The Fugs – Virgin Fugs: For Adult Minds Only (1967) [Mono ESP-1038]

The Fugs – Virgin Fugs (For Adult Minds Only)

1980s(?) all-analog repress on original label (Discogs)

ESP Disk’ ESP-1038 (all mixes mono)

~ ThePoodleBites rip in 96kHz / 24bit ~

These are tracks from the Fugs’ first 1965 recording sessions that also resulted in The Fugs First Album, initially released on the Broadside label as The Village Fugs Sing Ballads Of Contemporary Protest, Point Of Views, And General Dissatisfaction. Many of these tracks would appear later as live versions on Golden Filth and Refuse To Be Burnt-Out, my two personal favorite Fugs records. These studio versions were originally released in 1967 on the legendary ESP Disk’ label, and although the band (at least Ed Sanders) has claimed it was a bootleg, its release was put through the exact same channels as other Fugs records. It is probably best characterized as an unauthorized but official album, and is undoubtedly essential for Fugs completists. The music here (and even album structure) is as good as, or maybe better than, the material on the first record, with lots of dirty humor, though also remains somewhat challenging to listen to.

Includes high-resolution scans of artworks and original poster insert.

This album has been needing a good rip for quite awhile. The only digital version that I have found is the 2005 CD ESP Disk ESP 1038 (or at least labelled as such online) which is a poorly-done vinyl rip with heavy noise reduction. A couple of these tracks, namely “C.I.A. Man” and “The Ten Commandments,” were released as bonus tracks on the CD reissue of the first album as extended tracks with studio chatter, but strangely the beginning of each track has tape noise. Anyways, it is likely these tracks were only ever released in mono, as even on that CD (which features the first album in stereo) and this 1980s LP the tracks are monaural.

Wikipedia says that the original pressings came with a bumper sticker that said “FUG-CUE” but this copy came with a poster of Hieronymus Bosch’s The Garden Of Earthly Delights, which I have scanned and included here. My copy of this album is still in the shrink wrap so my scans fall to a bit of a lower standard this time, but I spent many hours ensuring that the audio is perfect as usual.

Personnel:
Ed Sanders – vocals, percussion
Tuli Kupferberg – vocals, percussion
Peter Stampfel – fiddle, harmonica, guitar, banjo, vocals
Steve Weber – guitar, vocals
Vinny Leary – guitar, vocals
Lee Crabtree – keyboards, percussion, vocals
John Anderson – bass guitar, vocals
Ken Weaver – drums, vocals

Production:
Ed Sanders – producer
Harry Smith – producer

Track listing:
01) “We’re the Fugs” (Ed Sanders) – 1:09
02) “New Amphetamine Shriek” (Peter Stampfel) – 2:18
03) “Saran Wrap” (Sanders) – 1:12
04) “The Ten Commandments” (Tuli Kupferberg and GOD) – 2:50
05) “Hallucination Horrors” (Kupferberg) – 2:03
06) “I Command the House of the Devil” (Sanders) – 3:22
07) “CIA Man” (Kupferberg) – 2:48
08) “Coca Cola Douche” (Kupferberg) – 1:35
09) “My Bed Is Getting Crowded” (Kupferberg) – 2:30
10) “Caca Rocka” (Kupferberg) – 2:30
11) “I Saw the Best Minds of My Generation Rot” (Allen Ginsberg, Sanders) – 4:43

Vinyl Condition: M-

Dynamic Range: DR12

Lineage / Equipment:
– Audio-Technica AT150MLx Dual Moving-Magnet Cartridge
– Audio-Technica AT-LP1240-USB Direct Drive Professional Turntable (internal stock preamp/ADC removed)
– TCC TC-754 RIAA Phono Preamp (new regulated power supply, added LM7812 regulator)
– Focusrite Scarlett 6i6 MkII (96kHz / 24bit)
– Adobe Audition CC 2018 (recording)
– iZotope RX 6 Audio Editor (manual declicking, remove rumble, additional adjustments)
– Audacity 2.2.1 (fades between tracks, split tracks)
– Foobar2000 v1.3.17 (tagging, dynamic range analysis)

Full album is on YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3z6vC43y1vY

MEGA: https://mega.nz/folder/yw4kHI5R#8RdVan2sEZ4PZLClPa0VhQ
As usual, please enjoy and feel free to leave comments!