Oar

Holy mother of mid. Started decent and got worse and worse. Why do all late 60s folk sound to similar

Ok, so this guy tried to attack his band mates with an axe, was locked up for 6 months, then made this album. Honestly, I don’t know what to think. The tone of the album certainly reflects his state of mind.

7.5/10 Izgubio me je pomalo na kraju, ovi eksperimenti su korisni, ali ne nužno prijatni za uši u pojedinim trenucima. Doživela sam krizu identiteta na pola albuma kada sam skontala da mi se mozda i svidja country, ali kako spotify kaže ovo nije samo country, tako da mi je sada malo lakše. Ima nekih jako dobrih pesama, doduše ne znam da li bih se svojevoljno vratila da ih slušam jer se ne pronalazim u celom tom “hodam po mračnoj i maglovitoj šumi, daleko od kuće” vajbu (možda čak ni ne pričam o ovom albumu jer mi je spotify izmedju puštao i neke druge pesme pa sam tako umesto jednog slusala 1.5 album i morala nakon svake pesme da gasim reklamu i vraćam na ovaj album, definitivno mi treba premium, ovo više nije smešno).

Maybe if I read the lyrics there would be more there, but just hearing it without that it didn't seem interesting.

Thought it was mostly fine. Pretty low key and stripped down sound for a lot of it. Could be haunting at times, but plenty boring at others. One of the riffs sounded like Sunshine of Your Love. So, yeah. Bunch of random thoughts on this one that don't really help me come up with a rating. But I guess incoherent thought fits pretty well for this album. Overall: 2.4/5

49/100. Just a tad too slow in parts, and I found several moments uninteresting. It’s clearly a personal and raw album, but it didn’t quite connect with me. That said, "War in Peace" stood out as a highlight.

-Hört sich irgendwie alles gleich an - Stört mich vom Sound her jetzt nicht arg aber würde ich aktiv nicht hören Topsong: Weighted Down

I didn't really care for this one. I don't mind a lot of psychedelic hippy stuff, but this just rambling. Weighted Down is pretty solid in comparison though.

This was awfully hard to get through. The vocals were not to my kiling at all, and the songs sounded like they were made up on the spot. The last part were like Kurt Cobain’s home demos, which we know were never intended to be released. But even there we could hear that Sappy had the potential. None of that exists here

Sad. Drugs and mental illness... Kinda weird tho

This was a weird mix of songs and sounds. I'm not really sure why its on this list.

Some tunes on this are just off. Like listening to this I want to make sure dude is alright. After reading up on him when I was done with this listen he was not alright. It's haunted and his voice and lyrics bring it out. It's not an album I will put on to listen to normally but I can see a time I want to listen to this. Parts of this were written in a mental ward in the 60's and it was recorded to be a demo. The label said no thanks and did nothing with it. This album is the closest thing to cursed as I can find short of someone getting murdered and set to tape.

Sehr interessant, aber mir zu depro

Started kind of interesting, but then became awful/concerning. Wasn't expecting to hear a mental breakdown.

Floaty, folky, dragged at points but overall pleasant

Crazy story behind this album, but I did not love the way it sounded. Unfort

Disheveled and uninteresting. Sounds like demos he recorded right before going to bed, on the verge of falling asleep. Accidentally listened past the original album into the extra fluff. It was even worse. Thankfully I realized my mistake and terminated my listening immediately.

2.5

3.0

"According to Spence, the Nashville sessions were intended by him to only be a demo". Should have listened to him, would have saved us from having to listen to this.

One of the better sides of these "1001 albums to hear"... type of lists, is that you get to hear artists like Alexander Spence. A singer songwriter from late 60's that i've never heard of, but definitely should have. Spence sounds like America's own Syd Barrett and i'm sure his battle with mental illness has lot to do with the uniqueness of his music. The songs on this album seem to be more production of subconsciousness than actual song writing. Bit like jazz actually. Really interesting 'out of this world' album that feels totally fresh in this age of over production, songwriting camps and AI etc.

It's harrowing and kind of spooky record. For being so close to what I consider folk and country-esque music, it's way better than expected. Not for me how ever, I did listen out of curiosity, but found it quite boring after about the half way.

boring! gave up halfway through

1 so bad

More like David ‘Skip’ This Album. What the actual fuck.

I coincidentally got this back-to-back with Moby Grape, so it's nice to be able to do a direct comparison, but on listening, I'm not really sure it's a useful comparison. This is much more lo fi and subdued. "One of the most harrowing documents of pain and confusion ever made" - I can't say that I picked up on this, to be honest I found it all pretty boring. Exceptions were Books of Moses with its booming thunderous sound effects, and Grey/Afro, which sounds like a much worse version of early Pink Floyd/ Syd Barrett long-form tracks. (It's really nothing like Krautrock at all.) The bonus tracks are not worth listening to.

Gute Unterhaltung, nicht mehr und nicht weniger.

An unnecessarily long folk album where the back half feels like a demo, a couple decent tracks early on but nothing really too exciting. Should have been about 20 minutes shorter in my opinion Standout Songs: Cripple Creek Broken Heart Books of Moses

"Skip Spence" sounds like the old-time money cost of something. The album itself was okay. It did drag a bit.

per me ci sta

“War In Peace” was the only redeeming track on this album. (EDIT: the whistling on this track was weird, too) Weird, otherwise. 1969 Must have been an interesting time.

Hight 2/low 3, fine enough but didn't do anything for me

This one was kind of a slog. It feels lazy and thrown together, like something you’d politely describe as “listen to what my kid made.” It’s discordant, disjointed, and never really comes together. The critics call it “acid-charred,” but that almost flatters it; the phrase doesn’t make it any more appealing. I honestly think Oar gets the attention it does mainly because artists like Tom Waits and Beck covered songs from it. Spence himself was clearly a complicated guy, and a product of his era. People love to point out that he played every instrument on the album, but you can tell. Nothing feels in sync. It’s less a showcase of raw creative genius and more a hot mess from someone who was given the chance to create, but didn’t quite have the focus or clarity to pull it together.

Almost got 3 stars out of me, but damn that middle part of the album is rough.

First I’ve heard of this artists and a nice folk/rocky blend on first listen… Bit of a John Martyn feel and sound. Interesting to read the backstory and where the songs came from. It’s pretty rough and sloppy at times. I guess it’s a congruent capturing of a guy who just had a psychotic break! I’m pretty sure the guitar is out of tune a couple of times too! A pretty depressing, descent, but lacking the quality of someone like cohen. Yeh, like a bad mix of a few famous folk artists at this time. Just a very melancholy listen, not done particularly well… Urgh. Good riddance

Alexander 'Skip' Spence has a very laidback — bordering on lazy — style of performing. He doesn’t always sound like he’s fully opening his mouth when he sings. And the guitar strumming can feel almost halfhearted. This feels more like an oddity or curiosity than an essential album. There are moments that get a little psychedelic and weird. And he leaves the occasional sour note in. The album is deliberately imperfect. But it’s also kind of tedious, and I’m not convinced I need to hear it. Okay, reading about the album definitely gives some context. Alexander 'Skip' Spence had previously been in a rock band but wrote these songs while he was committed in a mental hospital. And he released the demos rather than recording full versions of the songs. The music definitely captures a distinct, interesting energy. It’s just not an energy I enjoyed on a first listen.

