On Land and in the Sea

## Singles from *On Land and in the Sea*

1. Baby Heart Dirt
 Released: 1989

2. I Hold My Love in My Arms
 Released: 1989

3. Horse Head
 Released: 1989

4. The Safety Bowl
 Released: 1989

***On Land and in the Sea*** is the second studio album by Cardiacs. It was recorded throughout 1988 and was released by the Alphabet Business Concern on May 2, 1989. It was their last original album with William D. Drake, Tim Quy and Sarah Smith, though Sarah would continue to appear as a guest artist on future albums.

## Background and production

After the mild success of the band's first studio album, *A Little Man and a House and the Whole World Window*, momentum for *On Land and in the Sea* was built. The former's single 'Is This the Life?' was the band's only appearance on the UK Singles Chart, reaching number 80.

*On Land and in the Sea* was recorded and mixed at The Slaughterhouse, Yorkshire, between Summer and Autumn 1988, with the exceptions being 'Horse Head' and 'The Safety Bowl', for which notes describe as being recorded "in the hand" and "in the bush" respectively.

It was the last album released by the classic six-piece lineup as William D. Drake, Tim Quy and Sarah Smith would leave the group following its release. Sarah did not leave the band entirely, however, as she was featured as a guest artist on future albums.

## Release and promotion

The album cover features a tree (also included in Cardiacs merchandise) and the band lineup from the time of release.

Album coverCD back coverTorso CD back cover1995 reissue album cover1995 reissue CD back coverThe album was released in the UK on May 2, 1989 by the band's long-running own label, the Alphabet Business Concern. 'Baby Heart Dirt' was released as the album's first single by the Alphabet Business Concern. The CD also contained the tracks 'I Hold My Love in My Arms', 'Horse Head' and 'The Safety Bowl'.

The album was put on the band's Bandcamp page on February 25, 2018 and would later also appear on other streaming services.

## Singles

In 1989, 'Baby Heart Dirt' was released as a single by the Alphabet Business Concern, with its CD containing three other tracks: 'I Hold My Love in My Arms', 'Horse Head' and 'The Safety Bowl'. All tracks on the CD also appeared on the full release of *On Land and in the Sea*, which is most likely the reason it was never officially released online.

## Reception

 Source
 AllMusic

*On Land and in the Sea* received some of the best reviews of Cardiacs' career. Noting the band's previous role as "fruitcake purveyors of irreverent, florid, and pomp-ish pop, both harking back to the early ‘70s and ridiculing that period's excesses," *Q*'s Henry Williams described the album as "a tour-de-force" and "a scary and unanticipated triumph," referring to the music's "manic, cackling pace" and comparing Cardiacs' work to both the Small Faces and Peter Hammill. In *Melody Maker*, Andrew Smith described it as the first album to capture "the full majesty" of Cardiacs' sound and dubbed it "insanely sharp; one continuous, sweeping, collection of sawn-off epic joy … a deeply satisfying album." He also praised the album's energy and observed "echoes of Broadway musical – in the unapologetic, audacious breadth and scale of their sound – as well as the inscrutably Germanic qualities of a Brecht or Eisler (both of whom would have loved this album). In fact, The Cardiacs are very Brechtian: they never allow the listener to settle into passive receptivity." In *Sounds*, Cathi Unsworth described Cardiacs as "a sprawling frenzied fiesta, beating out their own inimitable sound with the starkest, most vibrant shades in the palette," and called the album "a veritable masterpiece that stands alone in demented ingenuity."

