Greatest Hits (Cardiacs album)

{{Short description|2002 compilation album by Cardiacs}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}

{{Infobox album

| name = Greatest Hits

| type = greatest

| artist = Cardiacs

| cover = Cardiacs Greatest Hits.png

| alt =

| released = 22 February 2002

| recorded = 1985–2001

| venue =

| studio =

| genre =

| length = 57:15

| label = Alphabet Business Concern

| producer = Tim Smith

| prev_title = Cardiacs and Affectionate Friends

| prev_year = 2001

| next_title = The Special Garage Concerts

| next_year = 2005

}}

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

The album is amusingly titled{{cite book |last=Phillips |first=Lance |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7ctjc6UWCm4C |title=The Rough Guide to Rock |publisher=Rough Guides |year=2003 |isbn=978-1-85828-457-6 |editor-last=Buckley |editor-first=Peter |edition=3rd |location=London |chapter=The Cardiacs}} as it lacks many better-known songs including their biggest hit "Is This the Life".{{Cite web |last=Sgrignoli |first=Marco |date=20 July 2022 |title=Cardiacs - biografia, recensioni, streaming, discografia, foto |url=https://www.ondarock.it/rockedintorni/cardiacs.htm |access-date=27 May 2023 |website={{interlanguage link|Ondarock|it}} |language=it}}

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

On 22 February 2002,{{Cite web |date= |title=Greatest Hits [Explicit] by Cardiacs |url=https://music.amazon.com/albums/B09635FNZR |archive-url= |archive-date= |access-date=27 May 2023 |publisher=Alphabet Business Concern |language=en |via=Amazon Music}} the Alphabet Business Concern released Greatest Hits through CD, distributed by Plastic Head Distribution (PHD).{{Cite web |title=Greatest Hits |url=http://www.cardiacs.com/greatesthits.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20020416192156/http://www.cardiacs.com:80/greatesthits.html |archive-date=16 April 2002 |access-date=27 May 2023 |website=The Consultant's Memorabilia Collection |publisher=The Cardiacs}} The Cardiacs website announced its release on 2 April.{{Cite web |date=2 April 2002 |title=News |url=http://www.cardiacs.com/news.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20020408222319/http://www.cardiacs.com:80/news.html |archive-date=8 April 2002 |access-date=25 May 2023 |website=The Cardiacs}}

Critical reception

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".{{Cite web |last=Reed |first=Nick |date=20 May 2014 |title=Once In A Lifetime: On Land And In The Sea By Cardiacs Revisited |url=https://thequietus.com/articles/15286-cardiacs-on-land-and-in-the-sea-review |access-date=27 May 2023 |website=The Quietus}}

Track listing

{{Track listing

| all_writing = Tim Smith, except where noted

| extra_column = From the album

| title1 = There's Good Cud

| extra1 = Guns 1999

| length1 = 2:22

| title2 = Manhoo

| length2 = 3:22

| extra2 = Sing to God (part one) 1995

| note2 = Jon Poole

| title3 = Buds and Spawn

| length3 = 6:40

| extra3 = On Land and in the Sea 1989

| title4 = Core

| extra4 = Heaven Born and Ever Bright 1991

| length4 = 2:32

| title5 = Fairy Mary Mag

| length5 = 3:09

| extra5 = Sing to God (part one) 1995

| title6 = Odd Even

| length6 = 3:18

| extra6 = Sing to God (part two) 1995

| title7 = She Is Hiding Behind the Shed

| length7 = 4:09

| extra7 = Heaven Born and Ever Bright 1991

| title8 = The Breakfast Line

| length8 = 4:55

| extra8 = A Little Man and a House and the Whole World Window 1988

| title9 = Mares Nest

| length9 = 4:16

| extra9 = On Land and in the Sea 1989

| note9 = William D. Drake, Smith

| title10 = Wind and Rains Is Cold

| length10 = 3:20

| extra10 = Guns 1999

| title11 = Faster Than Snakes With a Ball and a Chain

| length11 = 5:54

| extra11 = The forthcoming album with no title yet 2001

| title12 = Victory Egg

| length12 = 3:04

| extra12 = A Little Man and a House and the Whole World Window 1988

| title13 = Dirty Boy

| length13 = 8:56

| extra13 = Sing to God (part two) 1995

| title14 = Plane Plane Against the Grain

| length14 = 1:18

| extra14 = Songs for Ships and Irons 1988

| total_length = 57:15

}}

Personnel

Credits adapted from the liner notes of Greatest Hits.{{cite AV media notes |title=Greatest Hits |type=liner notes |others=Cardiacs |publisher=Alphabet Business Concern|year=2001 |id=ALPH CD029}}

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

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Photographers

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  • 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

{{div col end}}

Notes

{{Notelist}}

References

{{Reflist}}