Alexander "Skip" Spence's "Oar"
I know that my blog says this is for my reviews of B-Movies, but I thought I would also throw in a few forgotten albums as well. This is my review of Skip Spence's only solo recording "Oar."
"Oar" was the only album Alexander "Skip" Spence ever recorded in his brief career. Skip was the original drummer on Jefferson Airplane's first album. He was a guitarist by trade, but Marty Balin wanted him to play drums? He lasted only for the first album with the Airplane as he took an LSD filled trip to the coast with some ladies before a big show and was kicked out of the band. Skip rebounded to become a member of the band "Moby Grape." This was a band quite like Cream, who was conflicted with too much talent, and met an untimely end. He did write a wonderful song called "Omaha" with Grape it's one of my favorite songs from the 60's sound as a whole.
Skip went crazy one day in the studio with Moby Grape, and tried to kill pretty much anyone in the way with a fireman's axe. He was committed to a New York psychiactric hospital.----Upon his release Columbia records still had enough faith in his songwriting abilities to offer him a one shot recording deal for this album. Skip took the $1,000 that the record company gave him up front and bought a Triumph motorcycle that he rode to the Nashville recording studios to make this album."Oar" was written, played, produced, and recorded by Skip in a few short days.
There are sounds that one may compare to Johnny Cash or Bob Dylan on this album. It's not full of catchy tunes, but I find it to be true loss for those who love the sounds of any true original. They are pleasant and relaxing songs. A lot of this album reminds the listener of early Grateful Dead or latter Jefferson Airplane. Which I still feel Skip is responsible for. Spence, a guitarist by trade shows his abilities openly on "Oar." "Little Hands Clapping" sounds like a full band in total unity, but keep in mind it's Spence alone playing everything. "War In Peace" is very hard to understand, ecspecially the vocals, but the music is incredible. Spence recorded a lot this at almost a whisper. The song ends with a hard plucking version of "The Sunshine Of Your Love."
"Broken Heart" is about people we hold as experts of their trades having something go wrong at the very end. "Books Of Moses" is an extremely creepy song as Spence gets a little Biblical on us. You can hear thunder and a hammer pounding in the background. I don't know if he is trying to sing about the end of the world and Christ being nailed to the cross or not. This is the most outstanding track of the album. "Unless he knows us" Skip repeats this over and over is a little too deep for me to understand. He ends the song the with a last gasping breath on the mic. "Dixie Peach Pomendae" (Yin For My Yan) follows. Skip goes onto say you'll be spending the night under me. He goes from one extreme to the next with his songs. He continues with "Lawrence From Euphoria" it has a touch suggestive lyrics, "She's Vivian from oblivion, she's does it free for my friends and me." Far from the biblical stuff in "Books OF Moses." Simple chords with a Spence drum roll throughout.
"Grey/Afro" uses a vocal overdub. It is very hard to understand, but the drums roll with a heavy bass. Very essential for the 60's lover of psychedelia. "Oar" was recorded in less than week and Skip took his bike and rode it to California after the sessions. It is easy to say he may never have heard it after it was released. It was Columbia's lowest selling album upon it's time of release, but Greil Marcus finished his 1969 Rolling Stone review of the album by saying "Get ahead of the game and buy Oar before you no longer have the chance." Skip Spence died a man plagued with mental illness and drug addiction on the streets of Santa Monica from lung cancer in 1998. A great loss to music. Like Hendrix, he was a shooting star. Alexander Spence may never be put on the same level as Bob Dylan or Robert Hunter as a songwriter, but he is a very talented musician that should NEVER be left out of a conversation containing psychedelic music and it's true meaning. Thank you Skip.
"Oar" was the only album Alexander "Skip" Spence ever recorded in his brief career. Skip was the original drummer on Jefferson Airplane's first album. He was a guitarist by trade, but Marty Balin wanted him to play drums? He lasted only for the first album with the Airplane as he took an LSD filled trip to the coast with some ladies before a big show and was kicked out of the band. Skip rebounded to become a member of the band "Moby Grape." This was a band quite like Cream, who was conflicted with too much talent, and met an untimely end. He did write a wonderful song called "Omaha" with Grape it's one of my favorite songs from the 60's sound as a whole.
Skip went crazy one day in the studio with Moby Grape, and tried to kill pretty much anyone in the way with a fireman's axe. He was committed to a New York psychiactric hospital.----Upon his release Columbia records still had enough faith in his songwriting abilities to offer him a one shot recording deal for this album. Skip took the $1,000 that the record company gave him up front and bought a Triumph motorcycle that he rode to the Nashville recording studios to make this album."Oar" was written, played, produced, and recorded by Skip in a few short days.
There are sounds that one may compare to Johnny Cash or Bob Dylan on this album. It's not full of catchy tunes, but I find it to be true loss for those who love the sounds of any true original. They are pleasant and relaxing songs. A lot of this album reminds the listener of early Grateful Dead or latter Jefferson Airplane. Which I still feel Skip is responsible for. Spence, a guitarist by trade shows his abilities openly on "Oar." "Little Hands Clapping" sounds like a full band in total unity, but keep in mind it's Spence alone playing everything. "War In Peace" is very hard to understand, ecspecially the vocals, but the music is incredible. Spence recorded a lot this at almost a whisper. The song ends with a hard plucking version of "The Sunshine Of Your Love."
"Broken Heart" is about people we hold as experts of their trades having something go wrong at the very end. "Books Of Moses" is an extremely creepy song as Spence gets a little Biblical on us. You can hear thunder and a hammer pounding in the background. I don't know if he is trying to sing about the end of the world and Christ being nailed to the cross or not. This is the most outstanding track of the album. "Unless he knows us" Skip repeats this over and over is a little too deep for me to understand. He ends the song the with a last gasping breath on the mic. "Dixie Peach Pomendae" (Yin For My Yan) follows. Skip goes onto say you'll be spending the night under me. He goes from one extreme to the next with his songs. He continues with "Lawrence From Euphoria" it has a touch suggestive lyrics, "She's Vivian from oblivion, she's does it free for my friends and me." Far from the biblical stuff in "Books OF Moses." Simple chords with a Spence drum roll throughout.
"Grey/Afro" uses a vocal overdub. It is very hard to understand, but the drums roll with a heavy bass. Very essential for the 60's lover of psychedelia. "Oar" was recorded in less than week and Skip took his bike and rode it to California after the sessions. It is easy to say he may never have heard it after it was released. It was Columbia's lowest selling album upon it's time of release, but Greil Marcus finished his 1969 Rolling Stone review of the album by saying "Get ahead of the game and buy Oar before you no longer have the chance." Skip Spence died a man plagued with mental illness and drug addiction on the streets of Santa Monica from lung cancer in 1998. A great loss to music. Like Hendrix, he was a shooting star. Alexander Spence may never be put on the same level as Bob Dylan or Robert Hunter as a songwriter, but he is a very talented musician that should NEVER be left out of a conversation containing psychedelic music and it's true meaning. Thank you Skip.
posted by Sam at 9:38 AM
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