Moby Grape
Moby Grape
1967
Album Summary
Moby Grape is the 1967 debut album by rock band Moby Grape. Coming from the San Francisco scene, their reputation quickly grew to immense proportions, leading to a bidding war and a contract with Columbia Records. The album peaked at #24 on the Billboard 200 albums chart in September 1967.
WikipediaThis hits the sweet spot between rock and roll and the "roots" sounds of country, blues, and friends. Hits it perfectly, as far as I'm concerned, with a delicious dusting of California psych. If the debut lacks anything, it's fully-formed songs: Many pieces sound like beginnings, though that does not mean they are lacking. The playing is good and well-rendered, but short of mind-blowing. The high points are confluences of many factors.
I'd never heard of this band. It was interesting to learn about their brief rise and very long, unfortunate fall. There's a cult following around this band that perpetuates a mythology about how they were screwed badly by their manager, and should be as big as The Beatles, and so on and so forth. There's no doubt they were screwed, but it also feels like maybe there were some self-inflicted wounds along the way. In any case, they put together a great debut album with a killer sound. The fact that all five members contribute to vocals allows them to do some interesting things, especially with the harmonies. There's some nice guitar work in here as well. Best track: Sitting By The Window
Very much like early The Who. There’s some really jammin’, rockin’ songs like Hey Grandma and Fall On You and some more country, The Byrds style songs like 8:05. Great guitar playing. Recording quality isn’t the best, also it’s not on Spotify? Had to look it up on YouTube. All short, quick hitting songs, only barely over a half hour
Most of these songs are not available on Spotify (Mac edition) This is a shockingly good listen.
Debut album of Moby Grape. Great country psychedelic rock from San Francisco, 1967.
I knew nothing about this band, yet they produced this stunner. I particularly love those slightly bluesy numbers with that distinctive late-60s bass. Whichever of those great singers had that raspy voice, he is a good as anyone. Ever! That manager deserves to live in he'll with Kenny G being piped in.
I've heard of Moby Grape before, but never to my knowledge heard their music. It's very decent. They do things with genre and timings that work well. Their guitars and drumming work well. Their songs are catchy. I like.
This is what I thought that Zombies album would be more like - enjoyed this one more.
Un bon album du summer of love. C’est dommage que spotify n’ait pas toutes les chansons la musique est tres bonne et le son rock and roll 4.25
This album was fine. It didn't really blow me away but I could listen to it again.
Gran descobriment. Un àlbum potent, amb rock, blues, psicodèlia, i molta marxa. Temes potents, guitarres afilades, veus trencades. Un àlbum collonut que desconeixia i que avui m'ha alegrat molt el dia.
Really liked it! kinda put it off for a bit since I was busy (and I kept trying to listen to it while writing my paper about the movie but had to keep pausing to watch the movie so I gave up) but I was pleasantly surprised! I liked the beginning of the album more than the middle/end tho, I will admit
No los conocía y me han gustado. Vaya guitarras tiene el disco y eso que no tiene grandes alardes de solos para el lugar y la época. En canciones destacaría Sweet Ride
This was a fine album. Good bluesy rock, great vocal harmonies and fine songs. Seemed fresh and new. I'm glad to have been introduced to it. 3.75 stars
Muy buen disco. De los que marcaron la pauta para el buen rock. En Spotify no están cargados los sencillos Hey Grandma ni Omaha, así que hay que irse a YouTube o alguna otra plataforma.
Regreso a este mundo con un disco que ni fu ni fa, no me odien sólo me pareció equis
Straight out of the soul of 60s psychedelia, with boatloads of rock and roll tragedy on top of it.
Weirdly this album isn't fully available on Spotify or Amazon Music (there are some tracks, but they are mostly the 'bonus' tracks from a 2007 reissue). So be warned that if you listen on these services you aren't really getting the actual album. Was able to find it on youtube videos. Pretty great record! Something about this era and this style of music that always feels like coming home to me. I'm not a baby boomer that grew up with this stuff in my formative years (in fact, never heard this record before) - I think it's just that this era's blues-based rock is so foundational if you're a fan of rock music.
Huh. This one really caught me by surprise! I love the sound, and it's really clean and well done! Never felt tedious or redundant at all. Got some good Jefferson Airplane, James Gang etc vibes... Would definitely listen again!
Aww man, this album is great, but everything that happened after it is such a mess, I feel sorry for them.
