The Sea Nymphs (band)
| The Sea Nymphs | |
|---|---|
| Also known as | Mr and Mrs Smith and Mr Drake |
| Origin | Kingston upon Thames, Surrey, England |
| Genres | Psychedelic pop |
| Years active | 1984-present |
| Labels | Alphabet Business Concern |
| Associated acts | Cardiacs |
| Members | Tim Smith - Lead Vocals, Guitar and Keyboards Sarah Smith - Saxophone and Backing Vocals William D. Drake - Keyboards and Backing Vocals |
The Sea Nymphs is a side project created by Tim Smith, Sarah Smith and William D. Drake of Cardiacs. Their musical style is much lighter than that of their parent outfit, Cardiacs; the songs dispense with the use of loud guitars and drums, in favour of differing vocal rhythms, keyboards and brass instruments. However, the music still contains Cardiacs' trademark off-the-wall chord progressions and sudden time changes, albeit in a slightly gentler fashion.
History
Their date of formation is uncertain, although it was in the early part of the 1980s. Their first official release in 1984 was not credited as being by The Sea Nymphs, as the members were yet to come up with the name, and was simply named Mr and Mrs Smith and Mr Drake. The first release under the official name was the "Appealing To Venus" 7" in 1991, which came free with the first 500 copies of Day Is Gone by Cardiacs and was also sold through the fan club.
In 1992, they released their self-titled album (sometimes erroneously referred to as Tree Tops High) on cassette, available only through the Cardiacs fanclub. It was eventually released commercially on CD in 1995.
ORG Records [1] released a collection of material in 1998. This was the Appealing To Venus EP, which contained the title track from the previous 7", material from the Mr and Mrs Smith and Mr Drake era and a surprise in the form of "Hymn", a Cardiacs song recorded at the 1984 Stonehenge Free Festival. Also in 1998, on 4 October, John Peel invited them on to BBC Radio 1 to record a Peel Session.[2] They recorded the tracks Sea Snake Beware, Eating A Heart Out, Lily White's Party and The Sea Ritual.
In 2007, All My Eye And Betty Martin Music [3] re-released the Mr and Mrs Smith and Mr Drake album onto CD.
On 4 May 2009, the Peel session was re-broadcast as a Classic Session on BBC 6 Music.
A second album was recorded during the 1990s but it has never been released.
Discography
- Mr and Mrs Smith and Mr Drake Cassette/CD (1984) ALPH 003/(2007) AME CD004
- Appealing To Venus 7" (1991) ALPH 016
- The Sea Nymphs Cassette/CD (1995) ALPH 021
- Appealing To Venus Reissue CD (1998) ORGAN044
