Oar

"What if every single folk album from the 60s except maybe slightly more dull?" It seems like Skip was just noodling around, thinking about maybe writing a few songs, and someone accidentally recorded it. AND YET SOMEHOW THERE'S LIKE 90 MINUTES OF ALBUM HERE. I forgot every song literally 2 seconds after it ended.

Well, this is an interesting one, and I'm trying to figure out the context and time that it's from. I've not heard of this album or this person before. I'm hearing Leonard Cohen, Richard Hawley, Sufjan Stevens and the Flaming Lips. Some neat guitar work and psychedelic elements. I started reading about the history of this album. This was made in 1969, and it feels like a blueprint for a lot of the music I've enjoyed over the years. I started playing this album as I got on I-95 this morning and it didn't register for me until "Weighted Down (The Prison Song). The album is getting scratchy and his voice feels like it's struggling. It's an album that documents a time where the musician is going through some serious psychological trauma. And forgive me, but I'm really enjoying this beautiful breakdown.

A talentless retarded hobo.

jesus, how fuckin' gone was this guy? (i looked him up after i wrote that...pretty fuckin' gone, i guess.) this was a rhythmically interesting album, which at times bordered on rhythmically challenging. and melodically challenging. but it ultimately won me over simply because it seemed so genuine, and not just the stoned ramblings of some egotist.

And here I was complaining about Taylor Swift's inclusion on this list. As much as the 1001 albums book is lost when it comes to *recent* masterpieces, its writers know their stuff about the past, at least when it comes the rock genre. Alexander "Skip" Pence's *Oar* is indeed a hidden treasure--a bold, raw, often visionary statement from an artist on the brink of madness. Moby Grape being a rock band I find horribly bland and unoriginal compared to its more famous peers from the sixties, I would never have thought of checking out this solo effort from one of their most deranged members without this 1001 album project. And because of haunting songs such as "Little Hands", "Diana" and "Book Of Moses", I'm so glad I did now. Some of Spence's cuts here even pave the way towards the future, from the proto-krautrock-tinged "Gray/Afro" to the pre-Radiohead-like "War In Peace" and its awe-inducing chord changes and guitar flourishes. Interspersed between those highlights are a number of songs going from the eccentric to the downright sinister, with a voice that's unpredictable from one track to the next. The whole is thus an uncompromising picture of the psychological hardships this American Syd Barrett went through. His life story is a very sad one, but at least we can rejoice he was able to leave this recording, a very unique one, in all senses of the word. Madness being a part of the human experience, all of this makes *Oar* a compelling album, both musically and artistically. So I'm happy I can now place this one next to other misunderstood folk misfits or psychedelic oucasts such as Barrett, Nick Drake, Mark Fry, and The Incredible String Band. Thanks, Dimery and co. Number of albums left to review or just listen to: 863 Number of albums from the list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 75 (including this one) Albums from the list I *might* include in mine later on: 34 Albums from the list I will certainly *not* include in mine (many others are more important): 29

This starts a nicely melodic psychedelic folk country album with lots of creative songs. Then at about Afro/Grey is steers toward a much more random sequence of "songs". Takes a bit hit at the midway point.

psychadelic folk but he should've quit after about three songs. no wonder he disappeared this shit mostly sucked

Sounded like a mumbling pub singer

Fragile, tender, warm, haunted, fragmented in parts, with a very odd soundstage - drums (where they appear) way over one side - a singular album, an enriching and challenging listen

"hey what if we put only the drums in the right channel and everything else in the left"

Had never heard of Skip and doing a bit of pre-reading I was ready to dismiss this out of hand. It's a surprising one, there's a variety of stuff on here and it never felt samey. War in Peace sounds like something Radiohead would produce and there's a range in his voice which adds to the appeal. Seems like Skip had a difficult life and you can feel it in some of these songs. It's not in any way polished but maybe that's part of the appeal. Overall, I enjoyed this.

Real weird. That's not necessarily a bad thing and I thought I might like it after the first song but it quickly devolved into indecipherability after that.

