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 subsequentWow, Moby Grape ’69 and Truly Fine Citizenare 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.
| TRACK LISTING |
| 1. Indifference Columbia Records audition recording (1967) |
| 2. Looper Columbia Records audition recording (1967) |
| 3. Stop Demo recording (1967) |
| 4. Rounder Instrumental outtake recording from the Moby Grape sessions (1967) |
| 5. Sweet Ride (Never Again) Unedited version, recorded for the motion picture The Sweet Ride (1967) |
| 6. Loosely Remembered Demo recording (1967) |
| 7. The Place and the Time Alternate version from the Wow album sessions (1967) |
| 8. Bitter Wind Demo recording (1967) |
| 9. Seeing Alternate version from the Wow album sessions (1968) |
| 10. What’s to Choose Alternate version from the Wow album sessions (1968) |
| 11. Soul Stew Outtake recording from the Moby Grape ’69 album sessions (1968) |
| 12. If You Can’t Learn From My Mistakes Demo recording (1968) |
| 13. You Can Do Anything Demo recording (1967) |
| 14. Skip’s Song Demo recording (1967) |
| 15. It’s a Beautiful Day Today Demo recording (1968) |
| 16. What’s to Choose Demo recording (1967) |
| 17. Hoochie Demo recording (1968) |
| 18. Big Demo recording (1968) |
| 19. Rounder Live recording (1968) |
| 20. Miller’s Blues Live recording (1968) |
| 21. Changes Live recording (1968) |
| 22. Looper Demo recording (1967) |
| 23. Soul Stew Instrumental outtake recording from the Moby Grape ’69album sessions (1968) |
| 24. Cockatoo Blues (Tongue-Tied) Demo recording (1968) |
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