"Vintage: The Very Best Of" by MOBY GRAPE including Stereo tracks from the albums "Moby Grape" (1967), "Wow" (1968), "Moby Grape '69" and "Truly Fine Citizen" (both 1969) and more – featuring Bob Mosley and Skip Spence (November 1993 Columbia/Legacy 2CD Reissue – Vic Anesini Remasters) - A Review by Mark Barry...

  

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"…Truly Fine Citizen…"

In the Summer of Love - California's MOBY GRAPE was to be the next ‘big thing’ and Columbia Records went to great (and some say stupid) lengths to inform the American Public of this. That overkill (promo singles of every single track on the debut album doled out to the press) overshadowed the musical goodies on offer.

But this brill little double-CD concentrates primarily on their first three albums from 1967, 1968 and 1969 and makes a strong case for looking again at a band that got lost inside hype and industry crap that did their musical legacy no favours. Here are the Motorcycle Irenes, Murdered Judges and Humiliated Grapes…

UK released November 1993 on Columbia/Legacy 483958 2 (Barcode 5099748395825) as a 2CD set - "Vintage: The Very Best Of Moby Grape" by MOBY GRAPE breaks down as follows:

Disc 1 (68:48 minutes):

1. Hey Grandma

2. Mr. Blues

3. Fall On You

4. 8:05

5. Come In The Morning

6. Omaha

7. Naked, If I Want To

8. Rounder [Instrumental]

9. Someday

10. Ain't No Use

11. Sitting By The Window

12. Changes

13. Lazy Me

14. Indifference

15. Looper (Audition Version)

16. Sweet Ride

17. Bitter Wind (Alternate Version)

18. The Place And The Time

19. Rounder (Live – Recorded 1968)

20. Miller's Blues (Live – Recorded 1968)

21. Changes (Live – Recorded 1968)

22. Hey Grandma [Single Version in Mono]

23. Omaha [Single Version in Mono]

24. Big

All tracks on Disc 1 remastered in STEREO except 22 and 23 – which are MONO.

Tracks 1 to 7 and 9 to 14 are their entire debut album "Moby Grape" in sequential order – released June 1967 in the USA on Columbia CL 2698 (Mono) and CS 9498 (Stereo). Stereo used in all cases.

Tracks 8, 15 to 21 and 24 are all PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED

Track 22 "Hey Grandma" is the Mono A-side to the 1967 USA 7" single on Columbia 4-44174 (its B-side was "Come In The Morning")

Track 23 "Omaha" is the Mono A-side to the 1967 USA 7" single on Columbia 4-44173 (it’s B-side was "Someday")

Disc 2 (70:35 minutes):

1. Skip's Song  ("Seeing" Demo)

2. You Can Do Anything (Demo)

3. Murder In My Heart For The Judge

4. Bitter Wind

5. Can't Be So Bad

6. Just Like Gene Autry: A Foxtrot

7. He

8. Motorcycle Irene

9. Funky-Tunk

10. Rose Colored Eyes

11. If You Can't Learn From Your Mistakes (Peter Solo Version)

12. Ooh Mama Ooh

13. Ain't That A Shame

14. Trucking Man

15. Captain Nemo

16. What's To Choose

17. Going Nowhere

18. I Am Not Willing

19. It's A Beautiful Day Today

20. Right Before My Eyes

21. Truly Fine Citizen

22. Hoochie

23. Soul Stew

24. Seeing

All tracks on Disc 2 in Remastered/Remixed STEREO 

Tracks 1, 2, 11 and 23 are PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED

Tracks 3 to 10 are from their 2nd studio album "Wow" – released July 1968 in the USA on Columbia Records CS 9613 (Stereo)

Tracks 12 to 19, 22 and 24 is all of their 3rd studio album "Moby Grape '69" released February 1969 in the USA on Columbia Records CS 9696 (Stereo, excepting Track 12 "If You Can't Learn From Your Mistakes" which has been replaced with a Previously Unreleased Piano Version)

Tracks 20 and 21 are from their 4th studio album "Truly Fine Citizen" – released September 1969 in the USA on Columbia Records CS 9912 (Stereo)

Compiled with obvious affection by BOB IRWIN - the substantial 28-page booklet features liner notes by Rolling Stone's DAVID FRICKE with contributions from band members BOB MOSLEY, PETER LEWIS, JERRY MILLER, DON STEVENSON and SKIP SPENCE (passed away in 1999).  There’s black and white photos of the boys in silly publicity shots and witty discussions of the disastrous Columbia Records launch of the band as the next big thing – parties full of Moby Grape wine no one could open (no corkscrews) and flower petals that fell from the ceiling but became wet and slippery and had journalists and music insiders sliding around on their derrieres. But the great news for fans of the rather excellent music is the VIC ANESINI remixes and remasters – an engineer’s name who has graced Elvis Presley, The Byrds, Carole King, Dennis Wilson, Simon & Garfunkel, Janis Joplin, Stevie Ray Vaughan and The Jayhawks to cite but a few. His work is typically ace – ballsy, full of life and detail and without being compressed or over trebled for effect.

The debut has its obvious moments like "Come In The Morning" which feels like an edgier Association while "Sitting By The Window" feels like The Mamas and Papa's meets The Byrds. They get all Simon and Garfunkel on the lovely Miller/Stevenson composition "8:05" and those great vocal harmonies continue on the can I buy an amplifier ditty "Naked, If I Want To". Skip Spence's explosive guitar style kicks hard on the frantic LP finisher “Omaha”. And his instrumental "Rounder" (previously unreleased) will be a nugget fans will eat up.

If the debut was an indication of greatest within the ranks – I always thought the follow-up LP "Wow" was a huge leap forward in the right direction. I've loved "Murder In My Heart For The Judge" for years now – A Sixties compilation winner if ever there was one. There's a feeling that the band is finding itself in songs like Mosley's trippy "Rose Colored Eyes" (so cool a sound). It's represented here with in-studio dialogue at the beginning and sounds amazing. The Lou Waxman and Orchestra intro to "Just Like Gene Autry: A Foxtrot" with its faux 78" clicks and pops sounds the American version of the Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band and makes me giggle. Things get all melodious again with Peter Lewis' "He" while Spence goes Honky-Tonk silly on "Funky-Tonk" complete with Donald Duck type vocals.

Raunchy Rock returns with the boogie of "Hoochie" on their accomplished third album "Moby Grape '69" where they showcase Byrds type melodies with "Captain Nemo" and the fuzzed-up "Going Nowhere". Country beauty fills Mosley's "It's A Beautiful Day Today". That Sweetheart Of The Rodeo vibe continues into the "Truly Fine Citizen" album with Lewis' "Right Before My Eyes" and the excellent melody of the title track "Truly Fine Citizen" (and again the gorgeous remaster really lifts). Amongst the unreleased stuff - the Peter Lewis solo version of "If I Can't Learn From Your Mistakes" impresses as does the knackered Stones drawl of Spence in "Skip's Song" where he barely keeps his vocals together (raw like a wound). For certain across 2 fairly loaded CDs - it isn't all undiscovered genius by any means - but the good stuff is great and at times cherishable.

Somehow always the band that came close but got no plaudit's cigar – this brilliant and reasonably priced 2CD set finally gives MOBY GRAPE's songs the audio polish up they deserve. Love (not murder) in my heart for this one…