Search - Peter Lewis :: Peter Lewis

Peter Lewis-voice of Moby Grape!!!

J. R Sategna | Martinez, California United States | 12/05/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This cd is pretty rare but a gem for Moby Grape fans. It has a lot of original songs by Peter with his soft Neil Young like voice. I recommend for all Moby Grape fans to seek out this one. You will not be disappointed. There is alot of different music on this one, but Peter handles all types well, highly recommmended. Get it!!!!!"

Great unknown Cd

Mark A. Blom | Puyallup, WA United States | 05/07/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I got this just becouse I'm a Moby grape fan and figured it might be ok

I was shocked right from the start this is an outstanding CD I highly recomend this for the Moby Grape fan

This is the Voice of Moby Grape and is a fantastic Cd

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Truly Fine Record

John Thrasher | Bakersfield, CA | 05/04/2010

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Peter Lewis remains an obscure figure in the pantheon of rock, which is too bad. As a founding member of Moby Grape, he has traveled the distance with the band over their near five decade in-various-forms existence. Lewis was never the centerpiece of Moby Grape, but instrumentally he added the intricate textures of great folk based finger-picking on guitar to the immense talents of Skip Spence and Jerry Miller during the band's heyday. He also added a beautiful plaintive voice in harmony to augment the bands rich chorus sound while stepping out to front his own songs on occasion. Peter Lewis wrote a number of high quality tunes for Moby Grape over the years with "Sitting By The Window" or "He" being possibly the best of his recorded efforts for the group. Later fine tunes he crafted for the group often were undone by too little budget or too little time for the projects.



This first Peter Lewis solo album is that rare entity in pop music, a mature and thoughtful talent going all in on his own project. The results for most of this album are stellar. The album contains several strong songs that deal with personal struggle and faith overcoming adversity. The themes and autobiographical nature of the songs are familiar for those who have followed Moby Grape over the years. The sound and production are first rate and remarkably fresh still for an album now out in the marketplace for 15 years.



Produced by former Doobie Brothers band member, John McFee, and adding a who's who of veteran California Sound veterans, which include Stu Cook (Credence), Keith Knudsen (Doobie Brothers), David West (Cache Valley Drifters), John York (Byrds)and Cornelius Bumpus (Grape, Doobie Brothers, Steely Dan) the album works through a variety of music-scapes from straight ahead pop to folk and classical styled arrangements with a sonic quality throughout that just shines.



Two songs from the Moby Grape catalog resurface on this record. The previously mentioned "Sitting By The Window" gets a fresh classical reworking with excellent results. This song has always been special since it first appeared on the debut Moby Grape release. The various time changes and harmonies that move the composition into differing moods while capturing the moments are reminiscent of the best of Lennon/McCartney. The other song making a reappearance on this album is "Changing." This tune was first recorded for the Melvilles cassette only release that popped up in 1990. It did not make the initial cassette offering, but found its way on the "Legendary Grape" record which came out on CD in 2003 with the original Melville tunes plus added songs recorded from the 1990 sessions. "Changing" gets two treatments, and both are very enjoyable. I guess it will depend on your ears to make a choice on your preference. I was surprised by its two inclusions, but realize this is just one of those very personal songs that tells the Moby Grape and Peter Lewis story. Two sides of the same person.



This is an intimate album of faith. Faith in oneself, faith in a better tomorrow. The booklet with original art done by Peter Lewis is beautifully done. If you have ears your faith will be rewarded if you add this record to your collection.









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