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"A Bus for a Bus on the Bus"
Single by Cardiac Arrest
B-side
  • "A Cake for Bertie's Party"
  • "Food on the Wall"
Released1979
Recorded25 July 1979
StudioElephant (London)[1]
Length4:33
LabelTortch
Songwriter(s)
Cardiacs singles chronology
"A Bus for a Bus on the Bus"
(1979) 		"Seaside Treats"
(1985)

"A Bus for a Bus on the Bus" is the debut single[a] by English rock band Cardiacs, then known as Cardiac Arrest,[5] released in 1979 under Tortch Records.[9] The song's title recalls "A Pound for a Brown on the Bus" from the Mothers of Invention album Uncle Meat (1969).[10]

Until the release of The Special Garage Concerts Vol II, none of the tracks on the 7-inch single had been reproduced anywhere else. The single was supposed to contain four tracks and not three, but the limited space on the 7-inch format prevented it. The fourth track was to be "Keep Your Dead Mice with You",[11][7] which was later re-recorded as "Dead Mouse" on the Toy World album. The single is one of the rarest Cardiacs items.

Recording

According to Pugh, Jim Smith broke the E string on his bass during recording. Before recording Cade bought some children's items from a newsagent and brought them to the session. Smith proceeded to give each member a different item and conducted them like an orchestra to make noises on "A Cake for Bertie's Party" during the middle section. During the recording of "Keep Your Dead Mice With You", which was at the end of the session, Smith and Pugh tried to put together a vocal harmony but it was not finished. The songs were mixed at the end of the session and 1000 copies were pressed.

Reissues and alternate versions of tracks

Cardiac Arrest E.P. has never been reissued, and thus is one of the rarest Cardiacs releases. None of the tracks have ever been reissued from the original master, although tracks have had live versions appearing on other albums.

Track listing

A1. "A Bus for a Bus on the Bus" (Tim Smith, Michael Pugh) – 4:33
B2. "A Cake for Bertie's Party"[b] (T. Smith, Jim Smith, Colvin Mayers) – 3:10
B3. "Food on the Wall" (Mayers) – 1:08

Personnel

According to Eric Benac:[8]

Pete's Cardiacs Site credits synth to Tim Smith rather than vocals and credits Pugh as "Peter 'Zip' Boker" and Mayers as "Max Cat".[13]

Notes

  1. ^ The original record is branded as the Cardiac Arrest E.P..[2] However, The Encyclopedia of Popular Music refers to "A Bus for a Bus on the Bus" as a single,[3] as do subsequent biographers and journalists.[4][5][6] On the official Cardiacs website, Peter Tagg and the band's history page also call the record a single.[7][1] In his book Cardiacs: Every Album Every Song, Eric Benac refers to "A Bus for a Bus on the Bus" as both a single and an EP throughout.[8]
  2. ^ The sleeve spells the title "A Cake for Berties Party" without the apostrophe.[2]

References

  1. ^ a b "History". Cardiacs. August 2013 [2005]. Retrieved 27 February 2023.
  2. ^ a b Cardiac Arrest E.P. (Vinyl liner notes). Cardiac Arrest. Tortch Records. 1979. TOR 002.((cite AV media notes)): CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  3. ^ Larkin, Collin (1997) [1992]. The Virgin Encyclopedia of Eighties Music. Virgin Books. p. 93. ISBN 9780753501597.
  4. ^ Kitching, Sean (24 July 2020). "Remembering Tim Smith Of Cardiacs". The Quietus. Retrieved 27 February 2023.
  5. ^ a b Beaumont-Thomas, Ben (22 July 2020). "Tim Smith, frontman of cult band Cardiacs, dies aged 59". The Guardian. Retrieved 25 November 2022.
  6. ^ Demalon, Tom. "Cardiacs Biography, Songs, & Albums". AllMusic. Retrieved 28 February 2023.
  7. ^ a b Tagg, Peter (13 September 2005). "Peter Tagg's Testimonial". Cardiacs.com. Archived from the original on 15 May 2011. Retrieved 17 June 2012.
  8. ^ a b Benac, Eric (27 August 2021). The Cardiacs: Every Album, Every Song. On Track. Sonicbond Publishing. p. 153. ISBN 978-1-78952-131-3.
  9. ^ Mark, Alvin (22 July 2020). "Tim Smith, the Cardiacs frontman, dies at 59". Music Times. Retrieved 21 August 2022.
  10. ^ Sgrignoli, Marco (20 July 2022). "Cardiacs - biografia, recensioni, streaming, discografia, foto". Ondarock [it] (in Italian). Retrieved 25 November 2022.
  11. ^ "The Cardiacs Museum". Cardiacs.org. 10 April 2009. Archived from the original on 10 April 2009. Retrieved 17 June 2012.
  12. ^ Worrall, Sean (28 January 2020). "Organ Thing: SlapPeR's fromage to the great Tim Smith of Cardiacs, A Bus for a Bus on the Bus is aid of Tim…". Organ. Retrieved 18 February 2023.
  13. ^ "A Bus for a Bus on the Bus". Pete's Cardiacs Site. Archived from the original on 28 January 2020. Retrieved 29 May 2023.
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