or
Sign in to turn on 1-Click ordering.
 
 
More Buying Choices
6 used & new from £6.80
Have one to sell? Sell yours here
 
   
Songs in the Key of Z: The Curious Universe of Outsider Music
 
 
Share your own customer images
Search inside this book

Songs in the Key of Z: The Curious Universe of Outsider Music (Paperback)

by Irwin Chusid (Author) "fremont, New Hampshire, in the late 1960s was a remote, culturally disconnected backwater ..." (more)
4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
RRP: £14.50
Price: £10.99 & this item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions
You Save: £3.51 (24%)
o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o
In stock but may require up to 2 additional days to deliver.
Dispatched from and sold by Amazon.co.uk. Gift-wrap available.

Only 2 left in stock--order soon (more on the way).

4 new from £10.99 2 used from £6.80

Frequently Bought Together

Songs in the Key of Z: The Curious Universe of Outsider Music + Songs in the Key of Z Vol.1 & 2: the Curious Universe of Outsider Music + Philosophy of the World
Price For All Three: £37.06

Some of these items are dispatched sooner than the others. Show details

Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought

Songs in the Key of Z Vol.1 & 2: the Curious Universe of Outsider Music

Songs in the Key of Z Vol.1 & 2: the Curious Universe of Outsider Music

~ Various Artists
5.0 out of 5 stars (2)  £9.98
Philosophy of the World

Philosophy of the World

~ The Shaggs
4.7 out of 5 stars (3)  £16.09
When Sex Leers Its Inquisitive Head

When Sex Leers Its Inquisitive Head

~ Peter Wyngarde
4.1 out of 5 stars (9)  £7.98
Six and Six

Six and Six

~ Jandek
£8.79
Continued Story/Hi, How Are You

Continued Story/Hi, How Are You

~ Daniel Johnston
£18.09
› Explore similar items

Product details

  • Paperback: 272 pages
  • Publisher: A Cappella Books (12 Jul 2000)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 1556523726
  • ISBN-13: 978-1556523724
  • Product Dimensions: 22.6 x 14.9 x 1.8 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 261,783 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

    •  Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?

Product Description

Notes

"A significant achievement"
Inside This Book (Learn More)
First Sentence
fremont, New Hampshire, in the late 1960s was a remote, culturally disconnected backwater. Read the first page
Explore More
Concordance
Browse Sample Pages
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
Search inside this book:

Suggested Tags from Similar Products

 (What's this?)
Be the first one to add a relevant tag (keyword that's strongly related to this product)
 
wfmu
unusual music
ubuweb
sociology
self-taught
raw art
pop culture
outsider art
outsider
noncommercial
neglected

Your tags: Add your first tag
 
See most popular tags
 

Customer Reviews

2 Reviews
5 star:
 (1)
4 star:
 (1)
3 star:    (0)
2 star:    (0)
1 star:    (0)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.5 out of 5 stars (2 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars I Hear A New World, 19 Sep 2000
By A Customer
Irwin Chusid's first book is an extremely entertaining, inspiring, and well-deserved tribute to an assorted cast of musical curiosities. More than just weird songsmiths, and certainly way beyond alternative music, these artists defy description. Under the umbrella of 'outsider music' (coined by the author as the musical equivalent of outsider folk art), he offers up twenty intriguing examples for your consideration. Some of these individuals have already achieved a certain degree of fame (Capt. Beefheart, Syd Barrett, Tiny Tim), and some have achieved notoriety through the underground community (Wesley Willis, Daniel Johnston, B.J. Snowden, Wild Man Fischer). Some may have been unlucky geniuses (Harry Partch, Robert Graettinger, Joe Meek), and some have stories that remain unresolved, with only the recordings left to speak for themselves (Jandek, Shooby Taylor, Jack Mudurian). All of them, though, share unquestionable sincerity and originality when it comes to their skewed takes on popular music forms. What separates them from other pop oddities like Frank Zappa, the Residents, or Barnes & Barnes is a lack of self-awareness in their work. They don't aim to be weird, but the end result inevitably gets received that way. Although he writes with a healthy dose of humor, he also displays a large amount of respect for them. Fans of way-out sounds may recognize Chusid's name. He's been shining spotlights on fringe music for years, penning liner notes and producing compilations for both Esquivel and Raymond Scott (he's also the director of the Raymond Scott Archives), as well as co-hosting the "Incorrect Music Hour" on the legendary free-form radio station WFMU in New Jersey. This wonderful book is by no means a comprehensive look at any of these names, but merely a well-written sampler that will hopefully inspire you to find out more. Closing out the book, there's a section of artists' discographies to provide an idea of what's out there (and you can marvel at the vast self-released output of Jandek, Johnston, and Willis), and a bibliography featuring plenty of sources for the intrigued reader to do further research (both in print and on the Internet). A fantastic companion CD is also available, featuring tracks by many of this book's subjects (which is highly recommended, in order to fully appreciate what they do).
Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)



 
0 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Entertaining pulp, 13 Oct 2000
By A Customer
The author's (Chusid) earnest enthusiasm and protestations of sincerity about his belief in 'outsider' music notwithstanding, this book offers little more than a simple listen to the music provides. There's quite a lot of speculation, and some of the stories are weirdly fascinating, but in the end it amounts to pulp. I recommend listening to the cd of the same name for a truly boggling experience.
Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)


Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
 
 
 
Only search this product's reviews


Customer Discussions

This product's forum
Discussion Replies Latest Post
No discussions yet

Ask questions, Share opinions, Gain insight
Start a new discussion
Topic:
First post:
Prompts for sign-in
 


Active discussions in related forums
   
Related forums

Listmania!

Create a Listmania! list

Look for similar items by category

Look for similar items by subject



















i.e., each product must be in subject 1 AND subject 2 AND ...

Feedback

Ad

Your Recent History

 (What's this?)

After viewing product detail pages or search results, look here to find an easy way to navigate back to pages you are interested in.