Omaha-Moby Grape-1968

[GtoThaillDog]

this song gets me pumped

[jpnoll]

I remember this from when I was about 13-14 yrs old!

[JohnNorthWillys]

THIS IS THE SOUNDTRACK OF MY LIFE --- IT HAUNTS THE LEFT SIDE OF MY BRAIN --- THE RIGHT SIDE IS STILL NUMB FROM THE LSD --- ON HAIGHT STREET

[slpplexi1969]

@JohnNorthWillys STOP SCREAMING

[juliano66]

America had a lot of joy to be tapped into then--despite all the batshit crazy that was and still is about--yay for the 'Grape for flyin high!

[AlNaafiysh]

wonderful.... i f***ing love Moby grape

[NoRosesForMe]

~~♥ Thank you ♥~~

[johnnyp146532]

I am so happy this song is making a bit of a resurgence. I first heard it in '68 during the high school years in the Bay Area, don't think my life has been the same since..

[ResistUnlearnDefy88]

Hmm.

I live in Omaha and stumbled across this song by pure coincidence.

lol, groovy

[WorldCitizen667]

GREAT GREAT GREAT!!!

LOVE IT!!

[54caddy1]

Band members were; Jerry Miller lead guitar, Bob Mosley Bass, Skip Spence guitar, Don Stevenson drums, Peter Lewis guitar. Jerry Miller was named number 68 in Rolling Stone's top 100 guitar players. When Eric Clapton came to the US he said Jerry was the best guitar player in the world. The Jerry Miller Bandstill plays in the NW. The 2003 release 'Legendary Grape' is said to be a must have for Grape fans.

[evilthesaurus]

the number of views on this song almost makes me regain my faith with humanity. thanks skip.

[superads91]

@evilthesaurus

Ahah!

Am I the only one to think this song is a pure gem?

[evilthesaurus]

@superads91

no, man, you're not alone

[simonsbuddy]

Listen to Skip's SON do these songs...youtube search "moby grape 2010" and check it out.

[hugatag]

A little history lesson,did u folks know that Skip Spence was the drummer on the Jefferson Airplanes 1st album in 1966?

[videomaniac108]

"Listen my friends ... " - we are Skip.

[fingletoad]

yarg! my fave fave song! we had a blast then!! thank u!

[mickeymousebiker1]

A little bit 'o Frank Zappa and The Mothers of Invention at the start? Mix in some early G-Dead and voila! -- The Moby Grape! These guys were the first band to open The Monterey International Jazz and Pop Festival in June 1967. Love this!

[dylz]

dis sng 1 of my fav sng of all tyme after i red abt it in rollin stone 500 best sng of all tyme feature

[GDS4VR]

CAME ACROSS AN ALBUM OF HITS. IT HAD "OMAHA" AND "SUZANNE" ON IT. TO ME THAT WAS A COOL SET.

[Blogdoovian]

Awesome rave up...love that bubbling bass.

[shaneh1983]

great song

[furtherdefinitions]

This song was released in 1967, not '68, only a month after Sgt. Pepper.

[jjpeterson1]

This shit lives forever, one of my favourite songs!

[Ward1997]

Got the chance to meet Skip in San Jose in 1994 came over to our apartment and played all of Moby songs and all the songs off his only album. It was cool to meet him. I'm glade to have had the opportunity to meet him (Really great guy)

[kevland1]

@piercethevale Peter is alive and doing well in Northern Cal. He occasionally joins the reformed band on Tour. Skip Spence's son is the singer. The other Lewis son is doing well and living in the Palm Springs area.

[fighttheracists]

Peter Lewis, one of the members of Moby Grape was the son of actress Loretta Young.

Loretta Young was a major movie star in the first half of the 20th century. She was very beautiful.

Loretta Young also had a top TV show in the 1950s which was actually pretty good. Girls and women would especially like this show.

[JoeyZazza]

First Grape Album... a true classic. These guys ROCK. It's like the Grateful Dead ... on speed !!!

[Billrabatin]

Village Theater(before it was the fillmore) w/ Canned Heat,soul survivors,richie havens and CREAM

[nubapowner5000]

What's big and purple and lives in the ocean?

