Reviews (page 6 of 7)
Terrible
Non offensive folk poppy stuff, but not memorable
Not the most memorable thing in the world, some solid tracks here and there. Don’t think I’ll be revisiting them though.
This was just okay. Nothing really stand out.
Basically the Dead, without Jerry Garcia’s talent — and, blissfully, also without the endless jamming. Tim called it “the ‘60s of a slightly more boring timeline.”
Moby Grape is a very solid late 60’s San Francisco rock album that is a great time capsule of an important moment in rock music and American culture. It reminds me of how the Grateful Dead sounded on their live albums from the same time period. It sounds a bit raw, but that’s only a bad thing if you let it be a bad thing - I think it enhances the record in this case. There’s some great guitar work here and the vocals are solid. It’s a vibe more than a statement, and I bet seeing Moby Grape live in ‘67-‘69 was a blast. Good stuff.
Not all on Spotify but the 9/12 of the album I could hear was great, in that sweet spot around 66 when beat went just a bit psychedelic but was still pop.
4/5
Boring
It was good.
Poor man’s Doors…less memorable songs, much fewer songs, no Manzarek, No Jim. Not sure why they’d appear on this list.
I LOVE the instrumentals and then feel like the lyrics/vocals kinda ruin it.
You can really sense the time and place in this recording. Fuzzy guitars, creative freedom, and joy. The sound of Jefferson Airplane and The Grateful Dead sprung from the same soil. Love the energy
They sound like the love child of CSNY and Jimi Hendrix. The harmonies are gorgeous and you can hear the Purple Haze guitar riff in Sweet Ride. Went down a rabbit hole to learn that two of the band members went insane from LSD and that they were exploited by a greedy manager. Someone should make a movie out of this band's short life.
Quite good 60s pop. Not many of the songs are particularly remarkable, but Fall on You and 8:05 stand out from the pack. Better than Jefferson Airplane, not anywhere near as good as the Beatles.
8/10 normally I’d give a psych rock album a higher rating but idk, this was honestly a little subpar ngl
Precursor to later 70s hard rock but very rough and unpolished.
A pretty standard blues/hard rock album that didn’t leave much of an impression
Dated 2
I found this to be better than I was expecting. A little soft rock, folk and country inspired. Mr. Blues, 8:05 and Aint No Use and Changes stuck out to me in particular. never hearing of Moby Grape before I wouldnt mind hearing more.
Another forgettable British pop/rock album. This list is full of them apparently
Overall, this album is pretty OK. It’s giving a lot of Beatles vibes. I enjoy the instrumentals more than the vocals. I might listen again. 3/5
Decent melodies. The instrumentals are good and I appreciate how most songs were short or reasonable lengths (space truckin should take notes). Come in the morning was cool on headphones. Favourites are fall on you, 8:05, the ending of indifference, and rounder- instrumental. 3/5
Honestly not bad, after listening to Rounder (instrumental) I went back and relistened, a lot of the tracks I didn't really appreciate the instrumentals enough. I'm not a super big fan of a lot of the melodies but the singing is pretty good and again I liked the instrumentation. Favourites are Rounder and 8:05. Idk why they're gatekeeping half the songs from us, but 3/5 regardless.
Had to listen on YouTube because majority of the album isn't available on Spotify. Was pretty chill and had good summer vibes, also the runtimes were short and succinct for once, which made for a nice listening experience. Favourites were Fall On You, 8:05, Someday, Sitting By The Window, and Lazy Me. 3, put it on Spotify bruh
It’s a Beautiful Day Today for some Soul Stew if you’re Going Nowhere and want to give this a listen.
Didn’t have all the songs on the album but decent.
Not bad.
👍
Dirty Hippies 😉
Why oh why is this on this list? And why are people giving it such high ratings? This is so run to the mill
listened to a few songs. pretty standard 60 stuff?
It was ok, but not my favorite.
Iba con optimismo pero no me ha resultado nada especial.
When you look up cliche 60's rock, this is what you find. Scales have definitely tipped in favor of albums I hope to never hear again.
Fun sound. I wish more of this album had been available.
60s psych rock, nothing breathtaking, just fine.
2/5 not my taste of music
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. 👍👍
Doesn't really do much for me. Very reminiscent of Jefferson Airplane and the Grateful Dead, both of whom I find pretty mediocre. Not sure what I'm missing here. There certainly is a lot of bad blues rock on this list.
Meh
Labels fought over these guys? Seriously? Wow, I guess the suits and the musicians were all into Heroin back in the hippie movement in Frisco
great band name!! it's ok for Eric music
Sounds right on par for 1967, probably couldn't recognize it if I heard it.
Ei jätä oikein muistijälkiä. Kivasti vähän raskaampi kuin ehkä heti odottaisi. Mutta miksi tämä albumi on pakko kuulla? Kuulostaa hieman omanlaiseltaan, muttei ollenkaan maata mullistavalta tai tosi taitavalta.
Voiko olla, että tämän bändin "energia" tosiaan saa minut kuuntelemaan näitä biisejä yhä uudelleen? En löydä hittejä, mutta tavoitan hyviä hetkiä ja äänimaailman, johon haluaa palata. Kaipa syynä on 67.
