Halo of Gold

(1)

Cold Brains single: (US version)

Electric Music and the Summer People

(2)

Cold Brains single (Australian version):

Diamond in the Sleaze

(3)

Stray Blues:

Totally Confused

(1)

(3)

Cold Brains single: (US version)

Runners Dial Zero

(4)

Cold Brains single (Australian version):

Diamond in the Sleaze

(5)

Stray Blues:

Burro

(3)

**Halo of Gold** is a B-Side that appears on both the Tropicalia and Cold Brains singles. It also appeared on the compilation album Stray Blues.

## Description

Skip Spence is well known to rock history fans. His work is in the borders of '60s psychedelia and introverted folk music. Spence was also known as one of the many members of Jefferson Airplane, and had further success as a member of Moby Grape. Both groups were at the front of the San Francisco's '60s psychedelia scene.

After Moby Grape, Spence has issues with drugs and mental illness (He reportedly attacked a band member with an axe while on LSD, and ended up in a psychiatric hospital after leaving Moby Grape). While in the hospital, he wrote songs to what would become his solo masterpiece, *Oar.* After being released from the hospital, he went to Nashville and recorded every song in a couple of days, with him playing all instruments. Many years later, the album was reissued with some bonus tracks, with one being "Furry Heroine (Halo of Gold)"

Thirty years later, a tribute album was released named "More Oar". The tracklist is same as the original, and each song was performed by someone different, including Robert Plant and Tom Waits. Beck covered "Halo of Gold" for the album.

The original sounds like a folk song played on bass, and is very unique. It does sound like a demo, though, and in many ways, Beck came in and finished it for him.

After this, Beck made his "Record Club" project, where he and his friends tackle entire albums in a single day. One of these albums was Oar, where he and Wilco also covered it. Halo of Gold wasn't included though, because it wasn't on the original, and was an outtake.

## Lyrics

Have you got a fine place to slip to

When you're feeling down?

Have you had a week or two

Just to get your troubles down?

Found a lot of life and laughter

With a grandfather in the bowery

She had a body of sixteen or seventeen

She had a mind of forty

I met her on a cold day in a city far away

When the world's about zero

And I saw at once into her soul

She's bound to call me her hero

Then like a walk in the rain or the lane

I found a lot of death that day

With the grandfather in the bowery

'Cause I like her like the world

She had a halo of gold

Told me stories of her life

And the courage was sublime

'Cause you're mine, I walk the line

'Cause you're mine, lalala

Have you got a fine place to slip to

When you're feeling down?

Have you had a week or two

Just to get your troubles down?

Found a lot of life and laughter

With a grandfather in the bowery

She had a body of sixteen or seventeen

She had a mind of forty

When the world's about zero

And I saw at once into her soul

She's bound to call me her hero

Then like a walk in the rain or the lane

I found a lot of death that day

With the grandfather in the bowery

'Cause I like her like the world

She had a halo of gold

Told me stories of her life

And the courage was sublime

'Cause you're mine, I walk the line

'Cause you're mine, lalala

Tigers and elephants' teeth

Elephants climb the zoo

Monkeys, beggars and thiefs

Little orphan Annies too

Everything under the sun

Could be evened out ??

But if I didn't like it that way

I'd have to change it

Aahaah

## Listen

**Mutations**

**Tracks**

* 1: Cold Brains - 3:41
* 2: Nobody's Fault but My Own - 5:02
* 3: Lazy Flies - 3:44
* 4: Canceled Check - 3:14
* 5: We Live Again - 3:05
* 6: Tropicalia - 3:20
* 7: Dead Melodies - 2:36
* 8: Bottle of Blues - 4:56
* 9: O Maria - 3:59
* 10: Sing It Again - 4:19
* 11: Static - 5:18
* 12: Diamond Bollocks - 6:02 (unlisted)

**B-Sides**

Black Balloon • Diamond in the Sleaze • Electric Music and the Summer People • **Halo of Gold** • One of These Days • Runners Dial Zero