The Shaggs, briefly, for those who aren't familiar with them, were a trio of teenage sisters pushed into a recording studio after too few rehearsals, by a father with visions of superstardom.

Inadvertently, they ended up recording one of the most important albums of the sixties, 'Philosophy of the World.' Well, maybe not most *important* but certainly one of the BEST albums of the sixties. T

he title of this compilation is taken from a quote by Frank Zappa: "Better than the Beatles -- even today." While early in Shonen Knife's career they were frequently (and, to my mind, incorrectly) referred to as "the Japanese Shaggs," Better Than the Beatles succeeds where the tribute album 'Every Band Has a Shonen Knife Who Loves Them' fails.

The main reason is that the majority of the bands here don't try to capture that odd "off" quality which makes the Shaggs, uniquely, the Shaggs, and instead focus on the songs. Songs which are, of course, godhead. I really like most of this CD, but favorite interpretations include those by Optiganally Yours, Mongrell, Plastic Mastery, Bauer, Daneilson Famile, and Furtips.