I never heard of this brother and the album is disjointed and hard to listen to. His story of mental health and addiction problems is sad for sure and is similar to Syd Barrett's story. Syd, however, founded one of the most significant bands ever and his mental health challenges forced Roger Waters to learn how to be the principal songwriter. So Syd's story is relevant to music lovers and makes his first solo album appropriate for inclusion in the 1001 list even if you don't like it. Skip Spence, on the other hand, was not part of one of the best bands. He was recruited to the pre-Grace Slick version of Jefferson Airplane since the band thought they should have a drummer who looked like he did. He left the band before the album was released. To make a long story short, I didn't need to hear Skip’s depressing story. We have our own problems to worry about.

Fell in love with this lovely bit of wierdness pretty quickly...messy, incoherent, mumbling foolishness at its best...

the dude is great, sometimes im surprised that everything on the album is him considering the diversity of singing and instrumentals, cant say all songs on the album are great but enough are

I'm not sure what I expected, after reading about this album and then checking out other reviews. But this is pretty fantastic. Setting aside Spence's personal struggles for a moment, which necessarily underpin any discussion of this work, it's just really good. He floats pretty effortlessly from folk to psychedelic to bluesy rock, ethereal to dour. Spence is a talented guitarist with an interesting vocal range. It also appears he wrote, arranged and played these songs without much assistance from his producer, which is actually impressive. The fact that these songs were essentially demos works for them and the stripped down sound has allowed the album to age quite well. The only song that seems very much of the era is the first song, "Little Hands." The lyrics overall range from whimsical to disjointed and abstract, sometimes beautifully poetic. Consider them in terms of Spence's struggles, and some of them are pretty heartbreaking. This is the first album generated for me so far that surprised me in a really positive way. I will be listening to this one a lot in the future. Fave songs: Weighted Down, War in Peace, Grey/ Afro

If a woman made an album like this, it would never make it on here.

I see they don't call him 'skip' for nothing.

Composed after a stay in mental hospital

Syd Barrett's brother

wow, that was something very special too good to rate, it exists on a tier of its own

What’s so wrong with this? It’s true tortured genius stuff and I loved every second! 5/5

In sharp contrast to some recent selections, I really did HAVE to hear this. It's very dark, and both experimental and beautiful. I'd not heard of 'Skip' before and this record still seems like a niche concern, but it's very good, you can hear how it might have influenced contemporary alternative acts and there are moments reminiscent of Johnny Cash. Best song, All Come To Meet Her.

Why do I like this album? Muddy vocals, muddy instruments. It's the ultimate late night, stupendously drunk, sad but containing sardonic humour, epic. I hear Jeff Buckley, then I hear Tom Waits! This is the poster child for pain producing great art. This is the reward for sponsoring 1001 albums. I'd never heard anything about this man before.

From the beginning, this is a biased perspective. I read Gibson's essay on Spence's pants while I listened to the front twelve, and I have a weakness for Gibson. Also read Spence's biography, of course, but the album ended up being far less devastating than I expected. That's a good sign for music, generally. Wasn't sure how much to like it, then found my attention being pulled to a huge number of songs compared to normal. Pretty much perfect arc, if at a shallow angle.

Hard to put a finger on why I found this record appealing. Sometimes creepy and odd, others haunting and odd. But usually some odd involved. Highlight: Broken Heart

This was a solid country rock psychedelic album. Skip Spence certainly has an ear for creating a darker atmosphere. It’s a shame his career was so short lived, he was clearly doing something that added to the psychedelia genre, once that feels bloated even as early as 1969. The back half of the album was more experimental and reminded me of 90s alternative and indie type music, certainly ahead of its time.

A curious album, seemingly classic late sixties folky singer songwriter fare but as the album progresses an experimental undertone begins to appear, as if he’s on the cusp of a musical breakthrough. One to dive into further.

Ok, this is the type of record that leaves me speechless. It's just beautiful. Listen to this album if you haven't already.

