The Seaside

## Singles from *The Seaside*

1. Is This the Life?
 Released: March 1988

***The Seaside*** is the third demo album by Cardiacs. It was recorded throughout 1980 to 1983 and was released by the Alphabet Business Concern in 1984. It was their first album with William D. Drake and their last with Mark Cawthra.

## Background and production

The album is composed of material the band had written and performed between 1980 and 1983. Initially *The Seaside* was only produced on cassette (as with earlier Cardiacs album releases), and was only made available through the band's fan club and at concerts. It is notable for having been the first formal release on the band's own label, the Alphabet Business Concern. Three editions of the cassette album were produced, each with a different cover - the first featuring a drawing of the Little Man and a House (as pictured above), the second a colour picture of bass player Jim Smith, and the third being a completely different picture in black-and-white. The three editions of the cassette album were released in 1983, 1984, and 1990, respectively. All versions are rare, with the 'Little Man and a House' cover being the rarest.

Several tracks on the cassette album were re-recorded for subsequent releases. 'Is This the Life?', 'A Little Man and a House' and 'R.E.S.' were all re-recorded and released five years later on Cardiacs' 1988 album *A Little Man and a House and the Whole World Window*. 'Nurses Whispering Verses' was eventually re-recorded a decade later for the band's 1996 album *Sing to God,* albeit with different lyrics.

## Concept and music

The album captures the band in a transitional phase, with two distinct lineups of the band featured. Both featured Mark Cawthra (who moved between drums and keyboards during different recording sessions) and his voice is featured prominently on the album, occasionally sharing lead vocals with Tim Smith. Cawthra would leave the band amicably during the sessions for *The Seaside* in order to pursue his own projects.

## Release and promotion

*The Seaside* was reissued on CD in 1995, with 'Nurses Whispering Verses', 'Is This the Life?', 'A Little Man and a House' and 'Dinner Time' all removed from the track listing. The reason provided for these omissions was that the master tape containing those four songs had been damaged and the recordings lost.

2015 re-release album coverThe Seaside: Original Edition album coverThe Seaside: Original Edition back cover1990 album cover1990 back cover1990 CD back coverOriginal cassette album coverThe Seaside Old Back.jpgOriginal cassette back coverSecond cassette album coverSecond cassette back coverThe Consultant's Memorabilia Collection promotion
Despite that, October 2015 saw the announcement of a further re-release, which reinstated, and remastered, all the original tracks.

## Singles

In 1988, 'Is This the Life?' was released as a single by the Alphabet Business Concern, with its CD containing two other tracks: 'Goosegash' and 'I'm Eating in Bed'. The two other tracks were only released on *A Little Man and a House and the Whole World Window*, with 'Goosegash' only being included on the Torso release.

## References

### Citations

1. ↑ "Cardiacs - Is This The Life (1988, Vinyl)" *Discogs*. Retrieved February 1, 2021.

### External links

* Official Cardiacs website

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