Greatest Hits (or Cardiacs Greatest Hits) is a compilation album by the English rock band Cardiacs, released on 22 February 2002.

Greatest Hits
Greatest hits album by
Released22 February 2002
Recorded1985–2001
Length57:15
LabelAlphabet Business Concern
ProducerTim Smith
Cardiacs chronology
Cardiacs and Affectionate Friends
(2001)
Greatest Hits
(2002)
The Special Garage Concerts
(2005)

The album is amusingly titled[1] as it lacks many better-known songs including their biggest hit "Is This the Life".[2]

Greatest Hits features one new and otherwise unavailable track, called "Faster Than Snakes With a Ball and a Chain". This is described as having been taken from the then-forthcoming and as-yet untitled album that was to follow Greatest Hits, the creation of which has evidently been abandoned by the band (not to be mistaken for LSD, a later album left in a similar incomplete state.)

Release

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On 22 February 2002,[3] the Alphabet Business Concern released Greatest Hits through CD, distributed by Plastic Head Distribution (PHD).[4] The Cardiacs website announced its release on 2 April.[5]

Critical reception

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In a retrospective review of On Land and in the Sea (1989), Nick Reed of The Quietus highlighted the Greatest Hits track "Faster Than Snakes With a Ball and a Chain" as "excellent".[6]

Track listing

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All tracks are written by Tim Smith, except where noted

No.TitleFrom the albumLength
1."There's Good Cud"Guns 19992:22
2."Manhoo" (Jon Poole)Sing to God (part one) 19953:22
3."Buds and Spawn"On Land and in the Sea 19896:40
4."Core"Heaven Born and Ever Bright 19912:32
5."Fairy Mary Mag"Sing to God (part one) 19953:09
6."Odd Even"Sing to God (part two) 19953:18
7."She Is Hiding Behind the Shed"Heaven Born and Ever Bright 19914:09
8."The Breakfast Line"A Little Man and a House and the Whole World Window 19884:55
9."Mares Nest" (William D. Drake, Smith)On Land and in the Sea 19894:16
10."Wind and Rains Is Cold"Guns 19993:20
11."Faster Than Snakes With a Ball and a Chain"The forthcoming album with no title yet 20015:54
12."Victory Egg"A Little Man and a House and the Whole World Window 19883:04
13."Dirty Boy"Sing to God (part two) 19958:56
14."Plane Plane Against the Grain"Songs for Ships and Irons 19881:18
Total length:57:15

Personnel

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Credits adapted from the liner notes of Greatest Hits.[7]

The people who are in...or have once been in Cardiacs

Photographers

  • Val Langmuir
  • Caroline and Lucy Cook
  • Steve Payne
  • Matt Anker
  • David Oliver
  • Marc Palmer
  • Simone Buddemeijer
  • Steve Randall
  • Dominic Search
  • Robin Francella
  • Des Berkensure
  • Loads more

"Faster Than Snakes With a Ball and a Chain"[8]

Guest:

  • Sarah Smith – saxophones, vocals

Notes

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References

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  1. ^ Phillips, Lance (2003). "The Cardiacs". In Buckley, Peter (ed.). The Rough Guide to Rock (3rd ed.). London: Rough Guides. ISBN 978-1-85828-457-6.
  2. ^ Sgrignoli, Marco (20 July 2022). "Cardiacs - biografia, recensioni, streaming, discografia, foto". Ondarock [it] (in Italian). Retrieved 27 May 2023.
  3. ^ "Greatest Hits [Explicit] by Cardiacs". Alphabet Business Concern. Retrieved 27 May 2023 – via Amazon Music.
  4. ^ "Greatest Hits". The Consultant's Memorabilia Collection. The Cardiacs. Archived from the original on 16 April 2002. Retrieved 27 May 2023.
  5. ^ "News". The Cardiacs. 2 April 2002. Archived from the original on 8 April 2002. Retrieved 25 May 2023.
  6. ^ Reed, Nick (20 May 2014). "Once In A Lifetime: On Land And In The Sea By Cardiacs Revisited". The Quietus. Retrieved 27 May 2023.
  7. ^ Greatest Hits (liner notes). Cardiacs. Alphabet Business Concern. 2001. ALPH CD029.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  8. ^ Benac, Eric (27 August 2021). The Cardiacs: Every Album, Every Song. On Track. Sonicbond Publishing. p. 140. ISBN 9781789521313.
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