Moby Grape - Moby Grape (1967)

I almost didn’t go with this excellent record because a decades-spanning legal battle about the rights makes it very hard to find a streaming version. I hope the guy who has this on his YT channel doesn’t get a takedown notice due to my army of readers…

Moby Grape were well-connected in the Haight-Ashbury music scene in San Francisco. They blended Dylan-esque rock with psych rock, Bakersfield-style electrified country, and the sunshine hippie music that was all around them in the Bay area.

This album was a blueprint for both the country-centric version of psych that would come shortly from the Grateful Dead and others, and for the more straightforward country rock sound of Creedence Clearwater and their like.

At only a half hour, it’s a short listen but well worth your time.