This album was all over the place and I enjoyed it. Last track was kind of stressful though and a few weren't available on Spotify.
I don't know how I wasn't aware of this album, or group. It's just a shame the full album isn't on Spotify!
This album took a few listens to get but there's a lot more going on here than the first impression that it made. I like the three guitar thing and the fact that most songs were quite short, clocking in at under 3 minutes and one clocking in at under a minute. Unfortunately, there's something to be said for bands whose first album are their best album. But I think after a few listens the songs are well-crafter enough to give this 4 stars. It's a strong album with some good payout for multiple listens.
Never heard of these guys before. A real find. A shame that some tracks seem to be missing from Spotify, I could easily imagine an alternative universe where the ones I heard would be as familiar to us as the Beatles back catalogue. There must be a story somewhere in how these guys never 'made it.
Surprisingly excellent rock album from a really talented band. It reminds me a little of a lot of things, a little rock and roll, a little country-blues vibe, with shades of CCR, CSNY and the Dead. Some of the more high energy songs can get a little ramshackle or rambling, but when they're focused, it's great music. I absolutely love the guitars, which are exceptional, and in league with some of the best in country rock. I also like the all-band/multi-vocal approach, propelled by a strong lead in Peter Lewis. Go to YouTube for the full album. Spotify didn't have all of it. Fave Songs: Hey Grandma, Fall on You, 8:05, Ain't No Use
Great early psychedelic rock from the Bay Area. Sadly the bad never reached its full potential, but a nice glimpse of what could have been.
Love the guitar parts and harmonies in this album. Lots of cool parts overlapping. Lead vocals are good though not too memorable. Songs are also good but not too memorable.
I liked this album a lot. Good country style rock. Reminds me of The Dead more than anything, but I would so shorter on jams and perhaps a little more rocking. 4 🌟
Wasn't expecting this. Do people know about these guys? It's like if the Byrds slept with Chicago, and had a baby raised by Meatloaf. Teenage Fanclub must love them, power pop owes them big time. Some of the tightest rocking harmonies that've graced my ears. Every song short and sweet, only two breaking the 3 minute mark. Was this who The Monkees wanted to be?
Why didn’t this band do better and how come I’ve never heard of them? And it’s so hard to even find this album to stream, had to go to YouTube. Great guitar work, great bluesy rock vocals. Really dig it 4
The whole album isn't on Spotify which is a bummer. I liked what I did listen to! Reminded me of hey Jude, more folk rock style
What a jam. How annoying the entire album isn't on Spotify or I'd add it to my regular rotation
It's so hard to appreciate albums like this in the same way they must have when they came out. Like in 1967 I'm sure this was mind-blowing stuff but the psych-rock market got so saturated in such a short time that I've heard like a dozen records that sound very similar to this. 7/10
8/10. Short and sweet. Lots of fun old songs that didn't overstay their welcome
A maddening album to write about, as it manages to be exactly good enough to warrant 4 stars, and so it's almost impossible to get traction with your prose when discussing it. There are no faults on the album to a fault, and as such it just lacks that touch of character to make it a true classic. Moby Grape possess a reputation among two particular tribes of music snob. Firstly, they appeal to those who wish they were acid causalties in the Summer of Love, as they love the idea of peace and love and especially free love; that last category makes up about 99% of their yearning for the hippy ideal. Secondly, they appeal to your standard Pitchfork reader who will lecture you on how this album is better than Forever Changes, which is better than Fifth Dimension, which is better than Electric Music for the Mind and Body, which is better than Surrealistic Pillow, which is better than The Doors, despite them never having sat down and listened to any of those, all the while living in pitiful terror over the discovery that their favourite film is actually Frozen. So, the album accidentally suffers from the reputation of its advocates being mild cases of douchebag. But why this audience? Well, Moby Grape go down as one of the most legendary lost bands of the 60s, one of the most promising acts crippled by incompetent label bureaucrats, pernicious management, internecine tumults, personal catastrophes and perennial bad luck. Their debut album Moby Grape, therefore, has to be a masterwork to redeem the sorry tale of Moby Grape. And in truth, it's a very good album. It's a very good collection of very good songs. And that's it. My opinion of the album over time is something I find curious. Learning of this album's notoriety, I first tried it about ten years ago, and I was distinctly underwhelmed. It lacked the spark of several of those 60s Californian albums I listed earlier, a few of which I consider masterpieces. Over the last decade, I've given it a few more chances, and I have grown much more of an appreciation for it. But my first reaction, I believe, captured a sad but undeniable truth of this album: it's alright, not great. One can't find a flaw in the playing or the production, but one also can't find a riff or a holler that truly stirs up the blood. It's worth exactly 4 stars, which somehow feels heartbreaking. That said, one offshoot of Moby Grape really does warrant all the accolades: Oar, the sole solo album by deeply troubled bandmember Alexander "Skip" Spence. But that's a different album on the list.
