Moby Grape: Classic or Dud?

Seem to recall somebody…the Airplane, maybe?… advised them to stay away from him early on.

All the sordid details can be found here:

https://www.loudersound.com/features/the-story-of-moby-grape-chaos-and-courtrooms-acid-and-white-witches

Thanks. Once it’s in my head might just as well go back and (re)read all the gory details.

Can’t remember if I mentioned Susan Schmidt Hornung’s recent piece about “Omaha” upthread.

Not surprised this wasn't reported, who was going to mourn this horrible prick?

I don’t…but it could make their catalog, particularly their debut, available in complete and proper form again. (You can’t even stream the debut in its entirety on Apple Music.)

Would love it if Sundazed brought back their reissues - they were immediately pulled due to Katz’s litigation though pre-orders and other copies got out. That was the last attempt to properly release them in physical form.

I could have sworn we had discussed him already dying recently but it guess was just lots of posts on the surprised at still alive thread.

Yes, I think he was mentioned fairly recently, possibly musing on why horrors like him and Kissinger are still alive... oh hold on...

xpost yeah, I got the debut CD just ahead of HMV having to pull them out of stores.

I have a 90s vinyl reissue of the debut bought in FOPP in the west end of Glasgow before they expanded UK wide. Man, that was a great shop.

Vintage was great, but suffers a bit (particularly in regards to the debut) from including all the studio chat and false starts on the individual songs themselves instead of indexing them separately or putting them in the between track countdowns.

Yes, not sure I agree with some of the choices on which songs to include (or exclude) either.

including all the studio chat and false starts

True, although I wonder if this was part of a subterfuge to create new masters that weren't under Katz's ownership.

which songs to include (or exclude)

I haven't heard any other songs from the records proper, I'd like to know your choices. I could live without some of the Bob Mosley stuff that made it on Vintage

Finally listened to 20 Granite Creek, and first impression yow what a Saturday night! 1971, all five singing, playing, writing, rowdy and sharp and even more variety than primo The Band, without getting too fancy about it. Something barroom and outdoors about it, Cali all thee way--title and cover art provide that '71 roots touch, music not too much: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fA4FtjnmoV4

i think i like learning about, and talking about, this band more than i actually like listening to them.

even though i do really enjoy listening to them sometimes.

I go through a couple days a year listening to those San Francisco bands. I will put together a play list loading up an album or two from a few bands then sort them around and give them a listen.

If you go from short songs to long songs, the Moby Grape stuff gets played and done pretty quick.

I got the first one on LP. The record has been played to death, but it is cool to look at the cover.

Mind you the LP was toasted long before I ever got it. Got a feeling a few joints were rolled off it in its heyday.

And I have had the LP over 30 years now…