Moby Grape (album)
Encyclopedia
Moby Grape is the rock band Moby Grape
's eponymous 1967 debut album. 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.
Nevertheless, as Gene Sculatti and Davin Seay write in their book San Francisco Nights (New York: St. Martin's Press, 1985; out of print), Moby Grape "remains one of the very few psychedelic masterpieces ever recorded." Justin Farrar considered that "(i)t's no understatement to hail the group's 1967 debut as the ancestral link between [sic] psychedelia, country rock, glam, power pop and punk." In addition, the 1983 Rolling Stone Record Guide said their "debut LP is as fresh and exhilarating today as it was when it exploded out of San Francisco during 1967's summer of love
." In 2003, the album was ranked number 121 on Rolling Stone
magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time
., ahead of Jefferson Airplane's Surrealistic Pillow
(146), The Byrds' Greatest Hits
(178), Buffalo Springfield Again
(188), Grateful Dead's Live Dead (244), Big Brother and the Holding Company's Cheap Thrills (338), and The Doors' albums L.A. Woman
(362) and Strange Days
(407).
Noted rock critic Robert Christgau
listed it as one of The 40 Essential Albums of 1967. As reviewed by Mark Deming, "Moby Grape is as refreshing today as it was upon first release, and if fate prevented the group from making a follow-up that was as consistently strong, for one brief shining moment Moby Grape proved to the world they were one of America's great bands. While history remembers the Grateful Dead
and Jefferson Airplane as being more important, the truth is neither group ever made an album quite this good."
Skip Spence
, ex-drummer of Jefferson Airplane
, plays guitar on the album. In 2008, Spence's song "Omaha" was listed as number 95 in Rolling Stones "100 Greatest Guitar Songs of All Time". The song was described as follows: "On their best single, Jerry Miller
, Peter Lewis
and Skip Spence compete in a three-way guitar battle for two and a quarter red-hot minutes, each of them charging at Spence's song from different angles, no one yielding to anyone else." Writing in 1967, shortly after the album's release, Crawdaddy!
creator Paul Williams
described "Omaha" as "the toughest cut on the album (and) one of the finest recorded examples of the wall-of-sound approach in rock. It surges and roars like a tidal wave restrained by a seawall."
On the front cover of the original release, Don Stevenson is "flipping the bird
" (making an obscene gesture) on the washboard. It was airbrushed out on subsequent pressings, but the UK re-issue on Edsel/Demon restored the photo to its original state.
On October 9, 2007, Sundazed Records
released a remastered CD version of the album's stereo mix containing bonus tracks, some of which were previously unreleased. In addition, Sundazed also released the album's mono mix on LP
, but with no bonus tracks. Both the CD and LP versions were taken out of print, along with Wow and Grape Jam, on November 3, 2007, for reasons not officially stated. It has been widely circulated among the Moby Grape mailing list that former manager Matthew Katz
, with whom the band has been in legal battles since the late 1960s, threatened to file a lawsuit against Sundazed claiming ownership of the album artwork.
covered "8:05" and "Naked If I Want To" as B-sides to 1993 singles; "8:05" is also included on the expanded reissue of his Fate of Nations
album on Rhino Records. Robert Plant also performed "Hey Grandma" live when with his pre-Led Zeppelin Band of Joy
, during the 1967-1968 period. The Move
covered "Hey Grandma" on their eponymous first album
, released in 1968. More recently, "Hey Grandma" was included in the soundtrack to the 2005 Sean Penn
-Nicole Kidman
film, The Interpreter
, as well as being covered in 2009 by the Black Crowes, on Warpaint Live
.
Cat Power
has recorded two covers of "Naked, If I Want To" which appeared on her 2000 album The Covers Record
and on the limited edition of her 2008 album Jukebox
.
"Omaha" has been covered by The Golden Palominos
in 1985 on their Visions of Excess
album, with Michael Stipe
on lead vocal. The song has also occasionally been performed live in concert by Bruce Springsteen
.
Singles - Billboard
Moby Grape
Moby Grape is an American rock group from the 1960s, known for having all five members contribute to singing and songwriting and that collectively merged elements of folk music, blues, country, and jazz together with rock and psychedelic music...
