The Fugs First Album
Encyclopedia
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". In 1966, the album charted #142 on Billboard's
"Top Pop Albums
" chart. The album was originally released in 1965 as The Village Fugs Sing Ballads of Contemporary Protest, Point of Views, 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. The album was re-released in 1993 on CD with an additional 11 tracks.
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. 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 1965, the album The Village Fugs—Ballads and Songs of Contemporary Protest, Points of View and General Dissatisfaction was released (Broadside BR 304; also listed with a related Folkways serial number, FW 05304, though it is unclear whether this is a separate pressing/edition). Following a nationwide tour, The Fugs signed a contract with ESP-Disk
, who re-released the album in 1966 (ESP-1018), in both mono and stereo, with some changed edits and one substituted take (see below).
A large number of additional performances were captured in the sessions for this album. Eleven of them first appeared on a 1967 ESP album entitled "Virgin Fugs
" (ESP-1038), and an additional 7 performances (five led by the Holy Modal Rounders) first appeared on the mid-1970's compilation "Fugs 4, Rounders Score
" (ESP-2018) The Fugs claim that both of these albums were unauthorized bootlegs. Three additional performances and some studio chatter appear on the Fugs' 4-CD box set "Don't Stop! Don't Stop!"
The currently available CD contains the later ESP stereo version of the album. It also includes, among its 11 bonus tracks, 6 outtakes from the sessions, including 5 from the above two ESP bootlegs. The other 11 tracks, the alternate performance of "Swineburne Stomp" from the Broadside album, and the other Broadside edit variations, remain unreleased in the CD era.
The recent Fugs box set "Don't Stop! Don't Stop!" contains an additional three performances from these recording sessions.
At least one pressing on the ESP label includes these same takes and edits. It is unclear when the substitutions were made.
ESP releases included at least three cover variations: a blue tinted cover, a black and white cover with advertisements on the back, and a later psychedelic painting of a wizard.
Originally released on Virgin Fugs
:
Originally released on Fugs 4, Rounders Score
:
Originally released on The Fugs First Album (ESP variation of Broadside album):
Originally released on Don't Stop! Don't Stop!:
Originally released on "The Fugs First Album" CD:
Tracks 15 though 18 feature only Stampfel and Weber.
Originally released on Virgin Fugs
:
The Fugs
The Fugs are a band formed in New York in late 1964 by poets Ed Sanders and Tuli Kupferberg, with Ken Weaver on drums. Soon afterward, they were joined by Peter Stampfel and Steve Weber of the Holy Modal Rounders...
, described in their All Music
All Music
All Music was an Italian free-to-air television station which mainly broadcast music videos and music programs. Originally called Rete A, the name was changed to Rete A - All Music , and for a brief period was affiliated before with MTV Italy and after with VIVA.-History:In late 2004 the former...
profile as "arguably the first underground
Underground music
Underground music comprises a range of different musical genres that operate outside of mainstream culture. Such music can typically share common values, such as the valuing of sincerity and intimacy; an emphasis on freedom of creative expression; an appreciation of artistic creativity...
rock
Rock and roll
Rock and roll is a genre of popular music that originated and evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s, primarily from a combination of African American blues, country, jazz, and gospel music...
group of all time". In 1966, the album charted #142 on Billboard's
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
"Top Pop Albums
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
" chart. The album was originally released in 1965 as The Village Fugs Sing Ballads of Contemporary Protest, Point of Views, and General Dissatisfaction on Folkways Records
Folkways Records
Folkways Records was a record label founded by Moses Asch that documented folk, world, and children's music. It was acquired by the Smithsonian Institution in 1987, and is now part of Smithsonian Folkways.-History:...
before the band signed up with ESP-Disk
ESP-Disk
ESP-Disk is a New York-based record label, founded in 1964 by lawyer Bernard Stollman.From the beginning, the label's goal has been to provide its recording artists with complete artistic freedom, unimpeded by any record company interference or commercial expectations—a philosophy summed-up by the...
, who released the album under its own label with a new name in 1966. The album was re-released in 1993 on CD with an additional 11 tracks.
