Band: Moby Grape
Album: Moby Grape
Why Rolling Stone gets it right: Skip Spence's troubled genius has influenced a score of musicians (just check out "More Oar," the tribute album) and after playing with Jefferson Airplane and Quicksilver Messenger Service, he played on Moby Grape's debut album. The hippie jangle pop isn't what the Byrds were, but it fits nonetheless.
Why Rolling Stone gets it wrong: This is faceless music, for the most part. It's the type of thing that no one under the age of 35 knows, and if they do, it's only because their stupid boomer parents forced it on them.
Best song: "Hey Grandma" isn't bad and Spence's "Omaha" is pretty cool.
Worst song: "Come in the Morning" is awful hippie nonsense, complete with the spoken word "let me take to a great place of dreams" or whatever.
Is it awesome?: Nope.
"Dated" is a word I'm going to use frequently in regards to a lot of these records from the '60s. I mentioned it in the Zombies reviews and I like "Odessey and Oracle." "Moby Grape" is a poor man's illiterate "Odessey and Oracle." It's not good.
Granted, Skip Spence is a troubled artist and his songs are good. A lot of things he did were great. But, the songs he didn't have a hand in (11 of the 13) are basically junk. They're power pop before power pop adopted the best parts of punk rock. Instead, they're bubble gum with a little jangle and flowery shirts.
That this band is on this list when it should be part of the Nuggets box entry just proves that the people who made this confounded list are drinking the boomer Kool Aid. Someone must've been high when they voted for inclusion of "Moby Grape."
2 comments:
BOLLOCKS
this is arguably the best west coast album
Wow Your review of Moby Grape album is so off base! #1 I'm 31 years old and I love this album so there's goes your comment on that. Faceless Music? Every song on this album is great and easily stands the test of time! Come in the morning is Hippie Music? That comment doesn't even make a lick of sense. And lastly why should they be in the Nuggets box set when they aren't Garage Rock and were a lot more than just psychedlic? They don't even fit into the Nuggets criteria.
This Album should be rated HIGHER if anything!
Post a Comment