ROOTS IN THE SKY

While I don't have every studio album Oregon has done, I do have a nice collection and this one's my favorite. In fact, if I had to point to one Oregon album as an example of why this band belongs in the Archives, it would be this one. Sixty percent of the music was recorded during the same sessions as Out of the Woods and Roots is considered by the surviving band members (Collin Walcott died in 1984 in a bus accident while they were on tour) to be one of their finest.

The latest reissue of Roots is now paired up with Out of the Woods, which I've never had in my collection before. Can't beat that with a stick (sorry, .... no I'm not, heh heh heh).

Prepare yourself for some of the finest and most interesting acoustical music out there. All of the pieces have credit for a particular band member, but they never let you in on who's playing what. Not too difficult to figure out in general, but Collin's got this amazing arsenal of percussion and I suspect there's some sharing going on here..

June Bug starts things off. A short and frenetic piece that shows off Towner's acoustic guitar skills really nicely. Vessel is another Towner credited piece, he moves over to piano. Collin gives us some really cool sounding pot-esque percussion (not the drug). Glen Moore provides some really complex bass. And Paul McCandless's windworks float this song up into the stratosphere. Sierra Leone, more of Walcott playing with his toys. Very exotic and the song's title really seems to fit, though I've never been there personally. Ogden Road is supposed to be named after a street where a bully of Ralph's lived and he finds it a bit ominous. Maybe, Towner's back on the piano, then there's some clearly Towner guitar mixed in with the piano, overdub or who knows? House of Wax definitely has Walcott on sitar, an exotic piece that likely has no connection to the old film of many years ago. Hungry Heart is a mellow and relaxing piece, reminiscent of Icarus (not from either of these albums). Orrington's Escape clocks in at only :49. Short and quirky. I suppose he got away OK. The title track, Roots In The Sky, is certainly dominated by Moore's bass, really gets his time to shine in. (4:20) Longning, So Long is another Walcott credited piece, though pretty much another ensemble affair. Not sure if I'm rounding up giving this one a fiver.