Place and the Time

One of rockdom's ultimate coulda-been-contenders tales, Moby Grape exploded out of San Francisco with a 1967 debut that many critics consider the artistic peak of their city's fabled scene. A quintet (each of whom sang and contributed songs) that featured three excellent guitarists, the Grape had a tighter sound than most of their contemporaries and boasted a mystique that could have rivaled the Band's or Grateful Dead's had not terrible management and bad acid derailed their juggernaut. After their undeniable debut, the band nonetheless cut three good-to-great records--WOW/GRAPE JAM, MOBY GRAPE '69, and TRULY FINE CITIZEN--from 1968-1969.
This fantastic Sundazed two-disc set collects previously unreleased rarities from their early years--each track a peek into their extraordinary depth. Jerry Miller's leads sizzle on "The Place and the Time" and "Sweet Ride (Never Again)" while a first album outtake, "Rounder," foregrounds the headlong energy of the band's best singles. "Skip's Song" predicts the shambolic epics Skip Spence would bring to blown-mind realization on his solo masterpiece, OAR. While not the best springboard for beginners--for that, try MOBY GRAPE--THE PLACE AND THE TIME is essential for fans wanting more of their classic era.