{"title":"Artist: The Shaggs","description":null,"products":[{"product_id":"the-shaggs-philosophy-of-the-world-lp-vinyl-record","title":"Philosophy Of The World","description":"\u003ch3\u003e\u003cspan style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"\u003eFEATURES\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe BEST WORST music you'll ever hear \u0026amp; ranked as #5 on Kurt Cobain’s top 50 favorite albums\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eLiner notes by legendary musician, writer, and compiler, Lenny Kaye (Patti Smith, Nuggets)\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eInsert features unseen photos and ephemera\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eArtwork restored and expanded to a gatefold jacket\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eNewly remastered\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003e\u003cspan style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"\u003eDESCRIPTION\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn 1968, three sisters from Fremont, New Hampshire strapped on their instruments and declared themselves \u003cem\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe Shaggs\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e. At that moment began a peculiar tale that would last far beyond the group’s five-year run. \u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eDot, Betty, and Helen\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e (and occasionally \u003cem\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eRachel\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e, the fourth sister) played in the group at the insistence of their father, \u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eAustin Wiggin Jr.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e, who was convinced they were going to be big. Years earlier, Austin’s mother gave him a palm reading, predicting that her son would marry a strawberry blonde woman, that he would have two sons after his mother died, and that his daughters would form a popular music outfit. The first two became reality, so Austin was certain the third would follow suit.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWith pure confidence and his mother’s bold prediction, Austin decided that his daughters would forgo attending the local high school in favor of home-schooling interspersed with a strict regiment of instrumental and vocal practice, along with jumping jacks and sit-ups. Soon after The Shaggs would enter \u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eFleetwood Recording studios in Revere, Massachusetts\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e to record their sole album, \u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003ePhilosophy Of The World\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e, a collection of garage rock tunes that balanced charm and discordance in equal measure. Austin would spend most of his savings not only on the session but also on the manufacturing costs to press up to 1,000 copies of the album (900 of which mysteriously vanished upon completion).\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThroughout the album, simple truths are revealed through the pen of sister Dot, the songwriter of the band. The rich people want what the poor people got, just as the poor people want what the rich people got. Your parents love you. There is happiness in nearness and sadness in the farness.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe album failed to fulfill Austin’s expectations of rock stardom, though the group remained together until their father’s death, performing frequently at the Fremont town hall and a local nursing home, no further albums were released. That might have been the end of it until rock band \u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eNRBQ\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e discovered a copy at a Massachusetts radio station and re-released it in 1980. \u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eRolling Stone\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e’s reviewer at the time described it as “\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003ethe most stunningly awful wonderful record I’ve heard in ages\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e”.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNearly 50 years later, the album ranks among the most polarizing LPs of all time. Some said it was the worst thing ever made. Others felt it was one of the great long players of the 20th century. \u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eFrank Zappa\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e famously dubbed the band “\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003ebetter than The Beatles\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e”, while \u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eKurt Cobain\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e placed the album at #5 on his list of Top 50 favorite albums. Original copies of the album fetch for $10,000.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDecades later and one could argue that maybe Austin was right all along. We’re all here, still enthralled by the purity of \u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"\u003eThe Shaggs\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003e\u003cspan style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eTRACKLIST \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003col\u003e\n\u003cli\u003ePhilosophy Of The World\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThat Little Sports Car\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eWho Are Parents\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eMy Pal Foot Foot\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eMy Companion\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eI'm So Happy When You're Near\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThings I Wonder\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eSweet Thing\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eIt's Halloween\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eWhy Do I Feel\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eWhat Should I Do\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eWe Have A Savior\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ol\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003e\u003cspan style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eLISTEN\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e","brand":"The Shaggs","offers":[{"title":"LP \/ Yellow Smoke","offer_id":45486453620927,"sku":"LITA151-YL-SMK","price":34.