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The Shaggs are a trio of chubby and plain sisters from the still untouched, innocent American countryside with vast rural landscapes. Raised in an environment always flooded with music due to their father Austin (among other things an excellent harp connoisseur), they develop a passion for music and take lessons for a year before deciding to join forces to form a band. The ShaGgS Trio!!
In their spare time, they engage in unambitious domestic jam sessions with guitars and drums. Their father, blinded by the idea of having his little daughters on covers and in the mainstream limelight, convinces them to record an album of their own songs. It's 1969. The Shaggs sisters doubt their abilities: they lack sufficient technique, experience, they probably don't even know how to tune the instruments together! The first time the recording technician heard such a lack of sound, he strongly recommended, "In my opinion, you're not quite ready to record yet, girls. Maybe you should come back later, it's good advice, trust me." But fortunately, this advice was ignored and they recorded anyway. The music of the Shaggs must have been shocking at the time and still partly retains its pristine charm today: off-key provincial girls, with a completely incompetent and distracted drummer, a guitar in turtle-like slumber, repetitive sounds adorned with go-go candor. Voice and lyrics? Melodic lines similar to nursery rhymes that talk about lost animals, kind-hearted parents, and other elementary school and little diary stuff with hearts. The most tangible thing about the album is the scent of simple people, devoid of hard-to-digest intellectualism. Philosophy Of The World presents itself as a trip into the pure imagination of non-urban girls. Imagination expressed with a unique technical decadence in the history of music, not even Half Japanese would reach such an extent of cluelessness.
An album to have. They say of them: "The Shaggs. Better than the Beatles--even today." - Frank Zappa "They bring my mind to a complete halt." - Carla Bley "Maybe the best worst rock album ever made." - New York Times
Tracklist Lyrics and Videos
01 Philosophy of the World (03:00)
Oh, the rich people want what the poor people's got
And the poor people want what the rich people's got
And the skinny people want what the fat people's got
And the fat people want what the skinny people's got
You can never please anybody in this world
The short people want what the tall people's got
And the tall people want what the short people's got
The little kids want what the big kid's got
And the big kids want what the little kid's got
You can never please anybody in this world
Oh, the girls with short hair want long hair
And the girls with long hair want short hair
Oh, the boys with cars want motorcycles
And the boys with motorcycles want cars
You can never please anybody in this world
It doesn't matter what you do
It doesn't matter what you say
There will always be
One who wants things the opposite way
It doesn't matter where you go
It doesn't matter who you see
There will always be
Someone who disagrees
We do our best
We try to please
But we're like the rest
Whenever at ease
Oh, the rich people want what the poor people's got
And the poor people want what the rich people's got
And the skinny people want what the fat people's got
And the fat people want what the skinny people's got
You can never please anybody in this world
03 Who Are Parents (03:01)
Some kids do as they please
They don't know what life really means
They don't listen to what the ones who really care have to say
They just go and do things their own way
Who are parents?
Parents are the ones who really care
Who are parents?
Parents are the ones who are always there
Some kids think their parents are cruel
Just because they want them to obey certain rules
They start to lean from the ones who really care
Turning, turning from the ones who will always be there
Who are parents?
Parents are the ones who really care
Who are parents?
Parents are the ones who are always there
Parents do understand, parents do care
We must remember
Parents are the ones who will always understand
Parents are the ones who really care
Parents do understand, parents do care
We must remember
Parents are the ones who will always understand
Parents are the ones who really care
Who are parents?
Parents are the ones who really care
Who are parents?
Parents are the ones who are always there
(repeat chorus twice)
04 My Pal Foot Foot (02:33)
My pal's name is Foot Foot (Foot Foot)
He always likes to roam
My pal's name is Foot Foot (Foot Foot)
I never find him home
I go to his house
Knock at his door
People come out and say
Foot Foot don't live here no more
My pal Foot Foot (Foot Foot)
Always likes to roam
My pal Foot Foot (Foot Foot)
Now he has no home
Where will Foot Foot go
What will Foot Foot do
Oh, Foot Foot
I wish I could find you
I've looked here, I've looked there
I've looked everywhere
Oh, Foot Foot
Why can't I find you?