[lcroffordhuntley]

I saw them at the Fillmore East!

[michaudd61]

i agree. this band was greatly underrated.

[ColdOasisU2]

underrated band

[oreokookie1000]

nice...hangin with skippy in back o my vw bus!



[2112malibu]

Right-Omaha. I love this song. Being a relatively simple (technically), yet truly solid song  that is very much of its time, it manages to capture it all-that's why I like it. It's the sound of a very special freedom discovered during a very special time.

[2112malibu]

Right-Omaha. I love this song. Being a relatively simple (technically), yet truly solid song song that is very much of its time, it manages to capture it all-that's why I like it. It's the sound of a very special freedom discovered during a very special time.

[drz860]

Inspired Rock 'n' Roll w/Hillbilly roots and no thought to Lyrics- A 10 if there ever was. A Godly amount of guitar work and fortune enough, Great Vocals! Who cares!, what the vocals? God Inspired Rock!

[cb3961]

to think killer tunes like this could be heard on AM radio in the good old daze !!!

[tmpol]

I worked with Don Stevenson at Intrawest. He is in British Columbia Canada and is an amazing huamn being! love him and the band.

[SeattleLA]

One of the defining albums, the debut one, of the entire SF scene, second only to the mighty Airplane in my opinion. I understand that Jerry Miller lives here, in MusicLand. The debut album, rich with the three lead guitars, lyrics, and vocals is the only great one by the band, but wow, it is great. They got screwed by Katz, I think.

[LightningChimp]

When I hear this song I am instantly on a road trip in a VW van, who's with me?

[LBurris597]

@LightningChimp I there! Spank the monkey!

[afullhalfgramofacid]

This is perhaps the best 2 and a half minute song in the history of the world.

[conmaesta]

@LightningChimp Actually in 1967 I travelled from Toronto to San Fran and up the coast with some American hippy friends in a 52 DeSoto painted psychedelic.... Stayed in Chicago for a bit then took route 66 down to Vegas then to LA where we ran into some cop problems but got that settled then off to Santa Barbara, Frisco and then up the coast to the Canadian border...unfortunately that is where we got separated because of the Canadian border officials...Wouldn't let the American kids across..Alas

[supermemojo]

@LightningChimp Oh ya, lets not forget this is one of the first 5 or 6 45's that changed the whole scene on the west coast

[theultimohombre]

@supermemojo Educate us. Please name the 5 or 6 others..

[peejay1954]

I am, me too, pick me !

[MaximusRelaximus]

ha, sounds stereotypically pop-psychedelic to me, but since it was even before my aging time, i can't say that it wasn't the prototype rather than some bubblegum ripoff. any elder hippies care to enlighten me?

[deaddoc]

@MaximusRelaximus  These guys were a genuine psychedelic band that used to play at the old Family Dog venue in 1966, I think the later Playland location. They got picked up by a label, but were getting high so much they would not show up, and blew their money quickly, then faded off somewhere. Have to check my material, I think one guy died. But this was original and first of this particular sound. Great fresh sound back then that couldn't be manufactured.

[Felicity701]

@deaddoc Absolutely agree. Skip Spence, the "leader" died in 1999. Just found that out. This was SO fun to play over and over.

[cb3961]

@MaximusRelaximus lol...WHAT !?!?!!? this was CUTTING EDGE stuff back in those days NO bubblegum here. that was The Ohio Express...LOL

[MaximusRelaximus]

@cb3961 It just sounds like every generic rock music that you would hear in the background of TV/movies from the late 60s and early 70s when they couldn't afford to buy the rights to use actual hit songs. Like in Dragnet, or something, when they raid a hippie joint...you know what I mean. Not knocking MG--if anything, that's just a tribute to their influential sound.

[MattHatter]

@MaximusRelaximus O.K., you deserve better than what deaddoc wrote back to you! Moby Grape was THE MOST rocking, energetic band from the original San Francisco music scene of the late '60s. They all could write, play, and sing (all five members). Columbia signed them and they released their first album in late May of 1967 but Columbia over hyped the band so much it BACKFIRED on them! The first album is a MUST HAVE when it comes to late '60s rock.