Interesting stuff - sort of a Nick Drake vibe, but with a bit more psychedelia thrown in. 3-4 stars. Big fan of 'Broken Heart'

Sometimes your lone voice crying out in the wilderness is right while all the rest of the world is wrong. And sometimes you’re David Rubinson. According to Wikipedia, the record label said “these are just demos, we’re not releasing them” and the artist himself said, “those are just demos, don’t put those out” but David Rubinson insisted that they be released and now here I am almost 50 years later having to listen to this garbage. Music reviewers sometimes hear a really cool (probably untrue, because artists are liars) story about the making of a record and then tell people they have to listen to the record because it gives the reviewer an excuse to tell the cool story. Yes, yes, fire axes and mental institutions and a motorcycle, it’s all very compelling. But just tell me the story and don’t make me listen to this unfinished, rambling dreck. There is nothing about this album that warrants listening to it. This is out of tune talk-singing over semi-formed quasi-songs for 45 minutes or so. This album is without any merit whatsoever.

Fascinating, tragic background story, but this is a slog to listen through. From the wikipedia link: '...Rubinson chose to stay away from the studio, concerned that Spence's recording activities would be distracted by the presence of a producer.' Sounds like the recording process was Spence just rambling in a studio for hours on end with no input, and it shows. Too bad they didn't give him some help, maybe something interesting could have been made of this.

Can't help but feel this album made the list due to the mentally unstable- genius romanticism. But this isn't Brian Wilson making Smile. There are moments that album show's some potential, but it is so half-assed in it's production and performance that it makes it very difficult to listen to. I don't enjoy listening to someone having a mental breakdown, it's just sad

Who? The album is meh, a mixture of confusing depressing folk rock country music recorded following the musician's release from a psychiatric hospital - it's obvious that he wasn't in a good place, mentally speaking and some tracks sound like he was heavily medicated. Why this is in the 1001 albums you must hear before you die is anyone's guess.

I suppose I could take the cheap route and call Skip Spence the poor man's Fred Neill. But perhaps nothing sums up this album (or Skip Spence) better than this reminisce from Peter Lewis of Moby Grape: "...He (Skip Spence) actually OD'ed once and they had him in the morgue in San Jose with a tag on his toe. All of a sudden he got up and asked for a glass of water. Now he was snortin' big clumps of coke, and nothing would happen to him. We couldn't have him around because he'd be pacing the room, describing axe murders. So we got him a little place of his own. He had a little white rat named Oswald that would snort coke too. He'd never washed his dishes, and he'd try to get these little grammar school girls to go into the house with him. He was real bad. One of the parents finally called the cops, and they took him to the County Mental Health Hospital in Santa Cruz. Where they immediately lost him, and he turned up days later in the women's ward."

Wow! I loved this album! Spence, a founding member of Jefferson Airplane and Moby Grape, recorded Oar just six months after being released from a psychiatric hospital, so he wasn’t in the best state of mind while writing this music. Not only that, but he had a small budget to work with, which definitely comes through when you listen. The vocals are raw, unfiltered, and often lack clarity, at times sounding more like a murmur. The production has a very stripped-down, lo-fi quality, making the album sound like a demo. Despite all these challenges, everything comes together beautifully. The rawness adds to the intimate and ethereal feel of the album, making it even more captivating.

The album feels raw and broken, appropriately reflecting its artist. I appreciate it, in this case. This album just feels so human. Favorite tracks: "Little Hands" and "Books of Moses."

I wasn't the biggest fan but I know someone loves it, it's hard to rate anything less than 5 stars

Oh I need to open a nice bottle of wine (or a thing ) and sit with this while. Lights off music. Carefully cartoonish whimsical and trippy crazy, like a drunken but very polite walk through Newtown. What. Is happening? that doesnt matter, it just is. They let this be released? thank goodness, yes. I mean, YEAHS. yesh. they did. so 5 aces form me.

Raw

Very weird. Great emotions. Very pure and raw. Full of pain. Loved listening to it. I had the feeling I could hear what his brain looks like. Never heard anything like that before

OMG LOVED!

This is a singular album that lives in it's own unique space. It's so odd and mysterious and winding. I love it so much. It used to be in very regular rotation for me about 15 years ago and only listen to it once every few years now, but it's always incredibly rewarding. Very happy to pull this today.

I started off very skeptical that this was going to work out. But somewhere around the song Margaret-Tiger Rug I was fully on-board with this strange listen. And now I’m a bit obsessed with this. This is just the sort of thing one hopes to encounter every now and again as one listens to an album every day for more than 3 years. Terrific like a trip into Wonderland. At times wacky, confusing, country, folky, wistful, funny - and entertaining.

easily 10/10, one of my all time favourite albums

Strašan album

super cool!! love it!

