Philosophy Of The World (studio album) by The Shaggs

From spigelwii 11/23/2023 21:00

I'm not adding anything new to the conversation, but I just wanted to say that I just listened to this record for the first time in an attempt to stress-test my new rating system that I've been working on all year. I'm afraid to say I have to go back to the drawing board; there is no place in the system for ironic appreciation.

My worldview is shattered.

Trying to rate this album is like trying to critique a drawing made by a preschooler.

I mean... how do give this album a rating? They are unbelievably bad at playing their instruments. They are out of tune. They are out of sync with one another. Except for the vocalists match each other with near perfection, which is actually just another bad thing. The lyrics are bizarre and terrible. It's hard to imagine something that could be objectively worse. This does to your ears what eating a mix of shredded wheat, pickled radishes and tuna in a bowl with water would do to your tastebuds. I dunno there is something admirable about that though.

From BozoTyrannus 06/09/2020 15:10

Absolutely impossible to rate accurately. But without question one of my favorite albums.

From StefanR10 05/30/2020 20:48

I heard worse but this is not the worst music ever made. The Lou Reed album with sound effects is a little bit worser, but you can hear that music i find it interesting. A little bit like Trout Mask Replica. Maybe not to recommend but when you want to start a avantgarde or LO-FI band or something like that you can hear this.

The backstory behind this band (abusive father pressuring his teenage daughters to create music) is heartbreaking and puts this record in its necessary context - the girls singing "Who are Parents" is particularly affecting. It would be insulting if I was to state that none of them quite knew what they were doing, it was more so that they seemed blissfully unaware of the structure of songs in the pop/rock genres or the concept of rhythm, and it's precisely this aura of complete rhythmic obliviousness that pushes this record into otherworldly brilliance. Honestly, it sounds as if aliens have picked up a guitar and some drum sticks whilst warbling unintentionally profound lyrics. An "outsider" masterpiece.

It understandable why this album isn't liked. Hell maybe some points I might need to turn it off. But it comes of as somewhat endearing and actually shows some fundamentals of music within the mix. So in the middle. Not angry but not floored.

From Mattdup279 10/13/2017 13:58

The musical equivalent of the Tommy Wiseau film 'The Room.'

I can't tell if it's good or bad
I can't tell if admire it or if I am disgusted by it
I can't tell if I wanna listen to it again or if I'd rather it was locked up for eternity.
After 31 minutes of this, I can't seem to tell anything.

From Purplepash 03/28/2017 13:06

This is an album that truly should be on any list of albums you must hear before you die. Love it or hate it it is a unique experience that must be heard to be believed. Personally I had a smile on my face (when I wasn't outright laughing out loud) for 30 odd minutes, so I must think of this as an album I enjoyed listening to and that is always a plus in music.