The Shaggs

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The Shaggs
General information
origin Fremont , New Hampshire , United States
Genre (s) Pop-Rock , Outsider Music , Garage Rock
founding 1967
resolution 1975
Founding members
Dorothy "Dot" Wiggin
Betty Wiggin
Helen Wiggin †
Last occupation
Dorothy "Dot" Wiggin
Vocals, rhythm guitar
Betty Wiggin
Helen Wiggin †
Rachel Wiggin (from 1969)

The Shaggs were an American underdog band.

It consisted of the three sisters Dorothy "Dot" Wiggin (* 1948, vocals, guitar), Betty (* 1951, vocals, rhythm guitar) and Helen (1947-2006, drums). The band was formed in 1967 by their father Austin Wiggin, who was the driving force. In 1969 they released the studio album Philosophy of the World . The Shaggs were recognized for their amateurism and amateur music, but today they are also recognized as trailblazers in punk , indie rock , twee pop and lo-fi .

history

The Wiggin family lived poorly in the 4,000-inhabitant small town of Fremont in New Hampshire , 80 kilometers north of Boston . Austin Wiggin's father worked in a cotton mill . Neither Austin nor his wife were musical. There was a prophecy from his mother that one day Austin's daughters would form a popular musical group; because Austin was superstitious, that's why he formed the band. He took his daughters out of school, bought them instruments, arranged practice lessons, and monitored their progress. Austin was a loner, strict and old-fashioned. He came from a poor family, and just as poorly he raised seven children; the music lessons and the instruments for the girls meant enormous costs. The Shaggs were shy small-town teenagers. Dorothy later said:

“Austin was our taskmaster. He was persistent and spirited. He led. We obeyed. Or did our best. "

- Dorothy Wiggin

The Shaggs were secretly about to quit, but their father Austin brooked no debate. Years after Austin's death, Helen said Austin had been intimate with her too .

Shaggy Dog ( Bearded Collie )

The name The Shaggs was also chosen by Austin Wiggin, it referred to the dog Shaggy Dog as well as to the Shaggy hairstyle derived from the dog , which was modern at the time. In 1968 Austin Wiggin organized a regular Saturday night performance for his daughters in the town hall. In 1969 he financed the recording of the album Philosophy of the World , which was released in 1969. Dorothy wasn't sure they were good enough to record. In the liner notes of this album, Austin Wiggin wrote:

“The Shaggs are real, pure, unaffected by outside influences. Their music is different, it's hers alone. You believe in it, live it. ... Of all contemporary deeds in the world today, perhaps only the Shaggs are doing what others want to do, and that is only doing what they believe in, what they feel, not what others think the Shaggs should feel.

The Shaggs love you. ... They are not going to change their music or style to suit the whims of a frustrated world. You should appreciate this knowing that they are pure what more could you ask for? ...

They are sisters and members of a large family whose mutual respect and love for one another are incredibly high. ... in an atmosphere that encouraged her to develop her music unaffected by outside influences. They are happy people and love what they do. They do it because they love it. "

- Austin Wiggin

Susan Orlean wrote in 1999 about the album's re-release in The New Yorker :

“The music is more engaging, but bumbling pop. Something's wrong with the tempo, and the melodies are compressed and twisted, nasal, expressionless. "

- Susan Orlean

The album initially received no attention. 900 of the 1000 pressed copies disappeared with the windy producer Charlie Dreyer. On one recording, the younger sister Rachel was there on the electric bass, she then became a member of the band.

The Shaggs continued to perform at Fremont City Hall on Saturdays until 1973 . After Austin Wiggin died of a heart attack in 1975 at the age of 47, the band broke up. 1980 convinced Terry Adams and Tom Ardolino from the band NRBQ her record label Rounder Records , Philosophy of the World reissue. In 1982 Adams and Ardolino released some unreleased recordings from 1975 on the album Shaggs' Own Thing . In 1988 Dorothy Wiggin found the lost Philosophy of the World master tapes , remastered using the tracks from Shaggs' Own Thing .

In 1999, Philosophy of the World was re-released by RCA Records . In the 2002 film Ken Park , the title Who Are Parents was used.

In 2017 Dorothy, Rachel and Betty Wiggin appeared as The Shaggs at Wilco's Solid Sound Festival .

reception

Frank Zappa praised the Shaggs and called them "better than the Beatles".

Kurt Cobain counted Philosophy of the World among his favorite albums.

Dot wiggin tape

On October 23, 2013, Dot Wiggin released a solo album, Ready! Get! Go! , on the Alternative Tentacles label . The album includes recordings of previously unrecorded Shaggs songs as well as new songs that Wiggin pushed with her new band.

Discography

Studio albums

Compilations

  • Shaggs' Own Thing (Red Rooster / Rounder 1982)
  • The Shaggs (CD contains Philosophy Of The World and Shaggs' Own Thing ) (Rounder Records 1988)

Singles

  • My Pal Foot Foot / Things I Wonder (Fleetwood FL 4584, 1969, under the name The Shags )

Tribute albums

  • Better Than The Beatles - A Tribute to the Shaggs (2001)

Various artist compilations

  • Songs In The Key of Z - The Curious Universe of Outsider Music (2000)

literature

  • Irwin Chusid: Songs in the Key of Z , Chapter 1: The Shaggs , A Cappella Books 2000, ISBN 978-1556523724

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ 1960s proto-punks The Shaggs to reunite for Wilco's Solid Sound Festival on consequenceofsound.net, accessed on August 3, 2017
  2. ↑ Forgotten punk: Little-known records with big influence on theguardian.com, accessed on August 3, 2017
  3. ↑ a b c d e f g h i newyorker.com: Meet the Shaggs
  4. ↑ perfectworldmusic: The Shaggs - My Pal Foot Foot
  5. ↑ books.google.de: Songs in the Key of Z: The Curious Universe of Outsider Music by Irwin Chusid, p. 3
  6. ↑ books.google.de: Songs in the Key of Z: The Curious Universe of Outsider Music by Irwin Chusid, p. 4
  7. ^ Newyorker.com: Meet the Shaggs
  8. ↑ dmdb.org: Guest DJ: Frank Zappa, December 24, 1973
  9. ↑ susanorlean.com: Meet The Shaggs
  10. ↑ a b The Shaggs' Dot Wiggin Announces Debut Solo Album Ready! Get! Go! . Pitchfork Media . September 4, 2013. Accessed March 28, 2017.