More Oar: A Tribute To The Skip Spence Album (Birdman)
Rating: 6 out of 7
By Matthew Greenwald
Skip SpenceΓÇÖs solo opus from 1969, Oar, was probably one of the most esoteric records of its time, steeped in strangeness and strangely creative as well. Folk, country, and psychedelia all combined to create a unique work that in its own way put a period to the end of the psychedelic era. Birdman Records has just released More Oar, a tribute to that record, including all of the original tracks in order, as well as the reissues' ΓÇ£bonusΓÇ¥ tracks.
Like all tribute records, the results vary, but the one thing that makes this release valuable is the single-minded commitment that all of the artists display. Some of the highlights include Tom WaitsΓÇÖs gritty ΓÇ£Books Of MosesΓÇ¥ and Diesel Park WestΓÇÖs awesome ΓÇ£All Come To Meet Her,ΓÇ¥ which is almost as much a tribute to CSNYΓÇÖs electric work as it is to Spence. Cuts by Robert Plant, Beck, Jay Farrar, and others live up to their billing and OarΓÇÖs generally skewed reputation.