History
When poet and publisher Ed SandersEd Sanders
Ed Sanders is an American poet, singer, social activist, environmentalist, author and publisher and has been a longtime member of the band The Fugs. He has been called a bridge between the Beat and Hippie generations.-Biography:...
established a bookstore next to the apartment of beat
Beat generation
The Beat Generation refers to a group of American post-WWII writers who came to prominence in the 1950s, as well as the cultural phenomena that they both documented and inspired...
poet and publisher Tuli Kupferberg
Tuli Kupferberg
Naphtali "Tuli" Kupferberg was an American counterculture poet, author, cartoonist, pacifist anarchist, publisher and co-founder of the band The Fugs.-Biography:...
in 1964, the two decided to form a band, The Fugs
The Fugs
The Fugs are a band formed in New York in late 1964 by poets Ed Sanders and Tuli Kupferberg, with Ken Weaver on drums. Soon afterward, they were joined by Peter Stampfel and Steve Weber of the Holy Modal Rounders...
, writing 50-60 songs between them prior to asking Ken Weaver
Ken Weaver (musician)
Ken Weaver is an American singer, songwriter and musician. Born on Galveston Island, Texas, he grew up in El Campo and went on to be a Russian translator for the Air Force. A drummer, Weaver joined Ed Sanders and Tuli Kupferberg to form the rock band The Fugs in 1964...
to join. The trio invited Steve Weber and Peter Stampfel of the band Holy Modal Rounders
Holy Modal Rounders
The Holy Modal Rounders were an American folk music duo from the Lower East Side of New York City which started in the early 1960s, consisting of Peter Stampfel and Steve Weber. Their unique blend of folk music revival and psychedelia gave them a cult-like following from the late 1960s into the 1970s...
to perform with them at the 1965 grand opening of Sanders' bookstore. Sanders describes the event as heavily attended, with William S. Burroughs
William S. Burroughs
William Seward Burroughs II was an American novelist, poet, essayist and spoken word performer. A primary figure of the Beat Generation and a major postmodernist author, he is considered to be "one of the most politically trenchant, culturally influential, and innovative artists of the 20th...
, George Plimpton
George Plimpton
George Ames Plimpton was an American journalist, writer, editor, and actor. He is widely known for his sports writing and for helping to found The Paris Review.-Early life:...
and James Michener among the luminaries in attendance. Harry Everett Smith
Harry Everett Smith
Harry Everett Smith was an American archivist, ethnomusicologist, student of anthropology, record collector, experimental filmmaker, artist, bohemian and mystic...
, producer of the famous Anthology of American Folk Music
Anthology of American Folk Music
The Anthology of American Folk Music is a six-album compilation released in 1952 by Folkways Records , comprising eighty-four American folk, blues and country music recordings that were originally issued from 1927 to 1932.Experimental filmmaker and notable eccentric Harry Smith compiled the music...
, persuaded Folkways Records
Folkways Records
Folkways Records was a record label founded by Moses Asch that documented folk, world, and children's music. It was acquired by the Smithsonian Institution in 1987, and is now part of Smithsonian Folkways.-History:...
to issue the Fugs' first album. Following recording sessions in April and June 1965, the album The Village Fugs—Ballads and Songs of Contemporary Protest, Points of View and General Dissatisfaction was released (Broadside BR 304; also listed with a related Folkways serial number, FW 05304, though it is unclear whether this is a separate pressing/edition). Following a nationwide tour, The Fugs signed a contract with ESP-Disk
ESP-Disk
ESP-Disk is a New York-based record label, founded in 1964 by lawyer Bernard Stollman.From the beginning, the label's goal has been to provide its recording artists with complete artistic freedom, unimpeded by any record company interference or commercial expectations—a philosophy summed-up by the...
, who re-released the album in 1966 (ESP-1018), in both mono and stereo, with some changed edits and one substituted take (see below).
A large number of additional performances were captured in the sessions for this album. Eleven of them first appeared on a 1967 ESP album entitled "Virgin Fugs
Virgin Fugs
Virgin Fugs is a 1967 album by The Fugs. While it is their third released album, it consists of outtakes from the two 1965 sessions for their first album, The Village Fugs . While that album emphasized the second recording session, this compilation favors the first, making this arguably their...
" (ESP-1038), and an additional 7 performances (five led by the Holy Modal Rounders) first appeared on the mid-1970's compilation "Fugs 4, Rounders Score
Fugs 4, Rounders Score
Fugs 4, Rounders Score is a 1975 compilation album of material by The Fugs and The Holy Modal Rounders, including seven previously unreleased performances from the Fugs' first recording session , when the Rounders were members of the Fugs' band...
