"Since Sam King covered the music of Moby Grape quite well in his review, I'll concentrate on the other aspects of this release. The photos include several never before released shots, mainly from the promo shoots for the first album. The liner notes are by and large correct, and give a good overview of the band's early history.
Like Vintage, Columbia's earlier compilation, the first album songs have the non fade out endings on Hey Grandma and Omaha. The sound is overall quite good, the production method used on the first album limiting just how much tweaking could be done in 2007.
What's up next for this band? Well, with Omar Spence substituting for his dad Skip, the original lineup will be playing the 40th Anniversary Monterey Festival this summer. We can hope this release will generate enough interest that the 4 Columbia albums are re-released, hopefully with bonus tracks. Listen, and tell your friends about Moby Grape!"
Buy Crosstalk instead
whoopycat | Des Moines, IA United States | 05/24/2007
(4 out of 5 stars)
"I love the Grape, they truly are the great unsung band of the 60's. Their stuff is almost uniformly great. That said, this is only the 3rd best Moby Grape compilation out there. The best of course is the 2-disc "Vintage", which I think you can still find on Amazon UK. If you don't feel like hunting, then get "Crosstalk", which is cheaper than this release and has a better track selection. There's no way a Moby Grape best-of can be considered definitive while missing two of their best songs, "Fall On You" and "It's a Beautiful Day Today"."
The Best and the Brightest...
Douglas W. Hawes | 05/19/2007
(5 out of 5 stars)
"
In 1967 Moby Grape was the best band in San Francisco, maybe America. So why haven't you ever heard of 'em?
The rise and precipitous fall of Moby Grape makes up perhaps the most legendary, and enduring, tale of sixties rock. In centuries down the road, people will still be talking about Moby Grape. They were a band which when they first appeared on stage in San Francisco immediately established themselves as one of the hottest acts of rock, way ahead of their time in both spirit and prowess, according to Rolling Stone writer Ed Naha.
This collection is a superb coverage of Moby Grape's essential discography, covering all four albums that the band recorded for Columbia. Truthfully there is classic material missing from this compilation from the first album, as well as the third album "Moby Grape '69," but this just further reinforces how brilliant this band really was.
The 20 songs that have been gleaned from Moby Grape's arsenal are overall quite well chosen. The liner notes are well crafted and inspiring, and the graphics and photos are first rate. This collection is a great place to start in introducing oneself to one of American rock and roll's enduring legends."
The Band the Time Forgot
David R. Mcconnaughey | Pittsboro, NC USA | 05/19/2007
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Whilst i don't have this cd, owning Fall on Amsterdam, Vintage Grape, the SF Sounds rerelease of the 1st lp - if you have ANY interest in 60s rock and don't have any Grape, do get this. Easily the best band out of SF - maybe Califonia (MUCH tighter than the usual psych bands): exacting vocals (though...not better than the Beatles who by their mid career were using more innovative harmonic structures); fabulous triple guitar leads; songwriting that even on their first lp ranged from inventing country rock to the tightest power pop one can imagine (Omaha anyone?). Their first lp, w/ middle finger intact, is one of the few lps i've kept all these years. Spirit, out of SoCal was the only CA band of the era that could play w/ the Grape"
GREAT GRAPE
Mazzy | San Francisco, CA USA | 05/19/2007
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Yes the first album is the best but Columbia screwed them up my releasing 5 singles at once!!! Anyway I would have given 5 stars if they had squeezed in Naked if I Want to (from the first album).