Customer Reviews

69

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This album, released in the wake of a series of catastrophes that plagued Moby Grape throughout most of 1968, is uniformly excellent. It's as cohesive an album as their debut and sidesteps most of the indulgences that plagued WOW, the Grape's second album; in fact, MOBY GRAPE '69 sounds so doggone freewheeling in places that you'd never suspect the band was in such turmoil during its recording. There are a lot of gems here. "Ohh Mama Ohh" starts everything off with those "Hey Grandma" harmonies smack in place; Peter Lewis contributes three lovely and lovelorn ballads, "What's To Choose," "I Am Not Willing" and "If You Can't Learn From My Mistakes," the latter sounding a lot like something The Buffalo Springfield might've done if they'd thought of it; Bob Mosley's "Hoochie" and "Trucking Man" are the requisite soul raunch he delivered so well and so often; and the late Skip Spence's "Seeing" is a haunting and somewhat terrifying look into some sort of abyss, perhaps prefiguring his own crack-up and departure from the band.
The extras are all worth having, my favorite being "Big," a sort-of campfire singalong previously available on the best-of VINTAGE GRAPE.

If you've ever heard OF Moby Grape, but haven't actually HEARD them, get their debut album first, then get this one. You'll want everything else they did once you've heard them, they were that good.

I have been waiting since CDs came out (during the '80s) for this to be released. Heck, I even burned myself a CD copy of a vinyl copy I owned. I picked it up in Boston yesterday and listened to it on the way to work here in New Hampshire. I just made a turn in the road and before me the sun broke through the clouds, shining on golden leafed trees tinged with frost. At that moment, cut 4 came on, ITS A BEAUTIFUL DAY TODAY!!!! (Seriously, this is true, honest to God!!). That says it all. A big fan of Moby Grape, I picked this up in vinyl when it originally came out and it just grabbed me. Beautiful ballads like the one just mentioned, fine country songs like "Ain't that a shame" which I could picture Meryl Haggard singing, out and out rockers like "Truckin' Man" and "Hoochie", heavy rockers like "You ain't goin' nowhere" and even a Skip Spence gem "Seeing"! Personally, I like this album just as much as the first one, but that's just me. Its an honest collection of heart felt songs. God, do I love this band for their musicianship, songwriting and plain feeling!! All my life this album has, and will remain, one of the three or four I would take to a desert island. Another reviewer has supplied ample description of the record. For my part, I have absolutely no reservation in recommending this album as one of the BEST, if not THE BEST and most heartfelt recordings during the transition in California from acid rock to the gentler country sounds of the early '70s. ESSENTIAL LISTENING FOR ANYONE INTERESTED IN QUALITY AMERICAN MUSIC, HANDS DOWN!!!

By all accounts, this could easily have been a major disaster, following on the craziness of the New York recording sessions of its predecssor, "Wow," and the departure of group member Skip Spence. Instead, the resulting CA sesssions produced perhaps the group's second strongest album, with more than a few echoes of the debut.

Generally described as a turn to country and roots rock, I see this album through a somewhat darker lens, that is, as an extended meditation on the struggle to prevent disintegration. With various members undergoing their own personal crises--Bob Mosely was to leave soon after this, Skip Spence had his own inner demons to deal with ("Seeing:), and Peter Lewis was undergoing a divorce ("I Am Not Willing")--Moby Grape '69 represented a space of solace, one where the music worked as a positive force against these outside forces, and brought, albeit briefly, a new four-piece band into being.

The playing here is wonderful, too, with acoustic flourishes in "It's a Beautiful Day, Today," and the delicious, lazy opening lick of "Ain't that a Shame." The efforts at up-tempo pieces, while perhaps a bit derivative lyrically (especially "Trucking Man") convey an energy missing from "Wow." Finally, "Going Nowhere" and "Seeing," the set's closers, provide a killer finish; and the latter track, with its repeated invocation to "Save Me!" and "take me far away" remains some sort of acid-fried masterpiece (one doesn't need to know Skip's subsequent history to hear the pangs of genuine angst in his vocals).

An album which the liner notes to Vintage described as "criminally underrated," this one, along with the first, represents the group's true legacy, a band that could cover a diverse range of styles with terse, poignant lyrics. And, once again, the Sundazed remastering does a nice job, making this a worthy addition to any collection. Sadly to say, I can't say the same of the next release in this series, "Truly Fine Citizen," but more on that later . . .

