Sing to God is the fourth studio album by English rock band Cardiacs. Their first album with drummer Bob Leith and their second as a four-piece, it was recorded throughout 1995, breaking a hiatus by the band that had lasted since the band's previous album Heaven Born and Ever Bright (1992). During writing and recording, Jon Poole took a greater role than before, contributing to many songs written by band leader Tim Smith, and writing some of his own. The band decided to create a double album to encompass the great wealth of material written after their previous album. As with the band's previous albums, it presents a unique sound, and is seen as more eclectic than the band's previous albums, with one reviewer describing the record as "essentially [taking] everything Cardiacs had always been and [ramping] it up to maximum," and another saying the album was where "Smith's ability to express the music inside his head really began to transcend any sort of identifiable genre and turned Cardiacs into something truly unique."
The album was released in June 1996 by the band's own record label Alphabet Business Concern, originally as a limited edition double-disc CD set, before being re-released as two separate albums. Three singles were released from the album; "Bellyeye", "Manhoo" and "Odd Even". Upon release, the music press mostly overlooked the album with the exception of some hostile reviews, reflecting the band's unpopularity with the music press at the time. However, over time it has gained a reputation as a masterpiece and the band's magnum opus. Sam Shepherd of MusicOMH said the album is "quite possibly one of the greatest albums ever made." The album was re-released in 2014 as a double LP set, the first time it had been released on vinyl.
Background
After Cardiacs released their fifth album On Land and in the Sea (1989), the group's line up drastically change; percussionist Tim Quy, keyboardist William D. Drake, saxophonist Sarah Smith and guitarist Bic Hayes all left the band. For the band's subsequent album Heaven Born and Ever Bright (1992), the band became a four-piece, with Jon Poole replacing Bic Hayes' place on guitar during the sessions, and the results gave the album a more direct, heavier direction than the band's previous albums. The album was initially released on Rough Trade instead of the band's own label Alphabet Business Concern, who usually release the band's albums. However, as soon as the album was released, Rough Trade "went under" and closed, ceasing to exist, which put the band "in a bit of a financial trap".
Following its release, their drummer Dominic Luckman left the band and was replaced by Bob "Babba" Leith, and the band subsequently became their second "classic" line-up, sometimes referred to as "Cardiacs Mark II". During this period, the members of the band "all got up to other things." Band leader Tim Smith "produced some other bands albums and things like that." In doing this, the band got the money to re-release their own, older material and carry on, "so it was kind of a blessing in disguise in a funny kind of way." As a four-piece, their next album would utilise the studio to flesh out the band's sound. Due to the sheer amount of material that group leader Tim Smith had written over a number of years with little or no Cardiacs live performances, they decided the new album would be a double album.
Recording
The band recorded the album between Spring and Winter 1995 at the London studio Apollo 8 Studios in Merritt Island and Sally Birthday House Studios, a studio of an unknown location described as simply being "somewhere." Jon Poole recalled that "Jim and Jane's" house was a location for recording." Although the band have a status as a cult band, during recording, the band opened for Blur at Mile End Stadium and recorded a Radio 1 live session with Mark Radcliffe, which aired 24 April 1995, and a Lunchtime Acoustic Session broadcast live on GLR Radio on 16 May 1995. To fill the increasing gap between Cardiacs releases as Sing to God was not yet finished, a live album recorded in Salisbury in 1990, All That Glitters Is a Mares Nest, was released in 1995 to satisfy fans.