" (ESP-2018) The Fugs claim that both of these albums were unauthorized bootlegs. Three additional performances and some studio chatter appear on the Fugs' 4-CD box set "Don't Stop! Don't Stop!"
The currently available CD contains the later ESP stereo version of the album. It also includes, among its 11 bonus tracks, 6 outtakes from the sessions, including 5 from the above two ESP bootlegs. The other 11 tracks, the alternate performance of "Swineburne Stomp" from the Broadside album, and the other Broadside edit variations, remain unreleased in the CD era.
The recent Fugs box set "Don't Stop! Don't Stop!" contains an additional three performances from these recording sessions.
Track listing
- "Slum Goddess" (Ken WeaverKen Weaver (musician)Ken Weaver is an American singer, songwriter and musician. Born on Galveston Island, Texas, he grew up in El Campo and went on to be a Russian translator for the Air Force. A drummer, Weaver joined Ed Sanders and Tuli Kupferberg to form the rock band The Fugs in 1964...
) – 1:58 - "Ah, SunflowerAh, Sunflower"Ah Sunflower" is a poem written by the English poet William Blake. It was published as part of his collection Songs of Experience in 1794. Ed Sanders of The Fugs set the poem to music and recorded it on The Fugs First Album in 1965...
, Weary of Time" (William BlakeWilliam BlakeWilliam Blake was an English poet, painter, and printmaker. Largely unrecognised during his lifetime, Blake is now considered a seminal figure in the history of both the poetry and visual arts of the Romantic Age...
, Ed SandersEd SandersEd Sanders is an American poet, singer, social activist, environmentalist, author and publisher and has been a longtime member of the band The Fugs. He has been called a bridge between the Beat and Hippie generations.-Biography:...
) – 2:15 - "Supergirl" (Tuli KupferbergTuli KupferbergNaphtali "Tuli" Kupferberg was an American counterculture poet, author, cartoonist, pacifist anarchist, publisher and co-founder of the band The Fugs.-Biography:...
) – 2:18 - "Swinburne Stomp" (Sanders, A.C. SwinburneAlgernon Charles SwinburneAlgernon Charles Swinburne was an English poet, playwright, novelist, and critic. He invented the roundel form, wrote several novels, and contributed to the famous Eleventh Edition of the Encyclopaedia Britannica...
) – 2:50 - "I Couldn't Get High" (Weaver) – 2:06
- "How Sweet I Roamed" (Blake, Sanders) – 2:11
- "Carpe Diem" (Kupferberg) – 5:07
- "My Baby Done Left Me" (Sanders) – 2:18
- "Boobs a Lot" (Steve Weber) – 2:12
- "Nothing" (Kupferberg) – 4:18
CD bonus tracks
- "We're the Fugs" (Sanders) – 1:25
- "Defeated" (Kupferberg) – 3:25
- "The Ten Commandments" (Kupferberg) – 2:59
- "CIA Man" (Kupferberg) – 2:52
- "In the Middle of Their First Recording Session the Fugs Sign the Worst Record Contract Since Leadbelly's" (Petito, Sanders) – 2:49
- "I Saw the Best Minds of My Generation Rot" (Ginsberg, Sanders) – 4:51
- "Spontaneous Salute to Andy Warhol (From Rehearsal at the Peace Eye Boo)" (Sanders) – 1:23
- "War Kills Babies" – 1:41
- "The Fugs National Anthem" (Kupferberg, Sanders) – 1:16
- "The Fugs Spaghetti Death (No Redemption No Redemption) – A Glop of Spaghetti for Andy Warhol From the Tuli Tapes" (Sanders) – 3:54
- "The Rhapsody of Tuli" (Kupferberg, Sanders) – 8:35
Variations
The original (mono) Broadside release contains different edits of some of the songs from the now standard stereo ESP release.- The first three songs have longer introductions (usually a few seconds or bars of music).
- "Supergirl," while the same basic performance, has the line "Fuck like an angel" changed to "mmmm" like an angel." (Both versions render the last line as "shake like an mmmm in an mmmm").
- "Swinburne Stomp" is an entirely different performance, introduced with Sanders' line "In the key of metaphysical distress."
- "My Baby Done Left Me" edits out the final, very loud "shit", crudely replacing it with yodeling and a fade over a prior chorus. It does, however, leave in the earlier line "I'd give up heifer fucking."
- The performance of "Boobs a Lot" starts later in the song, on the line "Down in the locker room."
