Bob Mosley

Bob Mosley, best known as a singer and bassist for the exemplary San Francisco-based outfit, Moby Grape, is a spectacular musician. His accomplishments with Moby Grape are well known and his compositions as "Mr. Blues" and "Come in The Morning" helped turn the band's first self-titled disc into one of the greatest debut rock albums ever in 1967.

The story of Moby Grape is well documented, and by 1972, the band was enduring a spell of inactivity. Mosley (who left the group to enlist in the US Marines) released his solo album titled, "Bob Mosley", that same year. The disc, originally issued on Warner Brothers, has just been beautifully reissued/remastered on Omad Records (which also issued Moby Grape bandmate, Peter Lewis' latest work, "The Road to Zen").

While Mosley was not the first member of the Grape to go solo (Skip Spence had released his LP, "Oar", in 1969), his effort is a spectacular mix of killer rockers with songs that blend elements of soul, blues, Americana and country.

Kicking the disc off with the guitar-heavy licks on "The Joker", Mosley penned a powerhouse of a cut that, if recorded earlier, could have fit perfectly on the soundtrack of the film "Easy Rider".

"Gypsy Wedding", which was recorded earlier by Moby Grape on the release, "20 Granite Creek", was great, but a tad too short at a running time of 2:30. Mosley expands the song to nearly four minutes and adds more horns (exquisitely performed by The Memphis Horns) and keyboards to the mix that give the number more of a Muscle Shoals studio feeling.

Another heavy cut, "Where Do the Birds Go", shows Mosley's forceful voice stirring so passionately that it's very obvious to see how he gained the attention of Neil Young (Young and Mosley were in a short-lived supergroup called The Mule in 1977).

Other standout moments include the break-up laden tale "1245 Kearny" and "Thanks" where the country rock vibes illuminate sweetly alongside stellar harmonies so exquisite, that it's hard to imagine that this album was not an influence on the original version of The Eagles.

Breaking out of the shadow of Moby Grape, Mosley proved he was capable of an ambitious and flawless effort and it's a shame the disc was not the megahit it should have been. 2024 was sad for the band's legacy, as Moby Grape guitarist Jerry Miller passed away in August. At least this new release ends the year on a much better note.

Mosley's disc (as well as Lewis' latest album) is available at www.omadrecords.com