# The Shaggs - classic



## JHarasym (Mar 27, 2007)

This is too good not to list again.
I think what I like the best is the jazz drumming


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## greco (Jul 15, 2007)

I got to 44 seconds...with pain and suffering throughout.


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## JHarasym (Mar 27, 2007)

Then you missed the drum solo


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## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

Yeah that's pretty special stuff.

There have been groups who have done performances covering the Shaggs music with great attention to detail (they frigging nailed it).

Zappa and Cobain are both said to have been fans.


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

They had a.....difficult....relationship with their father. Not movie-of-the-week difficult or Joe Jackson difficult, but difficult. Let's just say the band was not the daughters' idea.

And just what the hell brand of guitars ARE those?

And if you like the Shaggs, try a little Wild Man Fischer.


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## vadsy (Dec 2, 2010)

JHarasym said:


> I think what I like the best is the jazz drumming


I think I like the drummer


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## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

mhammer said:


> They had a.....difficult....relationship with their father. Not movie-of-the-week difficult or Joe Jackson difficult, but difficult. Let's just say the band was not the daughters' idea.
> 
> And just what the hell brand of guitars ARE those?
> 
> And if you like the Shaggs, try a little Wild Man Fischer.


Now, you see? That one I actually was kinda getting the hook near the end. It sounded at least like all the players could hear each other and were playing the same song. I like the Oooh oooh oooh parts.


But I think the Shaggs are on a completely different level. The father was either oblivious or willfully ignorant to push those girls who apparently showed no aptitude for music whatsoever.

But hey, Wild Man Fischer is now going in my weird file.


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## greco (Jul 15, 2007)

JHarasym said:


> Then you missed the drum solo


_Maybe_ I'll try again tomorrow.


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## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

greco said:


> _Maybe_ I'll try again tomorrow.



LMAO

Honestly, it took several attempts, some weeks apart before I was able to get through a whole track.

Go easy.


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## KapnKrunch (Jul 13, 2016)

I bought "Philosophy of the World". Their only album, I think. It's good. Not derivative. The 12-bar pattern is nowhere to be found. Nor a II-V arrangement.


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## vadsy (Dec 2, 2010)

KapnKrunch said:


> I bought "Philosophy of the World". Their only album, I think. It's good. Not derivative. The 12-bar pattern is nowhere to be found. Nor a II-V arrangement.


are all the songs as 'good' as the one in the OP?


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## davetcan (Feb 27, 2006)

No. Just. No.


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## Paul M (Mar 27, 2015)

I love The Shaggs. Seriously. I listen to the full album several times a year. No matter how much I study/practise/analyze, I will *never* be able to play what they play, the way they play it.

I once read a quote, attributed to Pablo Picasso, along the lines of him regretting that he spent his adult life trying, and failing, to re-learn how to draw like a child.

There is a joy, a celebration, in the music of The Shaggs. There is, I imagine, a freedom that exists in the ability to color outside the lines. Sometimes I wish I knew how that freedom felt. 

YMMV


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## greco (Jul 15, 2007)

Paul M said:


> I love The Shaggs. Seriously. I listen to the full album several times a year. No matter how much I study/practise/analyze, I will *never* be able to play what they play, the way they play it.
> 
> I once read a quote, attributed to Pablo Picasso, along the lines of him regretting that he spent his adult life trying, and failing, to re-learn how to draw like a child.
> 
> ...


Have you read (or seen the film) about Maud Lewis, the artist from near Digby, Nova Scotia? She appears to have accomplished (to some extent) what Picasso might have been striving for.


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## Paul M (Mar 27, 2015)

greco said:


> Have you read (or seen the film) about Maud Lewis, the artist from near Digby, Nova Scotia? She appears to have accomplished (to some extent) what Picasso might have been striving for.


Never heard of her....thanks so much for the referral.


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## KapnKrunch (Jul 13, 2016)

How to listen to the Shaggs (or music from a different culture): 

1) turn off your conditioning
2) open your ears
3) let it happen

EDIT: 4) repeat as necessary


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## sulphur (Jun 2, 2011)

mhammer said:


> And just what the hell brand of guitars ARE those?


1960's The Shaggs Avalon Guitar


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## KapnKrunch (Jul 13, 2016)

Here ya go... try our very own Liz Hogg. C'mon you can do it! Sounds better every time. Amazing stuff. Vinyl album too!


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## vadsy (Dec 2, 2010)

KapnKrunch said:


> How to listen to the Shaggs (or music from a different culture):
> 
> 1) listen to some Velvet Revolver
> 2) ..
> ...


fify


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## jb welder (Sep 14, 2010)

JHarasym said:


> Then you missed the drum solo


He just hates jazz.


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## greco (Jul 15, 2007)

jb welder said:


> He just hates jazz.


More specifically, that sub genre/type of jazz. I will have to work on acquiring an appreciation. I working on later era Coltrane at the moment...slow going.


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## davetcan (Feb 27, 2006)

greco said:


> I will have to work on acquiring an appreciation.


A man has to know his limitations.

I accept mine and will spend none of the time I have left trying to appreciate The Shaggs.


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## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)




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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

Somewhere out there is...Shaggs tablature.


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## zontar (Oct 25, 2007)

The Shaggs are unique in the history of bad bands--some of their songs would actually be pretty good if played well, then there is the train wreck I can't look away from called My Pal Foot Foot.

