This thread caused me to dig out my copies. 1. Ist UK mono 2. Early USA stereo. 3. A weird Netherlands version from 1973 where the title has been changed to The Best of Moby Grape but is in fact the debut S/T. I like the mono best but what a great slice of rock music regardless.
It did seem dumb. On the other hand, it may have also reflected how enthused Columbia was. And no one knows how those singles would have charted (if at all) released individually. On the other other hand, it did seem dumb - why not 4 singles, why not 6? On the other other other hand, the Grape was a handful, even leaving Skippy out of the hijinx. A band that needed a wise manager. Columbia quickly burned out on them. No idea how Skippy ever got to make Oar. Who signed off on that? Other than Mosely playing with Neil in the Ducks, not aware of any recorded collaborations between Springfield and Grape members. But the surviving members would make one hell of a band.
Rare promo ‘67 singles box of the debut: Moby Grape - Ultra Rare 1967 Promotional Box Set (With 5 Picture Sleeve Singles, Much More) One available on Discogs, just under $2500: Moby Grape - Moby Grape
Great album without a single weak track in the bunch--though "Ain't No Use" would be my first elimination in a Weakest Link game. Surprisingly, no one's ever done a WL on it. Hint, hint, @LandHorses and @Oatsdad.
...I always felt like this album sounded better on vinyl than on CD. Something about the tissue-paper drum sound really gets brittle in CD mastering, but the natural analog distortion of vinyl beefs it up a bit. Am I alone here? I have both the Epic anthology (that contains the whole first album) and the deleted Sundazed CD, but neither of them have the heft of the original LP pressing to me...
I haven't heard it on vinyl but have never been happy with the sound quality on CD. I've heard both the 1989 Edsel and the 2CD Vintage. IIRC, the version on Vintage was a remix. If so, it didn't help, IMO.
Just looked it up: While some other parts of the Vintage set were remixes, all songs from the debut are original mixes.
Murder In My Heart For The Judge. Here's the tracklist: A1 Murder In My Heart For The Judge A2 He A3 Can't Be So Bad A4 Motorcycle Irene A5 Three-Four A6 Rose Coloured Eyes A7 Bitter Wind B1 I Am Not Willing B2 It's A Beautiful Day Today B3 If You Can't Learn From My Mistakes B4 What's To Choose B5 Seeing B6 Changes Circles Spinning B7 Right Before My Eyes
HAH?!?!?...There's not seven degrees of separation in style except the difference between blues and country influences.
Not just one type. Many types. Too many to list. Or rather, if I did list some stuff you wouldn't really be any the wiser but will no doubt form an inaccurate opinion upon it. Can anyone actually answer such a question?
Without trying to stoke this weird simmering controversy, I know exactly what is meant by "generic west coast vocal sound" in the bands of this era. You hear it in Buffalo Springfield, Moby Grape, the Airplane, etc. A kind of tight, punchy, staccato close harmony thing that I always associated (no pun intended) with west coast pop groups of the time. At the more commercial end of things you hear it in the Association and Mamas and Papas. Coming from the Midwest and the punk/underground scene it always struck me as corny and kind of herd-ish, but I've come to accept it and even appreciate it over time. Though it did keep me from fully embracing bands like MG and BS for many years.
Is there some consensus on what should have been the first single from the S/T album? I guess if I'm going to compare between this and Buffalo Springfield, I think BS had more obvious pull cuts or hit singles and obviously had an actual hit. I love the Grape's first album, I just don't know what you pull out of it. My experience with the Vintage set is that the Wow material is a substantial dropoff. What came after was better, but didn't really advance the band's sound all that much. Maybe the first album was going to be the peak no matter what.
Thanks for taking a shot at responding. Perhaps it’s an influence of the earlier American folk music scene from which many of these singers came through, and it’s not uniquely a “West Coast” vocal signature? I grew up listening to most of this music so it all sounds fine to these ears.
Of course it's possible to answer such a question...unless, of course. one is paralyzed by terminal overthinking or cynicism...
Yeah, but it encompasses almost every genre there is and in many cases individually artists and bands. That's an impossible task, cynicism or not. You could narrow the search and ask what kind of west coast 60's bands do I like? The Doors, The Byrds, Capt Beefheart & The Magic Band, The Great Society, Buffalo Springfield, Sly & The Family Stone, Spirit. But even that wouldn't tell you much.
For those of you around at the time, or those with a better sense of the history than I, what exactly was wrong with the (admittedly bizarre) decision to release all those singles at once? Did it cause a backlash by potentially sympathetic listeners who were opposed to the hype? Did it saturate the airwaves and quickly burn listeners out? Did it steal sales away from the lp?
I think it's definitely a byproduct of the folk scene, but I closely associate it with the West Coast Sound. I'm sure it was a popular enough style that groups throughout the country used it but for whatever reason I think of it mainly as a west coast thing. Not saying that's accurate, just the way my brain has processed it.
I saw a Moby Grape reunion show in 2013 in Tacoma, WA (Jerry and Don's hometown before they headed down the coast to SF in the mid-60s). Jerry, Don and Peter were involved but I don't recall who else was in the band. I was completely blown away by the live performance - Jerry's a stunner on guitar!
The Byrds virtually invented that West Coast rock group harmony singing sound. The Moby Grape song that does remind me of Buffalo Springfield is "He" on "Wow" and that track is absolutely gorgeous.
My sense is that the commercial (over) hype was off-putting to one segment of their audience, and it confused AM radio programmers who didn’t know what to do with five singles. I mean, they weren’t the Beatles. Just my guess.
