AceShowbiz - The Shaggs were an unconventional all-girl band made up of the three Wiggin sisters from Fremont, New Hampshire. Formed in 1965, they released a single album titled Philosophy of the World in 1969 before disbanding in the mid-1970s.

The album is shrouded in mystery, as nearly 900 of the original 1,000 copies vanished under unclear circumstances. However, the remaining 100 copies did reach a wider audience, captivating notable musicians. Among their admirers was Frank Zappa, who played tracks on the Dr. Demento radio show in 1973 and famously proclaimed the band “better than The Beatles.” Another fan was Kurt Cobain of Nirvana, who praised them as “the real thing.”

Despite such endorsements, opinions about the band's music have been deeply divided. The introduction to Ken Kwapis’ documentary We Are the Shaggs reveals test audiences describing the album’s sound as “caveman stuff,” “nightmarish,” and “stressful, like being overwhelmed at a busy airport.” Even Kwapis, who discovered the album in 1980 well before its later cult status, calls it “the most head-scratching music ever committed to vinyl.”

We Are the Shaggs offers a heartfelt glimpse into the story behind this unique group and their one-of-a-kind musical legacy, exploring how an album once dismissed as bizarre became a treasured cult classic.