Released 50 years ago yesterday, Columbia record thought they had a big seller on their hands with Moby Grape's debut album. The label chose to release 10 of the 13 songs from it as singles all on the same day and turn the hype machine on the record on overdrive.
The plan didn't quite go the way they wanted as having so many tracks at once to push, it confused radio programmers and the listening public as to which song to latch on to first. Only "Omaha" and the song we're listening to, "Hey Grandma", saw any chart action with the former reaching 88 and the later at 127 in Billboard.
The album itself did reach number 24 but getting any higher may have been hampered by the hype due to it making the underground press and radio a little suspicious of their culture getting so co-opted by a corporate money making machine.
Time has been good to the record though as it now recognized as one of the honest bonified classic of Summer of Love. It's also sadly currently out of print.
What are you listening to tonight?