[3rdStoneObliterum]

nothing like this these days but techno CRAP and NO TALENT

[captainvideoralph]

Listen MY friends...listen...peace

[Sydwayman]

moby grape is the color led zeppelin was painted.

[ygetup1]

anyone remember the crazy marketing campaign the record company had for this album? instead of releasing an lp they put out like five or six 45's. it was insane but this was the one that got worn out on my cheapo record player. this would be ahead of its time in any time

[pmfzero]

@ygetup1 I remember. But the LP WAS out at the same time. There were six 45's. Everything on the album except "Naked", of course. A little place on the U. of Penn campus (we called it the Psychedelic Ice Cream Shop) had them all on its jukebox :D

[RoyFive]

I remember how jazzed I got hearing this on Mom's station wagon radio back in 1967 coming back from the store. So much great music was happening that I didn't want to be away from the radio for longer than three minutes. These guys were just too much.

[xanos4225]

Damn kids with your makeout parties, rock 'em sock 'em robots, and your Moby Grape.

[CJurasin]

@xanos4225 Ya......and didn't we have FUN back then!!!

[jukeboxjonnyv]

I remember seeing Moby Grape playing all over L.A. in the 66-68 era.

[WorldCitizen667]

JUST FANTASTIC!!!!!

[prunebreath]

It's not "Listen My Friends" or Omaha, like the city in Nebraska but - and this was from Skipper himself - Om, ah ha! *Listen my friends.... Into the light...." Makes more sense that way.... ;)

[deaddoc]

@prunebreath  Hey grandpa, is that Electric Prune Breath? Sounds like a revival band....

[prunebreath]

It's not "Listen My Friends" or Omaha, like the city in Nebraska but - and this was from Skipper himself - Om, ah ha!

[spacepatrolman]

@prunebreath you mean om like in meditating i used to call this album take the 8:05 to omaha or the givieng the finger album

[prunebreath]

@spacepatrolman Yup, exactly om..... Ah Ha! I always figured they were flipping off their litigious ex-manager, but who knows? lol.

[spacepatrolman]

@prunebreath was that mathew katz ? the airplane and IABD had problems with him [the air plane sued him to get out of a binding arbitration clause in their contract]

[prunebreath]

@spacepatrolman He sued JA for 27 yrs. That said, check out how JA settled those suits. Who represented whom and who screwed (and who didn't screw) whom to get what. (Hint: Spencer Dryden was a really good guy.)

[spacepatrolman]

@prunebreath how did they all i know is whats in that record reviewer from new jerseys book on JA i cant think of his name

[prideoverfire1]

we won't be able to buy moby grape anywhere but from collector's until their former and evil manager dies.

[witchman67]

Great stuff.

[tacodreamteam]

This was a great band. They fell victim to an overzealous hype machine. People were actually very wary of hype in the 60's. Poster that opens the vid shows them headlining a concert with Chambers Brothers opening. San Fran in the sixties - 2 or 3 great bands for 3 bucks a show. Three bands for 5 bucks at Winterland in the 70's. That's only about $1.67 a group. My favorite show ever was Humble Pie, Slade, and Steelydan opening....

[danielvlee]

just like i wonder what might have been had Jimi Hendrix not OD'd, i wonder what might have been had Moby Grape not been driven into the ground by their manager, or whoever was at fault

[domzeppelin]

Robert Plant loved this band thats how i heard of them. Sixties music was great.

[DYNODRUM]

@domzeppelin Yes and the Guitar player could have easily given Pagey a Run or two. Very versatile player Check the Live stuff out from 67-68..

[toadabc]

The first 16 seconds was the biggest mind blower this 14 year old kid had ever heard back then.

[fisher2521]

No, not the infamous Sandy's in Lawrence. Note the level grade, no steep driveway.

[huskyjerk]

Is that, at 1:30, the Sandy's Drive In located in Lawrence, Kansas?

[huskyjerk]

Is that the Sandy's Drive In located in Lawrence, Kansas?

[theILLSofMODERNdan]

my dads favorite band growing up in san francisco. These guys don't get enough credit nowadays. Long live the grape

[deadhead1065]

SWeeeeeet ... One Of my all time favourite albums, Moby grape is often considered to have been a psychedelic phenomenon of 67'

[qsergyuko]

Fuck mathew katz i wish skippy had axed that cunt instead of his band mates,long live the grape.