's eponymous 1967 debut album. Coming from the San Francisco scene, their reputation quickly grew to immense proportions, leading to a bidding war and a contract with Columbia Records
Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
. The album peaked at #24 on the Billboard 200
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
albums chart in September 1967.
Reception
Columbia chose to release ten of the thirteen songs on five singles: "Fall on You"/"Changes", "Sitting By the Window"/"Indifference" (2:46 edit), "8:05"/"Mister Blues", "Omaha"/"Someday" and "Hey Grandma"/Come in the Morning". The only single to chart was "Omaha".Nevertheless, as Gene Sculatti and Davin Seay write in their book San Francisco Nights (New York: St. Martin's Press, 1985; out of print), Moby Grape "remains one of the very few psychedelic masterpieces ever recorded." Justin Farrar considered that "(i)t's no understatement to hail the group's 1967 debut as the ancestral link between [sic] psychedelia, country rock, glam, power pop and punk." In addition, the 1983 Rolling Stone Record Guide said their "debut LP is as fresh and exhilarating today as it was when it exploded out of San Francisco during 1967's summer of love
Summer of Love
The Summer of Love was a social phenomenon that occurred during the summer of 1967, when as many as 100,000 people converged on the Haight-Ashbury neighborhood of San Francisco, creating a cultural and political rebellion...
." In 2003, the album was ranked number 121 on Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time
The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time
"The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time" is the title of a 2003 special issue of American magazine Rolling Stone, and a related book published in 2005.Related news articles:...
., ahead of Jefferson Airplane's Surrealistic Pillow
Surrealistic Pillow
Surrealistic Pillow is the second album by American psychedelic rock band Jefferson Airplane, released in February 1967.Original drummer Alexander 'Skip' Spence had left the band in mid-1966, replaced by a jazz drummer from Los Angeles, Spencer Dryden, a nephew of Charlie Chaplin. New lead vocalist...
(146), The Byrds' Greatest Hits
The Byrds' Greatest Hits
The Byrds' Greatest Hits is the first greatest hits album by the American rock band The Byrds and was released in August 1967 on Columbia Records . It is the top-selling album in The Byrds' catalogue and reached #6 on the Billboard Top LPs chart but failed to break into the UK Albums Chart...
(178), Buffalo Springfield Again
Buffalo Springfield Again
Buffalo Springfield Again is the second 1967 folk rock album by Buffalo Springfield.-Production:The recording has been stated by some as tense and protracted, because Young was often absent and the band was unable to keep a permanent bass player...
(188), Grateful Dead's Live Dead (244), Big Brother and the Holding Company's Cheap Thrills (338), and The Doors' albums L.A. Woman
L.A. Woman
The band embarked on a tour to promote the album, although it would only comprise two dates. The first was held in Dallas, Texas on December 11 and reportedly went well. The second performance took place at The Warehouse in New Orleans, Louisiana, on December 12, 1970, where Morrison apparently had...
(362) and Strange Days
Strange Days (album)
Strange Days is the second album released by American rock band The Doors. The album was a commercial success, earning a gold record and reaching No. 3 on the Billboard 200 albums chart. Despite this, the album's producer, Paul Rothchild, considered it a commercial failure, even if it was an...
(407).
Noted rock critic Robert Christgau
Robert Christgau
Robert Christgau is an American essayist, music journalist, and self-proclaimed "Dean of American Rock Critics".One of the earliest professional rock critics, Christgau is known for his terse capsule reviews, published since 1969 in his Consumer Guide columns...
listed it as one of The 40 Essential Albums of 1967. As reviewed by Mark Deming, "Moby Grape is as refreshing today as it was upon first release, and if fate prevented the group from making a follow-up that was as consistently strong, for one brief shining moment Moby Grape proved to the world they were one of America's great bands. While history remembers the Grateful Dead
Grateful Dead
The Grateful Dead was an American rock band formed in 1965 in the San Francisco Bay Area. The band was known for its unique and eclectic style, which fused elements of rock, folk, bluegrass, blues, reggae, country, improvisational jazz, psychedelia, and space rock, and for live performances of long...
and Jefferson Airplane as being more important, the truth is neither group ever made an album quite this good."
