Cardiacs have telescoped the entire dreggs of the early seventies into one album so geriatric, by comparison that the next Blue Öyster Cult will sound as fresh as Viva Hate . It is the Floyd, it is Genesis, it is King Crimson, does it matter? A Little Man... is the very worst bits of Tommy stretched out to an eternity; it's Emerson, Lake & Palmer; it's Brain Salad Burglary as the NME of its day might have said. By way of variation 'In a City Lining' knocks off one of those Neil Young/Mission cryogenic guitar solos and to bewilder us completely there is a nutty body-stomp midway through "Is This the Life" which resides about as comfortable as Ian Paisley in the Vatican. Cardiacs are the sound of both feet in the grave." [52]
Over time, critical reception changed significantly towards a positive view of the album, and the album has become recognized as a somewhat unrecognized milestone, and predecessor to Cardiacs Magnum Opus Sing to God (1996). Writing for The Quietus , Kitching stated "Cardiacs music is fuelled by love and laughter and by awe in the diversity of creation. It is grandiloquent in the way that certain classical music is - particularly the work of Charles Ives - often with several harmonies and melodies developing and converging within the structure of a single song. It can be as simple and beautiful as a budding flower, or as grandiose and multifaceted as the most baroque of architecture." [53]
All tracks are written by Tim Smith, except * co-written by William D. Drake
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "A Little Man and a House" | 5:05 |
2. | "In a City Lining" | 5:52 |
3. | "Is This the Life" | 5:37 |
4. | "Interlude" | 0:47 |
5. | "Dive" | 4:09 |
6. | "The Icing on the World" | 4:02 |
7. | "The Breakfast Line" | 4:55 |
8. | "Victory" | 3:08 |
9. | "R.E.S." | 5:16 |
10. | "The Whole World Window" (*) | 5:56 |
Total length: | 44:47 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
11. | "Goosegash" | 1:56 |
12. | "Loosefish Scapegrace" | 7:46 |
13. | "I'm Eating in Bed" (*) | 5:06 |
14. | "There's Too Many Irons in the Fire" | 3:16 |
15. | "All Spectacular" | 2:35 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "A Little Man and a House" | 5:05 |
2. | "In a City Lining" | 5:52 |
3. | "I'm Eating in Bed" (*) | 5:06 |
4. | "Is This the Life" | 5:37 |
5. | "Interlude" | 0:47 |
6. | "Dive" | 4:09 |
7. | "The Icing on the World" | 4:02 |
8. | "The Breakfast Line" | 4:55 |
9. | "Victory Egg" | 3:08 |
10. | "R.E.S." | 5:16 |
11. | "The Whole World Window" (*) | 5:56 |
Total length: | 49:53 |
with:
Technical
Region | Year | Label | Format | Catalog |
---|---|---|---|---|
United Kingdom | 1988 | Alphabet Business Concern | LP | ALPH LP007 [54] |
Netherlands | 1988 | Torso | CD | TORSO CD 060 [35] |
United Kingdom | 1988 | Alphabet Business Concern | Cassette | ALPH MC007 [55] |
Netherlands | 1988 | Torso | LP | TORSO 33060 [56] |
UK reissue | 1995 | Alphabet Business Concern | CD | ALPH CD007 [25] |
United Kingdom | 2013 | Alphabet Business Concern | CD (25th Anniversary edition) [57] | ALPH CD007 [58] |
Cardiacs are an English rock band formed in Kingston upon Thames by Tim Smith and his brother Jim in 1977 under the name Cardiac Arrest.
Timothy Charles Smith was an English musician, record producer and music video director. A singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, Smith rose to prominence as the frontman of the rock band Cardiacs, which he co-founded with his brother Jim. In addition to Cardiacs, Smith led, co-led or contributed to The Sea Nymphs, Panixphere, Tim Smith's Extra Special OceanLandWorld and Spratleys Japs. Recognised for the particular complexity, skill and idiosyncrasies of his songs and music, Smith was honoured with the Doctor of Music degree from the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland in 2018, two years before his death in 2020.
On Land and in the Sea is the second studio album proper by the English rock band Cardiacs. Produced by band leader Tim Smith, it was recorded and mixed in 1988 at The Slaughterhouse studios in Yorkshire and released in May 1989 by the band's label Alphabet Business Concern. The record features a complex sound, with songs moving through rapid shifts in tempo and key, as well as more experimentation with song structures than the group's previous album. Critics have described the record as art rock and pop in style. It was their final album with their "classic" six-piece line-up.
Songs for Ships and Irons is a 1991 collection of non-album singles and B-sides by Cardiacs. It combines the whole of the Big Ship extended play, the whole of the "There's Too Many Irons In The Fire" 12-inch single and the B-sides of the "Susannah's Still Alive" 12-inch single. It also includes a bonus song called "Everything is Easy," a longstanding live favorite not previously released as a studio recording. Some of the quiet talking in between tracks from the original Big Ship mini-album differs from the original release in having been edited/lowered in volume.
The Seaside is the third demo album from English rock group Cardiacs. The album originally featured the second recording of what would become the band's only hit single, "Is This the Life?". It is the last of the band's releases to feature keyboard player/drummer/singer Mark Cawthra and the first to feature keyboard player William D. Drake.