There's some nice guitar playing and tones here, and some interesting vocal moments that aren't just typical interval focused melodies and rather play with on dynamics and rhythm, which is cool! I also like how imperfect the drums are; there's plenty of times where the hits aren't so tightly connected to the rest of the band. The downside is that it kind of sounds like a lot of other folk classic rock from this time. It unfortunately will come and go and not leave a big lasting impression on me. Not a bad listen, but I question it's spot on the list.

bizarre plaat van bizarre man... maar wel een pareltje

I didnt like this Its okay, but i just didnt enjoy it at all.

There is nothing like this album, probably for the better for a lot of people judging by the ratings. I really like it though. It's the music of the hippie era, completely devoid of any sort of optimism. It paints a very bleak and dark picture. The extra songs tacked onto the streaming version really help the album as well, it feels like these have always been part of the album. It's a strange listen, but the closest you'll get to outsider music on this list. Coming from a soul who was well within the music scene.

how spectacularly uninteresting, dont like his voice. Souds dated, with songs unstructured and confusing.

A Canadian/American singer songwriter I had not heard of, though he is a founder of Moby Grape. Many of the songs embody lo-fi sensibilities, others psychedelia, and it seems ahead of its time in terms of style. No one song stood out to me so while great album, three stars.

Interesting.

This album was weird but I though it was pretty good, Lawrence from euphoria was very catchy.

Chato pacarai

I got very bored of this. Took like 3 days to finish. Sorry pal

Didn't like it wan bit, such a chore to get through this

Don’t waste your time like I did.

This is awful. Belongs on no lists. Should be forgotten about and removed from history. Why? Just why? It is so boring and drags on. They were meant to be demos, and theyre not even good enough for that.

Probably would have been a better album if he had had the chance to rerecord these demos.

2.5 stars. Context of it being completely solo (all songwriting and playing all instruments) from a guy who was just released from a hospital after a mental breakdown makes it a bit more interesting. Like acoustic guitar in "Books of Moses". Some of the riffing on bonus tracks at the end sound a bit like Violent Femmes.

skip

really interesting listen, and a sad life. Obvs parallels with Syd Barrett and Roky Erikson. But some solid songwriting, albeit here in a fragile and unfinished state - these were demos and had they had the full studio production take this might have been one of the great late sixties albums. As it is 3 stars.

idk habs nicht mega gefühlt lel

This one is pretty weird and intense, but also kind of boring. I struggled to get through it. The backstory is kind of interesting and pretty crazy, but musically it just doesn't work too much for me. I found it interesting that it sort of devolves and gets weirder as the record advances, and towards the end was the most interesting ideas (even though I didn't like them that much). I thought the best songs were "Weighted Down (The Prison Song)" and "Grey/Afro" was also interesting, a pretty weird and experimental track.

Ok, after reading about this album and this artist, it's 100% included here because one of the creators of the list managed to find a copy of this album when they were 17 and everyone thought he was the coolest person they knew because of it. Now that the internet and streaming can shine a light on some of these collector-gem cult-classics, it's apparent that scarcity did them a LOT of good.

Mixed feelings on this one. Many of the tracks have the kind of slow, deep-voiced, melancholy sound that always wins me over, but others are pretty generic 60s folk/psychedelic fare. It’s better than some of its peers, but not outstanding. I really like his voice on “Cripple Creek.” Actually, as it goes, it’s more interesting and complex than I initially gave it credit for. (Currently at Grey/Afro, which is a pretty cool, if meandering, song). I’d be more enthusiastic about this if it weren’t so long. Meh, now it’s pretty boring again. Okay, yeah, that was all over the place (much like this stream-of-consciousness review…). Bit of a strange mess. Favorites: Weighted Down, War In Peace 3?

Unhinged This album has got to be the weirdest I've listened to yet. The tracks are almost stream of consciousness, like they let a madman loose in a studio with a drumkit and a guitar and an infinite supply of tape and said "Work your magic." And he did. If I didn't know there was an engineer in there with him, I'd have thought he recorded all the parts himself. There are times where the three tracks don't match tempo. He sings atonally at times and barely at others, the lyrics being whispered or murmured or even suggested. Ending the Spotify version the way they did was just perfect. *chef's kiss* Would I listen to it again? Hell no. Is it weird? Abundantly. Am I glad it's on the list? Oh yeah My Rating: 4/5

that was not the worst thing i have ever heard.

I was enjoying the album until the drumming started.

Sounds like someone put someone in a studio for a week with no supervision, recorded everything and have no notes

I already heard about Skip Spence and this album but I haven't got around to listen to it in full until today - and I wasn't disappointed, as it is a truly fascinating album. Skip Spence was one of the most talented musicians in the San Francisco music scene in the mid-1960s, who played the drums on Jefferson Airplane's debut album and was the founding member of Moby Grape, before having a nervous breakdown in 1968 due to mental illness (probably caused by excess drug abuse, mainly LSD). After he attacked the members of Moby Grape with a fire axe, he was sent to a mental institution, where he wrote his only solo album - after his release he went to Nashville and recorded the songs alone, which he also himself produced. So the back story itself if fascinating enough...And the result was a fantastic album, with deeply personal, raw songs and an interesting musical world that seamlessly blends folk and psychedelic folk. It's a little chaotic and messy in places, but all the more personal for it—we get a glimpse into the mind of a man who has gone through the worst. This album has influenced many musicians and its unique sound is not comparable to anything since then. In some ways, it is reminiscent of the also relaxed, almost cathatonic solo songs of Syd Barrett, who struggled with serious mental health issues just like Spence and whose first solo album was also released in 1969. Favourite songs: Diana, Weighted Down and Grey/Afro. 4 stars, close to 5.

DNF'd. 3 tracks in this is not for me. Drunk Bob Dylan head ass

Reminded me of seventh grade beginning band. Who picks these albums? There’s a good reason that “it was at the time the lowest-selling album in Columbia Records history.”

Sorry. I'm sure this album was very important to Skip Spence and his recovery but... it just seemed to be unfiltered late sixties burbling to me. After 40 minutes, I gave up.

Depressing moaning, I'm not strong enough to finish this one.

“Skip” isn’t just the name of the artist, it’s what I shoulda done with this album when it showed up for my daily listen. Diana is particularly putrid. Dylan wannabe? War in Peace is kinda cool and psychedelic. There were a few Ok tracks in the back half. Otherwise, lame.

Wow. This is why I was so excited for this 1,001 project. 70+ albums in, this is the first one that has truly been a pleasant surprise. I've got a pretty wide and eclectic listening background, and have obviously heard Moby Grape, but never knew the story of this record. Fascinating and sad, and some really cool musical moments, many of which feel far ahead of their time. Glad this was included in the list!