I used to program the Moby Grape '69 tracks on my copy of Vintage to simulate the album, but now I don't have to do that anymore--highly recommended along with the first album, with the other three reiusses remaining reserved mainly for fans of the group.

There isn't much more to say than what everyone else is putting down. I've been a Moby Grape fan since 1967. Always play them, never get tired of them. I grab any CD that comes along - just hoping to get as many tracks as I can on CD. Thank the stars for these exceptional re-releases. It is so great to have the albums complete on CD with excellent sound. The repackaging with all the bonus tracks are a savory plus. Thank you Sundazed!!!

By now almost any fan of CLASSIC ROCK knows the saga of MOBY GRAPE. Too much too soon with regard to they way the band got handled and mis-managed. The hype behind the first lp was considerable but justly deserved though badly handled. When the band was about to cave in from all of the bullshit they came out with this gem. I remember the tone of the lp more than anything else. Each track worked its magic but it all added up to one cosmic spell. Peter Lewis' I AM NOT WILLING and Bob Mosley's BEAUTIFUL DAY TODAY...are as good as anything The Beatles, The Stones or Dylan ever did. Many years ago, I wrote an editorial in CREEM MAGAZINE. In it, I praised the Grape on the heels of their performance as one of the final weeks farewell bands during the last days of the FILLMORE EAST. Twenty five years later I happen to send an email to Jerry Miller's webpage. A few days later I get an email from Miller's manager stating they had been "looking" for me to thank me for the kind words. Wow, I was stunned. What a gentleman Jerry Miller must be. To care after all of this time. But you know what? What goes around comes around. Many of the original fans cared and still care. THIS IS ONE OF THE MOST GROSSLY UNDERRATED BANDS OF ALL TIME. AND IT IS TIME TO SEE THEM GET THE CREDIT THEY DESERVE. IT PLEASES ME (AND MY FELLOW BANDMATES AND VETS OF THE 60'S) TO SEE ALL THE REISSUES. MOBY GRAPE STILL RULE AND MOBY GRAPE 69 CEMENTED THAT LEGACY FOR ME. AND TO THIS DAY AND BEYOND I WILL SING THEIR PRAISES.
peace,
Vince DeLucia (Dreamland Choo Choo)

If you don't know the whole episodic story behind Columbia Records promotion of the debt Moby Grape album....It goes something like this. The brain trust marketing gurus at Columbia decide to launch their debut Lp along with ten singles.... Oh and did I mention, Columbia has to pull the first release because MG were flippin' the bird on the cover. Needless to say, it didn't provide Moby the same hype The Airplane. The Dead, The Doors or even The Mamas & The Papas did. I'm inclined to agree with the majority who consider Moby Grape a fine "second-tier" band, during the hey-day, of Height Asbury's Summer of Love.

Anyway...After two albums that met with marginal success, Grape put out '69....Without a doubt their best work. They were obviously picking up on a Byrds / Buffalo Springfield vibe at this time. And they were certainly hearing other bay area acts like Quicksilver Messenger Service, Country Joe & The Fish, It's A Beautiful Day, Santana, Spirit, James Gang and of course Arthur Lee's orginal Love. It all came together on this one for Moby Grape. Just as Love hit their stride with Forever Changes, Moby Grape had it all down and groovy on "69". Unfortunately, personal changes hurt them, leaving just one last effort, "Truly Fine Citzen" as a noteworthy entry into their short lived recording career.

Moby Grape 69 is what most would describe as a return to form for the band. But what was their form in the first place? As any fan will obviously say, the beauty of their debut album was that they were all over the place--you name it: country, folk, rave-up rockers, even some jazz and blues inflections, they were all present in the songs on that album. Some would say that the tragedy of Wow/Grape Jam was that these elements were taken to some pretty cartoonish extremes (ie. "Funky-Tunk", "Just Like Gene Autry"). With 69, often called the band's country album, the boys may have mellowed out after Wow, but there are still a variety of speeds and styles to be enjoyed. If you are a Peter Lewis fan, then you will dig one of his best songs ever, "I Am Not Willing". Those who preferred the Jerry Miller rockers will love the opener, "Ooh Mama ooh", as well as the sardonic "Captain Nemo". My personal favorites, however, are the Bob Mosley tunes, especially the gorgeous "It's A Beautiful Day Today", a song about an outsider's wistful take on a nice day. "Hoochie" and "Trucking Man" are rocking opposites with the former sporting a killer bass, and the latter every bit as good as the Miller's opening song. Although only four members are featured on the cover, this was the last real grape album feature contributions from all five members. Skip Spence's scary and desperate "Seeing" closes the album: if you were mellowed by Lewis's "What's To Choose", this song will raise the hackles of even the most sedated house cat. The bonus tracks are shamelessly awesome. "Soul Stew" is a Buffalo Springfieldesque outtake (and part of a film soundtrack) that fits in between the debut album and Wow. It can also be found on the two-CD best of compilation. The demos are . . . well, demos. They are interesting for Spence's two contributions: "You Can Do Anything", another ditty that wouldn't have been out of place on their debut or a stripped down version of Wow; "Big" is a clever hoot. Again my favorite is Mosley's "It's A Beautiful Day"--listen to this and consider how such an amazing songwriter could end up homeless and all but ignored. Moby Grape 69 was an album long overdue for any kind of release. When I collected records, this was next to impossible to find. Until last year, you could have forgotten about finding it on CD, even as an import. Although it may not have had the electricity of their debut, 69 still holds up to a repeated listening-and then some!

