As an opening track, “The Joker” shifts straight into top gear right from the off, going from naught to sixty in the blink of an eye; it is easy to muse on the reason why this track didn’t become one of those classics that are still with us, and why this debut solo album didn’t make Bob Mosley, if not a household name, certainly a more familiar one.
As you will all be well aware, Bob was a bassist and singer with Moby Grape, a much cited influence and inspiration for a who spectrum of bands that followed. However, by 1972, the band was in a period of inactivity, kicking its heels between line-ups, and so, like bandmate Skip Spense before him, Bob released a solo album. And what an album it is.
From this incendiary opening, the tone changes, as it does so often on this album, whose sound could be described as consistent yet adventurous, “Gypsy Wedding” had already been recorded by the band, but here Mosley draws things out, adds long musical passages that blend soul and psych and blues and unashamed rock and roll, and the mighty Memphis Horns add their magic to really make the song everything it should have been first time round.
There are cosmic country ballads, courtesy of “Thanks,” CCR style roots rockers with “Hand In Hand,” and things round off with even more sassy soul-rock in the form of “Nothing To Do.”
The modern technological music boom may have a lot to answer for, but one thing that it is able to do is take older recordings and bring out the polish and poise, spark and sparkle that may have been buried within thanks to the studio limitations of the time. And this CD-only release from OMAD Records does exactly that.
So whether you were a fan of Bob or the band the first time around, are someone who loves finding the overlooked, hidden gems of music past, are new to his work, or are just a discerning music fan looking for a new sound to dig, this succulent, eponymous solo album has it all.