[MilSepic60]

Fanfuckingtastic psychedlic rock. The San Fran scene was the strongest front against the British Invasion stuff. It was the only thing really original and powerful enough athough there were a few decent groups to surface out of LA; Mothers, Springfield, Doors. Thanks for the posting 74!

[TumbrelJockey]

Lost count of the pseudo- bands(heavily promoted J Crew models with a few guitar lessons ) around now in the process of ripping of the Grape's music & style note for note ,without any mention of them.If it was not for Youtube ,younger musicians would still believe Moby Grape "stole " their name from the onetime rave DJ.BTW "Moby Grape" was the punchline to a popular, yet clean, joke in the mid 60's.

[666slink]

@TumbrelJockey How did the joke go?

[TumbrelJockey]

@666slink Man all I remember is that it's based on the " what is blank and blank "etc. framework What say we toss that one to the Tuber 55 + audience.As I said -we have the punch line " Moby Grape "...

[666slink]

@TumbrelJockey Right on, man. I never knew how the group got their name and was curious. I'm always on the lookout for musical knowledge and trivia. Thanks.

[pmfzero]

@TumbrelJockey What is purple and weighs 5 tons?

[pmfzero]

@TumbrelJockey What is purple and weighs 5 tons?

[TumbrelJockey]

@pmfzero You came through man !

[TaffyRaphie]

@pmfzero what a crap joke....

[pmfzero]

@TaffyRaphie - I agree - just telling it like it was , bro - I didn't write it :)

[teenonator]

@TumbrelJockey As in "What's purple & sit's on the bottom of the sea?"?

[TumbrelJockey]

@teenonator Actually the set up went "what's purple and weighs 5 tons?" All thanks are due "pmzero" for coming to the rescue.As for the tuber that thought it was a "crap joke"- at the time,1966,people had not become used to wanton cruelty for their yuks ,violent video games or "Fight Club" virals.So this little joke elicited a good clean laugh -or at least a wide grin while shaking your head.That is the difference between dressing like a Hippy band on Kimmel and living as a" Flower Child".

[teenonator]

@TumbrelJockey Knew it was something like that. Tell me about it: nouveau wanna-be Hippies, Fight Club, MMA, all that crapola makes me sick....and I consider myself fortunate I've never heard of DJ Moby Grape, but at least I know this song is "Omaha"

[TumbrelJockey]

@teenonator Look around you .It went from the simple innocent fun of "Hootenanny" to living this "A Clockwork Orange" existence.I wouldn't trade my 57 yrs. for being 18 again now if you paid off all my cards lol .

[bucky468]

Excellent classic by a great group from the Bay area.

[jeffthrow6892]

Wasn't this 1967? Not '68?? Pretty sure the amazing, self-titled debut came out in '67........

[zombiestars42]

@jeffthrow6892 sounds like 67 to me :-)

[HermanHanauer]

Yes this was a fantastic good band.....surely among my favourites.

[ragtimemarkbirnbaum]

absolutely fabulous!

thx

[MrPtrez]

some take a trip and don't come back

[BeatleBob2]

We opened for them at the Grand Ballroom in Detroit in December '67. This tune was awesome live. Really tight. Too bad they had such rotten attitudes. It was their demise.

[Newman54]

Skip Spense was Moby Grape................

[Howinoshawa]

@Newman54 ---I hear ya,but this band wouldn;t have happened without Bob and Jerry.

[DrWeirdPro]

I met Skip Spence just before he died, and saw him "play" once on Haight St with a reformed Grape in late 70's. Was nice they still had that compassion for their friend, who was already as bad off as when I last saw him.

A brain is a terrible thing to waste, this one especially.

Love to Alexander.

[harmonichebe]

best of the first albums of the bay area bands was this and quicksilver's first that opened with "pride of man"-blistering guitars" from the summer of love

[bruces3]

Great to find groups like this from the period I like the most. I couldn't seem to find anything from 2000-2010 wonder why??

