Post by alobixx on Feb 8, 2007 22:28:30 GMT 1
I'm sick of the Guilty Pleasures thread. Time for a new one!
So, one question. What are the weirdest, most out-there and unpredictably mind-boggling albums you have ever heard?
I myself sometimes encountered music which I could hardly figure out how it possibly made it on wax. There is music out there which must be heard to be believed.
Here is my mini list:
Philosophy Of The World by The Shaggs
AMG biography
One of the great stories of rock & roll is that of the three Wiggins sisters (Dot, Helen, and Betty), better known as the Shaggs. Growing up dirt poor in New Hampshire, the three girls were turned onto forming a band by their father, Austin Wiggins, who bought their instruments and payed for lessons. Despite their lack of musical expertise, Austin drove the girls down to a studio in Massachusetts, determined to get them on tape "while they were still hot." Striking a deal with a local fly-by-night record company called Third World, the Shaggs recorded their debut album, Philosophy of the World, in one day, recording a dozen tunes all written by Dot. One thousand copies were pressed and all but 100 of them quickly disappeared, along with the president of the company. The Shaggs started playing a regular, Saturday night dance back home in Fremont, NH, and added another sister, Rachel, on bass, to their ranks. When Austin Wiggins passed away in 1975, the group disbanded and never played together again.
But over the intervening years, their lone misguided attempt at recording started gaining cult status. In a Playboy magazine interview, Frank Zappa called them "better than the Beatles" and Philosophy of the World his third all-time favorite album. And by the time NRBQ had reissued it in 1980, its legendary status was already confirmed. Other, later, and slightly more proficient recordings emerged on the compilation Shaggs' Own Thing, and both albums were produced for compact disc on Rounder, issued as simply The Shaggs. In 1999, RCA Victor finally reissued the original Philosophy album with its original cover, notes, and sequencing, keeping the music of the Shaggs (which one can view as either guileless primitive art or just a garage band that really can't play or sing) alive into the new millennium.
The guilelessness that permeates the performances in the album is simply amazing, making a virtue out of artlessness. There's an innocence to the songs and their performances that's both charming and unsettling. Hacked-at drumbeats, whacked-around chords, songs that seem to have little or no meter to them ("My Pal Foot Foot," "Who Are Parents," "That Little Sports Car," "I'm So Happy When You're Near" are must-hears) being played on out-of-tune, pawn-shop-quality guitars all converge, creating dissonance and beauty, chaos and tranquility, causing any listener coming to this music to rearrange any pre-existing notions about the relationships between talent, originality, and ability. There is no album you might own that sounds remotely like this one.
listen to album samples here: music.barnesandnoble.com/search/mediaplayer.asp?ean=090266337125&z=y&track=1&disc=1
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Downloading the Repertoire by Jack Mudurian
AMG review
How do you describe this one? Take an old guy who lives in a nursing home in Boston and likes to sing, pop a 90-minute tape into your hand-held cassette recorder, and challenge him to sing for 45 minutes continuously. The result is an unedited, rambling, often incoherent 129 medley that takes in the first half century of American popular song. To say that the end effect of all this is weird would be putting it mildly. Mudurian makes musical shorthand of these classics, and his free association from tune to tune is downright astounding. No matter what kind of music you might have in your collection, it's a good bet you don't have anything that sounds quite like this.
album samples: music.barnesandnoble.com/search/mediaplayer.asp?ean=737835505720&z=y&track=1&disc=1
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LP5 by Autechre
AMG review
Autechre creates a fascinating sonic world on their fifth album release, where electronic pulses and blips are used to create fantastic textural waves. Members Sean Booth and Rob Brown prove they've become masters of programming throughout, issuing a more than suitable follow-up to their critically praised 1995 release, Tri Repetae++ (1997's Chiastic Slide wasn't considered a true follow-up by the band). Although it may be hard to take for those uninitiated into Autechre's unique style (it's hard to detect melodies upon first listen), you'll discover something new with each repeated listen. Since all the songs are cut from the same sonic cloth, the album is best when listened to in its entirety, but the tracks "Acroyear2," "Rae," and "Fold4, Wrap5" are definite highlights. Although not for everyone, LP5 should be admired, since it's not comparable to anything past or present. Uncompromisingly cutting-edge.
album samples: music.barnesandnoble.com/search/mediaplayer.asp?ean=666489025820&disc=1&track=1
So, one question. What are the weirdest, most out-there and unpredictably mind-boggling albums you have ever heard?