Quite possibly the most boring and uninspired album in history.

This is a mess. Some interesting moments and the backstory is interesting. Not really sure how this made the list.

Wow. I expected to hate it. But some of the moments were magical. I feel like a true boomer, because generator have still to give me 60s album, that I would dislike.

Bland

I can see the impact this had. It's got a haunting sound, coming from unsettling chord progressions, open and hollow sound quality, and confusing lyrics. I don't like it. It seems determined to lose my attention. I'm not mad at it, but it's clearly disinterested in keeping me listening.

01) Little Hands - 6,0 02) Cripple Creek - 6,5 03) Diana - 5,0 04) Margaret/Tiger Rug - 5,5 05) Weighted Down (The Prison Song) - 6,0 06) War in Peace - 5,0 07) Broken Heart - 5,5 08) All Come to Meet Her - 6,0 09) Books of Moses - 6,0 10) Dixie Peach Promenade (Yin for Yang) - 6,0 11) Lawrence of Euphoria - 5,0 12) Grey/Afro - 6,0 TOTAL: 5,71 (57/100) Current ranking: 568/679

Unfortunately, I think you need to be on acid to really enjoy this album. Out of tune instruments, whining vocals, weird effects thrown in at inopportune time... I'd never had included this album on this list.

me aburrí lo siento

Spence's spicy backstory adds a little context to this crazy, messy record. I highly recommend reading about the man to make more sense of his solo music. As dreary and unstable as it is, I really love this record. Best songs: 'Broken Heart', 'Books of Moses', and 'Weighted Down'

Interesting quirky album with a mix of styles. That mix led to some inconsistencies in quality though. Favorites: Cripple Creek, War in Peace Least Favorites: It's The Best Thing for You

This....album.....what. Incredibly dark and just overall odd. There is a weird energy all throughout here, like we aren't supposed to hear it, but we're listening anyway like mischevous children. The songs don't always work, but boy when they work they really hit hard. "Weighted Down" is like an emotional gutpunch, and "Grey/Afro" is just insane all around, the drums are just crazy constantly shifting in and out of tempo. I was going to give this a 3 for it being such a mishmash of quality, but that last track ("Grey/Afro") gave it another star on its own

An interesting listen. Didn't love it, but it wasn't terrible. I liked that it didn't sound like the other albums we've listened to, and the writing was good, but didn't care for many of his vocals.

When I saw Wikipedia say "Described as "one of the most harrowing documents of pain and confusion ever made" ... I thought oh boy, here we go. But all in all this album didn't do much for me. Extra star for playing all the instruments.

Not objectionable, just strange.

Odd, haunting, strange, raw and honest, compelling in its unevenness, but an album that ultimately leaves you yearning for a cohesion that never quite arrives.

Ok. Vocals were a bit garbled at times and psychedelic rock can get repetitive when the artist doesn’t do much special with it. 3 stars

Sounds a little like if Harry Nilsson took a lot of downers. Some fun here, but it's a sleepy chill sort of situation.

This album sucks! So fucking boring. Every track got worse as it went on. Whoever created this list has either shit taste in music or is trolling everyone.

I don't always drive through the Arizona desert solo in a camper on a bender. But when I do, I'm listening to Oar

Hard listen in parts but the background story elevates it.

Truly an insane record. Skip Spence basically was the American version of Syd Barrett. Did way too much acid, got kicked out Moby Grape and was locked up in a mental hospital. Made this one record which borders on unlistenable at points but is also strangely compelling. Years ago Beck did a project where he put together a band and did front to back covers of entire albums and they did this one. It’s definitely worth a listen. I will say that I really dig this album but rarely put it on.

Very Raw. Original drummer from Jefferson Airplane

I think the details surrounding the creation of this record lend to it being overrated. Little Hands is a great song, the rest only really holds interest as an artifact. What a schizophrenic just released from an asylum given alone time in a studio sounds like.

Good album, interesting mix of folk, psychedelic and some more country aspects. Nothing revelatory, but probably was ahead of its time.

Categorizing this as weird folk. Another one that’s probably better on drugs. Interesting and not necessarily bad but not gonna listen to it often.

Sparse shambling psych folk with a real outsider artist feel to it, an auteur album that's also a document of a hallucinogenic breakdown. Sparse instrumentation with droning guitars, trance like bass parts, and skittering percussion.

Wow, what a discovery. Folk, blues, country and psychedelic on an album I've never heard of. The quality of the production and performance is mixed, but this is still an album not to be missed. 4/5

An hour long dirge

far too long but lovely lovely voice

Yet another example from the 60's where blowing your brain out with acid does not necessarily equal good music

Was super intrigued reading the Wikipedia article and was immediately disappointed.

pretty boring folk rock. After 11 songs i thought i must be close to done. Nope

Some songs had me grooving but overall not liking this album

This one was a little tough to follow for me. At times it skewed folk, which I liked. But other times I just got lost

60’er folk, måske lidt for demo-agtigt, dystert

Boring. Can't hold a tune. Thin voice.

It's OK, a good musician doing weird music.

This guy sounds sleepy but the vibe is pretty chill. 😎

I’ll say he lived up to his name with this one because I had the urge to skip most of this shit

Drunk man at the karaoke bar.

*1969 - Canadian-American singer-songwriter. *Sounded like Crosby, Stills, Nash meets Bob Dylan vocals. *Not bad, but not mind-blowing. RATING - 6.5/10

Kind of weird, but also interesting at some parts.

New level unlocked! There is some interesting tunes on here, never heard before, would probably seek a physical copy, probably could have been a great album if it had been worked over, as an album a three star, but the first 2/3rds has some really interesting sounds (last 3rd is mostly brain farts), so on balance ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Way too long. Some interesting ideas but I'm glad it's over. 2.5

Depressing, but not bad.

If there were no albums like “bridge over troubled” I probably rated current one better. But. In my opinion songwriting is meh, creativity is more meh. Just sounds without emotion

most of the songs were ok, but that first song was awful.

Got half way thru. Why is this here. I didn’t hate it but…..why is this here?

This is such a gentle surprise. It's soothing in the looseness. Just a simple, beautiful record that feels like a small gift. Spins: 1 Playlist Additions: - Little Hands - Cripple Creek - War In Peace

Cool if too long album. As it goes on you can hear how it might have influenced groups like Of Montreal. A 3 for me right now, but bears further listens.

Hell yeah. I remember demanding this when Moby Grape came up. The stories surrounding this / Alex are outrageous. Too many dumb fuck teens & boomers in the reviews as usual.

One of the book’s collaborators was taking bribes here or seeing what they could get away with. Dear FBI: if I’m ever suspected of terrorism charges, take me to gutanamo and play me this. I’ll tell you everything I know before the album finishes

Really not for me. Mumbles and weirdness.

