Review Summary: An outsider musician compilation filled with many of the most embarrassing moments in music. Despite that negative quality, it showcases the creative minds and spirits of the avant-garde.
Irwin Chusid, a journalist and music historian, had a mission: to preserve and educate people about the existence of outsider music. That is, music that deviates far from commercial accessibility and ignores musical conventions. Because outsider music doesn't entail a specific genre, the music contained within ranges from an unusual flavor of pop, to rock, to country, to doo-wop, to jazz, to lounge, to everything in between. In doing so, Chusid had taken a group of nearly impossible to digest music artists and have exposed them to the public in small doses. Ultimately, the compilation serves as an excellent, two disc gateway into the avant-garde.
A large portion of the songs on the compilation would be considered amateurish and trite if measured up to your average commercial or even semi-commercial sounding artist. Artists such as The Shaggs, Wesley Willis, B.J. Snowden, and Congress-Woman Malinda Jackson Parker bring forth songs that are so poorly made that they're most likely to invoke laughter, despite being completely serious. For instance, Wesley Willis is a homeless schizophrenic man who shouts "Rock n' Roll McDonalds!" out of key to cycled, upbeat keyboard music, while B.J. Snowden sounds congested, as she sings about the wonders of Canada (and on her other song, America) to haunting piano music. Yet, despite being objectively horrible in almost every way, they're so sincere and from the heart, that they come off as charming and memorable.
Other artists on the albums are terrible without being funny. For instance, in "They Told Me I Was a Fool" by Jandek, the singer sounds like Billy Corgan making a draggy country demo that goes absolutely nowhere. Also, a large portion of the songs sound like they were recorded in the 1920s-40s, despite being from the 60s-80s. By being so archaic, it makes almost all of them incredibly hard to appreciate. It is mainly these types of songs that truly drag down the album, due to the fact that their poor quality can't even be saved by accidental humor - though they do retain the same sincerity.
Other artists on the album are actually successful and even talented with their avant-garde experiments. The disturbingly hilarious scatting in the two songs by Shooby Taylor can easily recognized as impressive and difficult to imitate. Peter Grudzien's version of the famous country classic "Spangled Banner Waving Somewhere" replaces the patriotic lyrics with ones pertaining to homosexual freedom. Because it's one of the more well made songs on the compilation, it comes off as a clever relic of the gay rights movement. Also, artists such as Daniel Johnston, Tiny Tim, and Captain Beefheart actually instrument their music and write their lyrics in a way that is not only respectable, but easy to take seriously.
These few examples barely even begin to dig into the vast diversity and awkwardness of Songs in the Key of Z. Whether the songs make you laugh, are surprisingly impressive, are grating, or all three at once, it's incredibly difficult to walk away from almost every song on here without a strong opinion. It is for that reason that most of those songs are successful in what they do; they invoke emotion, provoke thought, and can even revoke your conception of what good music is.
So the question is: are these amateur and professional outcasts really failing at what they're trying to do? In some ways, yes. With the exception of Captain Beefheart, Tiny Tim, and a few others, almost all of these artists intended to make something that would not only be taken seriously, but would launch their career commercially. By being the exact opposite, they show human vulnerability in a strangely natural way. Though, just like the title of Alvin Dahn's poorly sung and decently instrumented heavy metal tune, most of these songs would "drive you mad." For this reason, if you're not looking to explore the avant-garde and it's sincere essence, avoid it at all costs. Otherwise, enjoy Chusid’s double disc compilation that will have you simultaneously laughing, learning, and feeling strong emotions.
Funniest Tracks: "Stout-Hearted Men", "In Canada", "Virgin Child of the Universe", "Rock n' Roll McDonalds"
Highest Quality Tracks: "Walking the Cow", "Spangled Banner Waving Somewhere", "Vampire Suite", "You're Out of the Computer"