- The sound quality of the first session material is extremely muffled.
At least one pressing on the ESP label includes these same takes and edits. It is unclear when the substitutions were made.
ESP releases included at least three cover variations: a blue tinted cover, a black and white cover with advertisements on the back, and a later psychedelic painting of a wizard.
Sessions
This album was recorded entirely in two sessions. The first took place in April 1965 and was a chaotic 3-hour acoustic jam featuring Sanders, Kupferberg, Weaver, Stampfel and Weber, performing (by Sanders' estimate) 23 songs. The second June 1965 session seems to have featured nine songs, recorded in stereo, including a drum set and electric instruments. No Stampfel, but Anderson and Leary replace him.Songs recorded at the April 1965 session
Originally released on The Village Fugs (Broadside album):- "Swinburne Stomp" (version 1) (Ed SandersEd SandersEd Sanders is an American poet, singer, social activist, environmentalist, author and publisher and has been a longtime member of the band The Fugs. He has been called a bridge between the Beat and Hippie generations.-Biography:...
, A.C. SwinburneAlgernon Charles SwinburneAlgernon Charles Swinburne was an English poet, playwright, novelist, and critic. He invented the roundel form, wrote several novels, and contributed to the famous Eleventh Edition of the Encyclopaedia Britannica...
) - "My Baby Done Left Me" (Sanders)
- "Nothing" (Tuli KupferbergTuli KupferbergNaphtali "Tuli" Kupferberg was an American counterculture poet, author, cartoonist, pacifist anarchist, publisher and co-founder of the band The Fugs.-Biography:...
) (additional intro appears on "Don't Stop! Don't Stop!")
Originally released on Virgin Fugs
Virgin Fugs
Virgin Fugs is a 1967 album by The Fugs. While it is their third released album, it consists of outtakes from the two 1965 sessions for their first album, The Village Fugs . While that album emphasized the second recording session, this compilation favors the first, making this arguably their...
:
- "We're the Fugs" (Sanders)
- "New Amphetamine Shriek" (Peter Stampfel)
- "Saran Wrap" (Sanders)
- "The Ten Commandments" (Kupferberg)
- "Hallucination Horrors" (Kupferberg)
- "CIA Man" (Kupferberg)
- "Coca Cola Douche" (Sanders? listed as Kupferberg)
- "My Bed Is Getting Crowded" (Kupferberg)
- "Caca Rocka" (Kupferberg)
Originally released on Fugs 4, Rounders Score
Fugs 4, Rounders Score
Fugs 4, Rounders Score is a 1975 compilation album of material by The Fugs and The Holy Modal Rounders, including seven previously unreleased performances from the Fugs' first recording session , when the Rounders were members of the Fugs' band...
:
- "Defeated" (Kupferberg)
- "Jackoff Blues" (Kupferberg)
- "Romping Through The Swamp" (Peter Stampfel)
- "Crowley Waltz" (Traditional)
- "Fiddler a Dram" (Traditional)
- "Fishing Blues" (Traditional)
- "New Amphetamine Shriek" [different performance from #5] (Peter Stampfel)
Originally released on The Fugs First Album (ESP variation of Broadside album):
- "Swinburne Stomp" (version 2) [different performance from #1] (Sanders, A.C. SwinburneAlgernon Charles SwinburneAlgernon Charles Swinburne was an English poet, playwright, novelist, and critic. He invented the roundel form, wrote several novels, and contributed to the famous Eleventh Edition of the Encyclopaedia Britannica...
)
Originally released on Don't Stop! Don't Stop!:
- I'm Gonna Kill Myself Over Your Dead Body (Kupferberg)
- "Ah, SunflowerAh, Sunflower"Ah Sunflower" is a poem written by the English poet William Blake. It was published as part of his collection Songs of Experience in 1794. Ed Sanders of The Fugs set the poem to music and recorded it on The Fugs First Album in 1965...
, Weary of Time" (William BlakeWilliam BlakeWilliam Blake was an English poet, painter, and printmaker. Largely unrecognised during his lifetime, Blake is now considered a seminal figure in the history of both the poetry and visual arts of the Romantic Age...
, Sanders) (Early version) - "Supergirl" (Kupferberg) (Early "Write Underwater" version)
Originally released on "The Fugs First Album" CD:
- "In the Middle of Their First Recording Session the Fugs Sign the Worst Record Contract Since Leadbelly's" (Petito, Sanders) [this is studio chatter plus 1990's electronic effects]
Tracks 15 though 18 feature only Stampfel and Weber.
