I listened to them again.
I like The Shaggs.
Niel Schon (at age 14) and Greg Rolie were an integral part of early Santana's improvisational genius (Nothing to Depend On, T Puente's Oyo Como Va, Everybody's Everything, etc.). Journey's early fusion efforts showed some promise, but unlike their dung-beetle come spaceship album covers, the concept never took off. Hiring Steve Perry locked their fate as top-40 rockers that took themselves way too seriously.
The musicianship was generally spot on, the singer had range, the songs were fair, encouragements good, but the sum of the parts never lived up to the hype.
Sure, Journey was, and may still be commercially palatable, but so was a lot of other overproduced Hostess-Twinkie bullshat.
The Shaggs had no pretense other than to make their grandmother's premonition come true.
That we are here 40 years later discussing and listening to the songs is proof of their success.
