Moby Grape

This 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.

Had to listen off of Spotify but the whole album was a treat!

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

Weirdly this ticked all the boxes of the kind of thing I like bit I just found it a bit boring and forgettable.

AWEZOME

Lovely stuff <3

I liked it

Love love love

[A note to listeners: The Apple Music link for this album directs you to the incorrect album, Moby Grape ‘69. The full version of this record is not on Apple Music, either. You’ll have to go to YouTube to hear the full record. Now, on with the review…] Do you hear that sound? That’s me patting myself on the back. In previous reviews, I’ve stated that literally every band in the late 60’s San Francisco psych scene were better musicians and songwriters than The Grateful Dead, and that they all put out better, more engaging albums than the Dead. Well, guess what? Here comes Moby Grape to prove me right once again! Moby Grape’s debut impresses with intricate and interwoven multi-guitar arrangements, an incredibly tight rhythm section and excellent vocal harmonies. The guitar leads are fuzzy and the band plays with a sense of purpose throughout. This is not lackadaisically jammed psych rock; it makes its point and keeps you engaged on each track. The story of Moby Grape is rife with misfortune, but their music, even if not as well known as it should be, stands well above many of their contemporaries in the late 60’s psychedelic scene.

Crank this up, listen to what’s going on behind the vocals, and if you like guitars you will have a good time. The songs are mostly basic, houses for webs of fret runs, rhythm chug and filigree parts that are subliminal until you notice them and after a while are all you can focus on. I am surprised this works just as well on a ballad like 8:05 as it does on the rave ups that sit next to it. The singing does little for me, mostly, too many voices going lalala, though “Someday” is cute. “Sitting by the Window” passes so fast it took me a few listens to realise how much is going on in there. Reading up on them, Moby Grape were cursed by bad luck, an evil manager and mental illness. Skip Spence went on to make a freak masterpiece, “Oar”, before he stopped making music.

Most of these songs are not available on Spotify (Mac edition) This is a shockingly good listen.

Now here's something I've never heard but probably should have - good job for once! Excellent psych/blues/country while pioneering its own sound. Easy to see how it was a fave of Led Zep in the early days. Lots of good tunes that don't get dull.

i am sure this is seminal, but I was not blown away

Funny, I'd never heard of Moby Grape and then an hour after listening to the album, they were a topic of discussion on a podcast I listened to about Neil Young and Buffalo Springfield. The gist was, they were brilliant but never really made it. I did enjoy the album but it seemed like pretty standard West Coast fare from the late 60s.

Pretty good playing, but doesn't stand out. Too many way better albums from that era

1967 guitar tone and styling. This is a pleasant listen but I didn't really take anything from it.

Similar to the Captain Beefheart album I had a couple of days ago, this is alright but I don't think it's aged well and not sure it really belongs on this list. This reminded me a bit of the Grateful Dead, which is not a good thing in my book. Some songs I enjoyed - 8:05 was a highlight for me, and it was interesting to hear the original Naked, If I Want To. I'm very familiar with the Cat Power cover, but I had never heard the original. But mostly this was just okay for me. 3 stars.

Moby Grape is the 1967 debut album by American rock band Moby Grape. This psychedelic country rock album exploded into pop culture as soon as it was released and has been considered one of the greatest psychedelic masterpieces. I didn't find this album as amazing as all the critics did, but it was still a decent enough album that I ended up enjoying it. Good, but not amazing.

Honestly felt like all the songs sounded the same, there was nothing unique or distinctive about Moby Grapes' sound.

Moby Grape is some hardcore hippy shit, and it slaps.

Fantastic rock & roll album. Great guitar work by all the members, from rhythm to finger picking to leads/solos. Harmonies. Drums with flair that get your feet tapping. Solid 5.

Even if you've never heard a Moby Grape song, you've definitely heard a Moby Grape song. Every track on this album is inspired by (or possibly was the inspiration for, who knows?) the best music of this era. There's a great variety of music on this album and it all sounds fucking great. You can hear work from The Beatles, The Who, Velvet Underground, CCR, The Stones, and whoever the hell sang "Radar Love" (although I have no idea when that song was released). There's no fat on this record. Short, punchy tunes that require every beat. It's such a great listen. I had low expectations for Moby Grape's "1969" but this album blew me away. It's one of the most enjoyable albums I've been introduced to by the 1001 Albums app. I've actually listened to it twice through. Moby Grape - shit name, great band. 👍👍

Excellent 1960s album that combines San Franscisco psychedelic rock music with blues, country and power pop so incredibly well. It was the first time I've listened them but I'll surely come back to this album many times in the future. Great discovery!

Loved every bit. Listened a few times. A keeper.

This is a really good album. I've listened to Skip Spence a little bit before but for some reason never dug deeper to find out about this band he was in. Has real strong Buffalo Springfield vibes, which is up my alley. I already have some people I'm going to recommend this to, so I've got to give it a high rating. Standout Tracks: Hey Grandma, Fall On You, 8:05, Come in the Morning, Omaha, Naked If I Want To, Someday, Changes, Indifference

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.

Fantastic album that should have more recognition.

vilket jävla album!

