Phil Ochs is just amazing - I bought 3 of his LPs today haha two of which I've loved for a while but never owned and the infamous Gunfight. Ochs is a first class protest folker. Maybe (dare I say it?!) better than Dylan. His biting wit and heartfelt concern for social issues in America and second to none. That combined with one of the richest voices, and that tell-tale vibrato, not to mention impressive arrangements, set him apart. All The News..., his first album, established him as a singer-songwriter of depth with songs about totalitarian gov't, Vietnam, and the Black Civil Rights movement.
Pleasures of the Harbour is a master work. It's one of my favourite albums and I'm pleased to have it on vinyl. Complex arrangements depart from Ochs' classic guitar and voice, but at no expense to the heart. "Outside of a Small Circle of Friends" is probably the most famous track from Pleasures and the first verse is worth quoting in full as an example of his sharp irony.
Look outside the window, there's a woman being grabbed
They've dragged her to the bushes and now she's being stabbed
Maybe we should call the cops and try to stop the pain
But monopoly is so much fun, i'd hate to blow the game
And i'm sure it wouldn't interest anybody
Outside of a small circle of friends
There is not a single track on Pleasures that is not amazingly rich and beautiful.
Gunfight at Carnegie Hall was released in the wake of the 1968 Chicago Police Riots and the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.. Depressed and disillusioned, Ochs, ever one to challenge any status quo, even those of his leftist hard-core protestor fans, Ochs decided to put on a show...a ROCK show. He came out on stage in a gold Elvis suit and played a mixture Buddy Holly and Elvis and other rock and roll mixed in with his classic folk songs. The shock was nearly as great as Dylan's plugging in at Newport. Ochs' antics brought on audible "Boo's" and shouts of "Bring on Phil Ochs," which he answered sarcastic with "Let's not be closed minded Americans" and other witty remarks. By the end of the concert the "Boo's" were replaced with cheers and an encore. Amazing. He spits in his fan's face to show their hypocrisy and comes out head high.
One of the best moments is when he gets the power shut off on him for playing to long and he get's everyone to chant "This is bullshit, we want power!" until the staff are forced to turn the power back on and he keeps playing. Punk. Rock.
One of the great American songwriters.
Summary: Folk Rock Protestor Extraordinaire
Best Tracks: All the News That's Fit to Sing - "Power and Glory"
Pleasures of the Harbour - "The Party"
Gunfight at Carnegie Hall - "Buddy Holly medley"
Rating: ATN [7/10]
POTH [8/10]
GFCH [7/10]
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