Holy Modal Rounders' Unreleased Live Set, 1965

Originally posted on August 22, 2008

Maybe one of the most difficult musical tasks is to make a virtue of really “bad” vocals. A point is reached where such performances have a character that transcends ordinary notions of vocal correctness. The Holy Modal Rounders were masters of the art, perhaps no more so than on the previously unreleased recording Live in 65 (ESP).

For this gig it is Stampfel and Weber alone on acoustic guitar, banjo and fiddle. Here they concentrate on the old string band tunes they had mastered in their own way. There are also a few of the inimitable originals they were more likely to produce in a studio setting back then. It all works quite well. So much so that one wishes there were more sessions like it. A thoroughly entertaining set!

Holy Modal Rounders Reissued

Originally posted on June 11, 2008

And then there were the fringe lunatic groups in 1967. The Fugs were perhaps the most notorious, starting with several albums on ESP that shocked kids like me back then. The music was crude and the lyrics? I sure was not ready for their brand of Village satire. Nor was my friends' father, who broke my copy of the second album in half (no easy task) when he heard what his son was listening to. Steve Weber and Pete Stamfel were charter members of the group, providing much of the instrumental grounding for the first few albums.

They spun off as The Holy Modal Rounders, releasing Indian War Whoop in ’67 on ESP. It has just been reissued and it sounds as off the wall as it did then. There are traditional string band songs, old risqué blues numbers and some downright bizarre moments. I don’t think anyone would call it a classic. Still, it may amuse you, if you appreciate what was on the edge during that era. Otherwise, best to stay away!