Amazing album, drags a little at the end. Still very masterful, similar to Bob Dylan or George Harrison

gives me Cash vibes enjoyed this album. He was in Jefferson Airplane.

It’s difficult not to be influenced by the back-story, but this stumbling search for music seems completely authentic. I felt close to something mysterious and powerful.

I didn't expect to enjoy it as much as I did.

Yes… Hahaha… Yes!

I do not own a copy of this album and had not listened to it for a long time. True sixties classic from a musician who was obviously very talented. The kind of psychedelic rock that is still very accessible, as it is mixed with strong and classic song-writing.

Wow! I didn't know this album. It's fantastic.

It's a really weird experience

Have heard about this one, never got around to listening to it. This is what you want out of a weird solo album branching from 60s psychedelic. Last bit starts to drag, but I don't care that much. This is rad. music: appreciated. (⌐■_■)

I didn’t have high hopes for a 1969 psychedelic album by the guy from Moby Grape, but hey. Sometimes we make mistakes.

acid folk first try, it was ok, a few are a bit progressive, i liked it.

4.5 starts. What a chilled out, pleasant to listen to album. Like a nice swamp in the South of the States with crickets chirping and rising heat ETC. Just very nice. Light and airy ETC.

Not my preferred music of choice, but I thought the backstory of this album was really interesting. The music was pretty bland 60s psych, but the fact that he was super strung out, mentally unstable, able to play all the instruments, and self produce the album is pretty wild. The production is not great and borderline annoying with the percussion being the only thing on the right side track. I kinda felt sick listening to this, but extra points because the art matches his mental state.

This was interesting. From the get go I enjoyed it, although due to quality and recording it was difficult to take in and remember. I saw on Wikipedia that this recording was only meant to be a demo, but was just released as is. In a way I think this is a shame, I would have liked to have heard the album cleaned up, Although I appreciate this outcome has quite a personal feel, and connects the listener to what was going on with Skip at the time.

Don't really feel good about rating an album a 5 after just one listen -- so I'll say 4 and straight to the "to buy" list. Love finding albums like this that I've never even heard of that are great!

This is kind of great, but then again, I like the solo Syd Barrett albums quite a bit, and this reminds me of those. A bit more straightforward perhaps.

Oar is the first and only studio album by Skip Spence, originally released in 1969. Skip Spence got his beginning in the early San Francisco psychedelic scene, playing drums for Jefferson Airplane on their first record. He was apparently chosen simply because he "looked the part". His stint with the Airplane was short-lived, and he ended up co-founding the band Moby Grape. He was a prominent contributor in Moby Grape, both playing guitar and songwriting. At the peak of their commercial success, Spence began drifting into a life of hard drug use which soon spiraled into mental health struggles. I won't detail his mental health episodes here, I just think it's important to understand this story before delving into this record. He was fresh out of psychiatric care when he recorded these songs, or should I say, demos. They were released to Columbia without his permission. I'm honestly surprised Columbia even released these on record. They're obviously very rough. Lots of stream-of-consciousness lyrics and meandering and repetitive instrumentals. It would certainly have benefitted from better production. As it stands, it is a capsule that reminds us of those who were never able to make it out of the first psychedelic era.

A surprise rough cut gem. Grey/Afro was a particular standout. Arguably 20 to 30 min too long.

ok da git glaub trurige scheiss. sis einzige album. erste song recht nice. cripple creek cute ööööh diana chli gestöhne über me meeeeega schöne instrumental. ui im solo hets en herte clam drin gha. aber cool lohteren drin. mäggy tiger teppich au wieder irgendwie cute aber nöd meeega viel meh weighted down isch huuuere schön. biooah es ruibt so schön i love war in peacr isch meega psychedelic aber i like it. sehr verspielt d gitarr und so broken heart au super schön. all come to meet her wieder slowjam dings i liike. bitz simon and garfunkel. books of mösers super lawrence of euphoria chli dumm aber no funny? vlt chli kontrovers aber da album isch e swarz elser kris orten.