Pulled into the 3s by one song
3-
Moby Grape is soooo groovy. I dig it. No Moby Grape on spotify?! damn. breaking my heart. :(
Rockin’ and groovy!
Not too shabby. Beatles vibes for sure.
3,5. Fínt svona sixtisrokk. Gef annan sens.
I was not in the mood for another 60s psych album today. Thankfully, this was a decent bluesy/folk thing closers to Credence than Jefferson Airplane . Fine and good.
This is Moby Grape's self titled debut album. Psychadelic country rock, kinda like Sgt Pepper era Beatles. Average song length is like 2 minutes, and the songs feel unfinished. Like they don't wind down, or come to any kind of conclusion, they just end. Feels like they rushed to get the album out and had 3/4 of an idea for a song and said fuck it, that's good enough Favourite songs: Ain't No Use, Mr. Blues, Fall on You, Changes Least favourite songs: Sweet Ride (Never Again), Bitter Wind 2/5
First listen. Pretty good psychedelic rock album. Nothing really stood out to me.
Amazing guitar tones and exemplary of the best of analog mixing days. SF psych rock, heavy on the rock.
This was a good discovery, not sure I knew of this band and I wantvto explore more of it. 3.5
I've had a lot of this genre recently and I am generally quite ambivalent towards it. On a couple of listens I can see the blend of blues, country, pop and a bit of psych is unique and it's well done of a little under cooked. But I won't be going back.
Definitely a 60's sound representing what was happening in music at the time and a decent listen.
Very much fitting into the late 60’s folk rock sound. It’s good, but it’s nothing I haven’t heard before done better. Favorite songs were Hey Grandma, 8:05, and Sitting By The Window.
Impressed, seems before it's time in a lot of ways. Catchy stuff!
No comment
Enjoyable and short listen. Didn’t really blow me away.
I was only able to listen to 9 out of the 18 songs, Spotify would not play the others
Sounds of the times. Love it.
2.7
Did not expect to have so much fun with this one
Music was fine, but I had such a hard time finding a way to play through the whole album. Probably lost half a star just for that (petty I know). Will revisit with more patience one day.
Good
Asså... Ok. Det här sticker ju inte alls ut. Varför är denna skiva med på listan? Låter likadant, inget distinkt. Rätt tråkigt. VARFÖR?
Typiskt 60-tals-rockigt. Bra gitarrer men i övrigt inget som jag tycker sticker ut riktigt.
Very pleasant and listenable. None of the songs stand out to me as super memorable, but I loved it on in the background! Bummer that most of these songs are not on the DSPs - I had to listen on youtube.
minha grande amiga Flora sugeriu que ouvíssemos o álbum com as músicas faltantes no YouTube. não pude acompanhar a nobre iniciativa, pra mim não dava mais. como um todo, a sensação de BR-262: estrada reta e longa. já ouvir as músicas separadamente seria outra experiência. individualmente valoroso!
O som remete diretamente aos anos 60 e... not for me. Nada muito interessante. Kinda boring! Não lembro de destaques, mas também não recordo incômodos muito grandes.
Well, that’s absolutely a 60s album. All the sounds are there, it’s almost stereotypical. It’s pleasant, but hard to compete with the geniuses of the decade!
Absolutely nothing special. Inoffensive.
Nice, but nothing special.
sorry I do not like it
Featuring the guy with the washboard flipping you off on the album cover. This was a bit of a flash in the pan. The band's grassroots success was seemingly sabotaged by their label and the ensuing press reception. Regardless, these fellas were primo performers in their time. This comes through on the record and I'm consistently impressed by their sharp songwriting, flowing melodies, and lovely harmonies. Perhaps one of the best bands from around this time. Moby Grape.
Psychedelic Rock from 1967. Never heard of Moby Grape before. Standouts: 8:05, Sitting By The Window, Someday, Mr. Blues, Fall On You, Naked if I Want to, Ain't No Use, 3.75
Nice example of late 60s sound — squarely between The Dead and Jefferson Starship. Wrote a song called “Omaha,” but not in this album.
Spotify being an ass on this one. Seems to hit a sweet spot of country ricj psychedelic groove. Bit twee at times.
Pretty generic 60s rock. Nothing about it does anything for me.
Country rock. Un 4.
Some lyrics were a bit bizarre but enjoyed their music. Nice to hear the stereo separation in some of the songs. One of the things I miss in much of today’s modern music.
Only could hear a few songs but it was good
Certainly has a good 60's San Francisco vide. Faves: 8:05, Naked, If I Want to
Haven't listened to these folks before, but this sounds very much of a piece with "Surrealistic Pillow" and "Cheap Thrills" - competently done summer of love San Francisco psychedelia! I probably need to give it more listens to reach peak affection, but yeah - a nice discovery! Fave tracks - "Ain't No Use", "Lazy Me" and "Indifference" - need more listens though....
Rather inconsistent psychedelic countryrock album, to which I do not listen too often, but when it is good it is really good.
Sounds fresh, versatile and entertaining.
Huh
Lässt sich gut hören, Songs wirken eher positiv.
