The Shaggs

The Shaggs were a trio of sisters (Dot/Dorothy, Betty and Helen Wiggin) from Fremont, New Hampshire, best known for the 1969 album Philosophy of the World. Their father, Austin Wiggin Jr., organized the recording; the band later gained a cult following and praise from figures such as Frank Zappa and Lester Bangs.

Recorded in 1968/1969 and released in 1969; according to contemporaneous accounts the album was recorded live in a very short session ("half a day for a dozen tracks" in one review). The group disbanded after their father's death; they were championed by NRBQ DJs and later achieved cult status. Drummer Helen Wiggin died in 2006 (noted in reviews).

Two DeBaser reviews capture the Shaggs' mixture of naïveté and cult appeal. One reviewer celebrates their accidental grandeur; the other stresses technical limitations. Together they document how an inexperienced family trio became an outsider-music legend.

For:Fans of outsider music, cult-classic seekers, experimental-rock listeners, music historians