Felt interminable listening to this dude’s off-key mumbling over low tempo guitar riffs. Outside of the Grey/This Time He has Come pairing, unlistenable

Odd. Not my thing

Oar – Skip Spence (1969) | Psychedelic Folk / Outsider Music | Avg: 4.7 | Favorite Song: “Books of Moses” This was a challenging listen. Oar is the kind of album where you can tell something very genuine is happening beneath the surface, but it’s so fragmented and unstable that it rarely fully connects. “Books of Moses” was the only track that really stood out to me. It’s haunting, focused, and finally gives the album some weight. Most of the other songs drift by like unfinished thoughts. There’s a constant sense of emotional collapse, which is interesting in theory but, in practice, makes the album feel more like a record of deterioration than something I’d want to revisit. I understand why it has a cult following: Oar is raw, personal, and completely unfiltered. But from a reviewer’s perspective, it’s also one of the most confusing albums I’ve encountered. It’s not that I need perfection, but I do need something to hold onto, and this album rarely offers that. If you’re really into outsider art, it might resonate differently, but for me, it felt more like an intriguing failure than a hidden treasure.

It's boring.

Columbia Records probably did the right thing by deleting this from their catalog. It’s a messy, meandering album that is a rough collection of demos and not a finished product. While I can understand the historical curiosity around it, as a listening experience, it’s tedious at best.

A slower paced album with low and slow vocals. Sad, romantic, I think this one I'd be more keen to revisit.

Sad drinking alone music. Not very interesting to me. 2/5.

Very spacey and airy. Wide soundstage. A little psychedelic. Interesting post production sound effects for a 1969 album. Sometimes leans a little too far towards Johnny Cash though

I couldn’t really get into this from the get-go, and, unlike the Moby Grape album that came up, a third listen didn’t make me change my mind. Seems like a prime example of an album that could arguably be considered a ‘must hear’ because of the context around the artist’s state of mind etc, but that’s a very different thing from being one of the 1001 ‘best’ albums.

Reading about it really tracks with what it was. He just played for a while and they recorded it. It wasn't polished and it was a little random. It wasn't bad, but more just random as it went on. It feels like maybe they could have edited it some to make it more of an album, especially since he was still alive when this was released.

I had no idea what to expect based on the description and was surprised this was so pretty and chill. He seems to have lived a tragic life plagued by addiction and mental illness, and I'm happy he was able to leave his mark on the world and create beautiful music despite his troubles. I thought this was a cool album.

You would think, given that I have dedicated my professional life to working with people at the absolute nadir of their mental health, that this album would speak to me more. Skip Spence wrote almost everything here while he was institutionalized after having some psychotic delusions about his bandmates in Moby Grape, and while that story is fascinating, the songs themselves are, as you might expect, a little hit-and-miss.

Some good songs but doesn’t stand out compared to the greats of the generation

Some gud sum bad

Kinda dragged but kinda liked it. Apparently he attacked the moby grape boys, what a backstory to this album.

Repetitive and dirgey

Clearly didn't hate it as much as everyone else...

This one started out decent but wow did it go off the rails. This dude just recorded whatever random shit he was playing Songs added to/on playlist: 0 2/5

Terrible ! 0/10

Not for me, didn’t even make it half way through

It was... fine. I felt like it was *close* to the sort of music and genres I like: Fleet Foxes, Pink Floyd, Animal Collective etc., but it didn't quite hit the mark. I wanted to turn it off a few times.

His only album. With good reason. Good riddance. 1 star

In an industry with no shortage of options, this for me is probably the single most exploitive album to which I've ever listened. Congratulations, David Rubinson and Mike Figlio, you've managed to create the Stanford Prison Experiment in the form of an album.

Kinda zoned out for most of it. Tolerable, a couple good ones, but not super memorable. Best song: Cripple Creek Notable(s): Lawrence of Euphoria

Alexander “Skip” Spence, ein kanadisch-amerikanischer Singer-Songwriter, veröffentlichte 1969 sein einziges Soloalbum „Oar“. Die Aufnahmen entstanden vom 3. bis 12. Dezember 1968 im Columbia Recording Studios in Nashville, Tennessee, wo Spence sämtliche Instrumente selbst spielte und das Album eigenständig produzierte. Die Toningenieure waren Charlie Bradley, Don Meehan und Mike Figlio, gemischt wurde unter anderem von Don Meehan; David Rubinson verfasste die ursprünglichen Linernotes, blieb jedoch während der Sessions bewusst im Hintergrund. Stilistisch bewegt sich das Album im Spannungsfeld von Psychedelic Folk, Folk Rock und Psychedelic Rock – eine reduzierte, persönliche Klanglandschaft, durchzogen von introspektiven, manchmal verstörenden Momenten. Etwas bekanntere und prägende Titel sind etwa "Little Hands", "Weighted Down (The Prison Song)", "Broken Heart" und das längere, atmosphärische Stück "Grey/Afro". Als persönlicher Eindruck: Die Stimmung dieses Albums wirkt unmittelbar und ungeschönt – es vermittelt ein starkes Gefühl für Spences innere Verfassung in dieser Phase. Oar ist weniger ein wohlgestaltetes Studiowerk, vielmehr ein rohes Protokoll eines zutiefst persönlichen Moments. Insgesamt ist Oar ein eindringliches Werk, dessen lakonische Direktheit eindrucksvoll bleibt.

Not a perfect album, but I did enjoy a lot of the mood and emotion

His story makes me sad. I do find the music enjoyable but for whatever I can't take it very "seriously", whatever that means for myself. It is rough and ready which has a kind of appeal, but a more polished version of the same songs would be more appealing to me.

With minimal research I was expecting a pretty bad album. In reality its production method was ahead of its time, you have to understand what overproduced means before letting your heart accept something so raw. It has a few awesome moments, a few pieces that could've been knocked off. I'd rate it higher if it was a shorter play, but we're talking 69 minutes of what feels like a rough compilation of tracks, it can get excessive. I don't hate it. 2 stars.

Потраченного времени жаль. Можно было совершенно спокойно не включать это чудо природы в данный список.. какие-то записки психически неустойчивого человека, именно что записки, на песни это мало похоже

Personally, I am not a fan of folky music. It doesn't satisfy my ear in the way other genres do. However, getting to know more about the backstory for this album really increased my enjoyment of it. I'd like to think the album was a step into his consciousness or his existence up until that point. There are songs that are so lively and full of energy, and others that feel unsettling. All this being said, this album isn't something that will stick with me too much musically. The story stands out more than the music!