Really fascinating. I feel like I have to study this one the next time I listen, but at least it's not dull!

I wouldn’t give this album to a depressed individual, might just push them over the edge. It’s a nice smooth listen tho. I wish I had a camp fire to enjoy this album with.

I suspect this album isn’t well received on here, but I think it’s pretty solid. I’ve been listening to it off and in for a few years and it is quite difficult to nail down, but makes me think “what if Tim Buckley dropped tons of acid with Syd Barrett?”

Pretty good

Given the backstory of this album, which seems to hinge on an "ends justify means" 70s-era lack of regard for human suffering if good art is produced .... I liked this quite a bit. Probably not enough to revisit but it was interesting and I loved the way it sounded.

Oar is the sound of a man whose mental decline I feel I should not be listening to. It is as though I'm partaking in the eavesdropping of one's degeneration while seeing glimmers of hope strewn out in bits and pieces. Listening to Oar by Alexander Spence, commonly known as Skip, is the musical equivalent of coming across a dead-end; the unfortunate backstory in a story already rife with legal fuckery and eventual obscurity. One look at the unsettling album cover tells one everything that's needed to be known, the sight of a man approaching vacancy and permanent absence of thought. This is one of the many sounds that encapsulates the end of the 60s dream, albeit one that many didn't take notice of until it was far too late. Favorites: Little Hands, Cripple Creek, Diana, Margaret/Tiger Rug, Weighted Down (The Prison Song), Broken Heart, All Come to Meet Her, Dixie Peach Promenade (Yin for Yang), Grey/Afro, Keep Everything Under Your Hat.

Goed album, beklemmend. Extra’s kunnen heel hard overgeslagen worden.

I generally have a level of skepticism around late 60s ‘lost masterpieces’. There is usually a good reason that these cult classics, beloved by white boy rock snobs and used as a form of musical gate-keeping: ‘oh, well, you wouldn’t have heard of it’. And I really uncomfortable with the fetishisation of mental health issues, as with similar outsider musicians like Wesley Willis or Vic Chestnutt or Roky Erickson or Syd Barret or even Brian Wilson. And mental health is key aspect of the legend of Skip Spence, who reportedly wrote this album during a six-month institutional stay. He then disappeared into decades of homelessness, mental health crises and drug addiction. He only recorded one more song after this album. It makes for a good story, but poor Skip had to live a pretty unhappy life to provide us with that ‘good story’. In some ways, it is a similar story to Syd Barrett, but without the financial cushion that Pink Floyd’s subsequent success provided. So, there are some red flags before we even start listening. While some songs drift off into psychedelic nonsense similar to Syd’s solo records), this is, overall, a stronger album than either of Syd’s solo records. The deluxe version contains quite a few additional tracks of lesser quality and focus, which shows that there has been some judicious editing here. Noting that Skip played everything and that these were intended as demos, the album is surprisingly strong and sounds spacious and relaxed. Skip’s guitar playing is generally tastefully restrained. I like his voice and his mumbly style was emulated by many an alternative band, with mixed results (I’m looking at you, Michael Stipe). I enjoyed many of the songs, including Little Hands, Cripple Creek, Diana, War in Peace and Book of Moses. I really like Grey/Afro, because it has a weird understated almost krautrock style, which appeals to me, but your mileage may vary. There is a 90s tribute album called ‘More Oar’, which has famous people covering the record, including Robert Plant, Mudhoney, and Tom Waits. These versions show the strength of the songs. I was disinclined to like this record, based on its critical reputation, but I have listened to it three or four times through, and have really enjoyed it. It is actually (quelle surprise) a good album. It is a pity that Skip couldn’t get the personal support he needed to maintain his creativity. I am going to rate it the same as I did Syd Barret's solo record, for which I hold much nostalgic affection, because it is, in fairness, a better record.

On Oar it sounds as if someone woke Skip Spence up out of a deep sleep and had him record the album on the spot. That being said, Skip’s drowsy delivery was endearing in a way, it was an oddly pleasant listen despite the underlying darkness of Oar. Sudden War hits at the midway point and I was all, “oh shit, Skip can rip a bit” I really enjoyed that track. Finishes super weird with the droney Grey/Afro but it was awesome. This was rad 4 stars!

