Songs in the Key of Z
| Songs in the Key of Z | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Compilation album by Various artists | |
| Released | 2000 |
| Genre | Outsider music |
| Label | Which?, Cherry Red |
| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Dusted | (favorable) |
| Entertainment Weekly | (B) |
| Ink19 | (favorable) |
| PopMatters | (favorable) |
Songs in the Key of Z is a book and two compilation albums written and compiled by Irwin Chusid. The book and albums explore the field of what Chusid coined as "outsider music". Chusid defines outsider music as; "crackpot and visionary music, where all trails lead essentially one place: over the edge." Chusid's work has brought the music of several leading performers in the outsider genre to wider attention. These include Daniel Johnston, Joe Meek, Jandek and Wesley Willis. In addition, his CDs feature some recordings by artists who produced very little work but placed their recordings firmly in the outsider area. Notable amongst these are nursing home resident Jack Mudurian who sings snatches of several dozen songs in a garbled collection known as Downloading the Repertoire and the obscure and extreme scat singer Shooby Taylor AKA 'The Human Horn.'
Songs in the Key of Z - the Curious Universe of Outsider Music, the companion compilation albums to Chusid's book were released on Which? Records, the first volume originally in 2000, with the two volumes later combined together and released by Cherry Red. The collections, compiled by Irwin Chusid, include performances by gay country singer Peter Grudzien, African-American schoolteacher B. J. Snowden, and Swedish Elvis-impersonator Eilert Pilarm, along with better-known artists such as Daniel Johnston, The Shaggs, Joe Meek, and Captain Beefheart. The collections have drawn criticism from some quarters, with Alvin Dahn's wife unhappy with his inclusion in an 'outsider music' compilation, and B. J. Snowden also unhappy with the categorization.
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