So MANY things went wrong with this group.....label 'hype' stupidity/acid casuality(s), key player 'draft' defection, management/ band name legalities/the awful Arthur Godfrey selection that HAD to be played at 78rpm'WOW' lp(the one w/far superior toons, 'He' 'Murder In My Heart 'Motorcycle Irene')...and not to forget a very horrible 're-emergence'/reunion @ the Fillmore(yes a friend of mine saw em and said it was worse than terrible!)
Nevertheless....the...the Grape were rather eclectic. And hit some strides in the country-rock realm....though many of their originals were blues based.
A nice representation of 'late' is their 'Legendary Grape' from '03. A fairly good selection of various styles with plenty of previously unreleased toons that cover hard-edged rock/blues and yes country rock! Lotsa of Miller/Mosley things on there!
Well, to me, by far the first album will always be known is the best and the last of the greatest, which none of the others could ever seem to match. "Wow", wasn't too bad, but quite frankly I was never a fan of their country excursions. In the past when recommending the Grape's albums, I have always referred them back to the first album just to start off, then sent the to them "Wow" album next. If truth be told, nothing could ever even come close to the classic status as that first album. One thing to note, if you can actually find a copy of the original first self titled Columbia 360 label album with Don Stevenson's middle finger on the washboard, grab it up, it can be quite collectible. In later versions of this album, the photography was airbrushed to cover up that middle finger dangling there in all it's glory........
There were numerous groups that imploded due to bad management and poorly run record companies! The only thing that saved some of them was their music! Even after being driven into the ground they still could not kill them off!
But in the case of a group like YES.....some loathe the group without Anderson and (R)Wakeman...where others like Geoff Downes....and the 'family fueding' over Billy Sherwood and Oliver Wakeman....most would concur in having another 'Close To The Edge'....and then there are others who wish certain band members would dry up and blow away! Sometimes the music DOESNT survive......
Bad luck was definitely on the Grape's side. All the factors previously mentioned contributed along with the misfortune of having poor marketing advice (nothing like pissing off your label by forcing them to withdraw an album due to an obscene cover), to say nothing of having at least two members who had significant personal issues - Skip Spence's well known and tragic life, as well as Bob Mosley's set of personal demons. '69" and "Truly Fine Citizen" are both worth checking out, as is the late-inning "Legendary grape" (There are reviews of all of them on the MusicStack site).
So true, Scott....but actions DO HAVE consequences and if a band/artist is in it (supposedly) for 'the long haul', then rash decisions will play out and come back to haunt one soon or later. BTW-I was 12 and 13 when '69' 'Truly Fine Citizen' came out....know the records quite well!
Tehnically I guess they would qualify as a band that made it over the long haul - admittedly not without some personnel and personal issues and extended breaks.
When did the first LP come out ? 1967 ? And the last studio set I know about was 2003 ... That's a pretty impressive run for any band.
The first disc arrived on the scene during the summer of hippie love.
Most of their output came forth from 67-72 (with a break in between 70-71) Live Grape came out in 78 with Peter Lewis Jerry Miller and Skip Spence in the lineup along with future Doobie Brother Cornelius Bumpus. (Several outstanding trax here inc Lewis 'That Lost Horizon' Johnny Gtr Watson's 'Cuttin In'
Miller's 'You Got Everything That I Need' ) Oh sure there was more MG...but it was v-e-r-y sporadic!
The first disc arrived on the scene during the summer of hippie love.
Most of their output came forth from 67-72 (with a break in between 70-71) Live Grape came out in 78 with Peter Lewis Jerry Miller and Skip Spence in the lineup along with future Doobie Brother Cornelius Bumpus. (Several outstanding trax here inc Lewis 'That Lost Horizon' Johnny Gtr Watson's 'Cuttin In'
Miller's 'You Got Everything That I Need' ) Oh sure there was more MG...but it was v-e-r-y sporadic!
The first disc arrived on the scene during the summer of hippie love.
Most of their output came forth from 67-72 (with a break in between 70-71) Live Grape came out in 78 with Peter Lewis Jerry Miller and Skip Spence in the lineup along with future Doobie Brother Cornelius Bumpus. (Several outstanding trax here inc Lewis 'That Lost Horizon' Johnny Gtr Watson's 'Cuttin In'
Miller's 'You Got Everything That I Need' ) Oh sure there was more MG...but it was v-e-r-y sporadic!
Listening to the recently released Live from Moby Grape... not bad at all, yes, though, the first and Wow (several cuts, anyhow) is the Moby Grape to own.
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