Search - Fugs :: Be Free! - Final CD (Part 2)

Fugs
Be Free! - Final CD (Part 2)
Genres: Pop, Rock

Track Listings (14) - Disc #1
1. Be Free (S. Petito, C. Batty, S. Taylor, E. Sanders)
2. Backward Jewish Soldiers (Tuli Kupferberg, traditional hymn)
3. My Darling Magnolia Tree (C. Batty/E. Sanders)
4. Goofitude (Edward Sanders)
5. This is a Hit Song (Tuli Kupferberg)
6. The Laughing Song (William Blake/Edward Sanders)
7. Hungry Blues
8. Loose Peach Gown (Edward Sanders)
9. Bartleby the Scrivener (Edward Sanders)
10. ImGrat (Edward Sanders)
11. The CIA Made Me Sing Off-Key (Edward Sanders)
12. The British Journalist (Humbert Wolf, Tuli Kupferberg)
13. I Am An Artist For Art's Sake (Tuli Kupferberg)
14. Greenwich Village of My Dreams (Tuli Kupferberg)

CD Details

All Artists: Fugs
Title: Be Free! - Final CD (Part 2)
Members Wishing: 6
Total Copies: 0
Label: Fugs Records / Kindred Rhythm
Original Release Date: 1/1/2010
Re-Release Date: 2/23/2010
Genres: Pop, Rock
Style:
Number of Discs: 1
SwapaCD Credits: 1
UPC: 188666000463

Synopsis

Album Description

BE FREE! THE FUGS FINAL CD (PART 2), available February 23, 2010, is truly the final album of THE FUGS. Several years in the making, it is a rich and rewarding album that is destined to be considered one of their best. From the opening psych-rocker "Be Free" (written in the studio by the group -- it `passes the baton' with its mantra "we are all Fugs now"), to Tuli Kupferberg's transcendent, chill-inducing closer "Greenwich Village of My Dreams" - THE FUGS deliver 14 tracks of pure sonic joy, brilliant new songs with impeccable performances and production. Featuring the band's 25-year-strong lineup of Steve Taylor (former musical collaborator with Allen Ginsberg) on guitar and vocals, Coby Batty on drums and vocals, and co-producer Scott Petito on bass and keyboards - this is a monumental recording of two great American poets and songwriters: Ed Sanders and Tuli Kupferberg. Tuli's condition prevented him from joining the band in the studio, his vocals were recorded with remote equipment from his Manhattan home. The album will be released by Fugs Records, through the Kindred Rhythm Music Group.

Producer Hal Willner organized an All-Star tribute concert to benefit Tuli Kupferberg, who founded THE FUGS with fellow poet Ed Sanders in 1964. Tuli, now 86, has suffered several strokes and has lost his vision, and has enormous monthly medical costs. The sold-out concert, which featured rousing renditions of Fugs classics by Dan Zanes, Jeffrey Lewis, and The Fugs themselves, along with guest appearances by Lou Reed, Laurie Anderson, Philip Glass, Sonic Youth, John Zorn, Gary Lucas and others, took place on January 22, 2010 at St. Anne's Warehouse in Dumbo (Brooklyn, NY).

CD Reviews

Tuli Lives!

Lanzarishi | NY | 05/10/2010

(5 out of 5 stars)

"As a Fug fanatic I have to say that I might be somewhat partial and biased in my review of any Fugs record but the truth is that this album is great! We have come to the time in our lives when a new Fug album is as rare as ...well, rare, and I am very grateful that they can still make music, poetry and art while making me laugh and smile at the same time. Ed Sanders' voice is truly amazing as always and it never fails to hit a place in me that resonates a warmth and sincerity that is very beautiful. Tuli is another issue altogether and I cannot describe how much love I have for this guy. It is criminal that their catalog is so small considering it spans 5 decades. But I guess they had more to do with their lives than make records for my pleasure! To sum up, this one has all the usual elements that make their albums great - and I won't give anything away because you must hear it for yourself. The standout of course being the last cut, Tuli's Greenwich Village of My Dreams. It will make the hair on your arms stand up. If there is a God there will be more but I am asking for the impossible, I'm sure. Long Live The Fugs!!"

The last hoorah

Charles A. Miller | Baltimore, Maryland U.S.A. | 03/03/2010

(4 out of 5 stars)

"As the title suggests, this is the final Fugs album... really. Indeed, founding member, Tuli Kupferberg, is not in good health and without him, there is no Fugs.

Overall, this is a fine album, but it is missing the greatness one would expect from a known-beforehand last outing. This is not to say it does not have its moments, but it lacks extraordinarily memorable tracks that previous albums all had. Close, but never quite there.

That said, the high points (and worth the price of the entire CD) are the songs from Tuli, especially the final one: Greenwich Village of My Dreams. Here, the 86-year-old (at the time of its release) reads one of his poems, accompanied by The Fugs, and it makes for the perfect coda to the album and to the 45+ year existence of the band. For long-time followers like myself, it is almost a tear-jerker (but in a positive way). Again, while not their best release, very highly recommended to all.

UPDATE:

Tuli Kupferberg passed away on July 12, 2010."