This is pretty good. I feel like this was a sound that was popular at the time and I am sure that hundreds of bands did it worse than these guys, but quite a few did it better too. If you get tired of listening to all the bands that did this sound better than Moby Grape did - or if want to get the classic rock version of indie cred for listening to a forgotten band with a tragic story - by all means, put on Moby Grape. I am glad that I have now heard Moby Grape and I could totally see listening to this album again. Not life-changing but decent. However, the joke that resulted in their band name: “What is purple and swims in the ocean? Moby Grape!” I don’t get it. “What is purple and conquered the world? Alexander the Grape!” makes sense because “Grape” rhymes with “Great.” But Moby Dick and Moby Grape don’t rhyme. I don’t get that joke and I suspect either it’s stupid or I’m stupid or a little of both but either way I’m angry.
This album stands out in the list of the average records because of how incredibly average and ordinary it is. After listening to it, I can't say anything about any of the songs - it just came and went, almost unnoticeable. A big waste of time. I bet there is a lot of random "quirky" bands in 60s and 70s, but it's really not worth listening to it today. Just let them die with dignity.
The story of Moby Grape could be considered amongst the most tragic in rock. At the right place, at the right time, with all the wrong results coming their way. Their overall lack of representation in today's musical environment due to bad management that persists to this day, not to mention the mental health issues with members Bob Mosley and, most notably, Skip Spence, has resulted in Moby Grape not being as fondly revered as the rest of their San Franciscan peers. With that being said, their self-titled album from the golden year of 1967 showcases all the hallmarks of what made that scene special before it got co-opted, chewed up and spat out. An intriguing documentation of what was and what could have been had Moby Grape not been surrounded by vultures and their own worst enemies. Favorites: Hey Grandma, Mr. Blues, Fall on You, Come in the Morning, Omaha, Someday, Ain't No Use, Sitting by the Window, Changes.
Man, this one was a struggle to find as a whole. It's like the same 60s sound I heard yesterday, but maybe more bluesy without being 100% 12-bar blues. 2*, but more enjoyable than the Sonics. Enjoyed: Lazy me
Can’t find the album on streaming. Is the stuff on YouTube the real versions, they all seem to studio fade too early
Never heard of these guys before but was a quick fun album
Better than expected to be honest. I gotta say I skipped the missing and the mono songs. Expected Marc rating: 3
És la típica música que en teoria m'hauria d'agradar i no aconsegueixo que m'agradi prou com escoltar-la sovint Expected Lorenzo rating: 3
60s bluesy rock with a pinch of country and psych influence Very enjoyable all throughout!
I’ve heard quite a lot of this sort of folksy and jangly yet hard and muscular California Rock in my time, and I’ve never understood why anyone kept at it once Neil Young got into the game. These guys are clearly inspired by Young, through Buffalo Springfield, and they do it fine. It’s better than average. But, like a lot of cult art, I think the story behind the band is more interesting than the band’s music itself
Le générateur de Robert étant designé comme un cul, j'ai cliqué sur l'album Street Signs d'Ozomatli pour écrire ma critique de celui-ci. Pour ce qui est de l'album précédemment cité, on se retrouve sur youtube avec des reprises filmées depuis le salon d'inconnus. Autant vous dire que Robert mérite une paire de bourre-pifs.
Déjà que les Beatles c'est pas si dingue que ça, une copie des Beatles ça l'est encore moins.
Very few songs are actually available on streaming services so it's kind of hard to judge
Unavailable on Spotify
It's the kind of album that deserves a 2.5 I guess
a decent album of 60s rock/psychedelic. Good songs but I don’t know that any particular one really stuck with me. Very reminiscent of the Grateful Dead at some points
Not for me. A lot of very short tracks that never really go anywhere.
your average rock album honestly
Well produced album with some skillful playing but ultimately a little flat
Not my style, but it was inoffensive enough. Pretty forgettable.
I'm getting a mix between The Beach Boys, the Guess Who, maybe a bit of Buffalo Springfield. They have some reeally great harmonies, and the guitar work is really good. This album has all the ingredients to a perfect recipe. The only thing is it's not really memorable. Judging by how I haven't really heard anything from them, despite enjoying like bands of this era, leads me to believe that their peers over shadowed them. Which is a shame... But I guess if you're not making memorable tunes, this is inevitable. Again, great album, but after listening to it, I can't tell you much about it. Pretty forgettable, despite enjoying listening the whole way through.
I feel like they were pretty good. Good guitar sound, pretty good music. Singing was pretty good. No complaints really, easy to listen to while working. Nothing really stood out, but more in a good way. Feel like it was better than Fear and Whiskey - Mekons. Good fingerpicking I'm pretty sure. It has that great mix between folk, rock, and country. It hits the spot for me. It maybe would be 5 stars if I was more familiar with it or really focused on listening.
Typical mid-60s rock album
Never even heard of these guys and US Spotify is missing a lot of the original album tracks but did have most of the bonus tracks. Pretty heavy for 1967.
Spotify weirdly only had a few tracks available. After munging around a bit, I was able to listen to the whole record, and it was fine, but nothing exciting. There's probably two dozen albums from around this timeframe that I can think of right off the top of my head that are more interesting and have better musicianship. Not really understanding why this particular record is on the 1001.