I myself sometimes encountered music which I could hardly figure out how it possibly made it on wax. There is music out there which must be heard to be believed.
Here is my mini list:
Philosophy Of The World by The Shaggs
AMG biography
One of the great stories of rock & roll is that of the three Wiggins sisters (Dot, Helen, and Betty), better known as the Shaggs. Growing up dirt poor in New Hampshire, the three girls were turned onto forming a band by their father, Austin Wiggins, who bought their instruments and payed for lessons. Despite their lack of musical expertise, Austin drove the girls down to a studio in Massachusetts, determined to get them on tape "while they were still hot." Striking a deal with a local fly-by-night record company called Third World, the Shaggs recorded their debut album, Philosophy of the World, in one day, recording a dozen tunes all written by Dot. One thousand copies were pressed and all but 100 of them quickly disappeared, along with the president of the company. The Shaggs started playing a regular, Saturday night dance back home in Fremont, NH, and added another sister, Rachel, on bass, to their ranks. When Austin Wiggins passed away in 1975, the group disbanded and never played together again.
But over the intervening years, their lone misguided attempt at recording started gaining cult status. In a Playboy magazine interview, Frank Zappa called them "better than the Beatles" and Philosophy of the World his third all-time favorite album. And by the time NRBQ had reissued it in 1980, its legendary status was already confirmed. Other, later, and slightly more proficient recordings emerged on the compilation Shaggs' Own Thing, and both albums were produced for compact disc on Rounder, issued as simply The Shaggs. In 1999, RCA Victor finally reissued the original Philosophy album with its original cover, notes, and sequencing, keeping the music of the Shaggs (which one can view as either guileless primitive art or just a garage band that really can't play or sing) alive into the new millennium.
The guilelessness that permeates the performances in the album is simply amazing, making a virtue out of artlessness. There's an innocence to the songs and their performances that's both charming and unsettling. Hacked-at drumbeats, whacked-around chords, songs that seem to have little or no meter to them ("My Pal Foot Foot," "Who Are Parents," "That Little Sports Car," "I'm So Happy When You're Near" are must-hears) being played on out-of-tune, pawn-shop-quality guitars all converge, creating dissonance and beauty, chaos and tranquility, causing any listener coming to this music to rearrange any pre-existing notions about the relationships between talent, originality, and ability. There is no album you might own that sounds remotely like this one.
listen to album samples here: music.barnesandnoble.com/search/mediaplayer.asp?ean=090266337125&z=y&track=1&disc=1
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Downloading the Repertoire by Jack Mudurian
AMG review
How do you describe this one? Take an old guy who lives in a nursing home in Boston and likes to sing, pop a 90-minute tape into your hand-held cassette recorder, and challenge him to sing for 45 minutes continuously. The result is an unedited, rambling, often incoherent 129 medley that takes in the first half century of American popular song. To say that the end effect of all this is weird would be putting it mildly. Mudurian makes musical shorthand of these classics, and his free association from tune to tune is downright astounding. No matter what kind of music you might have in your collection, it's a good bet you don't have anything that sounds quite like this.
album samples: music.barnesandnoble.com/search/mediaplayer.asp?ean=737835505720&z=y&track=1&disc=1
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
LP5 by Autechre
AMG review
Autechre creates a fascinating sonic world on their fifth album release, where electronic pulses and blips are used to create fantastic textural waves. Members Sean Booth and Rob Brown prove they've become masters of programming throughout, issuing a more than suitable follow-up to their critically praised 1995 release, Tri Repetae++ (1997's Chiastic Slide wasn't considered a true follow-up by the band). Although it may be hard to take for those uninitiated into Autechre's unique style (it's hard to detect melodies upon first listen), you'll discover something new with each repeated listen. Since all the songs are cut from the same sonic cloth, the album is best when listened to in its entirety, but the tracks "Acroyear2," "Rae," and "Fold4, Wrap5" are definite highlights. Although not for everyone, LP5 should be admired, since it's not comparable to anything past or present. Uncompromisingly cutting-edge.
album samples: music.barnesandnoble.com/search/mediaplayer.asp?ean=666489025820&disc=1&track=1