Junta is the debut studio album by the American rock band Phish. The album was self-released by the band in May 1989 without the support from a record label, and received a wider release when Elektra Records reissued it on compact disc in 1992. Junta was preceded by two demo recordings – The White Tape (1986) and The Man Who Stepped Into Yesterday (1987) – which circulated among the band's fanbase but did not receive an official release. The album was independently recorded at Euphoria Sound Studio, now known as Sound & Vision Media, in Revere, MA by engineer Gordon Hookailo. Some of the recording was documented on video tape by studio owner Howard Cook. The album is named after Ben "Junta" Hunter, the band's first official manager, whose nickname is pronounced with a hard J and a short U. In addition to a few more traditionally structured songs, Junta contains symphonic-like epics and multi-part progressive rock suites. The recording was released on tape in 1988, and did not appear in stores officially until May 8, 1989. Phish held a release party concert for the Junta tape on May 9, 1989 at The Front club in their native Burlington, Vermont. The album was re-released by Elektra Records on October 26, 1992. The album was certified gold by the RIAA on October 9, 1997, and was certified platinum on July 7, 2004. In February 2009, the album became available as a download. "Union Federal", "Sanity", and "Icculus" did not appear on the original cassette release, but rather on