Weighted Down By Possessions 1001 Albums Generator 90 (08/06/2025) The touchpoint for understanding Alexander Spence is his much more famous, but equally tortured, contemporary, Syd Barrett. Although the music that they produced is quite different (besides Spence doing his best Syd Barrett impression in the vocals of Lawrence of Euphoria), the ethos that drives the music is the same. The story of Alexander Spence has been told a million times. He was a drummer in Jefferson Airplane on their debut, then became a co-founder of San Francisco sweethearts Moby Grape. After attempting to kill his bandmates at the behest of a self-proclaimed witch who gave him LSD, Spence was admitted into a mental hospital and would continue the rest of his life in and out of institutions. After his first release, Spence went to a studio in Nashville and recorded his first, and only, solo studio album, playing all instruments and performing all vocals. Oar is a really strange album from a tortured artist. Most of the album exists in a psychedelic folk realm, but there are bits of rock and even country in here. some of the country inspired pieces don't fit as well as the weirdo outsider folk stuff. Margaret-Tiger Rug feels like a parody of country rock and Dixie Peach Promenade is just not very interesting. However, this album is at its best when it is at its weirdest. That outro, the nearly 10 minute Grey/Afro, is so bizarre and feels unstructured in a very structured way. War In Peace leans into some rock sensibilities, but with a slow, plodding rhythm and a total Sunshine Of Your Love ripoff at the end, but honestly it's kind of genius. It feels like an intentional interpolation rather than plagiarism. Book Of Moses is one that grew on me: a strange, blues-y folk tune with constant waves crashing in the background. Some of the more normal folk songs are really good too. Little Hands is probably my favorite song on the whole thing and perhaps the closest Oar gets to pop. Cripple Creek and Weighted Down are relatively normal country-tinged folk songs, with the former being higher energy and the latter being a really heartbreaking ballad. All Come To Meet Her is absolutely drenched in psychedelic reverb and flange and is another catchy one that could have been from Spence's old band, Jefferson Airplane. Oar is the work of a really tragic figure. Alexander Spence lived to the ripe age of 52, but never got over his addictions or mental health struggles. I saw a quote that described him as a man who "neither died young nor had a chance to find his way out". Hearing this album with that context does make the music somewhat more haunting, although the music itself is pretty consistently high quality. 4/5. Favs: Little Hands War In Peace Grey/Afro Least Fav: Margaret-Tiger Rug

I’ve always loved this album and am very happy to see it here, it’s so cozy and charmingly ramshackle in a way that you just don’t hear very often

This is #day360 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and… how about a psychedelic folk rock record from a guy who tripped on LSD just a little bit too much? Well, I'm not really sure. Guess I'm landing on a low 2 out of 5. Looking forward to #day361.

Some psychedelic folk/rock with country tinges from Canda's own Syd Barrett. Not an album or artist I'd heard of before. Some interesting pieces but not a record I could really get into.

You can definitly hear the influence this album had on Tom Waits.

I had not before known of this album. Really enjoyed the cool vibe

mid

I had never heard of Skip Spence! I generally like the mildly psychedelic vibe, but I wish there was a bit more variety. His voice was pleasant enough. I would probably have to sit with these lyrics for a long, long, long time to . . . relate to them.

pretty good but samey and i really didn’t like the last song

Nice bit of acoustic guitar

Strange and disturbing, but also has moments of beauty. The story of his life is so sad

1/5

Tom Petty slowed from 45 to 33 rpm. Nope

Re-listen needed

I do like this it feels like what psychedelic music should be, like a sonic bridge to Meat Puppets II. Definitely indulgent but still chaotically beautiful.

Bay Area Barrett

too long, and the mixing gave me a headache.

Never heard of this guy before, but this was a really good album. Not gonna be one of my favorites, but I'm really digging it now. This needs a few listens. Great find.

I really did not care for this. I had a hard time getting through the whole album.

An interesting album and even more interesting story about Skip!

Varied between fine and annoying, particularly the last track which was 9 minutes long and perfectly segued into a bonus track that sounded exactly the same. Don't know if it was the name or because it was recorded in Nashville but I was expecting country music for some reason, so ones glad when it didn't come. But for sort of trippy folk music you can do a lot better than this.

Decent album. Seems like he had a hard time of it. Weighted Down and Books of Moses were the stand-outs. Psychedelic folk sounds a lot like classic rock to me.

Never heard of skip but thought this started ok... Interesting story behind it. But it's way too long given that it's all quite samey. I'd lost interest about half way through and by the time I thought oh this actually sounds ok, Spotify was playing a different artist. 2

boring

Pidän siitä ettei laulun tartte olla täydellistä ja että otetaan tilaa, mut tarviiko hänelle antaa täällä yli tunnin verran rämpyttelytilaa?

Not my thing.

I thought I’d like this but I was wroooong

The story behind this album is way more compelling than the album itself. 2

Not great.

This is an interesting one. Very much outsider music, really interesting back story, very sad. But it sounds like the love child of Bob Dylan and Tom Waites.

I thought it was going to be super boring, but it was just boring, so way better than expected. Jokes aside, is not just a standard folk album. Instead, it has some nice details, etc. But didn't stick to me on the first listen.

Simply shite.

What a horrible music. I dont like the voice, the instruments, the arrangements. It didnt click at all for me.

Not for me

Nah

Ah it's fine. I appreciate the variety, but none of it was too inspiring.

Skip

Dude sings like he has a bunch of marbles in his mouth. No trouble to tell this dude played all instruments himself. Shitty music, worse singing. From the wiki article on the album: Described as "one of the most harrowing documents of pain and confusion ever made", the album was recorded after Spence had spent six months in Bellevue Hospital. Spence had been committed to Bellevue following a delusion-driven attempt to attack Moby Grape bandmates Don Stevenson and Jerry Miller with a fire axe. Does that sound like an important album? No, it's a pile. Dimnery with another dinger. Favorite songs: Broken Heart, Weighted Down (The Prison Song), Cripple Creek, Margaret-Tiger Rug Least favorite songs: Diana, War In Peace, This Time He Has Come 2/5

Hits and misses all over the place.

Yucky 1/5

didn’t like his voice the songs were boring and the album was over an hour . No thanks

Skip kinda looks like a D tier Dana Carvey character no one remembers from SNL. You ever flip through records at a record store, and you see all the familiar faces, and then you hit a record you’ve never seen before, and it always looks and sounds like this one. It even smells. I can smell the mildew that developed in this record because no one played it. Because it sucks.

this album was a real audio spectacle. spence's first and only album ever released was made shortly after his time in a psych ward, after attempting to attack his bandmates with an axe. it's a true definition of a solo album. every single instrument he played himself; this is a one-man band, directly recording his dreams and nightmares onto analog tape. it's not just quirky prog rock, it's a direct window to the soul of a man with complex feelings about the actions he's done. it's a beautiful, haunting mental breakdown.

It was fine, but nothing special. It had some quiet moments where it was just vocals over low bass maybe and it reminded me of some of the transitions in a song by Melvins.

'A nice place to play / And no place to fall'; 'Oh, oh Diana / I am in pain / This is my heart beat'; 'If he could be free / He wouldn't have stripes on him, like jail.' This little record, tho at 22 tracks and over an hour long, is one of the great give-everything-at-once-I'm-about-to-fall-apart albums of all time, rivaled only by Big Star's Third/Sister Lovers. Utterly gorgeous and intensely heartbreaking, Oar is a feral collection of psychedelic and country-inspired virtuosity + sincerity. Like The Velvet Underground, but unlike The Beatles, Spence makes the strange thoroughly personal. Unlike most anything else, Oar harmonizes the desperate and the lighthearted: 'I found a lot of life that day / W/ her grandfather in the bowery'; 'So what.'

