I collected all of Moby Grape back in the day. Never understood their legendary status, to me it’s the same as The Charlatans another band I never got. Maybe it’s time to let both go during my next purge.
I had Wow, and loved it back in the day. I then bought 69, and found it only so, so. For some reason I never listened to the debut album until just a few weeks ago. Ok, so I listened to it, it's too hard at this point to take myself back and enjoy this music without the frame of reference that was the late 60s. Before listening to the debut, I listened to a few songs from WOW. Have to say it didn't wow me the way it did back in 1969. I'd like to say I'll go back and give the debut a couple more tries, but after the Wow experience, I doubt it will happen.
Loved it from the second the needle dropped on my copy; The music perfectly matched the vibe of the cover, name of the band, and the whole era perfectly.
The first Moby Grape record I ever owned was a promo copy of "Omaha" (with "8:05" on the flip side). This was in 1981...I ran into a guy at the downtown mall and he pulled it out of a bag and asked if I wanted to buy it and I said sure (his asking price was just a dollar fifty). When I put it on my turntable I was shocked...I'd actually heard it quite a number of times on the local college radio station KDVS and never knew that it was Moby Grape. Both songs were terrific, although I was a bit puzzled that "Omaha" didn't seem to mention anything about Omaha in the lyrics. Didn't matter though...the song was killer, as is "8:05". Now I own five Moby Grape albums/CDs and two best of compilations. Love the band!
I love Wow, although it's a bit patchy. The first Moby Grape song I heard, in the late 70s was "Bitter Wind" from that album. I picked up that LP in a thrift store and it didn't have the Grape Jam disk...I first got a chance to hear the Grape Jam part when my girlfriend at the time let me listen to her old copy that we found in her garage. There's some real gems on that disk...as a psychedelic music fanatic, I found items like "The Lake" to be fantastic.
We didn't get the Grape Jam disc at all in the UK. I've never heard it. I do have an original UK pressing of Wow and love it, flaws and all.
great song! we get a little 8:05 bonus on the MG CD...never heard this in any store...you were lucky!
Moby Grape had an insane amount of talent and it was on full display throughout their debut album. But they were not well-served by their manager Matthew K@+$.
Buying on a hunch, which so many of did, seems a thing of the past when you can research your purchase or listen to the whole thing somewhere before buying it. I always did like not knowing exactly what it was I was buying and coming home and making a big ritual out of the first listen on the stereo.
This is pretty phenomenal, and ahead of most of their US/UK peers at the time. '' moby grape '' - dark magic live 1966.
Yes, that kind of old school buying on a hunch or a feel seems so primitive now with, as you mention, everything available to hear and research beforehand . My other big score buying an album without knowing a thing about it first was King Crimson’s debut album. Just looking at that cover convinced me though. I mean... come on, just look at that cover! That was my other classic, stunning album bought on spec. As I always mention though, I must have bought a couple of lousy albums that way also, but fortunately they are lost from my memory.
i will never understand how a major label like Columbia can cause such a colossal blunder. Someone got fired over that one! Mine is the "sundazed" cd, which is very shrill and tinny sounding. Funny thing is, that's the only way I've ever heard it!
For those who haven't heard the album, this is sure to convince you to listen My favorite song on the album, Check out that guitar solo! Moby Grape, "Fall On You"
The weird thing for me is my dad was 16 at release and grew up in San Francisco, saw many of the rock groups of the time and never once did he play me Moby Grape. I was in my 30s before I heard this album, had worked for almost 10 years in record stores and never once did this album surface in my life. I picked up an original mono from a competing record store I worked for, the guys had good taste that aligned with my own and bought it on recommendation. I was absolutely hooked within 10 seconds, this is one of my favorite albums of the 60s. The other weird thing is this album shows up in the midwest all the time since I bought it, and I have never seen the reprint with the airbrushed middle finger, and yet every time the poster is also missing.