I'm impressed how they left no impression whatsoever
Eh
That was shockingly great. I can’t believe an album this good has 1/3 of its songs unavailable on Spotify. That’s usually a bad sign for me, that this is probably not going to be a good time. And the average rating didn’t seem super promising either. But I am so pleasantly surprised. Typically with these things, I get a new album available around 12:45 in the morning. So I’ll usually listen to a song or two, and then start over and listen to the whole thing after I wake up. But after listening to Hey Grandma, I was instantly hooked. I just had to keep going, and I don’t regret it. So many great songs on this album. I’m not sure what it is, but something about the album just clicked with me. I loved almost every song here. Looking into the band’s history, what they went through is tragic. Honestly, as others have said already, I think they could’ve been so much more. They could've been on the same level as the Beatles, the Stones, all the big rock bands of the time. If only everything hadn’t gone wrong. That probably has something to do with why so many of their songs are hard to find on Spotify, or just not there at all in the case of Someday and Sitting by the Window. I’ve gone on for so long, and I’ve really just been rambling on about how much I love this album. So I’ll stop here. I hadn’t heard of this group before today, but they’re getting a surprisingly high score from me. 8.5/10 Top 5: 1. Someday 2. Hey Grandma 3. Fall On You 4. Indifference 5. 8:05
There is just no way this album deserves to be on this list. So so so much better stuff from the decade. Never heard of them, no cultural relevance. This is my biggest gripe with this challenge. So much of it is so mediocre with no hook to why it was interesting at the time.
meh. album really has a late sixties sound. So if you like that 67 sound, this is the album for you. But that's the total identity (\"1967 sound\") this album has for me. usually listen on tidal, but their Moby Grape album is messed up. only has tracks 14-18 from a bonus album, so those songs aren't even on the original album. So listened on youtube.
Nothing about this really stands out to me besides it being a 60s rock album. Also could only find it on youtube.
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.
I liked the sound, but I didn't particularly enjoy any song.
They kinda sound like a beatles clone. Pretty fun listen still
Got what I expected: okay it didn't sound awful but it was nothing new at all. Same old 60s rock which I feel I have heard a bajillion times. Also the whole album wasn't on spotify which a lot of the time is enough said. Not sure if it is at all influential for this list.
#53. Decent stuff, but reading about what happened with them turned out to be more interesting than the music 3/5: acceptable Song added to playlist: Indifference I've created a playlist on Spotify that consists of the best and/or my favorite song from each of the albums in this book. This list can be found here if you are interested: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7MAXDGLWlwLkFLb8veGfkA?si=FqkQQPgZTFWG0jAUJXLFZA&utm_source=copy-link
Had to cobble together from various sources, but liked this a lot more than expected
Muutama biisi oli oikein viihdyttävä ja kokonaisuus kuunneltava. Ei mikään perus kakkonen ja silti ei ehkä ihan kolmosenkaan kuuluisi. Jälleen kerran toivoisi vähän laajempaa skaalaa annettaviin pisteisiin.
Ei ainakaan liian pitkä. Piti tubesta kuunnella ku spottarista ei kaikkia ollu saatavilla ja runsas mainosmäärä biisien aikana vähän häiritsi keskittymistä. Ei kyllä kakkosta enempää saa
Listened on YouTube. Good old late '60s psychedelic rock.
Quintessential 60’s boy band… not for me
Meh pretty generic at least it's short
Moby Grape is some hardcore hippy shit, and it slaps.
7/10 - Classic rock - Feel good rock reminds of beatles and skynard
Escutei sexta e não lembro de nenhuma unidade de música. Nada positivo nem negativo pra pontuar. apenas meh
Good album. Close to 4 stars. Realistically, probably is a 4 star album. I just wasn't focused enough when listening.
middle grade boomer rock. not bad, definitely some pretty songs in here.
enjoyed this way more than i thought i was going to. most songs weren’t able to be listened to on spotify so i had to listen on youtube and that’s never a great start. cool monkees-esque vibes throughout though.
This is one of the most pleasant albums for the ears. It’s short and sweet, shows what beginnings mean.
Great album. Changed my mind about white people and the 60s
Sadly most of this album was not available on Spotify. Only the following songs were available for streaming: Mr. Blues 8:05 Indifference Rounder Looper Bitter Wind Sweet Ride These guys were new to me. I love the west coast 60's sound also reminiscent of Gram Parson, The Flying Burrito Brothers, early Grateful Dead, etc. How have I never heard of this band before? I do like their sound and will give a favorable review given how little I've heard. I would like to hear the rest of the album.
Honestly I thought it was kind of a boring, generic white boy band.
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
Тот период музыкальный, который целиком обошел меня практически. Никогда прежде вообще я не слышала названия этой группы :) Блюз, что-то джазовое, какой-то мягкий американский ранний рок. Странно, что на спотике нет каких-то песен из альбома. Начало приятное у альбома, можно послушать фоном, концовка более экспериментальная. Сильно зацепило? Да нет.
Never heard of these guys. Some decent 60's San Fran psych rock.