[janrub01]

You just had to see these guys live. I saw them in NYC (Village Theatre, later Filmore East) in 1968. Skip at his best....had the most intense powerful charisma you can imagine and the band was tight beyond belief.....instrumentals and harmonies. Sorry but no recording does them justice. Their moment of brilliance was brief; but very very intense. RIP, Skippy, Love Ya

[lizziemarvitz]

The epitome of Rock n' Roll energy and electricity.

[TurtleWeasle]

Matthew Katz, their manager 40 years ago, is responsible for keeping their material locked up. He fucked over a number of SF bands. Is he dead yet?

[beardedfetus]

sounds a lot like early guess who. good shit

[Viznel137]

Great band!As Classic as Los angeles-though they were from Up North

[stigletto]

This is the BEST band I ever saw live, like a hurricane onstage..truly phenomenal..

[rantrover]

test

[MattHatter]

On the 2007 CD reissue that was pulled by their former manager Matthew Katz (along with the reissues of "Wow" and "Grape Jam"), "Omaha" goes on for about 20 more seconds and comes to a complete close instead of fading out. I feel bad for those who haven't heard the '07 remastered version! Seek it out if you can! I don't know why the original L.P. mix couldn't have included the full ending because it makes the song rock even HARDER!

[hydraIX]

and too think The Jeff Beck Group open for them...

[SecretProphet]

I think what impresses me most about this band is the vocals. These guys could really sing unlike many of their contemporaries. Track after track their vocals stand out.

[SecretProphet]

What a great tune! Thanks for posting!

[rantrover]

This was the song that first introduced me to this band. Radio Station KUDL-1380 in Kansas City used to use the beginning of this song for their top of the hour ID in which they would always say how many songs they played last hour. One thing though this song was released in 1967 not '68.

[TheForkliftsOfNair]

Moby Dick Grape Juice.

[dumbangel75]

Poor Skip, mental illness, drugs and booze did him in, he was destined for greatness.

[CaramelMarshmallow]

@dumbangel75 I think the combination of mental illness, drugs, and booze was a huge part of him writing music like this in the first place.

[dumbangel75]

@CaramelMarshmallow A good example of one's personal demon's creating great art.

[alain1986]

hamburguers 15 cents..omg i want to go there lol

[DrLearyUSA]

Great Morning Boost!!!!

[oldrubbish1]

Sounds like Status Quo on acid and a bit of speed.

[unclemeat2u]

I feel like Creedence Clearwater Revival were influenced by them because of their sound, but I don't know who develeped it first. I don't hear too many bands with this vocal style, though.

=)

[wisdomtoknow]

What happened to them was they were promoted too big, too soon leading to disintegration.

[Bluewillowplate]

This brings me right back to junior high.

Actually, hearing this song for the very first time is one of the few things from that time that I would like to do all over again.

[walt7500]

@Bluewillowplate Luckey fellow!

[tamlin10]

asskicker, large doses of drugs, plus small doses of columbia records promotional stupidity ruined this band, but moby grape, and maby grope will continue to live as examples of eclectic, electric, kick ass music.... thanks for posting!!!

[maida1982a]

this is a first album. amazing. every song is a gem. every player is a singer, writer and great player.

[helmuttdvm]

Skip Spence was pretty out there, and didn't help things any. I imagine that drugs, etc. did the rest. This was an amazing song, and inspired many of us to play in garage bands. It was a great time when it was real guitars and not Guitar Hero on a videogame.

[Flap999]

Awesome...such complex vocals for the day. Great band.

[Asskicker32294]

Brings me back to my discovery of so called pychedelic music back in 1968 when I was 14. I was very impressed with Moby Grape. they should have been big...don't know what happened

[indianrivergrrl]

The best songcrafters, and harmonies to boot!

[PorchDogPondering]

I didn't hear their first album until the mid to late 70s. I bought the 2fer1 special of WoW and Grape Jam. WoW was their best album IMHO. I now have heard most all their music and still feel WoW should have been up there with SGT Pepper as for being a super special album.

[Sandbagger300]

Yeah "He" I put right up there with "Sitting by the Window", and on the sundazed re-issue Stop and Loosely Remembered are both GREAT tracks! Heck I got someone hooked on Moby Grape from their 69 album, it's a real shame that "mainstreamers" have probably never even heard one of their songs.

