Search - Various Artists :: Songs in the Key of Z 1 & 2

Welcome to the wild and twisted world of "outside" music

Andreas C G | Huntington Beach, CA United States | 10/14/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I knew that sooner or later I would have to have this. These two CD's are also available separately, and are the companions to the book by Irwin Chusid, who also compiled this music. Irwin Chusid, among other things, is a long-time DJ at free-form radio pioneer station WFMU in NJ. Chusid himself is one of the first DJ's to champion "outsider music" such as is found on this collection. In the 1980's Chusid had a regular feature called the "Atrocious Music Program", which featured recordings like these, as well as recordings by celebrities with questionable (to put it nicely) musical skills, such as William Shattner and Leonard Nimoy. Those were subsequently released on the "Golden Throats" collections, which Chusid also worked on. I was an avid WFMU listener growing up in NJ.



This is not an easy collection to listen to, unless you have a strong stomach and a sick sense of humor. Most of the musical performances range from merely amateurish to downright painful, but they all have two redeeming qualities. First, they all come across with a sense of earnestness, and second, they all are so quirky and bizarre that it becomes interesting. All the selections are wonderfully bizarre and ridiculous. Do save this one for the end of your cocktail party, however - when you want people to LEAVE! There are some instant favorites. Eilert Pilarm needs to be heard (and seen) to be believed! Evidently no one has ever told him, and I hope no one ever does!



The first CD opens with a bang with the infamous Shaggs, a girl-group which was forcibly assembled by a tyranical father. Another artist first championed by Irwin Chusid is the mysterious Jandek, who made tons of records of highly dissonant, eerie music in total anonymity for years. The Jandek mistique prompted a documentary, which greatly increased his exposure, eventually convincing him to "come out" and do sporadic live performances. The second CD is not as consistent, but still contains some gems.



Daniel Johnston would go on to have some success in the indie rock circles. Despite his quirks he is certainly a legitimate artistic talent. Tiny Tim did have a brief period of celebrity.



One inclusion is, IMO, marginally appropriate at best, namely Captain Beefheart. He certainly was quirky and avant-guardish, and his creativity had an intuitive "out of the box" quality which these other artist share (who's to say that they are not artists!), but there is absolutely nothing marginal about Captain Beefheart, whom I consider a greatly under-appreciated creative talent. Having a live version of "Making Love to a Vampire with a Monkey on my Knee" is great, though.



One other selection begs a question. Why would you include a Tiny Tim song in which he does NOT do his falsetto yodel?



In short, those with a an absurdist taste for the bizarre will certainly want this and the accompanying book, as well some other related items:



Songs in the Key of Z: The Curious Universe of Outsider Music Please see my review of the book too.



Jandek on Corwood



Golden Throats: The Great Celebrity Sing Off



Also of similar interest:

Gravikords, Whirlies, and Pyrophones (Experimental Musical Instruments) - see my review.

"

Brilliant outsider music

Michael A. Duvernois | Minneapolis, MN United States | 01/23/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The book, Songs in the Key of Z, is the essential bible of outsider music. Truly you're supposed to go to thrift stores and find the old vinyl with the book as a guide, but here comes the CDs and it's really a whole lot easier. I mean, so many folks know about the Shaggs that you'll never find a Shaggs record, no copies of Telstar, and the Ledge's vinyl is also collectible. So, you're really going to need to either download the music or buy these CDs."