Philosophy of the World

Philosophy of the World
Studio album by The Shaggs
Released 1969
Recorded March 9, 1969
Genre Rock, Pop, Outsider music
Length 31:39
Label Third Word Records (1969); Red Rooster Records/Rounder Records (1980-1988); RCA Victor (1999)
Producer Austin Wiggin, Terry Adams, Charlie Dreyer[1] (uncredited)
The Shaggs chronology
Philosophy of the World
(1969)		 Shaggs' Own Thing
(1982)
Professional ratings
Review scores
Source Rating
Allmusic Link
Lester Bangs (Positive) Link
Mojo (Positive) Link
Pitchfork Media Link

Philosophy of the World is the first album by The Shaggs, released in 1969 by Third Word Records and rereleased in 1980 by Red Rooster Records/Rounder Records after the band NRBQ found it at a Massachusetts radio station in 1978. A CD version containing Shaggs' Own Thing was released in 1988 by Rounder, and another CD, this time without the latter record, was released by RCA Victor in 1999.

Recording of the album was financed by Austin Wiggin, father of the bandmembers.[2]

"Philosophy of the World is the sickest, most stunningly awful wonderful record I've heard in ages: the perfect mental purgative for doldrums of any kind," wrote Debra Rae Cohen for Rolling Stone in a review of the 1980 reissue. "Like a lobotomized Trapp Family Singers, the Shaggs warble earnest greeting-card lyrics (...) in happy, hapless quasi-unison along ostensible lines of melody while strumming their tinny guitars like someone worrying a zipper. The drummer pounds gamely to the call of a different muse, as if she had to guess which song they were playing - and missed every time."[3] "Without exaggeration," Chris Connelly wrote in a later Rolling Stone article, "it may stand as the worst album ever recorded."[4]

Blender Magazine placed it 100th on the list of the '100 Greatest Indie-Rock Albums Ever' in 2007. Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain listed Philosophy of the World as his #5 favorite album of all time.[5] The record has also been cited as highly influential by Frank Zappa, Kimya Dawson of The Moldy Peaches, and Deerhoof.[1]

Contents

Track listing

  1. "Philosophy of the World" – 2:56
  2. "That Little Sports Car" – 2:06
  3. "Who Are Parents?" – 2:58
  4. "My Pal Foot Foot" – 2:31
  5. "My Companion" – 2:04
  6. "I'm So Happy When You're Near" – 2:12
  7. "Things I Wonder" – 2:12
  8. "Sweet Thing" – 2:57
  9. "It's Halloween" – 2:22
  10. "Why Do I Feel?" – 3:57
  11. "What Should I Do?" – 2:18
  12. "We Have a Savior" – 3:06

Personnel

Production

Notes

  1. ^ a b Venus Zine article: "Venus Zine Classic: The Shaggs".
  2. ^ Chusid 37.
  3. ^ Cohen, Debra Rae (October 30, 1980). "Philosophy of the World". Rolling Stone (Straight Arrow Publishers, Inc.) (329): 56. 
  4. ^ Connelly, Chris (December 11, 1980). "Is Rock Ready for the Shaggs?". Rolling Stone (Straight Arrow Publishers, Inc.) (332): 19. 
  5. ^ http://www.nme.com/video/id/NTNo80YmRVM/search/shaggs

References

Chusid, Irwin. Songs in the Key of Z.