What a trip. This is like early "outsider" or "bedroom" music. Weird, lo-fi, messy but ultimately very unique, intimate, and honest. It is interesting as a record of Skip Spence's mental health issues, but it transcends that, because it's actually very good. Whenever you think a song is going to unravel, it just kind of holds together and works. I was never bored, and I'll definitely be re-listening to this for both its instrumentation and to pay more attention to its lyrics.

He sure had an abnormal & interesting life, but the music doesn’t do much for me. I considered a 3 during the first couple of songs but he lost me to monotony by the halfway mark.

2/5. It is wild to know this album came out in 1969, when it could easily fit in the post punk/quiet grunge era of the 90s. Now I wouldn't say it was great, as there was definitely some mental health issues affecting the music here but it does create the sought after sound of depression and fear. I feel sad listening to this, as it feels like a mix of someone who just needed help to possibly be successful, but also the muffled sound and vocals feels draining. The worst part is that it is not that good either, which is the most unfortunate part. Best Song: Books of Moses, Grey Afro, Little Hands

Definitely feels half-baked but there are some good ideas and songs on here. Won't listen to the whole thing through again. 5/10

Oooh, I love this guy! He’s so far off, he’s fresh. It’s like Tom Waits had a stroke - and since Tom Waits, come to think of it, is like Leonard Cohen and Billy Joel had a baby and the baby had a stroke, this guys like Leonard Cohen’s piano baby had two strokes!

He sounds like an interesting guy hit this album didn’t have enough to keep me interested - some cool ideas though.

Obviously an interesting backstory, but let's not pretend that this is just incohesive madness dressed up as art. Not only is it crop, but its dull!

'Skip' is a bit of an unfortunate nickname in the era of online streaming. Thankfully, this record is better than that. At first this was putting me in mind of Roy Harper, albeit decidedly more lo-fi. Though once I started to tune into the lyrics and recording a little more, it's a lot more idiosyncratic. Pretty amazing rush of manic energy to bash this out solo, even if quite a lot of it is fairly 'demo level'. Well worth a listen.

a "skip" album for me... quite forgettable and the sauce probably lies in the lyrics where i don't pay attention to... nice mixing tho for the time

No soul at all for this album, not the most horrible album but just such a drag and felt like I wanted to Skip this.

Nice

What a read. Not a listen.

2.5/5. I sure wanted to “skip” every song, every grifter had a chance at success in the 60s. Boomer entitlement.

Interesting in places if pretty disjointed

not good

The tragic story behind this album is far more interesting than the album itself. Sold so poorly that it was pulled from the Columbia catalog in less than a year. The music itself ping-pongs between a mild psychedelic rock and country-folk. It didn't resonate me at all.

When I first opened today's selection, I was afraid we'd be listening to some lame-ass-Dave Matthews-wannabe-Jam-Pop-Adult-Alternative music from O.A.R. What we actually got was a somewhat interesting album from an artist with mental health problems that sounds a lot like other artists with mental health problems (i.e. Nick Drake, Daniel Johnston, Gram Parsons, etc.) My initial reaction is that I'll probably never listen to this again. But there is a tribute album, "More Oar: A Tribute to the Skip Spence Album", that has more refined versions of these songs by Alejanro Escovedo, Beck, Mark Lanegan, Greg Dulli, and others. It's not on Spotify, but most of it is on YouTube.

This has no business being on this list

Listened Before? N Interesting story, and fairly tragic. The music is very creative. A tortured artist story. Added to Library? N Songs added to playlist: Little Hands

Strange. I guess it’s folk. No sure.

Honestly, just boring. It was nice, but nothing special. Just forgettable imo.

Im only on song 5, and I can tell that this is one of those important because of the times albums, but nowadays its just boring. I respect it and Its not horrible. But there are a lot of other albums from this time era that sound very similar to this, and this one doesn't do much better than any of them.

Poor man's Sid Barrett, blah, blah, blah. So we're saying too much acid is bad for the artist but good for the art? And would we be listening to this if he hadn't done a Bellevue stint? Still, it's not bad, if excessively DIY (like to the point of being outsider/primitive/folk art of a kind). The groany/warbly/talky vocals don't work any more than half the time. "War in Peace" is probably best cut, though "Grey / Afro" is interestingly offbeat. No surprise, really, that this never took off and remains an obscurity for cultists only. Safe to say it's also too long by more than a little.

Скип

Like a strange cross of Leonard Cohen, Syd Barrett, Vic Chestnut and Moondog. It was better than I thought it was going to be.

30 years before anyone to make that kind of music

I really enjoyed listening to this and then reading more about him. Fascinating.

He does have an interesting back story as his battle with mental health is worth reading. But this is dreadful music and a slog to get through. So not into this and will not listen again.

Yikes

Not a huge fan of psychedelic. this was fine for background music

made it 5 mins, fuck this shit

This is a surprising find! experimental, poppy, fun!

more like bore. has its moments tho

This app right here is great because I discover gems like this. Really enjoyed it!

I listened. Even the story behind the making of this is uninteresting. Some good playing occasionally. But.

a perfectly fine but forgettable album

It just feels so unfinished.

Kind of somber, low voice almost like old sad Johnny Cash? I don’t like it.

Craziness

While the circumstances of this album certainly make it more interesting, and it’s impressive that Spence played all the instruments himself, the fact that this album was meant to be a demo shows. It feels very unfinished and doesn’t belong on this list. Which is a shame, because I really liked the Moby Grape album.

Skelfileg plata.

It grew on me and I quite enjoyed it but I can’t imagine I’d ever feel the urge to listen to it again

too basic for 60s

3.6 I'm going to ignore all bonus tracks as they detract from the album. Enjoyable in parts, got better second time round. Some slightly grating inclusions, Lawrence from Euphoria for example. Can see why it was inspirational to a lot of singers, I thought a few of them sounded very Mark Lanegan-esque so pleasantly surprised to see he covered Skip. Books of Moses a high point. Story behind the album very intriguing, perfectly summarised by a country album made by someone clearly going off the rails.

p189. 1969. 1 star. Well, it's in tune, and has some fine guitar work. Apart from that, nothing to recommend it. And it does outstay its welcome REALLL soon.

This falls outside my xonfort zone for sure, in fact I despise the singer/songwriter genre and the more famous the worse. This is refreshing however. Haunting and eerie at times while being quite accessible. Very interesting to say the least

He should have left this album unfinished.

More plodding, falsetto 60's psychedelica for the trash can.

The story of this album is more interesting than the album itself. The sheer amount of material is impressive for someone who spent 6 months in a psych ward but a lot of that is just not that good.