Skip Spence
Skip Spence
Alexander Lee "Skip" Spence was a Canadian-born musician and singer-songwriter. He was co-founder of Moby Grape, and played guitar with them until 1969. He released one solo album, 1969's Oar, and then largely withdrew from the music industry...
, ex-drummer of Jefferson Airplane
Jefferson Airplane
Jefferson Airplane was an American rock band formed in San Francisco in 1965. A pioneer of the psychedelic rock movement, Jefferson Airplane was the first band from the San Francisco scene to achieve mainstream commercial and critical success....
, plays guitar on the album. In 2008, Spence's song "Omaha" was listed as number 95 in Rolling Stones "100 Greatest Guitar Songs of All Time". The song was described as follows: "On their best single, Jerry Miller
Jerry Miller
Jerry Miller is an American songwriter, guitarist and vocalist. He performs as a solo artist and as a member of the Jerry Miller Band. He is also a founding member of the 1960s San Francisco band Moby Grape, which continues to perform occasionally...
, Peter Lewis
Peter Lewis
Peter B. Lewis is the Cleveland, Ohio-area based chairman of Progressive Insurance Companies.Lewis currently resides in Coconut Grove, Florida.-Biography:...
and Skip Spence compete in a three-way guitar battle for two and a quarter red-hot minutes, each of them charging at Spence's song from different angles, no one yielding to anyone else." Writing in 1967, shortly after the album's release, Crawdaddy!
Crawdaddy!
Crawdaddy! was the first U.S. magazine of rock and roll music criticism. Created in 1966 by college student Paul Williams in response to the increasing sophistication and cultural influence of popular music, Crawdaddy! was self-described as "the first magazine to take rock and roll...
creator Paul Williams
Paul Williams (Crawdaddy! creator)
Paul Williams is an American music journalist and writer. Williams created the first national US magazine of rock music criticism :Crawdaddy! in January 1966 on the campus of Swarthmore College with the help of some of his fellow science fiction fans...
described "Omaha" as "the toughest cut on the album (and) one of the finest recorded examples of the wall-of-sound approach in rock. It surges and roars like a tidal wave restrained by a seawall."
On the front cover of the original release, Don Stevenson is "flipping the bird
Finger (gesture)
In Western culture, the finger , also known as the middle finger, is an obscene hand gesture, often meaning the phrases "fuck off" , "fuck you" or "up yours"...
" (making an obscene gesture) on the washboard. It was airbrushed out on subsequent pressings, but the UK re-issue on Edsel/Demon restored the photo to its original state.
On October 9, 2007, Sundazed Records
Sundazed Records
Sundazed Records is a record label based in Coxsackie, in the Catskills of New York. It specializes in obscure and rare recordings from the 1950s to the 1970s.Label founders Bob Irwin and his wife Mary started the label in 1989...
released a remastered CD version of the album's stereo mix containing bonus tracks, some of which were previously unreleased. In addition, Sundazed also released the album's mono mix on LP
Gramophone record
A gramophone record, commonly known as a phonograph record , vinyl record , or colloquially, a record, is an analog sound storage medium consisting of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove...
, but with no bonus tracks. Both the CD and LP versions were taken out of print, along with Wow and Grape Jam, on November 3, 2007, for reasons not officially stated. It has been widely circulated among the Moby Grape mailing list that former manager Matthew Katz
Matthew Katz
Matthew Katz is a music manager and producer, most notable as the former manager of Jefferson Airplane, Moby Grape and It's A Beautiful Day. Katz was also one of the vanguard litigants in the famous Napster litigation, where he fought to protect property rights of music publishers.-History:Matthew...
, with whom the band has been in legal battles since the late 1960s, threatened to file a lawsuit against Sundazed claiming ownership of the album artwork.