New improved Moby Grape! Ain't taking no more crap! Gonna be true! Sadly, they took so much more crap they drowned in it. A mega-talented bunch trashed by the biz. In fact, they had everything going for them except the music empire. It struck me that they were on top of the songwriting on this record--awesome guitars and harmonies--rocking and still forward looking. At that point I thought they were going to be around. After their first albums I was intrigued and fascinated. My vinyl copy exists in somewhat rough condition in my treasure pile. This is one of my favorite albums. Moby Grape records are favorites out of all my favorites. Their history is a mess. Like stumbling through the ruins. THIS IS UTTER NONSENSE. IT IS UN-AMERICAN AND POSSIBLY UNCHRISTIAN TO DAMAGE THESE MEN FURTHER. RELEASE ALL THE ORIGINAL MOBY GRAPE RECORDS IN THE TECHNICALLY BEST WAY POSSIBLE FOR THE FANS AND FOR THE FUTURE.

By the time of late 1968/early 1969, the psychedelic influence of The Beatles "Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band" had pretty much run it's course. 1968 saw the emergence of a more scaled down style of rock music, groups were starting to turn away from the endless wonder of multi-track recording effects and going back to their roots. Examples of this would be The Band's "Music From Big Pink," The Byrds' "Sweetheart Of The Rodeo," Bob Dylan's "John Whesley Harding" and "Nashville Skyline," and even The Beatles famed "White Album" was slight on psychedelic overkill. In late 1967, every recording band on the planet was trying to create their very own "Sgt. Pepper." Some stabs were successful, like The Jimi Hendrix Expeience's "Axis: Bold As Love" or Traffic's "Mr. Fantasy." And some bands went way over the top, like Moby Grape's second effort "Wow." Moby Grape's third L.P., "Moby Grape '69" which was issued January 30th, 1969 (the same day The Beatles gave their famous Rooftop Concert), was a conscious attempt to get back to basics with good songs and subtle, down to earth production. The liner notes on the back of the album jacket speak the case.

On "Moby Grape '69" the band employed a horn and string section like on their previous outing, but with a ton more taste making for some breathtaking arrangements on a few tracks. One of the most notable things about " '69" is that it is missing a key member of the band, Mr. Skip Spence. Skip only appears on the final track of the record, which was basically tackled during the "Wow" sessions, the song "Seeing." It is a fascinating song, not unlike Syd Barrett's final statement with Pink Floyd, his song "Jug Band Blues." Skip's plea for sanctuary is evident for all to hear in his repeated mantra of "Help me! Save me! Save me!" which takes place in the middle of the song and at it's coda.

The track sequencing of "Moby Grape '69" couldn't have been better. The songs flow seamlessly and the transitions between "rockers" and ballads work to the album's strengths, unlike the uneven jolts back and forth on "Wow." The album offers up some of Peter Lewis' finest songwriting and vocalizing. His songs featured here are especially tender and beautiful and even more so on the bonus track acoustic-only versions featured like "If You Can't Learn From My Mistakes."

this album was done when the group was coming apart,,and it shows,but it still is a great peice of work.
many good songs..a more country feel than earlier lps had,they still had what it took.i still play it more than the other ones although i like it less.(figure that out!)
and once again,the grape sounded like a totally different band once again.
but skip spence is not there.peter lewis is though and he lets you know it with some fantastic lead and harmony vocals.
peter was the next best thing to rick nelson doing a psych folk album sound.buy it.also as with all the other recent releases on moby grape,this has super packaging! you wont be sorry if you play this album..promised!