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BuriedUnborn
Metal newbie

Joined: Wed Jul 26, 2017 12:01 pm
Posts: 318
Location: Inside your house
PostPosted: Thu Sep 20, 2018 4:24 pm 
 

Why don't we have a talk about "Philosophy of the World", The Shaggs' only album, released in 1969?

For those who don't know it, this is the most random album in the entire history of rock probably. It's quite hard to listen to this music and even harder to enjoy it, but there's something about this that makes it truly interesting, I don't know if it's the awful quality of the audio (it was 1969 anyways), the nonsensical compositions, or just the fact the three sisters that recorded this had actually no idea on how to compose a song.

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Abominatrix
Harbinger of Metal

Joined: Fri Oct 24, 2003 12:15 pm
Posts: 9311
Location: Canada
PostPosted: Thu Sep 20, 2018 5:54 pm 
 

I first heard this, or most of it anyway, on a local radio show in the early 90s. I remember telling a friend at the time it was the worst music I'd ever heard.

It really isn't though. I mean, it's terrible, but I think it's a case of the story behind the group giving it context and helping you make sense of why it turned out the way it did. Given that context, it all becomes rather endearing in its own way. It's a classic example of the addage that you can't force talent; these three girls were basically forced into playing music by their dad, and, well, it turned out, unsurprisingly, to be pretty much directionless nonsense.

I love the story of the producer having to repeatedly stop the tape because the guitarist said she made a mistake, and he finally came up with an exasperated "how can you even tell?"
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newp
Veteran

Joined: Mon Apr 21, 2008 2:07 pm
Posts: 2697
Location: Canada
PostPosted: Thu Sep 20, 2018 6:44 pm 
 

Rather than slog into the album if anyone is curious check out their... um, hit?, "My Pal Foot Foot"



Like Abominatrix said, the context explains a lot. In that way it's actually kind of interesting. Unquestionably awful, but they did have their own befuddling internal cohesion. I've actually listened to a couple of their songs a fair bit ("Who are parents" is quite something, especially given their weird ass father who made them do this) and there is something curious and fascinating about it. Like, you could get a bunch of shit musicians together to make shitty music, but possibly something about their isolation and being sisters makes it feel like it actually made some sense to them, even if that's mostly indiscernible to any listener. Like the bizarre "drum solo" that opens "My Pal Foot Foot". It's baffling and aimless, but then they all just pick up and start the song like it's just what you do in a band.

Weird, super bad, but interesting given their story. I don't know if there is a that much to say here that a bunch of people haven't already written, but it's worthy curiosity for anyone who's never heard them.

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Oxenkiller
Veteran

Joined: Sat Feb 09, 2008 3:42 am
Posts: 3613
Location: United States
PostPosted: Thu Sep 20, 2018 11:58 pm 
 

There have been some bands over the years- Brazil's Exterminator is one of them- that are literally the "Shaggs of Death Metal." Listen to the Exterminator "Total Extermination" album and hear a complete lack of coherent riffs, song structure, or any sense that all three guys are actually playing the same song.

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TheLoneForest
Metalhead

Joined: Sat Mar 19, 2011 3:16 pm
Posts: 760
Location: Quebec
PostPosted: Thu Oct 04, 2018 10:18 pm 
 

These women are from NH, where I sort of lived, so my aunt met these women somewhere a while back. She told me, and she hadn't of heard their music, despite having a good relationship with them.

Needless to say, it was funny showing her My Pal fot foot the first time

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Abominatrix
Harbinger of Metal

Joined: Fri Oct 24, 2003 12:15 pm
Posts: 9311
Location: Canada
PostPosted: Fri Oct 12, 2018 2:34 pm 
 

TheLoneForest wrote:
These women are from NH, where I sort of lived, so my aunt met these women somewhere a while back. She told me, and she hadn't of heard their music, despite having a good relationship with them.

Needless to say, it was funny showing her My Pal fot foot the first time


Awesome. What was her reaction? :lol:
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Acrobat
Eric Olthwaite

Joined: Fri Jul 06, 2007 8:53 am
Posts: 8854
Location: Yorkshire
PostPosted: Sat Oct 13, 2018 5:56 am 
 

It's pretty popular on RYM, I dunno, I feel sorry for them. They're making a weird fetish of some poor girls' traumatic experience growing up.
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Terri23
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Joined: Thu Sep 30, 2010 3:53 am
Posts: 3177
PostPosted: Tue Oct 16, 2018 1:01 pm 
 

The YouTube comments discussing My Pal Foot Foot are make for hilarious reading. Many go so far to praise their "virtuoso" musicianship.
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