Wont return to this much probably, but it was pretty solid while it was on
Workmanlike late 60s psych-rock. I'm sure in its day it was groundbreaking, but here they sound like also-rans.
Explosive right out of the gate, this album brims with raw energy. I can hear a lot of Rubber Soul/Revolver influence in this album tempered by a good county/blues base. This reminds me of early Grateful Dead though this album is more cohesive. The vocal delivery is energetic and often features simple but effective harmonies. I can see why this album is influential and though Moby Grape seems to have an edge on the San Francisco psychadelic scene, they are very much a band of their time.
Sitting by the Window
Never really got into it
Good record! But somehow I could only listen to a few tracks. Therefore only 4 stars. Too bad, I really wanted to listen to the rest of it.
Good album, couldn't find the whole thing on Apple music, had to listen from the youtubes
This is terrible.
From the few songs available on Spotify, it was pretty good.
It's pretty good. Nothing more
Un dels discos clau del hippisme made in San Francisco. Amb la inspiració d'un excomponent de Jefferson Airplane i un grup de músics d'alt octanatge, funciona com a llampec creatiu evocador d'un lloc i una època
Pouah... chiant un peu nan?!
I thought it was okay. I'm guessing it was influential to other artists. It really doesn't feel very special otherwise. It was still a pretty good 30 minute album.
Not available on Spotify, but was on youtube
Me gustó la mezcla de rock y blues, el estilo es algo que escucharía, pero no mucho mas, no hay nada que haya escuchado que a futuro me permita recordar este album
Moby Grape's debut is not bad per se, but I think there's a good reason only 15 or 16 5-star reviews have been written about it on this app. Plus, the vast majority of the other reviewers gave a 3-star mark to it--and it's a trend towards a precise grading that is actually clearer than for most of the other albums in the list. To me, this kinda-"meh" global score ties in with something that's always rubbed me the wrong way in this record, as much of a fan of the sixties as I am: it's this debut's cruel lack of catchy hooks and memorable vocal lines. There's nothing in *Moby Grape* that acts such as The Byrds or Buffalo Springfield didn't do better at the time. Heck, there's nothing in this debut that Creedence Clearwater Revival or Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young didn't do *ten times better* no so long after. Ironically, the next releases by this Californian band were patchy affairs as well, but their highlights were a little more striking at least. It's those sorts of highlights that manage to transcend the times and specific styles in which they were written. But you can find none of them this band's debut--whereas you can find those treasures in so many other acts of the sixties, from the Zombies and the Kinks to the psychedelic "nuggets" found in the famous compilation bearing this name... There's a yarn going on about Moby Grape and the fact that they had "management issues", and that this situation partly explains why they've been quickly forgotten. I readily believe that story, yet if somebody told me that they were also somewhat *overhyped* around the time of their debut, I would also believe it. They were probably an awesome live act. But when it comes to songwriting and compositions, it seems to me their efforts can't compare with the names I've mentioned up there. Using this app, I sometimes feel like I'm condoning an unfair competition between thousands of awfully skilled musicians, here artificially gathered to receive harsh blows, mean takes and hair-splitting arguments ad infinitum. But as harsh as my own take about Moby Grape may sound for some ears, I think there's a clear consensus about this band today. As seen from 2023's vantage point, they're an interesting curio. But they don't pack the weight they supposedly once packed. It's when the hype is long gone that scales finally fall from your eyes. 2.5/5 for the purposes of this list, rounded up to 3. Which translates to a 7.5 grade for more general purposes. Number of albums left to review: 429 Number of albums from the list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 264 Albums from the list I *might* include in mine later on: 139 Albums from the list I will certainly *not* include in mine (many others are more essential to me): 172 (including this one)
Average 60's stuff.
27th September 2023 Listened the day after with Andy visiting. From memory it was great, rock and roll with a blues tinge.
Couldn’t listen
Spotify doesn't let you listen to much of this record but I dug a little deeper and caught up with it at the end of the day. It's better than yesterday's offering. The catchier numbers were among my favorites despite some goofy sixties sentiments.
Fine, but I was a little bored. Once I thought of them as Peter, Paul, & Mary but with more electric guitars, I couldn’t shake the connection.
Had to stream this one on YouTube. Another decent but not super noteworthy album. I mostly know Moby Grape as: -one of the bands Cat Power covered (Naked if I Want to) -I think Neil Young was almost in the band but decided to join Buffalo Springfield instead - Skip Spence had a mental breakdown and recorded Oar, which is more interesting I think than this album, kinda like Syd Barrett’s solo stuff is more interesting to me than most Floyd.
What’s purple and lives in the ocean? An old college buddy of mine turned me on to this album. It’s been awhile since I’ve listened to it, mostly because I can’t find it on streaming. I found it on YouTube today and gave it a listen. I’m glad I did, because I quite liked the first half. The second half was not as good and drug this from a 4 to a 3. Reminds me of The Band, but not quite as good. 3/5, but I’ll still snap up that vinyl when I see it.
Frustratingly hard to rate this as an album as Apple Music only has a smattering of songs, and youtube is full of ads. Some very good musicianship in these songs. The tempo feels repetitive across songs, but they're all interesting.
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.