This is the 117th album I’m rating. I don't know who this is but Skip is a cool nickname. Adding to my Playlist - Little Hands and Lawrence of Euphoria. Not Adding to my Playlist - Cripple Creek, Diana, Margaret-Tiger Rug, Weighted Down (The Prison Song), War in Peace, Broken Heart, All Come to Meet Her, Book of Moses, Dixie Peach Promenade (Yin for Yang). and Grey/Afro. All in all I liked 2/12 songs. This album fucking sucks. Who is Alexander "Skip" Spence and why does his album fucking suck? This is so unbelievably boring.

No private session used for Spotify, but I have no idea what I am getting into. Mumbly, trippy, mellow, and a cacophony of crap. Maybe if I was on acid I could fool myself into believing this is worth listening to. I only give out one star reviews when I am desperately looking for the album to end. This one earned it.

I have never heard of Skip Spence before getting this record. It was interesting that he was an original member of both Jefferson Airplane and Moby Grape (I've never listened to Moby Grape before). This album is interesting and definitely deserves another listen. It is sad that he suffered from mental illness, but good that he was able to channel that into music.

Not my thing

Went on quite the journey with this album to be honest. At times, there were songs that were really beautiful and very up my street. He has a lovely, quite rough but really enjoyable voice. However, I imagine because of the well documented struggles he was going through during this process, the album is really unfocused and variable in quality. I respect this a lot, but it's far from an easy listen, and drags quite hard towards the end.

At the core, this is a basic, uninspiring musical album. But knowing this album was made following his release from an inpatient mental hospital stay made me want to explore it further. Context shouldn't really matter but this time it does. That probably explains the album's inclusion on this list

I'm a sucker for a hard luck story like Skip Spence and Dennis Wilson. For some reason, those with internal struggles that become dramatic external struggles lend some credibility to the artist, make them real, human and ignite a desire to learn more. Joplin / Cobain / Spence, etc. My dad was a big Moby Grape fan. He saw them at the Fillmore, even got one of the posters at the show. The only reason that I'm familiar with SS is due to my dad and I remember when SS died. He was written up in so many papers, it was kinda big news in pop culture. And then came the tributes to him, one of which was Beck, who my dad knew I was a fan of. Tho I don't think I had heard this album in its entirety until now, Skip Spence and this album became common ground for us to connect. And listening to the album it's almost as if you can hear the voices in his head, and the noise of the silence. This is one of those albums that I'll listen to long after 1001 has ended, of which I mostly credit my dad.

When we listened to Moby Grape, I wondered why they seemed more forgotten by time than their contemporaries. Now I have a better idea of why. Alexander “Skip” Spence took too much LSD, attacked his bandmates with an axe, and went to a psychiatric hospital for six months. That’s where he wrote “Oar.” Do I really need to say any more about this album than that?

Books Of Moses is my favorite track amongst too many boring, mumbly, off tempo offerings.

I don't believe I hadn't heard of this. This is absolutely in my wheelhouse, I love strange, raw music earnestly exploring uncomfortable emotional states, and Oar fits this description to a tee. Alexander Spence came from the world of psych, and at the time, the dominant culture in this space was optimism and righteous anger and bacchanalian consumption of psychedelics. However, a figure like Spence highlights the darkness running underneath it all. His story (much like the more well known Syd Barrett's) serves as a grim reminder of the casualties of this culture, people who broke down under it all and were left to be forgotten at the fringes of society. This is why albums like Oar and other more formal outsider albums are so important, they provide a voice to their creators who may well not have one otherwise. With that being said, what does this album actually sound like? It is a fragile, occasionally haunted and surprisingly varied singer-songwriter album encompassing folk, psych, and late '60s rock music. For the reputation this album has, the songs are actually very good. If you can get into the kind of performances that are across this album, the music at the core here is well written and consistently interesting, with really compelling lyrics. Some of this stuff sounds pretty ahead of its time too, a couple of songs here sound uncannily similar to the music that Leonard Cohen would later make, and this may just be me, but some of the kind of slanted rawness here almost makes me think of the kind of thing that some lo fi indie songwriters were trying to achieve in the '90s. But honestly, the performances are what makes this come together for me, difficult as they may be. I really feel that Spence is baring his soul across this, and the cumulative result, within the context of his life, is kind of profoundly sad. I have a lot of respect for the list's inclusion of this, placing an album like this in the sort of publication that "1001 Albums..." is works towards legitimizing it in the broader music world and, ideally, will help people to see this as a worthwhile piece of art even without its context. I really love this.

This is pretty good. I had never heard of Alexander Spence before, but I’m glad I was introduced to this album. Is good, but weird… I get psychedelic Nick Drake vibes. Reading the backstory of this album is quite depressing

There wasn't anything very standout about this album. A bit too much country and some just ok vocals.

I love long winding songs, and maybe it's because my water bottle was just run over by a campus bus, but I almost DNF'ed this album listening to Grey/Afro. I even took a break half way through it because my headphones died. I liked how this album had a completely different sound on each song for the first half, but I just wanted it to END the second half. This album is unequivocally not required to be listened to before dying.

I did not listen to this in one sitting. It's way too long! And I got bored! But otherwise, it's pleasant on the first have. It slowly devolves into barely coherent rambling on the second half--like those prog rock bands with insanely indulgent solos that go on forever, except these aren't musically interesting either. Was gonna give 3 stars but the last 15 minutes cost it the third.

I was not looking forward to listening to an hour plus long album that has been described as "one of the most harrowing documents of pain and confusion ever made". But the shagginess of it caught me off guard and I wasn't prepared for how much I liked enough of the songs as a result to give it 4 stars.

this album was dark, and kind of triggering to be honest. i guess the fact that it sent me into an anxiety spiral is a good thing, in this context

Kann das Album und der Interpret nicht wissen, aber ich bin heute zwei Stunden vor meinem Wecker aufgewacht und jetzt hundemüde. Dieses Album macht es nicht besser und hat die Wirkung einer Valium Tablette - 1 schlafender Sterne

Fühlte sich wesentlich länger als eine Stunde an. GÄHN

It was ok but a bit dull

Nice but a bit boring

Twice I came back to this, and for the first minute or so thought "maybe it's not that bad". But it is. From what I can find, this was a set of 3 track demos that was never intended to be an album, and it shows. Several songs are muttered or mumbled, he makes a bunch of mistakes, even asking at one point "did the tape run out?". However, even as demos, ai really don't think there's much here. Compare to another set of unfinished demos, CD2 of Jeff Buckley's "Sketches for My Sweetheart The Drunk" - those are so full of ideas, space and texture, that it makes you pine for the album it could have been. Maybe this was revolutionary at the time, but not any more. It's not even out there enough to be psychedelic. Wavering between 1 and 2 stars because it's not 'offensive', just dull. Settled on 1 because I don't think there's a song there I would replay.

Drugged out nonsense.