Retrospectively, Dean Carlson of AllMusic described *On Land and in the Sea* as a "whirligig of shattered atonal pop" that was uneasy to like, adding that the album was "[g]reat for those who liked staticy hip-hop, piercing keyboards, Long Ranger harmonicas, and the sound of a tape deck being clicked off, less so for those who didn't." In *Rock: The Rough Guide*, Lance Phillips said the album is revered by fans of Cardiacs to be the group's "outstanding release," but added that it is "weighted too heavily" towards "furious rapid-fire" style songs. William R. of Sputnikmusic described the "excellent and influential" album as a "difficult but rewarding foray into the weird side of art rock." Although he felt that "it feels like sometimes Cardiacs are being avant-garde for the sake of being avant-garde", with songs constantly pursuing "some sort of disorienting tempo change, meter change, weird harmonies or some combination", he considered it an excellent, "mysteriously catchy" album that is "never actually unenjoyable." Nick Reed of *The Quietus* described the album as an advance on *A Little Man* and "still as insane and awesome as I remember it – most albums tend to lose a bit of lustre after you play them for months and months on end, but if anything, *On Land* feels like it's even more than what I remembered."

## Credits

Credits adapted from multiple internet sources.

### **Tim**

> *Hello, Kidz! (You will notice that I spelt the word kidz with a 'z'.) I have been bowled over and knocked back by the outpourings of love posted on here. Every one of them. You have no idea what this means. Really, though. While I would love to respond to each message, you are doubtlessly aware, my body is my enemy and my hands are cunts. Nonetheless, it means the world to me. Thank you all so much. I am truly blessed.*
>
>

### **Jim**

> *Tim sadly passed away on 21st July, 2020, aged 59 years; will be terribly missed by myself and all who knew him. I won't go on about Tim's musical genius, as we all know that to be a given, and many other more eloquent people have done a better job of that than I ever could. But I will say a few words about his character. He could be a stubborn, self centred tyrant of a man who bulldozed through his life with no thought of the consequences, but at the same time, he was the gentlest, loving, funny and amazing brother anyone could wish for and I will miss him terribly.*
>
>

### **Our Continued Thanks**

> *How are you bearing up? Here, amongst close friends and family, the reality of our loss is beginning to descend and it hurts to the core. We know that you are grieving too. You have sent us some beautiful messages and these will be shared with all of Tim's loved ones. Thank you. Thank you for appreciating that we did our very best to make his life good. Thank you for knowing we did everything we could to keep him safe. Thank you for never doubting us, for trusting us and for always supporting us when we asked for your help.* You *helped make his last days happy, almost contented ones. This must not be underestimated. You are instructed to internalise this* fact *and allow it to assist you in the grieving process which, as any shithead on the street can tell you, correlates precisely to the love that you feel. … This was no ordinary life. This was no ordinary rock star. This was someone whose peg was made bespoke and fitted no convenient hole. In short, we know how you feel and we know you need to show it. We will help you with that as best we can when the times allow us.*
>
>

> With very much love to you all,
>
>

> **Mary x**
>
>

## References

### Citations

1. ↑ "Cardiacs". *Official Charts*. Retrieved July 24, 2020.
2. ↑ "Cardiacs' Community | Cardiacs". *Bandcamp*. Retrieved February 14, 2021.
3. ↑ Unsworth, Cathi (April 22, 1989). "Cardiacs 'On Land and in the Sea' ". *Sounds*.
4. ↑ Carlon, Dean. "AllMusic Review by Dean Carlson". *AllMusic*.Retrieved July 23, 2020.
5. ↑ Phillips, Lance (1999). *Rock: The Rough Guide* (2nd ed.). London: Rough Guides Ltd. pp. 172-183. ISBN 1-85828-457-0.
6. ↑ R, Will (January 17, 2013). "Review: Cardiacs - On Land and in the Sea". *Sputnikmusic*. Retrieved July 23, 2020.
7. ↑ Reed, Nick (May 20, 2014). "Once In A Lifetime: On Land And In The Sea By Cardiacs Revisited". *The Quietus*. Retrieved July 23, 2020.
8. ↑ Smith, Tim (April 29, 2013). "Hello Kidz! (You will notice that I spelled the word kidz with a 'z')." *Facebook*. Retrieved October 31, 2019.
9. ↑ Smith, Jim. "Funeral Notice for Tim". *Dignity Funerals*. Retrieved February 22, 2021.
10. ↑ Wren, Mary (July 30, 2020). "News - Cardiacs". *Cardiacs*. Retrieved February 22, 2021.

### External links

* Official Cardiacs website

*Some of this article uses text originally authored on Wikipedia.*