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."