Philosophy of the World
| Philosophy of The World | |
|---|---|
| Studio album by The Shaggs | |
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Publication |
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admission |
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| Label (s) | Third World Recordings (1969) Rounder Records (1980, 1987, 1996) Red Rooster Records (1980, 1996) RCA Victor (1999) Light In The Attic (2016) |
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Format (s) |
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Title (number) |
12 |
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running time |
31:39 |
| occupation |
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Austin Wiggin, Terry Adams, Charlie Dreyer |
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Studio (s) |
Fleetwood Studios, Revere , Massachusetts |
Philosophy of The World is the only regular studio album by the outsider band The Shaggs . It was released in 1969. The recording was financed by Austin Wiggin, the father of the band members and the driving force behind the band.
Cover text
In the liner notes , her father Austin Wiggin wrote:
“The Shaggs are real, pure, unaffected by outside influences. Their music is different, it's hers alone. You believe in it, live it. ... Of all contemporary deeds in the world today, perhaps only the Shaggs are doing what others want to do, and that is only doing what they believe in, what they feel, not what others think the Shaggs should feel.
The Shaggs love you. ... They won't change their music or style to suit the whims of a frustrated world. You should appreciate this knowing that they are pure what more could you ask for? ...
They are sisters and members of a large family whose mutual respect and love for one another are incredibly high. ... in an atmosphere that encouraged her to develop her music unaffected by outside influences. They are happy people and love what they do. They do it because they love it. "
Track list
All songs are written by Dorothy Wiggin.
- page A
- 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
- Side B
- 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
reception
| source | rating |
|---|---|
| Allmusic |
 
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| Pitchfork |
 
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The album initially received no attention. 900 of the 1000 pressed copies disappeared with the windy producer Charlie Dreyer. Dreyer has also operated the Third World Recordings label, whose only release is Philosophy of the World .
Debra Rae Cohen wrote in a review in Rolling Stone in 1980 :
“ Philosophy of The World is the sickest, breathtakingly terribly wonderful record I've heard in a long time: the perfect mental antidote for all kinds of depression… The Shaggs sing their postcard lyrics […] in unison along alleged melody lines, and play their tinny sounding ones Guitars like someone opening a zipper. The drummer plays as if she had to guess the song every time in order to be wrong every time. "
Chris Connelly wrote in an article for Rolling Stone in 1980 :
"Without exaggeration, it could be the worst album ever recorded."
Susan Orlean wrote in 1999 about the album's re-release in The New Yorker :
“The music is captivating, but bumbling pop. Something's wrong with the tempo, and the melodies are compressed and twisted, nasal, expressionless. "
Cub Koda rated the Philosophy of the World on Allmusic with 4½ out of 5 stars:
“The innocence that permeates these achievements is simply amazing and makes a virtue of naivety. There is an innocence in these songs and their performances that is charming and unsettling. "
Blender magazine voted the album at number 100 in 2007 out of 100 best indie rock albums of all time. Rolling Stone magazine chose Philosophy of the World at number 17 of the "40 Greatest One-Album Wonders". The German magazine Musikexpress included the album in a selection of 50 indie secret tips.
Kurt Cobain put the album at number 5 of his favorite albums in 1993.
The album received several praise from Frank Zappa . He described the Shaggs as "better than the Beatles".
The dilettantism and completely unconventional music of the sisters established the reputation of the Shaggs as pioneers of punk , indie rock , twee pop and lo-fi .
Metacritic aggregates a Metascore of 86 out of 100 points for the 2016 re-release of the album .
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Philosophy of the World Album info on Shaggs.com, June 25, 2016
- ^ Newyorker.com: Meet the Shaggs
- ↑ Review by Cub Koda on AllMusic.com (accessed August 3, 2017)
- ↑ Review by Quinn Moreland on AllMusic.com (accessed August 3, 2017)
- ↑ a b c newyorker.com: Meet the Shaggs
- ↑ latimes.com: The terrible threes
- ↑ Chris Connelly: Is Rock Ready for the Shaggs? , in Rolling Stone , December 11, 1980
- ↑ allmusic.com: AllMusic Review by Cub Koda
- ↑ stereogum.com: Blender's 100 Greatest Indie-Rock Albums Ever
- ↑ 40 Greatest One Album Wonders on rollingstone.com, accessed August 3, 2017
- ↑ 50 Indie Insider Tips, Part 1: 1969 - 1984 on musikexpress.de (accessed April 24, 2019)
- ↑ joyfulnoiserecordings.com: Top 50 by Nirvana
- ↑ dmdb.org: Guest DJ: Frank Zappa, on December 24, 1973
- ↑ 1960s proto-punks The Shaggs to reunite for Wilco's Solid Sound Festival on consequenceofsound.net, accessed on August 3, 2017
- ↑ Forgotten punk: Little-known records with big influence on theguardian.com, accessed on August 3, 2017
- ↑ http://www.metacritic.com/music/philosophy-of-the-world-remastered/the-shaggs Metascore on metacritic.com, accessed on August 3, 2017