Lost Gem: Oar

Oar – Alexander “Skip” Spence
Best Song: War In Peace

This is the greatest album ever made by a mad, and I mean MAD, man. Skip Spence was a former drummer of Jefferson Airplane and one of the brains behind the ambitious Moby Grape. Spence wrote this album while being held at a mental institution and recorded all the parts himself (he was in after attempting to kill two of his former Moby Grape band mates to “save them from themselves”), and you can tell that this is a man who isn’t all together.

Oar it with out a doubt the greatest psych folk album ever released. The entire atmosphere fills you with images of Skip sitting in his bed in the madhouse, a guitar in his hands, rocking back and forth as if he is by some river in a rocking chair (which is where he probably thinks he actually is). It is a very difficult listen and very few people would chose to put this on for the joy of listening to this music (I myself am an exception).

As far as tracks that should stand out to the listener there are five major ones. The opening “Little Hands” is a great almost upbeat poppy number. Then there are two rambling dark folk numbers. “Cripple Creek” would not have felt out of place on Leonard Cohen’s debut and “Diana” is a song so out of focus that it is beautiful. Another track not to miss is the manic (compared to the rest of the album) “Lawrence of Euphoria” which I would guess Spence wrote after taking some meds.

The song that is the absolute master piece of the album is the lo-tech psycho anthem “War In Peace”. While other psychedelic bands were searching for new technology to advance their sound Skip manages to out do them all with a very basic pattern and minimalist solo. (and a great distortion of the famous “Sunshine of Your Love” riff).

Oar has truly been lost to many listeners. While other “mad albums” such as Madcap Laughs and Third/Sister Lovers have managed to gain cult followings Oar, which I will say with out a doubt is better then both Madcap and Third, has been thrown to the wayside. If you can track this down you should pick it up, a true lost classic.