Moby
Grape | Listen My Friends!: The Best of Moby Grape
Columbia/Legacy
Review by Peter Aaron
And finally there’s the matter of the
mentally troubled Spence (who had been Jefferson Airplane’s
drummer before joining the Grape). During sessions for the
group’s sophomore release, 1968’s Wow,
he tried to attack Stevenson with a fire axe and had to be
institutionalized. (Later that year, while on leave from a
mental hospital, Spence recorded the legendarily brilliant
and disturbing acid-folk solo disc Oar.) Bands like
this are why VH1’s “Behind the Music” was
invented. Moby Grape would trudge on to the end of the decade,
steadily losing original members (Mosley actually joined the
Marines) and making a handful of spotty albums that never
approached the promise of their first.
While that flawless first album comes with
an across-the-board recommendation to anyone who digs fine
rock ‘n’ roll, Listen My Friends! provides
the invaluable services of sampling six tracks from the debut,
plucking the best songs from subsequent albums, and tossing
in a couple of rarities (a previously unissued cut from The
Sweet Ride soundtrack and a bemusing radio spot, tacked
on as a ghost track at the end). “Omaha,” “Murder
in My Heart for the Judge,” and other tough rockers
had scorching sonic presence the first time around, but the
versions here, remastered by freelance engineer and Sundazed
Music CEO Bob Irwin, get an added goosing; push play and the
face-frying guitar intro to “Hey Grandma” lashes
forth like a coiled snake, scraps of torn speaker cone fluttering
behind like confetti. Moody hippie ballads like “8:05”
and “Rose Colored Eyes” also benefit from the
improved audio spectrum. If you’re unfamiliar with the
band, do yourself a favor and grab some Grape. Fine bunch
to start with right here. www.legacyrecordings.com
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