[PorchDogPondering]

I have tried to turn people on to Moby Grape since I first discovered them in about 1968. Good that Youtube exist. Great place to meet fellow fans of more obscure music then anywhere that I'm hip to. Hard to think of a band that is not showcased by at least one tune on Youtube.

[psychkoala]

Right On.

I love Moby Grape, and all of their five original LPs.

I think they were the best band to come out of the San Francisco scene. To me they fit right in between the Grateful Dead and Jefferson Airplane.

I've tried to encourage folks to check them out, too, and haven't made much headway.

Seems like the more hardcore music fans usually dig Moby Grape, though.

[Sandbagger300]

Wonder why some versions cut off the dueling guitars at the end which bring it to a 2:45 song? That's one of the best parts of the song!

[Fawksian21]

Fuck whoever it is that's keeping the Moby Grape cataloge off of iTunes. This is some of the best psychedelia ever, bar none.

[Efrasnel]

@Fawksian21 : Probably that shithead manager from way back. I don't wish death on people, but I'm glad to make an exception int his case.

[GreyGhostSr]

@Fawksian21 It's the Heeb-prick, mattew Katz

[dudestr5552]

@Fawksian21 That's most of the reason i don't use shitTunes - because their selection is limited and the iPod is crap anyway.

[treel3]

@Fawksian21 fuck itunes. 99 cents a song is bullshit

[robotypist]

@treel3 i use a converter - youtube to mp3. free. i've done a TON of music this way. give it a try. i remember this song from way back! i think i have a 45 rpm of it!

[ventovivimus]

@treel3 Yes, and imagine how most good bands don't even excist anymore. The money goes all to the record companies and iTunes....

[larry44legend]

Peaked at #88,7-8-67.

Cant get enough of classic one hit wonders.

[Sandbagger300]

They may have had only 1 hit, but Moby Grape were anything but I hit wonders, Their debut album I put up there with any debut album ever done, Every song on that album is great!

[macdonder]

I agree Sandbagger. They were part of the soundtrack of my life at a very formative time. Every song on that album spoke to me.

[Mrlint101]

if you call the whole album a one hit wonder? Its bloody awesome

[PitaLeCatt001]

Thanks to Agent Soul

Got this at last.

Heard this in the late 60s and never re-dsicovered it.

Till Agent Soul from Movieplex educated me.

This is my friend....he is my friend.

:-)

[soadacdc77]

fuckin gorgeous

[Khultan]

C oo L

[UsingAllTheUsernames]

loosen my pants

[Baddoggone]

I saw them many times at the Avalon Ballroom, Fillmore, & Winterland during the '60s. There had som much ralent, they all sang & wrote their own music.

[axecalibore]

I saw these guys in Seattle in 67 with my whole family including my parents. (Also Sonny and Cher and Vanilla Fudge were there) They did a great show, sounded just like thier record, and at the end of Omaha jumped in a pool that was in front of the stage for some reason.

[frereslumiere]

At 1:20 -- classic SF band publicity shot. We all wanted to look like this.

[TacomaPaul]

Jerry Miller lives just a few blocks from me. In mid-80s I played rythym guitar for him .... all of a sudden after 2 weeks it hit me.... "Holy CRAP ! You're Jerry Miller !"..... He just laughed and said, "Shut up and drink your beer". Have known him for over 20 years now.... just a great guy.

[PitaLeCatt001]

To Agent Soul

Made it me at long last

Thank you friend.

[pataphysician66]

They were my first rock concert. I remember having my fingers on the stage and Skip Spence acting like he was going to step on them. He was stoned outta his mind, but he was funny to a thirteen year old. I think I got my tinnitus from that show.

[lladsbid]

lucky bastard

[fluffydolly]

great 60's band frisco base.

[richstout]

This sounds remixed or remastered. Very faithful and cool, though.

[ortleyman]

Mr. Blues is my favorite Grape tune. Fucking vocals are off the chart . Up their with Otis Redding.

[jumpinjackflash1968]

Fucking great!

[bergadeer]

sick fills

[mrniggerbaiter]

GO TO HELL