Weird - Dan Francisco/grateful dead vibes. Very groovy. Enjoyable.
55/100
Sounds like an average 60s album.
Já, vitiði, þetta er flott Friscorock. Renndi tvisvar og fannst þetta fjör áheyrilegt fjör og stundum meira að segja fallegt. Tæpur fjarki.
September 13, 2023: difficulty in finding this album, listened to Motomami by Rosalia & Blond by Frank Ocean today September 16, 2023 (whole thing is on YouTube for free? well then) Enjoying this very much. Sure some of the songs feel unfinished, but I wasn't prepared for the intensity & exuberance of the performances. Especially since I was expecting a snoozy country-fried record. Among the better examples of 60s psychedelia in my eyes 4* at least HL: "8:05", "Come in the Morning", "Omaha", "Sitting by the Window", "Lazy Me"
60's rock. rien de très différent des autres. ecoute facile. 5.5/10
Mixing 60s roots rock, folk and a little blues. It sort of gets itself lost without similar sounding bands of that time. It’s a solid album speaking on song quality, writing, and production. For me though to be one of the 1001 Albums You MUST Listen To…it isn’t quite that.
album niet compleet
Pleasantly surprised by this short little rocker of an LP. There were times it was evocative of Hendrix, but also had some distinct personality on the more tongue-in-cheek or tender moments. Not sure it’s going to stick with me, but an enjoyable album in the moment for sure.
A surprisingly quality record given the name and cover. A healthy mix of campfire classics and late sixties youthful rebellion. Hints of something bigger to come in this, not sure that was realised.
Decent enough. Rolls along nicely, but mostly forgettable.
Similar to early Who. Enjoyable for exactly what it is.
Descent album
This was kind of a weird one! Some tracks are such perfectly bland 60s rock I was sure I’d be giving this a 1 or 2, but then songs like Hoochie and Trucking Man surprised me with how much fun they were.
Totally fine blues rock. No songs I hated or wanted to skip, and only 30 minutes long! How likely am I to tell someone else to listen to this though? Eh... they should listen to Credence instead. 3 stars.
Sounds like either the Who or The Beatles depending on the song.
Slow and soft, probably won't listen again
Loved every bit. Listened a few times. A keeper.
Given that it isn’t easy to listen to this album, I really had to ask whether I liked it enough to go out of my way to listen to it again. And the answer is no. They’re an interesting enough band, but nothing new for me.
Very unknown band, never heard of them or any of their songs, i'm a big fan of the psychedelic era and 1967 is probably the prime of rock music and i think we could include this album with the other great album of the era. altough not as great, it is still a pretty good reccord, with psychdelic folk similar to the byrds I dont know why but not all song on the album are available on spotify so i have not listen to the full album When we think of the San Fransisco sound we shoul think of them.
I didn't get to listen to most of this album as Amazon Music had most of the tracks restricted for some reason. What I heard was good and I wish I could have listened to the rest.
Great album from a band I’ve never heard of! Love hearing 4 different vocalists - loved “Lazy me” and “8:05”
Nothing exciting. Too bad some songs were missing.
- Why are only the bonus tracks on Spotify, L - Appreciate the short length - Great classic rock vibes, really enjoy this
- solid Americana rock - enjoyable and a good length
4.4 - This record is a firecracker! First, there are 2-3 riffing guitar lines, each exceptional (see the end of "Someday" and how they effortlessly turn this ballad into a jazz jam). Second, the songs are full of melodic surprises and sophisticated chord structures (see "8:05"). Third, these guys can sing! Each song rests on a strong backbone of vocal harmonies that rival more well-known bands like the Beach Boys or the Mamas & the Papas. Other standouts: wall-to-wall guitars on "Omaha", goofy side-note track "Naked, If I Want To."
A lot of influences here and it's pleasant but dated. It veers across a number of genres- blues, country, Californian psychedelia etc
It folksy, got bored.
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!
Had a Yardbirds feel.
First I've heard of this
They are on to something but it doesn’t quite feel fully realized.
Cool vibes.
Never heard of them or any of their songs. A few good melodies but uneven vocals and genre contortions.
I've never heard of Moby Grape before, and I'm pretty sure I've not listened to any of this album's songs. However, almost all of the songs sounded very recognizable to me. It could mean they are just an album from its time since it sounds like 60/70s bands. Maybe it also influenced a lot of other bands, and I recognize them from which they influenced. So how do they also sound so fresh? Some mysteries about the effects of music on us are very hard to put into words. They are a good band with great songs, I'll look for their later albums after this debut. I think this looks better.
A super band that shock the San Francisco scene in 1967 with a fresh, innovative, and diverse roots rock sound. These guys were huge at the time. Unfortunately, the members screwed up big time and signed away all your rights, and thus we're still living those consequences almost 60 years later with this record not being found in any record store or streaming service. And I don't think I've ever heard any songs on the radio despite initial commercial success. Damn shame. Anyway, I'm not too crazy about this album. It's great, don't get me wrong. Short and has a lot of styles, can hear the Byrds, Kinks, and Yardbirds, but it's not very consistent and lacks hooks to make it memorable. Some songs are duds, but others demonstrate speculactular instrumental performance. Favorites: 8:05, Come in the Morning, Naked if I Wanted To, Someday, Sitting By the Window
Easy and short - love the badass giving the middle finger on the cover.