Notable covers and soundtrack inclusions
Robert PlantRobert Plant
Robert Anthony Plant, CBE is an English singer and songwriter best known as the vocalist and lyricist of the iconic rock band Led Zeppelin. He has also had a successful solo career...
covered "8:05" and "Naked If I Want To" as B-sides to 1993 singles; "8:05" is also included on the expanded reissue of his Fate of Nations
Fate of Nations
Fate of Nations is Led Zeppelin singer Robert Plant's sixth studio album. It was released in 1993 and re-released in a remastered edition on March 20, 2007. It features former Cutting Crew guitarist Kevin Scott MacMichael. The lead singer of Clannad, Máire Brennan is featured on the track "Come...
album on Rhino Records. Robert Plant also performed "Hey Grandma" live when with his pre-Led Zeppelin Band of Joy
Band of Joy
The Band of Joy are a rock band from England. Various lineups of the group performed from 1965 to 1968 and from 1977 to 1983...
, during the 1967-1968 period. The Move
The Move
The Move, from Birmingham, England, were one of the leading British rock bands of the 1960s. They scored nine Top 20 UK singles in five years, but were among the most popular British bands not to find any success in the United States....
covered "Hey Grandma" on their eponymous first album
The Move (album)
Move is the eponymous debut album by The Move, released on the Regal Zonophone label. The only one which was recorded by the group’s initial line-up before bassist Ace Kefford left, it includes both sides of their third and fourth singles .The last track, 'Cherry Blossom Clinic', was intended as a...
, released in 1968. More recently, "Hey Grandma" was included in the soundtrack to the 2005 Sean Penn
Sean Penn
Sean Justin Penn is an American actor, screenwriter and film director, also known for his political and social activism...
-Nicole Kidman
Nicole Kidman
Nicole Mary Kidman, AC is an American-born Australian actress, singer, film producer, spokesmodel, and humanitarian. After starring in a number of small Australian films and TV shows, Kidman's breakthrough was in the 1989 thriller Dead Calm...
film, The Interpreter
The Interpreter
The Interpreter is a 2005 political thriller film starring Nicole Kidman, Sean Penn, and Catherine Keener. It was the final film to be directed by Sydney Pollack.-Plot:...
, as well as being covered in 2009 by the Black Crowes, on Warpaint Live
Warpaint Live
Warpaint Live is a live album by American southern rock band The Black Crowes, released on April 28, 2009. This is the first Black Crowes live album since Freak 'n' Roll in 2006 and it features live versions of the whole Warpaint album. Recorded live on March 20, 2008 at The Wiltern in Los Angeles,...
.
Cat Power
Cat Power
Charlyn Marie Marshall , also known as Chan Marshall or by her stage name Cat Power, is an American singer/songwriter and occasional actress and model. Cat Power was originally the name of Marshall's first band, but has come to refer to her musical projects with various backing bands...
has recorded two covers of "Naked, If I Want To" which appeared on her 2000 album The Covers Record
The Covers Record
The Covers Record is the fifth album by American singer/songwriter Chan Marshall, a.k.a. Cat Power. The album consists almost entirely of cover songs. It was released in 2000 on Matador Records...
and on the limited edition of her 2008 album Jukebox
Jukebox (Cat Power album)
Jukebox is the eighth album by American singer/songwriter Chan Marshall, also known by her stage name, Cat Power. It was released on January 22, 2008 on Matador Records...
.
"Omaha" has been covered by The Golden Palominos
The Golden Palominos
The Golden Palominos was an American musical group headed by drummer and composer Anton Fier, first formed in 1981. Aside from Fier, the Palominos membership was wildly elastic, with only bassist Bill Laswell and guitarist Nicky Skopelitis appearing on every album.While the Palominos' records...
in 1985 on their Visions of Excess
Visions of Excess
Visions of Excess is the second album by the Golden Palominos, which were composed of a largely different line-up than appeared on their first album...
album, with Michael Stipe
Michael Stipe
John Michael Stipe is an American singer and lyricist. He was the lead vocalist of the alternative rock band R.E.M.Stipe is noted and occasionally parodied for the "mumbling" style of his early career as well as his social and political activism. He was in charge of R.E.M.'s visual image; often...
on lead vocal. The song has also occasionally been performed live in concert by Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen , nicknamed "The Boss," is an American singer-songwriter who records and tours with the E Street Band...
.