Well, this is a better album to convince me of the Bay Area psych scene that Country Joe & The Fish were. (And I can't even remember anything about that album except for, like, some song about LBJ? I'unno.) Now, the funny thing is, I know it's not the "psych" part of this album that makes me like it so much. No, it's the **power pop** part. The way these songs drive, the way these guys' vocals harmonize, the way the drums bang, the way the guitar jus' **play**. It's front-to-back excitement. Even on the slower songs, or the ones that're full-on country, which I can get carried through thanks to, again, those vocal harmonies — and of course the fact that I just like non-modern country in general. Honestly, I don't even hear any traditional "psych" elements in here; it's way more folky and rootsier. Which, hey, is fine by me; I don't think my group really needs another one of those "generic 60's psych albums" I keep seeing reviews complain about. In short, this album's a winner in my book, and it's further proof that I should probably dig into these 60's bands a bit further than just The Beatles, The Beach Boys and The Monkees. Now if only this thing could be completely uploaded to streaming so I don't hafta listen to this thing on YouTube between Chips Ahoy!'s stupid twerking cookie ad, goodness.

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.

Yes

Phenomenal Psych/Blues record. Banger after banger, top notch entry

Nice finding!

The best 60's psychedelic rock album I'd never heard of before.

Wow another 60s band I’ve never heard of that was difficult to listen to (I pieced together the original track listing from Apple Music and YouTube). And like some of the others, this was completely fantastic! The harmonies were REALLY groovy! I listened to this a few times and loved it more and more. Terrific!

Adjacent in sound and style to CSN&Y and The Guess Who. I like this a lot!

beauitful

This is one of the most pleasant albums for the ears. It’s short and sweet, shows what beginnings mean.

Doing this challenge has really worn me out on classic rock so suffice it to say, I wasn't expecting much here. However, I was pleasantly surprised by this. I guess you would call this roots rock/Americana, and I really liked it! I even restarted it once the album (with bonus tracks!) ended, which I basically never do.

enjoyed

Debut album of Moby Grape. Great country psychedelic rock from San Francisco, 1967.

Surprising!

This 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.

so i am a bit biased on this one as i had discovered this album when i was in college and fell in love with it. it's not a "typical" 60s psych rock album but i would say it's adjacent - very similar to contemporaries such as jefferson airplane, the grateful dead, etc. i love every song on this album. the vibe is fun and the songwriting has hooks for days. just a very catchy counterculture album.

I was predisposed against this album simply because it was a total pain in the ass to find and listen to. But I'm glad I took the time to hunt it down because it's great. It's everything I love about the Beatles but with an edge that's all American. It's a perfect 1960s rock album. The harmonies, the guitar tones, the songwriting... it's all so perfect for the time. Even the mixing is iconically 60s with the weird hard-panned drums and guitars. Normally, I'm annoyed by that but this mix is so masterful and balanced that I can't help but admire it. I'll be hunting for this one on vinyl to add to the collection.

This not just the best LP to come from the SF scene, it's hands down one of the best records of all time. It's full of great songs, solid vocal harmonies, concise guitar solos plus a nice variety of styles. It's hard to pick favourites because it's one great song after another, but stand outs include 'Hey Grandma', 'Omaha', 'Changes' and 'Sitting By A Window'.

Solid old rock in roll.

A terrific album, charismatic band and some enjoyable grooves. Curious they aren't better known and I am pleased to be introduced to them. That is what this project is about.

4/5 strong beatles vibes, definitely inspired by them. I like it!

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.

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.

This actually goes super hard, would absolutely listen again

A quasi-psychedelic, jam, acid glimpse into the late 60s. 4/5.

J'ai beaucoup aimé, Beatle-ish en plus «naturel», belle ambiance 70!

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

This was solid good ol' blues

6/12, 50%

Some good old 60’s blues

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.

Couldn't find the whole album on Tidal, but I was pretty impressed with what I heard. I've never thought of myself as a big psychedelic rock fan, but this was good. As was The Zombies. And the Mamas and the Papas. Maybe I just don't like the Grateful Dead. Anyway, shame this band didn't have more success due to what sounds like mismanagement.

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.

bluuuues

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

Kinks early beatles vibes enjoyed

Pretty alright

Pretty solid

Nice sound! Nice changes, it was a good experience. Glad I searched for the full version in YT as it is incomplete in both Apple and Spotify

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.

Decent

Why are messing with my albums Spotify. Overall pretty fun and weird. Weird in the best way but still odd.

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.

Regreso a este mundo con un disco que ni fu ni fa, no me odien sólo me pareció equis

Great classic rock

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.

Good ol fashion R&R. Really dig that sound.

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)

Country rock. Un 4.

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

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.

Good rock, feels like I should have heard of them before.

A good rock-n-roll album but a bit repetitive.

8/10 good energy, this is the kind of 60s music i like

Une énergie appréciable

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

Enjoyed this a lot more than I expected

It was pretty groovy man.

This album was fine. It didn't really blow me away but I could listen to it again.

very Kinks-like, I like it!

Good jangle

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.

Straight out of the soul of 60s psychedelia, with boatloads of rock and roll tragedy on top of it.

4 Stars

Enjoyed this way more than I thought I would.

Old classic rock, I liked it

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?

Great sixties album

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 🌟

Squams…