It was okay, seemed pretty generic
I thought this was a pretty good album especially for how old it is. It’s a shame this had to be listened to on YouTube because I would have added this to my music for future listens. Overall this was a good mix of early psych rock and some bluesy sounds. The instrumentals were consistent and good. The songs were relatively short but provided good rhythm and pace. 6.9/10 (nice)
Eh
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.
4 Songs are not playable on Spotify but the rest of the album was alright but it felt really short with them missing songs
It’s pretty good; typical late 60s British Invasion with a bit too much wannabe Blues-man nonsense. The guitar solos and bass are the highlights.
Interessante, beatlesiano
Me gustan las armonías de las voces. A Gieco y a Santaolalla seguro les gusta este álbum. Me hace acordar a Scooby Doo (no se por que). Me lleva a otra época. Maomeno.
Sería un 2.5. Bastante parecido a otras bandas de la época. Me guardé el tema "8:05".
This was ok, but kind of forgettable and from an era of rock I just usually don't choose to listen to much.
This is an especially mid album. I didn't hear anything I didn't like, but I didn't really care either way. Sounds like a hippy album and that's it. 2.5/5
Decent hippie rock. It doesn’t excite me, but the guitar work is pretty impressive and there are enough hooks to stick around for. C
Ikke fundet
I appreciated hearing this because Moby Grape is a band that I wrote off thinking I didn't like them, but I actually liked most of these songs.
Like The Byrds with more balls.
Sure. Ok. I felt almost nothing here. It's fine.
This is a hard one to find online! About 20 minutes to find somewhere with all the songs on it! It wasn't really worth the effort. The write up said that label and legal issues tanked their career and left this album a cult item... But honestly I think this passable San Fran psych did about as well as you'd expect from it's songs?
good songs, nothing special
60s San Francisco soft rock. Sounds exactly like you would expect, and also a bit like the Byrds in places. Rating: 2/5 Playlist track: Hey Grandma Date listened: 20/06/23
It’s definitely 60s rock music. Some cool guitar solos, but the band doesn’t feel cohesive enough for me to call this jammy like the Dead. I accidentally listened to the bonus track acoustic version of “If you can’t Learn from my Mistakes” which is intensely beautiful. I might take another listen if there was a good remastered version, but for now I don’t get that much from it.
a real distillation of 60s psychedelia, but you can tell how this influenced a lot of the 70s, especially the west coast scene. not a perfect album, but innovative and listenable.
Really enjoyed this, pretty classic stuff from the SF psychedelic scene. Was happy to dig in about the band and learn more about who they influenced (Robert Plant!) Seems a shame they didn't see more success than they did, or get paid what they should have.
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'.
You what! This band is dull and just 60s wallpaper
Sadly this band's history is more interesting and more rock and roll than their music
Sigh. Not another of these.
Many of the tracks are quite short, (along with Spotify was missing a few of the tracks), so it was over quite quickly. Initial listen, I thought it was good.
I thought I would hate this, because I've always hated this band's name, but this was done decent 60s rock
Maybe because I had to flip back and forth between Spotify and Youtube, but I didn't find this all that interesting.
1 star. i can pass on ever hearing this album.
Ok, men önskar jag tyckte den var bättre..
Classic late 60s sound. Never heard of this band before.
Should have liked this more, but eh. Compared to similar acts from that era on this list, this didn't impress me. It's fine. 2.5/5
some of the tracks kind of reminds me of the beatles Favorite track is 8:05 It was pretty good, might listen again
I thought it was good. Second day in a row I've had an album from the 60's by a band that could have been amazing if they'd been able to stick it out longer
Rock suave sesentero. Sin estridencias ni complicaciones. No conocía al grupo. Estilo CCR
Weet niet zo goed wat ik hiervan vind. Ik vind het niet slecht maar ook nieuw boeiend. Jammer dat niet alle nummer op spotify te beluisteren zijn…
Made the fateful decision to give this a third spin, despite being sure after the first two that it was nothing special and that there are plenty of better 60s guitar albums on the list. I mean, there are, but I concede that this one deserves its place too. I actually really like it now - these guys knew their way around a well-crafted tune. 3.5 - and rounding up as a 'happy to be proven wrong' bonus!
4½
It was uninspiring. Really nothing memorable. The sound is typical of that era. It is better than a 2 not really a 3. I will round up I guess.
actually pretty good I'd call it hippie rock I wish it was on Spotify 3.5
Bluesy beetles?
Ålreit
“I look like Moby Grape”. I thought that was just a funny self-deprecating one liner in Angus, did not know there was an actual band going by this name some 20+ years before that movie came out. It’s groovy hippie rock. I’ve been on a big Grateful Dead bender lately, so I’m digging this. Probably won’t seek it out again, but won’t skip tracks when they come up in my Spotify generated playlists because of this listen tossing them into the algorithmic mix. Hippies gotta hip, man, and I’m cool with it.
