 | oscargamblesfro (76)
05/24/2007 |  From the only solo album by the former Jefferson Airplane and Moby Grape member. Most of the album "Oar" was really a kind of proto lo-fi record that explored country, blues, and other American forms of music- it had a lot more in common with Johnny Cash, Blind Lemon Jefferson, The Band, or Wilco than say Cream or Hendrix. It tended to sound like it came out in the 30's more than the late 60's. It was one of the first one man albums in which one guy played all the instruments. It's brilliant, but sank without a trace when released in '69.
This is one of only a couple of tunes on the record that was comparable to the styles of the period. It's ethereal, eerie, and ghostly in places, and rocks pretty hard in others, with some great guitar work. Not exactly sure what it is supposed to be about, but it ends with a riff that is kind of like a mutant version of Cream's "Sunshine of Your Love." Acid problems and bizarre and dangerous behavior landed Spence a trip into Bellevue when he went around a hotel with an axe and he was later diagnosed as a paranoid schizophrenic. Upon getting help and leaving Bellevue, he went down to Nashville and recorded this brilliantly strange album to fulfill a contractual obligation with Columbia Records. It's a haunting and memorable album.
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