The Sea Nymphs – In session for John Peel – October 4, 1998 – BBC Radio 1 –
The Sea Nymphs to start the week. A side project of The Cardiacs’ Tim Smith, Sarah Smith and William D. Drake, The Sea Nymphs were a decided change of pace for this Post-Punk and Experimental Rock outfit.
Started in the early 1980s and still going (to a degree), The Sea Nymphs issued their first single, though not by their current name, but as Mr. and Mrs. Smith and Mr. Drake in 1984. The first Official Nymphs single, Appealing To Venus, was issued in 1991 as a limited-edition (500 copies) freebie with the release of The Cardiacs Day Is Gone album. It was later sold via their fan club.
Their first self-titled album was initially available only through The Cardiacs fan club, in 1992. In 1995 the album was officially released to the public as a CD.
Certainly a band with a cult following, and a huge fan in John Peel, The Sea Nymphs did their first (and only) session on October 4, 1998.
Together in principle all this time, founding member Tim Smith suffered a heart attack and stroke in 2008, and his slow recovery by 2015 made possible the release of a 2nd album, initially recorded in the early 90s and remaining unissued until November of this past year. With the release of that album also came the promise of additional unreleased material in a follow-up album at some point in the next year or so.
This session comes around the time The Sea Nymphs settled on the name and the official release of Appealing To Venus, their 1991 debut ep.
If you’re familiar with The Cardiacs, you are no doubt familiar with The Sea Nymphs. The Cardiacs have been regarded as one of the seminal bands of the 1990s and have been cited as major influences on the likes of Blur, Faith No More and Radiohead.
Dive in and give a listen.