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"LP \/ Black","offer_id":42335592906943,"sku":"LITA151-1-BK","price":29.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0620\/6947\/3471\/files\/71tghcDDIaL._AC_SL1200.jpg?v=1682794436"},{"product_id":"shaggs-own-thing-the-shaggs-lp","title":"Shaggs’ Own Thing","description":"\u003ch3\u003e\u003cspan style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"\u003eFEATURES\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eRemastered from the original analog tapes\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eLP bonus track “Love At First Sight” first time on vinyl\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eNew liner notes by John DeAngeles\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eIndie Retail Color Vinyl Edition: “Red” Galaxy Colored Vinyl\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eOnline Color Vinyl Edition: “Red\/Yellow” Colored Vinyl\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003e\u003cspan style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"\u003eDESCRIPTION\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e“The Shaggs are like castaways on their own musical island” – Bonnie Raitt\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e“The Shaggs convince me that they’re the real thing when they sing” – Jonathan Richman\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e“They bring my mind to a complete halt” – Carla Bley\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eWhen The Shaggs’ Philosophy Of The World came out in 1969, some people couldn’t or wouldn’t understand it. But many musicians, including Frank Zappa and Kurt Cobain, cited the Shaggs as a major influence. Heck, Zappa exclaimed they were “better than the Beatles!” NRBQ’s Terry Adams and Keith Spring were such fans, and after reissuing Philosophy in 1980 on their own Red Rooster label, Adams began work on a collection of recordings the Wiggin sisters had made in the years following their debut. The result was Shaggs’ Own Thing – a beguiling follow-up that reveals a more developed and mature sound while still retaining all of their homespun uniqueness.\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e“The songs were better and they were recorded better, so it naturally made a better album,” Dot Wiggin said shortly after the original release of Shaggs’ Own Thing in 1982. It’s a “natural, organic extension” of the utterly original sound that The Shaggs had created, intentionally or not, with Philosophy Of The World, as John DeAngelis writes in the new liner notes. While Dot Wiggins originals like “You’re Somethin’ Special To Me” and “My Cutie,” and covers of classic songs like “Yesterday Once More” reveal a maturity not displayed on the debut, the two versions of “Shaggs’ Own Thing” and the revisiting of “My Pal Foot Foot” show that The Shaggs lost none of their pure and honest charm over the years.\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eRemastered from the original tapes with liner notes by John DeAngelis, this reissue includes the bonus track “Love at First Sight,” first issued on the 1988 Red Rooster\/Rounder Shaggs CD and appears on LP for the first time, plus three additional tracks on CD: “Sweet Maria” and “The Missouri Waltz,” first released by Light In The Attic as a limited-edition Record Store Day 45 in 2016, and the previously unreleased cover of the classic surf instrumental “Wipe Out.”\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003e\u003cspan style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eTRACKLIST\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003col\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eYou're Somethin' Special To Me\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eWheels\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003ePaper Roses\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eShaggs' Own Thing (Musical version)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003ePainful Memories\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eGimme Dat Ding\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eMy Cutie\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eYesterday Once More\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eMy Pal Foot Foot\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eI Love\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eShaggs' Own Thing (Vocal version)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eLove At First Sight\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ol\u003e\n\u003col\u003e\u003c\/ol\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003e\u003cspan style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"\u003eLISTEN\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eAvailable on Desktop \u0026amp; Mobile\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"The Shaggs","offers":[{"title":"LP \/ Red Yellow","offer_id":42661470306495,"sku":"LITA193-RDYL","price":38.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false},{"title":"LP \/ Red","offer_id":42661470339263,"sku":"LITA193-RD","price":29.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false},{"title":"LP \/ Black","offer_id":42654687920319,"sku":"LITA193-BK","price":26.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0620\/6947\/3471\/files\/tmp_2F1591393053849-ejdh9tmz0hg-6beb66b67f226563e7894f254408aaf1_2FLITA193_AlbumCover_974x_91755fc8-4883-469e-a1c5-9440540511b7.jpg?v=1701593225"}],"url":"https:\/\/helixsounds.com\/collections\/artist-the-shaggs.oembed","provider":"Helix Sounds","version":"1.0","type":"link"}