Holy Modal Rounders And Friends – I Make A Wish For A Potato

This 20-song anthology offers a tour through some of the releases by the Holy Modal Rounders and their compatriots. However, it’s unfortunate that the set’s main purpose seems to be to celebrate Rounder’s affiliation with this endearingly ragged crew at the expense of a meaningful career overview (Peter Stampfel and Steve Weber’s first forays into the world of old-timey music are now nearing their 40th anniversary).

Not only is the “And Friends” part of the name on the cover of this package the smallest type, but the track-by-track credits have an element of obfuscation to them, intentional or not. Songs are tied to what album they came from, but not to the name of the artist under which it was released.

For example, “Rotten Lettuce” and “Lazy Bones” were from Spiders In The Moonlight, a release by Jeffrey Fredericks & the Clamtones. If I may be so bold, I do believe that at least Stampfel or Weber need to be on a track for it to really be a part of the story (especially given that this is not a multi-disc collection). The late Fredericks was indeed charming on record, but the full story of the subversively influential Holy Modal Rounders would have been better served by Rounder obtaining tracks from the handful of other labels on which they appeared. After all, this is the band from which the company took their name.

Corporate annoyances aside, John Swenson’s liner notes set the scene and run down the basic history with reverential verve from a ringside table — he produced Stampfel & Weber’s Going Nowhere Fast in 1979. And ultimately, this music is a delight in whatever configuration it appears.