Toy World is the second demo album by the English rock band Cardiacs. The cassette is a mixture of older songs by the earlier Cardiac Arrest lineup and newer songs by the then-current Cardiacs lineup. This was the last album to feature keyboard player/backing singer Colvin Mayers, and the first to feature saxophonist/backing singer/occasional keyboard player Sarah Cutts.
Big Ship is the second extended play (EP) by the English band Cardiacs, released in January 1987 by the Alphabet Business Concern. It is an album-sized vinyl record played at the speed of a single (45rpm) and was issued with a lyric insert. It was the first Cardiacs release to exclusively feature the so-called classic 1980s line-up of the band.
"There's Too Many Irons in the Fire" is the second single by the English rock band Cardiacs, released on 12 August 1987.
"Is This the Life" is a song by English rock band Cardiacs from their debut studio album A Little Man and a House and the Whole World Window (1988). The song was released on vinyl by the Alphabet Business Concern and Torso on 16 April 1988 as the only single from the album. The song was previously recorded for the demo albums Toy World (1981) and The Seaside (1984). It also briefly attained chart success after being played on various Radio 1 shows thanks to DJ Liz Kershaw. The Torso version of the 7" is exactly the same as the Alphabet release although it comes in a paper sleeve instead of a cardboard one. Only the Torso 12" differs in both track listing and cover design.
Rude Bootleg is a live album by the English rock band Cardiacs. It is the band's first live album, and was originally recorded at the Reading Rock Festival on 24 August 1986.
All That Glitters Is a Mares Nest is a live album and concert film by the English rock band Cardiacs. It is their third live album, and was originally recorded in the afternoon in the Salisbury Arts Centre on 30 June 1990 with Napalm Death. It is the only Cardiacs album to feature guitarist Christian Hayes throughout. The album was released on VHS in 1992 and as a live album on 1 June 1995.
William Derek Drake is an English musician, keyboardist, pianist, composer and singer-songwriter. He is best known as a former member of the cult English rock band Cardiacs, whom he played with for nine years between 1983 and 1992. He has also been a member of the Sea Nymphs, North Sea Radio Orchestra, Nervous, Wood, Lake of Puppies and The Grown-Ups, as well as pursuing a career as a solo artist. He is a distant cousin of the English singer-songwriter Nick Drake.
The English rock band Cardiacs have released five studio albums and two extended plays along with a number of singles, compilations, live albums and demos. The group was formed by brothers Tim and Jim Smith in 1977 under the name Cardiac Arrest, releasing their debut single "A Bus for a Bus on the Bus" in 1979 and the demo album The Obvious Identity the following year. After being renamed to Cardiacs, the band released two more cassettes, Toy World (1981) and The Seaside (1984).
The Seaside: Original Edition is an expanded reissue of the 1984 demo album The Seaside by the English rock band Cardiacs. It was released digitally on 11 January 2015 to mark the album's 30th anniversary. It includes a new remaster of the album from the original tapes, featuring all thirteen tracks.
"Day Is Gone" is a song by English rock band Cardiacs from their third studio album, Heaven Born and Ever Bright (1992). It was released as a twelve-inch single preceding the album on 28 October 1991 alongside a free 7-inch titled "Appealing to Venus" by side project the Sea Nymphs from their eponymous debut studio album (1992). Both tracks were written by Tim Smith who solely produced the former, while the Sea Nymphs produced the latter. Musically, "Day Is Gone" has been described as a power pop song with a 5
4 time signature and prominent guitars.
LSD is the unfinished sixth and final studio album by the English rock band Cardiacs. Recording began following lineup changes, with the lead single "Ditzy Scene" released by Org Records in 2007 to tease the upcoming double album. It was due to be released in October 2008, promoted by singles in August and November, a fall tour, a radio session with Marc Riley and a reissue of the concert film All That Glitters Is a Mares Nest (1992). Production was indefinitely postponed after frontman Tim Smith had a cardiac arrest and stroke on 25 June 2008 leaving him unable to play or provide vocals.
"Stoneage Dinosaurs" is a song by English rock band Cardiacs from their EP Big Ship (1987). The song was written by frontman Tim Smith and produced by Smith alongside Graham Simmonds. Musically, the song is a melancholy track with violins, saxophones and funeral paced drums. Its lyrics reference family, contemporary celebrities and the First World War. The song received generally positive reviews from music critics, who noted its stark difference to the other tracks on the EP.
James A. Smith is an English musician, best known as the bass guitarist for the rock band Cardiacs which he formed with his brother Tim Smith. Along with performing backing vocals for the group, he co-wrote the hymn "The Alphabet Business Concern ", sang lead vocals on "Food on the Wall" live.
Timothy Graham Quy was a British musician, best known as the percussionist for the rock band Cardiacs from 1981 to 1990. Initially the band's sound engineer, Quy first gigged as reserve bass player in 1980 and joined full-time on percussion in 1981. He became a key part of the band's classic six-piece lineup, performing on all their releases from The Seaside (1983) to On Land and in the Sea (1989), and was a popular face in the UK underground. Quy's last performance with Cardiacs was documented in the live video All That Glitters Is a Mares Nest (1992), where his marimba figures particularly high in the mix.