Moby Grape '69
| Moby Grape '69 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | January 30, 1969 | |||
| Recorded | April 22-November 24, 1968 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 29:17 | |||
| Label | Columbia | |||
| Producer | David Rubinson | |||
| Moby Grape chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   [1] |
| Robert Christgau | [2] |
| Rolling Stone | (positive)[3] |
Moby Grape '69 is the third album by the psychedelic rock band Moby Grape, released on January 30, 1969.
It is the first album after the departure of co-founder Skip Spence. Spence nonetheless is heard on one song, "Seeing", presumably from the Wow/Grape Jam sessions, and positioned as the final song on Moby Grape '69. As Peter Lewis describes the album, "We made Moby Grape '69, in an attempt to rebound from the Wow album, which was over-produced. And it's a cool album. Although we could have rehearsed it a little more, we still believed in it. But I think we were waiting for Skippy to come back, and he never did."[4]
The album peaked at a disappointing number 113 on the Billboard chart.[5] Nevertheless, it is noteworthy as an early endeavor into country rock.[6]
The album was re-released on CD and Vinyl in 2007 by Sundazed, but as with their previous albums, it has been pulled.
Track listing[edit]
Side one[edit]
- "Ooh Mama Ooh" (Jerry Miller, Don Stevenson) – 2:26
- "Ain't That a Shame" (Jerry Miller, Don Stevenson, Peter Lewis) – 2:28
- "I Am Not Willing" (Peter Lewis) – 2:58
- "It's a Beautiful Day Today" (Bob Mosley) – 3:06
- "Hoochie" (Bob Mosley) – 4:21
Side two[edit]
- "Trucking Man" (Bob Mosley) – 2:00
- "If You Can't Learn from My Mistakes" (Peter Lewis) – 2:33
- "Captain Nemo" (Jerry Miller, Don Stevenson) – 1:43
- "What's to Choose" (Peter Lewis) – 1:57
- "Going Nowhere" (Jerry Miller, Don Stevenson) – 2:01
- "Seeing" (Skip Spence) – 3:44
Bonus tracks on 2007 CD edition[edit]
- "Soul Stew" (Bob Mosley) – 2:16
- "If You Can't Learn from My Mistakes" [Demo] (Peter Lewis) – 1:23
- "You Can Do Anything" [Demo] (Skip Spence) – 3:35
- "It's a Beautiful Day Today" [Demo] (Bob Mosley) – 4:12
- Previously unreleased
- "What's to Choose" [Demo] (Peter Lewis) – 3:19
- Previously unreleased
- "Big" [Demo] (Jerry Miller, Don Stevenson) – 2:19
- "Hoochie" [Demo] (Bob Mosley) – 3:18
- Previously unreleased
Personnel[edit]
- Peter Lewis - rhythm guitar, vocals
- Jerry Miller - lead guitar, vocals
- Bob Mosley - bass, vocals
- Don Stevenson - drums, vocals
- Skip Spence - vocals and unknown instruments (on "Seeing")
Charts[edit]
Album - Billboard
| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1969 | Pop Albums | 113 |
References[edit]
- ^ Allmusic review
- ^ Christgau, Robert (October 18, 2007). "Mixed Grapes: Moby Grape". Retrieved February 26, 2015.
{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires|journal=(help) - ^ Dubro, Alec (5 April 1969). "Records". Rolling Stone. San Francisco: Straight Arrow Publishers, Inc.
- ^ Interview with Peter Lewis Archived 2007-09-04 at the Wayback Machine by Jud Cost, 1995. www.sundazed.com
- ^ For further details, see UAO (pseudonym),Wow: The Moby Grape Story Archived 2008-07-25 at the Wayback Machine March 30, 2005
- ^ Poco's first album, Pickin' Up the Pieces, was released in May 1969, while the Eagles' self-titled first album was released in June 1972. Moby Grape '69 was also being recorded during similar periods when The Byrds were recording the landmark Sweetheart of the Rodeo album (recorded March to May 1968). The Byrds' album was completed earlier and as a consequence released six months prior to Moby Grape '69. Sweetheart of the Rodeo, now regarded as a groundbreaking masterpiece, was initially met with similarly mixed public reactions to that associated with Moby Grape '69. Sweetheart of the Rodeo's highest U.S. charting was number 77, and it failed to chart at all in the United Kingdom; see Sweetheart of the Rodeo.