an enjoyable listen, albeit definitely an album of its time. The distinctive west coast/psychedlia vibe shares something with the likes of the Grateful Dead and Spirit. Some lovely catchy numbers, especially Looper.
Psychodelic rock from the height of psychodelia. One of the best of it's kind but no real stand out moments. Just consistent musicianship throughout. (Again Spotify does not have the whole album available - Youtube does)
Psychedelic rock, 1967. Very interesting album by such an underrated band. Maybe not one of the best 10 record of the best year in the history of rock music, but definitely not really far from them. The guitar is the most satisfying part on this great project.
I really really liked this album but unfortunately, it wasn't on Spotify so it loses points for that. It was just a really good-sounding 60s rock album that I probably won't ever listen to again since it's not on my main avenue of music consumption.
Actually very into this. Wish it existed on Spotify so I could actually save some of the songs. Couldn't do standouts because the recording I used wasn't broken up into tracks, but trust me, I liked it.
Not the sound I imagined from the album cover but I love it. How have I never heard them before? They are seriously up my alley. Also the song title "Naked, If I Want to" - amazing
It’s good but I felt it gotten a little bit more boring towards the end and I’m not too sure how much I would want to replay it still great and I would recommend 4/5
At the time of this review, the album was not available in its entirety anywhere so there was a bit of hopping around trying to find singles. Unfortunately, that led to a bit of uncertainty about the album itself, but as for the band, it is a mystery to how they have managed to remain under the radar for this listener. Sure, bands of the 60s, particularly the British ones, hogged much of the attention, but this band certainly held their own. Melodic, intentional vocals, the band hits all of the professional musician stereotypes, and for what could be gleaned puts out really good music.
Yeah, great stuff. Well-crafted songs and arrangements, bristling with energy and great performances. Plus, there's not a wasted note. This would be a 5 except I don't love their voices.
I loved the guitar in “8:05”. There was something so calming about the soft sound of the strings, and the harmonies were so easy to listen to. The reference to Frère Jacques in ‘Lazy me’ was jokes. I respect that.
Pretty good psych-folk. Some interesting performances and almost a punk-ish energy to some of them. A shame they had such a shit manager and that it’s unavailable to stream.
I can't say that I find this album particularly interesting or engrossing. It's good, but has a sound that is very much of its time and doesn't really work for me. I will say that the production on the album is excellent and makes this album work better for me than it ordinarily would. 3/5
Didn’t listen to all of it because it wasn’t all available on Spotify.
Weirdly this ticked all the boxes of the kind of thing I like bit I just found it a bit boring and forgettable.
No logré disfrutar bien el disco porque no está disponible de manera normal en ninguna plataforma y en YouTube hay que estar pasando anuncios y son versiones de distintas fuentes. Del sonido, siento que es como una mezcla de Grateful Dead con The Mamas and the Papas: Hippie, a veces buen sonido, a veces poco producido. Me gustaron Fall on You, Changes y Lazy Me.
Lo puse en Youtube desde la PC y no tiene comerciales, no noté diferencia de las versiones hasta que escuché una en vivo, este rock psicodélico me gusta mas que el de Hendrix y lástima que hubo bandas que fueron mas comerciales
I listened to self titled Moby Grape album from 1967. One of the previous records was from the lead signer of this group "Skip Spence." I enjoyed these songs quite a bit, definitely one of the better examples of late 60s psychedelia that I've heard. I would like to hear this with better quality and not a random Vimeo. The songs are surprisingly fresh, and the guitar work and harmonies were a step above.
Was good enough for a second listen. Although it sounded like generic 60's. Playlist on youtube. https://www.youtube.com/user/phil23hero/videos
Está bueno para un domingo por la tarde viendo pasar las nubes sin que pase el tiempo.