"…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…
