The Fugs First Album

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The Fugs First Album
Studio album by The Fugs
Released	1965
Recorded	1965
Genre	Rock, protopunk, psychedelic
Label	Folkways Records
Producer	Ed Sanders, Harry Smith
Professional reviews
All Music Guide link Robert Christgau (A-) link
The Fugs chronology
The Fugs First Album (1965) The Fugs (1966)

The Fugs First Album is the 1965 debut album by The Fugs, described in their All Music profile as "arguably the first underground rock group of all time".^[1] In 1966, the album charted #142 on Billboard's "Top Pop Albums" chart. The album was originally released in 1965 as The Village Fugs—Ballads and Songs of Contemporary Protest, Points of View and General Dissatisfaction on Folkways Records before the band signed up with ESP-Disk, who released the album under its own label with a new name in 1966.^[2] The album was re-released in 1993 on CD with an additional 11 tracks.

Contents 1 History 2 Track Listing 2.1 CD bonus tracks 3 Personnel 3.1 Performance 3.2 Production 4 References 5 Additional sources

[edit] History

When poet and publisher Ed Sanders established a bookstore next to the apartment of beat poet and publisher Tuli Kupferberg in 1964, the two decided to form a band, The Fugs, writing 50-60 songs between them prior to asking Ken Weaver to join.^[3] The trio invited Steve Weber and Peter Stampfel of the band Holy Modal Rounders to perform with them at the 1965 grand opening of Sanders' bookstore. Sanders describes the event as heavily attended, with William S. Burroughs, George Plimpton and James Michener among the luminaries in attendance. Harry Everett Smith, producer of the famous Anthology of American Folk Music, persuaded Folkways Records to issue the Fugs' first album. Following recording sessions in April and June of 1965, the album The Village Fugs—Ballads and Songs of Contemporary Protest, Points of View and General Dissatisfaction was released. Following a nationwide tour, The Fugs signed a contract with ESP-Disk, who re-released the album in 1966.

[edit] Track Listing

1. "Slum Goddess" (Ken Weaver) – 1:58
2. "Sunflower Weary of Time" (William Blake, Ed Sanders) – 2:15
3. "Supergirl" (Tuli Kupferberg) – 2:18
4. "Swinburne Stomp" (Sanders, A.C. Swinburne) – 2:50
5. "I Couldn't Get High" (Weaver) – 2:06
6. "How Sweet I Roamed" (Blake, Sanders) – 2:11
7. "Carpe Diem" (Kupferberg) – 5:07
8. "My Baby Done Left Me" (Sanders) – 2:18
9. "Boobs a Lot" (Steve Weber) – 2:12
10. "Nothing" (Kupferberg) – 4:18

[edit] CD bonus tracks

11. "We're the Fugs" (Sanders) – 1:25
12. "Defeated" (Kupferberg) – 3:25
13. "The Ten Commandments" (Kupferberg) – 2:59
14. "CIA Man" (Kupferberg) – 2:52
15. "In the Middle of Their First Recording Session the Fugs Sign the Worst Record Contract Since Leadbelly's" (Petito, Sanders) – 2:49
16. "I Saw the Best Minds of My Generation Rock" (Ginsberg, Sanders) – 4:51
17. "Spontaneous Salute to Andy Warhol (From Rehearsal at the Peace Eye Bookstore, February 1965) (Sanders) – 1:23
18. "War Kills Babies" – 1:41
19. "The Fugs National Anthem" (Kupferberg, Sanders) – 1:16
20. "The Fugs Spaghetti Death (No Redemption No Redemption) – A Glop of Spaghetti for Andy Warhol From the Tuli Tapes" (Sanders) – 3:54
21. "The Rhapsody of Tuli" (Kupferberg, Sanders) – 8:35

[edit] Personnel

[edit] Performance

• John Anderson – bass guitar, vocals
• Tuli Kupferberg – percussion, vocals
• Vinny Leary – bass, guitar, vocals
• Ed Sanders – vocals
• Peter Stampfel – fiddle, harmonica, vocals
• Ken Weaver – conga, drums, vocals
• Steve Weber – guitar, vocals

[edit] Production

• Phil DeLancie – remastering
• David Gahr – photography
• Aaron Hurwitz – compilation, restoration
• Linda Kalin – package adaptation
• Ed Sanders – producer, liner notes, photography, memorabilia
• Harry Smith – producer

[edit] References

[edit] Additional sources

• The Fugs Store: The Fugs First Album