The 1960s produced some of the greatest albums of all time… along with some of the worst. Let’s take a look at a few albums that are considered the worst of that era, and why I think there’s actually something brilliant about them.
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‘Philosophy Of The World’ by The Shaggs (1969)
If you’ve read a few “worst albums ever” lists before, you’ve probably seen this entry at least once. Philosophy Of The World is a famous garage rock outsider music release from a band known as The Shaggs. There’s so much lore behind this outfit, and I highly recommend looking more into their story.
To summarize, this group of siblings was basically forced into a band by their father, who had a premonition of sorts that his daughters would be famous musicians. The girls, though, couldn’t play their instruments, didn’t know how to write music, and were honestly terrible at it. And yet, their strange and almost unsettling work has gained a cult following by fans who could hear the unintentional brilliance behind The Shaggs.
‘Lord Sutch And Heavy Friends’ by Screaming Lord Sutch (1970)
This album was technically released in February 1970. However, it was recorded in 1969, so I’m going to include it on this list. Somehow, a musician named Screaming Lord Sutch managed to convince the likes of Jimmy Page (who, shockingly, helped to produce the album), John Bonham, Nicky Hopkins, Jeff Beck, Denial Edwards, and Noel Redding to work on an album with him. You’d think with so much star power, this would be one of the greatest rock albums of its era. Sadly, that wasn’t the case. Lord Sutch And Heavy Friends is considered one of the worst albums of all time. Even Jimmy Page himself has totally disowned the album. But I find some appeal in its fascinating blend of talent and… not-so-much talent.
‘They’re Coming to Take Me Away, Ha-Haaa!’ by Napoleon XIV (1966)
You can hate this album, its hit title track, and that track’s even more ridiculous B-side all you want. I’m completely fascinated by this novelty and somewhat avant-garde piece of work from Jerry Samuels, a.k.a. Napoleon XIV. Some would say it’s one of the worst albums of the 1960s, namely for the song “They’re Coming to Take Me Away, Ha-Haaa!”. The B-side of “They’re Coming to Take Me Away, Ha-Haaa!” was a song titled “!aaaH-aH ,yawA eM ekaT oT gnimoC er’yehT”, and the whole composition is just the A-side backward.
The A-side is a glorious touch of madness that managed to make it to No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100. The song’s success feels like a fever dream in retrospect. It’s such a bizarre and almost outsider piece of work that I just can’t stop exploring it. The musician himself is also a bit of an enigma, with little in the way of information about him available online.
Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
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