Alexander Spence -- Oar LP

1988 UK release on Edsel Records (UK) (catalog # ED 282).

This is the first reissue of Columbia CS 9831, originally released by May, 19 1969, done by the fine UK reissue label Edsel. Has extensive liner notes by David Rubinson and Brian Hogg.

NOTE: this is the ultra-rare original mix of the album; all pressings and CD masterings of this album which can currently be found on the market are nice sounding versions which, unfortunately, are remastered mixes or remixes even if not explicity stated so. At present, this Edsel LP is the ONLY way you can obtain this great album as it was originally meant to be heard, unless you want to spring for an original Columbia pressing (one sold for over $2300 on eBay last year.)

This album, which sounds as if the author has no earthly concerns whatsoever and is completely preoccupied with his inner space, originally sold a meager dozen-or-so hundred copies, and was promptly deleted from Columbia catalogue as utterly lacking commercial potential. Needless to say, it has gained a massive cult status since, and is now considered one of the finest works of the psychedelic - or any - era. Words can't quite describe the celestial beauty of this work. If you have never hear this album, drop all your Drakes, Buckleys, Barretts, Fred Neils and Cat Power and go for this one.

AMG Review: Like a rough, more obscure counterpart to Syd Barrett, Skip Spence was one of the late '60s' most colorful acid casualties. The original Jefferson Airplane drummer (although he was a guitarist who had never played drums before joining the group), Spence left after their first album to join Moby Grape. Like every member of that legendary band, he was a strong presence on their first album, playing guitar, singing, and writing "Omaha." The group ran into rough times in 1968, and Spence had the roughest, flipping out and (according to varying accounts) running amok in a record studio with a fire axe; he ended up being committed to New York's Bellevue Hospital. Upon his release, Spence cut an acid-charred classic, Oar, in 1969. Though released on a major label (Columbia), this was reportedly one of the lowest-selling items in its catalog and is hence one of the most valued psychedelic collector items. Much rawer and more homespun than the early Grape records, it features Spence on all (mostly acoustic) guitars, percussion, and vocals. With an overriding blues influence and doses of country, gospel, and acid freakout thrown in, this sounds something like Mississippi Fred McDowell imbued with the spirit of Haight-Ashbury 1967. It also featured cryptic, punning lyrics and wraithlike vocals that range from a low Fred Neil with gravel hoarseness to a barely there high wisp. Sadly, it was his only solo recording; more sadly, mental illness prevented Spence from reaching a fully functional state throughout the remainder of his lifetime. He died April 16, 1999, just two days short of his 54th birthday; the tribute album, More Oar: A Tribute to Alexander "Skip" Spence, featuring performances by Robert Plant, Beck, and Tom Waits, appeared just a few weeks later.

No one except psychedelic Renaissance man Alexander "Skippy" Spence could have created an album such as Oar. Alternately heralded as a "soundtrack to schizophrenia" and a "visionary solo effort," Oar became delegated to cut out and bargain bins shortly after its release in the spring of 1969. However those who did hear it were instantly drawn into Spence's inimitable sonic surrealism. As his illustrious past in the Jefferson Airplane, Quicksilver Messenger Service, and Moby Grape would suggest, this album is a pastiche of folk and rock. In reality, however, while these original compositions may draw from those genres, each song has the individuality of a fingerprint. As a solo recording, Oar is paramount as Spence performed and produced every sound on the album himself at Columbia Records studios in Nashville in the space of less than two weeks. This burst of creativity was directly preceded by a six month incarceration in New York City's Bellevue Hospital after chopping down a door at the Albert Hotel en route to do the same to fellow Moby Grape members Jerry Miller and Don Stevenson. A common motif to this album is the presence of saints and demons. Even the straightforward narratives such as the love ballad "Broken Heart" or "Cripple Creek" -- which feature vocal treatments reminiscent of folkie Fred Neil -- are bathed in unusual chord sequences and lyrical double-entendre. The majority of the sounds on this long-player remain teetering near the precipice of sanity. Primary examples include "War in Peace," the epic "Grey/Afro," and the sound effect-laden "Books of Moses." Comparisons have been made to Syd Barrett, John Lennon, and Frank Zappa -- the latter especially for the intense sonic collage techniques displayed on albums such as Lumpy Gravy and Civilization Phase III.

Tracks:

A1 Little Hands 3:42 A2 Cripple Creek 2:13 A3 Diana 3:28 A4 Margaret - Tiger Rug 2:16 A5 Weighted Down 6:25 A6 War In Peace 4:03 B1 Broken Heart 3:27 B2 All Come To Meet Her 2:00 B3 Books Of Moses 2:38 B4 Dixie Peach Promenade 2:50 B5 Lawrence Of Euphoria 1:26 B6 Grey / Afro 11:37 Recorded December 16, 1968 at Columbia Studios Nashville, TN.
This album is one of The Wire's "100 Records That Set The World On Fire (While No One Was Listening)"

CONDITION: Cover VG++ / Vinyl NM-   excellent shape, price sticker on cover, vinyl is extremely clean, barely any wear, plays beautifully.

Graded conservatively using Goldmine standards [G / G+ / VG / VG+ / NM / ]
grade only used if record is brand new.
Bid with confidence -- over 12000 positive feedbacks selling vinyl on eBay since 1998, with a total 11-year average of 100% positive.

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