A little like... Leonard Cohen met the Doors?

Oh hey I actually know a song from this album. Our boy Robin Pecknold from Fleet Foxes posted "Weighted Down" on his IG a few years ago. This album is pretty strange. I like the loosely strung together instrumentation (reminds me of early Modest Mouse) and his odd, deep vocals. This doesn't sound like anything else from the time. Seems like the album has a crazy backstory, and he played in Jefferson Airplane, Quicksilver Messenger Service, and Moby Grape. I'll have to give them a listen as well. And I mean, what a great last name. I could've done without the last song, but I enjoyed this otherwise.

Goes to show you shouldn't judge an album by its cover. I'm surprised I really liked this!

Really loved this! Came of out nowhere! I've never heard of this guy or any of his music. This felt like pre-indie pre-Emo psychedelic. Much Enjoyment

got me in the right mood! liked it more than expected. Loooking forwqard to more psychedelic albums

I was quite unsure about this one! I really liked the first half, and it reminded me of Lord Huron. Easy to listen to when writing or working. The second half of the album sounds like someone mumbling with a guitar in their bedroom, but then I checked the Wiki page, and it turns out that tracks 13 to 22 were added at a later date and were in various stages of completion.

I have never heard of this ever. Opening track is fantastic!! This album is fantastic. I love the sounds and the openness of it all.

It's difficult to describe. Musically, I don't think this album is really good. Of course, I'm keeping in mind that these are basically only demos. But emotionally... I never heard something like this. Even though these are not perfect songs, Skip seems to have put everything into them. And at the same time, over the course of the album, it feels like a view into his broken mind, and his mental health seems to even be deteriorating slightly towards the end. The voice at the end, saying "We're out of tape" pull him back to reality, as well as the listener. Can't make my mind up. Interesting listen.

I really didn't expect how strange this album would be. Written during a stay in a psychiatrist hospital and hastily recorded as intended-demos, 'Oar' reminds me in some ways of Van Gogh's final days of life when he was painting frantically. That isn't to say that Spence is the kind of genius that Van Gogh was but there's a similarity in that both men where attempting to do something more conventional than what finally came out. 'Oar' is both uncomfortable and endearing. Unsurprisingly, the record label had no idea what to do with it and it quickly faded into obscurity as a cult classic.

Good

Surprisingly, I really enjoyed this. Great music to have sex too. Very tantric.

Keywords: Warm, Chill, Kickback Notable Song: Little Hands

Well, this won't make it into my New Year's Eve party playlists, but it is a fascinating and haunting document of a musician's rough year. I'm glad to have spent some time with this today.

I think that there is more to this album than met my ear as I listened. Maybe with some additional listens, I can appreciate it more. As it stands now, it is good.

Interesting collection of songs, some quirkier than others, and an interesting back-story. The kind of thing I wouldn't seek out but am glad to know of. Lots to absorb.

I would like some of whatever drugs he was on at Bellevue.

Rough, sketchy, stoned, but still melodic, memorable and brilliant.

I'm so glad I managed to listen to this. It's incredible. I am struggling to find words to put to it.

Oar has enjoyed a degree of notoriety through the years, but until 'Grey/Afro' it isn't half as unhinged as history would suggest. In fact in retrospect much of this works nicely as a precursor to the freak folk movement. There's some lovely guitar playing and interesting vocals approaches - I especially like Spence's deep, mumbled voice on a few of these cuts. Sure, the music is quite stark and takes some odd turns - 'War in Peace' and 'Lawrence of Euphoria' are peculiar - but there's some quality here too, such as the bluesy 'Books of Moses', 'Diana' and 'Cripple Creek'. Nobody said John Martyn was mad when he made music not a million miles from this.

Real solid album, saved it. A lot of songs

Starting off, I didn’t think I’d give this a four, but this was a very enjoyable listen. Spence has a very nice voice and the slow but good instrumentals match it very well.

4.25

This was a great find - very diverse vocally, some tracks sounded Cohen-ish while others were more like Nick Cave, and just a very strong collection of maudlin songs

Haunting. Not into 60's psychedelic, but this is different. Learning the story behind the album while listening made it more powerful. Will never listen to it again.

3.5