Foot Foot, where can you be?
Foot Foot, why won't you answer me?
Foot Foot, Oh Foot Foot
Wherever you are
I want you to come home with me
I don't have time to roam
I have things to do
I have to go home
Oh, Foot Foot, where are you?
If Foot Foot didn't like to roam so well
He would still have a place to dwell
Foot Foot, please answer me
I know where you are
You're behind that tree
Foot Foot, please come to me
Foot Foot, now that you're here
Won't you come home
Foot Foot, promise me this
That you will never again roam
08 Sweet Thing (02:58)
You're such a sweet thing
(Sweet thing, sweet thing)
But you can be so mean
You're such a sweet thing
(Sweet thing, sweet thing)
You used to make me dream
But then there's times when you are very different
I just don't understand
How a minute you can be so mean
The next minute so grand
You used to make me happy
Now you make me sad
You've told me many lies
I've never told you one
You think you'll fool me
(Fool me, fool me)
So go and have your fun
I'll play it cool and go along with you
You ran around and think that I don't know
You must think you put on quite a show
But you're turn's coming
(Coming, coming)
There'll be some girl who will hurt you
(Hurt you, hurt you)
The way you have hurt me
And then you'll be the one who's sad and blue
And then you'll see how you made me feel
In the end you will find
I was only trying to be a friend
In the end you will see
That I'm not the fool
But it's you, yes, you're the fool
Then maybe you'll consider others
And try to be true
If you did that in the first place
You wouldn't be so blue
You were such a sweet thing
(Sweet thing, sweet thing)
But now you are very mean
You were such a sweet thing
(Sweet thing, sweet thing)
But now you'll never make me dream
You'll never make me dream
09 It's Halloween (02:23)
It's Halloween
It's Halloween
It's time for scares
It's time for screams
It's Halloween
It's Halloween
The ghosts will spook
The spooks will scare
Why, even Dracula will be there
It's time for games
It's time for fun
Not for just one
But for everyone
The jack-o-lanterns are all lit up
All the dummies are made and stuffed
By just looking you will see
It's this time of year again
It's Halloween
It's Halloween
All the kids are happy and gay
There doesn't seem to be a cloud in their way
But when it's over and they've had all their fun
They'll wish that Halloween had just begun
Oh, there are witches, goblins, vampires, devils, Frankensteins and zombies
And there are tramps, Cinderallas, pirates, angels and gypsies
So let's have lots of fun and give many cheers
For Halloween comes but once a year
It's time for games
It's time for fun
Not for just one
But for everyone
It's Halloween
It's Halloween
It's Halloween
It's Halloween
It's Halloween!
12 We Have a Savior (03:06)
Why does the world go unholy (?)
Why does everyone fight more and more
Don't they know we have a saviour
All we have to do is believe and pray
Why must we go unheathen (?)
Why does anyone have to run (?)
Don't they know we have a saviour
That's what God told us guys (?)
I often sit and wonder
Why people do the things they do
And I can't understand, no I can't understand
Why they don't have faith in the Lord, like I do
Why do the people go on killing
Why do they feel sad and blue
Don't they know we have a saviour
Just watching over me and you
I often sit and wonder
Why people do the things they do
And I can't understand, no I can't understand
Why they don't have faith in the Lord, like I do
Why do the people go on killing
Why do they feel sad and blue
Don't they know we have a saviour
Just watching over me and you
Don't they know we have a saviour
All we have to do is believe and pray
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By Almotasim
The Shaggs are incompleteness, inconsistency, incompleteness, and incapacity made into a system and elevated to art.
A naive, naked, simple, frail, emaciated, awkward beauty, but incredibly true and direct.
