Place & The Time

Moby Grape | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (April 7, 2009)
• Original Release Date: 2009
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Sundazed Music Inc.
• ASIN: B001QBC2HQ
• In-Print Editions: Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #153,201 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Despite a myriad of obstacles, Moby Grape managed to persevere and create a potent and enduring body of recorded work, recording four albums during its original 1967-1969 lifespan. While 1967's Moby Grape is widely acknowledged as a classic (and one of rock's greatest debut albums), the subsequent Wow, Moby Grape '69 and Truly Fine Citizen are all underrated gems with much to recommend them.

It's a measure of the musicians' abundance of talent and creativity that, despite the multiple roadblocks that they confronted, Moby Grape recorded prolifically and cut a wealth of originally unreleased material. The Place and the Time offers a scintillating assortment of rare tracks cut during the band's heady 1967-1968 heyday. Encompassing audition recordings, album outtakes, alternate versions, live material and more, the recordings offer a powerful testament to the remarkable rapport that made Moby Grape such a unique force.

The fact that music this stunning and original sat on the shelf for so long is just another in the litany of injustices that haunt the Moby Grape story. But the band's majestic recorded legacy has outlasted the bad luck, bad choices and bad vibes. The music remains as fresh and inspiring as ever, and the vintage material featured in this collection constitutes a crucial addition to Moby Grape's already monumental body of work.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

29 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great stuff, but it's been put out before...., April 28, 2009

By 

Gern Blandton (Seattle, WA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Place & The Time (Audio CD)

As has often been said, the first Moby Grape album may be one of the few perfect debut albums in rock history. For that reason alone, I've been a fan of the band since day one and have bought everything ever issued under their name (and some under other names for legal reasons), official and bootleg. This one has some amazing material on it and, as others point out, the material has previously been out as bonus tracks on earlier Sundaze reissues. I also want readers to know that if they own the double CD, "Vintage - The Best of Moby Grape" (Columbia Legacy 1993)that they also have the bulk of the material presented here. There are some tracks that were not on that package, but for the most part buying this disc would not gain you much in new material.

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars THE PLACE AND THE TIME, April 11, 2009

By 

Stuart Jefferson (San Diego,Ca) - See all my reviews
(TOP 100 REVIEWER)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Place & The Time (Audio CD)

One disc 76 minutes approximately. The mastering is just about as good as technology can now do. Some of the tracks are a bit rough,but they are demos and out-takes.

This is a treasure-trove of basically unreleased tracks from early in the group's existence. Saying that,these tracks were included on the albums Sundazed put out a few years ago. Now that the first few albums have been taken out of circulation, (except for the pricey "San Francisco Sound" label) this is what we're left with-and it's pretty darn good. Any Moby Grape fan will like virtually every track here. Some of these are on the Sundazed reissues that are still in circulation,but a number of them were on the titles no longer available. Perhaps this is a way for Sundazed to re-coop some of it's losses when they were forced to quit manufacturing certain titles.

The packaging is nice,giving a synopsis of the band and information on each track (demo,alternate,etc.) which helps place these sides in their proper context. The only omissions are from the album,GRAPE JAM. This is due to time limitations because the three missing tracks (GRAPE JAM #2,GRAPE JAM #9,and BAG'S GROOVE-a jazz composition by Milt Jackson) total a bit over 31 minutes,and wouldn't fit,with the other tracks,on one disc.

Anyone who missed out on the Sundazed releases of this group would do well to pick this up-presumably it will not be recalled. Listening to these sides will give both the uninitiated (especially) and fan insight into what the band's demos and live recordings were like,if you're not familiar with this group. It's interesting that having all these sides together,in one package,actually makes for a pretty powerful album in it's own right. When they were originally spread through the various albums,some of that power was dissipated. So these tracks can certainly stand alone,which says something about the quality of the writing,arranging, and playing by the band. All members of the band could write,sing,and play. Together,they crossed blues,rock,and country,into something very exciting. This is great music from one of the best bands from the sixties (I was lucky enough to hear them live back then and they were a powerful band-vocally and instrumentally) which anybody who likes great r&r should purchase. Look for a live album with tracks from various concert halls around San Francisco,which will eventually be released.

12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A goldmine of rare recordings, April 9, 2009

By 

Samuel B. King "Sam King" (Concord, NH) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Place & The Time (Audio CD)

I will go out on a limb here. Moby grape were the BEST San Francisco band to come out of the mid-sixties, better than the Dead, Jefferson Airplane, all of them. They had 5 part harmonies the Beatles or Beach Boys would die for, a lead guitarist of Clapton/Hendrix caliber, songwriters rivalling anyone past or present and musical sensibilities crossing blues, country, pop, avant garde, all of it. This release peovides access to many unreleased gems (and some, I believe, were released on the VINTAGE box set, now out of print). This is real stuff, music which leaves most current wannabe bands in the dust (even their throwaway tracks are steller). Anyone interested in good music should add this release to their collection. 'Nuff said.