Regular reader and frequent commenter, SG, asked me what I thought of Moby Grape founder Skip Spence’s lone solo album, Oar. I think it’s at the very least a minor classic as well as a fascinating look at the mind and music of a talented but deeply disturbed man. Spence was in many ways the Sixties Bay Area music scene’s answer to Syd Barrett. He was also an original member of Jefferson Airplane, and a very creative man who could not cope with life.
Little Hands is the opening track of Oar, an album that was recreated in 1999 by Robert Plant and Beck to name a few. Plant’s version follows that of Spence:
Spence also wrote this charming song that appeared on the Jefferson Airplane’s 1967 classic LP, Surrealistic Pillow:
Thanks, it’s nice to hear this once in a while. I’m on the fence about Oar – a few beautiful tunes, but hurt by all the hoopla that surrounded its rediscovery. I go to Big Star’s Third for the emotional crack-up fix.