| The Obvious Identity | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Demo album by | ||||
| Released | June 1980 | |||
| Recorded | June 1980 | |||
| Length | 45:18 | |||
| Label | Self-released | |||
| Producer | Cardiac Arrest | |||
| Cardiac Arrest chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Encyclopedia of Popular Music |   [1] |
| The Virgin Encyclopedia of Eighties Music | [2] |
The Obvious Identity is a self-released album by English rock group Cardiacs, their first album of any sort, released under the group's earlier name of Cardiac Arrest. The album format was cassette tape, and it was only sold at concerts. The album title came from a name which the band used for a short time prior to taking on the Cardiac Arrest name. Two songs featured the band's original lead singer, Michael Pugh. (Pugh's only other appearance with the band on record was on the "A Bus for a Bus on the Bus" single)
The album was recorded at Crow Studios in Kingston upon Thames, Surrey, UK. It was recorded with the punk/DIY ethic in mind as Smith had little cash to invest in the project. The master tapes were duplicated onto as many old cassette tapes as Smith could find. An anonymous member of the band has been quoted as commenting that "the recordings were so shit it wouldn’t matter if they were copied onto washing-up sponges."[3] About 1000 cassettes were produced.[4]
- ^ Larkin, Collin (2006). "Cardiacs". The Encyclopedia of Popular Music: Brown, Marion - Dilated Peoples. Muze. p. 182. ISBN 978-0-19-531373-4. Note: Search "Own Label 1980" (with quotation marks).
- ^ Larkin, Collin (1997) [1992]. "Cardiacs". The Virgin Encyclopedia of Eighties Music. London: Virgin Books. p. 93. ISBN 978-0-7535-0159-7. Note: Search "Alphabet 1980" (with quotation marks).
- ^ "Band biography at Cardiacs homepage". Retrieved 9 December 2008.
- ^ Sgrignoli, Marco (20 July 2022). "Cardiacs - biografia, recensioni, streaming, discografia, foto". Ondarock (in Italian). Retrieved 23 July 2022.