Songs recorded at the June 1965 session
Originally released on The Village Fugs:- "Slum Goddess" (Ken WeaverKen Weaver (musician)Ken Weaver is an American singer, songwriter and musician. Born on Galveston Island, Texas, he grew up in El Campo and went on to be a Russian translator for the Air Force. A drummer, Weaver joined Ed Sanders and Tuli Kupferberg to form the rock band The Fugs in 1964...
) - "Ah, SunflowerAh, Sunflower"Ah Sunflower" is a poem written by the English poet William Blake. It was published as part of his collection Songs of Experience in 1794. Ed Sanders of The Fugs set the poem to music and recorded it on The Fugs First Album in 1965...
, Weary of Time" (William BlakeWilliam BlakeWilliam Blake was an English poet, painter, and printmaker. Largely unrecognised during his lifetime, Blake is now considered a seminal figure in the history of both the poetry and visual arts of the Romantic Age...
, Sanders) - "Supergirl" (Kupferberg)
- "I Couldn't Get High" (Weaver)
- "How Sweet I Roamed" (Blake, Sanders)
- "Carpe Diem" (Kupferberg)
- "Boobs a Lot" (Steve Weber)
Originally released on Virgin Fugs
Virgin Fugs
Virgin Fugs is a 1967 album by The Fugs. While it is their third released album, it consists of outtakes from the two 1965 sessions for their first album, The Village Fugs . While that album emphasized the second recording session, this compilation favors the first, making this arguably their...
:
- "I Command the House of the Devil" (Sanders)
- "I Saw the Best Minds of My Generation Rot" (Allen GinsbergAllen GinsbergIrwin Allen Ginsberg was an American poet and one of the leading figures of the Beat Generation in the 1950s. He vigorously opposed militarism, materialism and sexual repression...
, Sanders)
Performance
- Ed SandersEd SandersEd Sanders is an American poet, singer, social activist, environmentalist, author and publisher and has been a longtime member of the band The Fugs. He has been called a bridge between the Beat and Hippie generations.-Biography:...
– vocals - Tuli KupferbergTuli KupferbergNaphtali "Tuli" Kupferberg was an American counterculture poet, author, cartoonist, pacifist anarchist, publisher and co-founder of the band The Fugs.-Biography:...
– percussionPercussion instrumentA percussion instrument is any object which produces a sound when hit with an implement or when it is shaken, rubbed, scraped, or otherwise acted upon in a way that sets the object into vibration...
, vocals - Ken WeaverKen Weaver (musician)Ken Weaver is an American singer, songwriter and musician. Born on Galveston Island, Texas, he grew up in El Campo and went on to be a Russian translator for the Air Force. A drummer, Weaver joined Ed Sanders and Tuli Kupferberg to form the rock band The Fugs in 1964...
– congaCongaThe conga, or more properly the tumbadora, is a tall, narrow, single-headed Cuban drum with African antecedents. It is thought to be derived from the Makuta drums or similar drums associated with Afro-Cubans of Central African descent. A person who plays conga is called a conguero...
, drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
, vocals - Steve Weber – guitar, vocals
- Peter Stampfel – fiddleFiddleThe term fiddle may refer to any bowed string musical instrument, most often the violin. It is also a colloquial term for the instrument used by players in all genres, including classical music...
, harmonicaHarmonicaThe harmonica, also called harp, French harp, blues harp, and mouth organ, is a free reed wind instrument used primarily in blues and American folk music, jazz, country, and rock and roll. It is played by blowing air into it or drawing air out by placing lips over individual holes or multiple holes...
, vocals - John Anderson – bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, vocalsSingingSinging is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments... - Vinny Leary – bass, guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, vocals
Production
- Phil DeLancie – remastering
- David Gahr – photography
- Aaron Hurwitz – compilation, restoration
- Linda Kalin – package adaptation
- Ed SandersEd SandersEd Sanders is an American poet, singer, social activist, environmentalist, author and publisher and has been a longtime member of the band The Fugs. He has been called a bridge between the Beat and Hippie generations.-Biography:...
– producer, liner notes, photography, memorabilia - Harry SmithHarry Everett SmithHarry Everett Smith was an American archivist, ethnomusicologist, student of anthropology, record collector, experimental filmmaker, artist, bohemian and mystic...
– producer