I have downloaded (Legally) some of their songs & do listen to them.

I will always give My Pal Foot Foot a like when the video is posted.


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

Milkman said:


>


The tune and production itself is probably no different than a zillion other songs by people who were popular locally but never made it past their town of 15,000. The delete bins in the heyday of vinyl were chock full of that stuff. But the video......is the very definition of unphotogenic. You get the sense that everyone behind the camera is either a family member, or else smirking to each other and muttering "Hey, it's _her_ money".


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## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

mhammer said:


> The tune and production itself is probably no different than a zillion other songs by people who were popular locally but never made it past their town of 15,000. The delete bins in the heyday of vinyl were chock full of that stuff. But the video......is the very definition of unphotogenic. You get the sense that everyone behind the camera is either a family member, or else smirking to each other and muttering "Hey, it's _her_ money".


Were this her only video I would tend to agree, but she has many and has been doing this for a long time.

It's like watching a train wreck, so hard to look away. And.....there are worse...…


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

I keep waiting for the Dunning-Kruger Band.


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## KapnKrunch (Jul 13, 2016)

mhammer said:


> ...never made it past their town of 15,000. The delete bins in the heyday of vinyl were chock full of that stuff ...either a family member, or else smirking to each other and muttering "Hey, it's _her_ money".


Every town has one. Once, far from home, I came across an album by our local "star". For some reason I scooped it immediately. Funny how at home he was a joke, but far from home it was: "Hey, I know that guy!"


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## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)




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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

Makes me look forward to getting on my hands and knees in the ho sun and pull out weeds, later today.

What I find interesting about all of those attempts is how they think a "music video" is somehow supposed to look. All of them very much like something from an episode of something Tim and Eric did: naive, low-budget notions of what "the big leagues" consists of.

What I also find interesting is that Dunning & Kruger studied this sort of thing long before there was a Youtube.
David Dunning - Google Scholar Citations


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## jb welder (Sep 14, 2010)

Milkman said:


>


Any time some younger folk tells me they like 'R&B' and they mean it in the modern, more hip hop sense, I tell them "me too! I love R&B!!!" with a straight face and put that one on.


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## zontar (Oct 25, 2007)




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## zontar (Oct 25, 2007)

And the two surviving sisters in 2017


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## zontar (Oct 25, 2007)

Dot-one of the Shaggs has her own band




I find this one catchy


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## zontar (Oct 25, 2007)

double post.


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## KapnKrunch (Jul 13, 2016)

zontar said:


> double post.


I listened twice. 

I liked the tap dance the guitar player did. Gotta get that tone exactly right!


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## KapnKrunch (Jul 13, 2016)

zontar said:


> And the two surviving sisters in 2017


Its called "folk art". Some folks say it's charming. Other folks say it's "shitty".


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)




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## KapnKrunch (Jul 13, 2016)

mhammer said:


>


We need to start a thread for bad music critique. What a blowhard. I put in almost six minutes and picked up nothing of value...


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

I thought he made some fair points. I think it's an interesting question to ponder whether there is a comparison to be made between secret pleasure in really bad movies, and secret pleasures of bad music. I own eight 45rpm singles by Sam the Sham and the Pharoahs. Is it "art"? Not on your life. But I love it. Not nearly as inept as the Shaggs, but sincerely - or maybe cynically, but professionally - done. Is Corey Feldman's magnum opus somehow analogous to Ed Wood's movies? Interesting question.


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## KapnKrunch (Jul 13, 2016)

mhammer said:


> I thought he made some fair points. I think it's an interesting question to ponder whether there is a comparison to be made between secret pleasure in really bad movies, and secret pleasures of bad music. I own eight 45rpm singles by Sam the Sham and the Pharoahs. Is it "art"? Not on your life. But I love it. Not nearly as inept as the Shaggs, but sincerely - or maybe cynically, but professionally - done. Is Corey Feldman's magnum opus somehow analogous to Ed Wood's movies? Interesting question.


This is where the guy reveals that he doesn't know if his asshole is punched or bored. His assumption that the music is "bad" is arrogant and myopic. 

Beefheart played as it was composed. Well-rehearsed and displined. Buddy needs to show some respect.






The Shaggs also played as they composed. Not my definition of "inept".


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## JHarasym (Mar 27, 2007)

mhammer said:


> And if you like the Shaggs, try a little Wild Man Fischer.


Not for me - he keeps time too well


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## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

KapnKrunch said:


> The Shaggs also played as they composed. Not my definition of "inept".


There's a difference between writing something with notations to deliberately play out of time and tune (deliberately) and simply documenting your incompetence after the fact.

I'm sure there are lots of people who can read and write music but really have zero musical aptitude.


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## KapnKrunch (Jul 13, 2016)

Milkman said:


> There's a difference between writing something with notations to deliberately play out of time and tune (deliberately) and simply documenting your incompetence after the fact.
> 
> I'm sure there are lots of people who can read and write music but really have zero musical aptitude.


OK.


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## laristotle (Aug 29, 2019)

Milkman said:


> I'm sure there are lots of people who can read and write music but really have zero musical aptitude.


A computer program called AI/DC has written an AC/DC song called ‘Great Balls’


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