Side one
- "Hey Grandma" (Jerry MillerJerry MillerJerry Miller is an American songwriter, guitarist and vocalist. He performs as a solo artist and as a member of the Jerry Miller Band. He is also a founding member of the 1960s San Francisco band Moby Grape, which continues to perform occasionally...
, Don Stevenson) – 2:25 - "Mr. Blues" (Bob MosleyBob MosleyBob Mosley is principally known as the bass player and one of the songwriters and vocalists for the band Moby Grape. He has also developed a career as a solo artist. Three of his best known songs with Moby Grape are "Mr...
) – 1:55 - "Fall on You" (Peter LewisPeter Lewis (musician)Peter Lewis is one of the founding members of the band Moby Grape. Three of his better known songs with Moby Grape are "Fall On You" and "Sitting By The Window" from the self-titled first Moby Grape album and "If You Can't Learn From My Mistakes", from Moby Grape '69.- Background :He is the...
) – 1:50 - "8:05" (Miller, Stevenson) – 2:17
- "Come in the Morning" (Mosley) – 2:04
- "Omaha" (Skip SpenceSkip SpenceAlexander Lee "Skip" Spence was a Canadian-born musician and singer-songwriter. He was co-founder of Moby Grape, and played guitar with them until 1969. He released one solo album, 1969's Oar, and then largely withdrew from the music industry...
) – 2:19 - "Naked, If I Want To" (Miller) – 0:51
Side two
- "Someday" (Miller, Stevenson, Spence) – 2:30
- "Ain't No Use" (Miller, Stevenson) – 1:33
- "Sitting by the Window" (Lewis) – 2:38
- "Changes" (Miller, Stevenson) – 3:13
- "Lazy Me" (Mosley) – 1:39
- "Indifference" (Spence) – 4:09
Bonus tracks on 2007 CD edition
- "Rounder" (instrumental)
- "Looper" (audition recording)
- "Indifference" (audition recording)(previously unissued)
- "Bitter Wind" (previously unissued)
- "Sweet Ride (Never Again)" (long version, previously unissued)
Personnel
- Peter LewisPeter Lewis (musician)Peter Lewis is one of the founding members of the band Moby Grape. Three of his better known songs with Moby Grape are "Fall On You" and "Sitting By The Window" from the self-titled first Moby Grape album and "If You Can't Learn From My Mistakes", from Moby Grape '69.- Background :He is the...
– rhythm guitarRhythm guitarRhythm guitar is a technique and rôle that performs a combination of two functions: to provide all or part of the rhythmic pulse in conjunction with singers or other instruments; and to provide all or part of the harmony, ie. the chords, where a chord is a group of notes played together...
, vocalsSingingSinging is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments... - Bob MosleyBob MosleyBob Mosley is principally known as the bass player and one of the songwriters and vocalists for the band Moby Grape. He has also developed a career as a solo artist. Three of his best known songs with Moby Grape are "Mr...
– bassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, vocals - Jerry MillerJerry MillerJerry Miller is an American songwriter, guitarist and vocalist. He performs as a solo artist and as a member of the Jerry Miller Band. He is also a founding member of the 1960s San Francisco band Moby Grape, which continues to perform occasionally...
– lead guitarLead guitarLead guitar is a guitar part which plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs within a song structure...
, vocals - Skip SpenceSkip SpenceAlexander Lee "Skip" Spence was a Canadian-born musician and singer-songwriter. He was co-founder of Moby Grape, and played guitar with them until 1969. He released one solo album, 1969's Oar, and then largely withdrew from the music industry...
– rhythm guitarRhythm guitarRhythm guitar is a technique and rôle that performs a combination of two functions: to provide all or part of the rhythmic pulse in conjunction with singers or other instruments; and to provide all or part of the harmony, ie. the chords, where a chord is a group of notes played together...
, vocals - Don Stevenson – drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
, vocals
Charts
Album - BillboardBillboard charts
The Billboard charts tabulate the relative weekly popularity of songs or albums in the United States. The results are published in Billboard magazine...
| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1967 | Pop Albums | 24 |
Singles - Billboard
| Year | Single | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1967 | "Omaha" | Pop Singles | 88 |