Groovy
3.5/5. A record and band that’s been lost to the passage of time.
trashbat.cock yeah? https://youtu.be/YyPfIDvvwU4
Less interesting than being g-raped by Moby
Slighter than I had imagined.
Nice psych/country/garage fusion, but also pretty damn typical of the late 60s. I kinda liked it, but it didn't really need to be on this list. Just barely misses the 3 stars for me.
Just fine.
Hey, Grandma, Mr. Blues, Fall on You, 8:05, Come in the Morning (best song), Omaha, Someday, Ain’t No Use, Sitting By the Window, Changes (also the best song), Lazy Me and Indifference. Amazing instruments and vocals. This is the god-tier decade of music. This needs to be known more and I did need to hear this. 9/10
I was noting the songs I enjoyed and realized it was most of the album.
Overall good vibes
4/10
I'm unfamiliar with Moby Grape but the name and cover strikes me as practically a parody of 1967. But, taking a listen, this is pretty much I like about rock and roll from this era. Lively tunes, pretty harmonies, simple straightforward relatable ideas lyrically, and in this case, great guitar playing and a great lead voice. Not especially groundbreaking, but a solid example of music from this era. I'm happy to have heard it and I think it does belong on this list. 4.5
I’m not a fan of psychedelia, but that rocked. It’s a shame Moby Grape gets overshadowed by other Haight-Ashbury groups. Hey Grandma and Omaha blasted me out of my chair.
Beautiful album, the lead and group vocals steal the show. Really wish most of this album wasn't missing from Spotify.
Good jangle
This band was not going to be the next Beatles. This is boring. And while I feel bad for what happened to them, they are not very good musically.
Meh, it’s ok. I can hear its influence by and on other 60s rock/folk, like the Grateful Dead, CSN, etc.
Unfortunately this isn't available on Spotify or Apple Music, but I was able to listen to it. I liked this more than I expected... Hey Grandma, Omaha, Naked If I Want To and Indifference really stood out.
A majority of this album is not available on Spotify and based on the few songs that are I don't really think it's worth tracking down the rest of them. Not my vibe.
bluuuues
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
psychedelic rock with shades of the Grateful Dead, the Mamas and the Papas, the Byrds, CSNY. really well done sonically, although not really my thing. listenable, for sure, but didn’t really grab me. highlights include: “omaha”, “someday”, and “changes”.
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.
This one is weird to me as I’ve heard of Moby Grape but hadn’t heard their songs yet. I like this but it’s pretty forgettable as soon as it ended. The ONLY thing I can tell you about this album is that I liked it. Ask me which song…..I dunno. Ask me any question about it……I dunno. Just 60’s American rock that sounded good. Lame write up but that’s basically my feelings on it.
Sounds too similar in tone to many bands of the time, I wouldn’t say it stands out in any way.
Decent, worth the time but quickly forgotten
I'm always down for more 60s psych rock. Never listened to these guys before but they do that style really well. Cool album. Their story is also very interesting.
6/12, 50%
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.
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.
Not bad but not for me.
There are definitely some nice moments in this album, especially the acoustic guitar and vocal harmonies. The songwriting very much passes me by though.
2,5
Enjoyable enough. Just wish the whole thing was on Spotify as that would make it much easier to listen.
Moby Grape has some promise but ultimately disappoints. Good energy, not enough stuff that makes me want to stick around. 2.
Felt like this was the stepping stone to something really good, so had a look to see what happened to them afterwards and sad to see that it all fell apart pretty quickly after the difficult second album. This has some really good starts to it - Omaha (not on the Spotify listing) is probably the best of the bunch - but it doesn't quite follow through. Fun, 60s stuff that isn't too folky and boring and has some fun psychedelic elements without straying into the completely mental and unlistenable territory. 3/5.
Another band I wasn’t familiar with. Glad to have been introduced to them. Great name Great year Wasn’t completely bowled over by the tunes, but some of them felt really familiar. Maybe because they are so redolent of the era. The album is so short though - you can’t find anything tiresome when it is over in the blink of an eye. I think Lazy Me was my favourite.
I've heard of Moby Grape but can't recall ever listening to them. I do like the psychedelic rock vibes but loose interest when they go country... and I like country music, just not what they're playing. Great bass lines and drum parts but I understand why they got lost in the shadow of Jefferson Airplane. I do want to listen to more of their catalog but probably don't need to hear an entire album anytime soon.
Unfortunately I wasn't able to really absorb this one. But I listened (on YouTube) and liked what I heard a lot. But, giving a 4-star review for something I might not even recognize if I heard it next week seems wrong. So a 3-star. Interestingly, I've been traveling and reading a book called "Traveling Music" by Neil Peart (drummer of Rush) and he mentions this Moby Grape album as being one of the first 10 albums he ever owned. Funny that I read that on the same day this was our album.
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.
Had I arrived at the keg party in the woods in high school and heard this, I would have been psyched for a good night. Now…meh.
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.
This actually goes super hard, would absolutely listen again
Standard blues-based rock. It's my kind of music, but it's nothing special. No idea why it would be on this list, it's just average - which is fine, nothing wrong with that. But why is it on this list of supposedly important/soecial albums?
A quasi-psychedelic, jam, acid glimpse into the late 60s. 4/5.