At first it was - oh not another psychadelia album - year checks out - artwork too. But as the record starts it starts from the ebbing tide of the summer of love - and descends deeper into a genuinely beautiful and emotional record. With hints of Drake, Dylan, Cash but not purposefully - it captures the end of the San Francisco sound - everyone moved the California and everyone now wants out. The ones that remain - Alex Spence one of them - are left dry and forgotten but not without leaving this gorgeous record in his way.

The background of the artist was kinda interesting, but the music was not.

Didn’t mind it but not really my taste. Can see how this was a big inspiration within the genre.

Ok, I can get behind the story of this guy. One album, supposedly fucked on acid, rambling his way through a full albums worth of acoustic driven tracks. Sometimes it doesn’t sound like him but apparently it is. There I am listening with one ear phone on and all I’m hearing are drums. I’m thinking, who’s more fucked up here, this guy or his music producer for just putting a track on the album of just drums. Then I happened to put my other earphone on and realized the song was recorded on separate tracks. Well, that’s how I describe it. I do like it when artists do that, I just like to know ahead of time. This guy looks like Garth from Wayne’s World in his album cover photo. This is more tolerable than Syd Barrett’s music but not as trippy. They both serve a purpose in this world of rockdom. Oddly enough, I like this but I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone, like if I was asked to suggest an obscure album for a person to listen to, this would not come to mind. At least I don’t think so. Honestly, this album checks the boxes of almost all that I hate when it comes to a good album. The vocals aren’t great, the songs don’t make sense, there’s no real stand out track and the guy doesn’t look like a singer. But somehow this works. I do pray I remember who he is the next time I have a deep musical conversation. He deserves more of my attention, just not more than once a month. Choice cut: cripple creek

Has some boring stuff but some of it was pretty interesting Will I listen to again: 6%

Sorry Grey/Afro, but you're not good enough to carry this album!

Very authentic, raw album. Unfortunately I don't think a lot stands out from it, but Alexander Spence is clearly a talented musician considering this is a solo work. There's a charm to it I can't shake.

I wasn't especially impressed by the A-side, but starting at the 6-minute track and on, I found more to enjoy than not. Definitely a very ramshackle record.

I think this album made the list only because of the story behind it because the music itself sucks.

On first listen, this was pretty horrible. The music is messy and the singing sounds like rambling. It was once I read up on the album's context that I saw it in a new light. A close friend of mine was once admitted under very similar circumstances to Spence's. He's better now, but visiting him on those days he was unlike himself in ways that I see reflected here, on tracks like Weighted Down, Broken Heart, and Grey/Afro. Isolation, confusion and spirituality are prevalent throughout. Of course, I can't possibly claim to truly know what they were going through. I did however end up approaching and reflecting upon the album in a way I didn't expect.

If we did not fetishize mental illness when it produces art (Van Gogh etc) this would not be on this list. There were occasional flashes that I appreciated but otherwise I found it self indulgent and rambling.

It’s funny how few albums stand out on a list this long — I’m about halfway through and am continually baffled that so many picks feel generic and samey. This, however, is not one of them. This is an odd album and I doubt I’ll ever listen to it again so I’m giving it a 3. But it’s so blessedly DIFFERENT to most of the stuff on this list that it’s more like a 3.5. It’s probably one of the few albums on this challenge I’ll remember. Even if it’s not my personal taste in music.

Not really my thing, per se, but it just seemed like a weak attempt at Nick Drake.

After reading few articles about Spence you would think that he was the biggest musical genius in the history of rock and adjacent genres. After listening to his album, Oar, you would think he is a raw Frank Zappa without any of his guitar abilities, and honestly not confident enough. Truth is probably somewhere in the middle, I reckon, so without more unnecessary pages of text, a rating to reflect that.

A difficult listen. With a late 60's release I can only speculate this was composed with the listeners use of acid in mind.

Incongruent. Out there just to be out there? Rip off or ode to sunshine of your love on “War in Peace?” “Lawrence of Euphoria” made me laugh

I really enjoyed listening to it. It was weird but beautiful. Nice to discover music like this.

So at first I hated it, then around War in Peace I felt like it was growing on me but then the last third of the album was as bad as the first.

As an album, this certainly seems like a selection of songs that have been recorded... Gave the whole thing a go, then went back to the original 12- track album, which feels more cohesive and less bloated. Lots of interesting stuff going on, with rhythm and that fragile, mumbled voice. A few tracks I can forget, but a few I'll probably always remember. Worth a revisit.

-this was interesting. sort of rough around the edges.. it’s not bad but I can def understand why it sold so poorly with Columbia Records -I think most of the appeal for me with this one is the atmosphere. very haunting and lonely which I guess makes sense considering the life story of the guy who made it. i like it -Favorites are Margaret-Tiger Rug and War In Peace

Mom: We got Syd Barett at home Syd Barett at home:

Not sure I'd put it on the necessary list, but I'm entranced by the out-of-nowhere ethos that pervades the quirk. The production seems perfectly attuned to the oddness. Stark, spare, sorrowful.

This really is an eclectic melange. I hesitate to say ‘mess’ because I think it has some through-line of pain and mania, culminating in 9 minutes of repetitive strain therapy. The original was only 12 songs so don’t be fooled by the 22 it offers. One man and his pain went to mow a meadow and created a wildflower oasis. It is mad but deserves some merit - I just wish that cover didn’t make him look like a Bay City Roller.

Just because someone sounds mentally unhinged, it doesn't mean they make brilliant music. And I just now decided to read a quick review which, in fact, refers to Spence as an "acid casualty" and tells a story of him freaking out and brandishing a fire axe in the studio. Sorry about that, but c'mon. Let's not mistake madness for genius.

I bought a copy of this back when I discovered "outsider art." It didn't speak to me at the time, but this time around, I kind of got it. It's often hauntingly beautiful. It also feels very exploitative. Clearly Spence was unwell and we're listening to his mental demise here. Having said that, this album inspired a slew of people, including Robert Plant and Tom Waits, and it gave Spence a legacy beyond just being one of the band members of Moby Grape. As an album, it's a bit much. But it's a great source for mixtape material. (Fun side note, it's the only album I've ever heard of that was recorded on 3-track.)

Started strong but I quickly lost interest.

Not a personal favorite as I'm not really looking for something this sparse, dreary and weird all the time, but it is interesting, especially with how it sounds predictive of a lot of indie music like slowcore. So it's almost making me curious as to who it influenced. Besides that idk if I take it for every song it has but maybe its just my mood

Like Syd Barrett's The Madcap Laughs, this album has got me thinking about whether rock critics have an uncomfortable tendency to romanticise mental illness as some sort of marker of authenticity. Or at least mental illness in white men - big thumbs up to the review saying that an album like this by a woman would never make it anywhere near the list.

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Folkish music. Not bad, but not really memorable either.

Niet slecht, niet geweldig, wel veel te lang

The artist's name says it all. I skipped the album. What I listened to of it was boring. 1/5

I don't know why you sound like this but I just want to give you a hug. It's gonna be ok man :hugs (not if you keep making songs like this though)