Customer Reviews

20th Century Masters: The Millennium Collection: Best Of Phil Ochs

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This little compilation brings together on one CD some gems from the later years of one of America's finest folk singers, from a time near the end of his life where idealism had given way to disillusionment at the same time as his musical creativity was taking new and unexpected directions. This CD includes his apocalyptic folk masterpiece "The Crucifixion" in its original studio version from the "Pleasures Of The Harbor" LP, complete with dark, disturbing, and dissonant effects that anticipate similar stylistic element in contemporary dark folk artists like Darkwood and Current 93 by several decades. That track alone is worth the price of this CD.

As one who was around in the 60's and still listens to Phil Ochs, I thought I'd set jblyn's record straight in showing that Phil's topical songs are more current than ever, so updateable with little effort- example, you'll find on youtube "Here's to the State of Sarah Palin" based on Phil's "Here's to the State of Mississippi" , that "White Boots Marching in a Yellow Land" only needs "Arab" substituting for "Yellow" to remain contemporary. The recent inner city riots in Britain makes "In the Heat of the Summer" both as politically and poetically insightful and relevant as ever. "Love me I'm a Liberal" 's payoff ending of "Sure once I was young and impulsive/ I wore every conceivable pin /Even went to the socialist meetings / Learned all the old union hymns / But I've grown older and wiser /And that's why I'm turning you in /So love me, love me, love me, I'm a liberal" is intensely relevant criticism of too many who sell their souls for material advantage. Yes, jblyn's review is mean minded and written under the influence of too many American cop shows and, no, the complete set of Phil's CDs is out there in the market place and the real problem is that Phil has been simply written out of history as does Martin Scorsese's otherwise excellent 'No Direction Home' Dylan biography does for Phil and all his folk contemoraries.

Back to business in reviewing this compilation, this largely covers Phil's later music and will invert the more usual listening progress of progressing from Phil's topical songs on which his reputation was founded (except I ain't Marching) but will reward the listener with an enquiring mind. "Flower Lady" is a sweetly musical lament to the lack of kindness in urban life, contrasting with the more upbeat "Cross My Heart" while 'Outside of A Small Circle of Friends" is a caustic political attack on apathy set to contrasting ragtime jazz background. "The War is Over" continues the antiwar theme of "I ain't Marching Anymore" (his signature tune and relevant then and now) .More disturbing but rewarding listening is "The Crucifixion" a timeless allegory of hero sacrifice set to a background of the London Symphony Orchestra on acid (The Beatles 'Day in the Life" was surely an influence) and Phil's chilling setting of urban desolation after the demonstation's finished in "William Butler Yeates" linking with 'Rehearsals for Retirement" marking the shattering of his hopes after the 1968 Chicago Convention riots. Most prescient for this age is the ironically rock and roll "Chords of Fame" singing about the destructive effects of celebrity (which Melanie's simple folk version outdoes). All in all, a good selection of songs which will amply repay further investigation.

Phil Ochs is a lost treasure. IMO, far more talented than the much more famous Bob Dylan, his golden voice; beautiful, but often biting lyrics; and his guitar deserve much more attention than they have gotten. His songs of protest are as vital today as when he wrote them.

I should have reviewed the product description more carefully before I placed my order for this CD. While there is nothing bad about the material on this CD, I was more interested in hearing the artist's earlier recordings.

The music is everthing I remember it to be - My cassette wore out so it was time to replace it.
The delivery time was short and the item was in perfect shape

People who are big fans of his get purple with rage when anyone is less than laudatory about the work of Phil Ochs. "He was an underrated genius!," "How can you compare him to Dylan?,"He's so much better than music nowadays!," and on and on. But, be honest now, how many of those of us who grew up in the Sixties still listen---really LISTEN---to his music? Face it, it doesn't wear well over time. Ochs' topical material, with some exceptions, sounds very dated and self-righteous now (He sang snotty stuff like LOVE ME, I'M A LIBERAL, but exactly who did he think was buying his records back then? It wasn't Goldwater conservatives, that's for sure), and his "poetic" songs--again, with some exceptions--sound overreaching for effect where someone like Dylan managed it with ease. And if he really was an underrated genius, why is it that his CDs keep getting deleted and that this review is for an MP3 download version of this collection? I'll take whatever flames on this you want to throw and maintain that Phil Ochs' heart was in the right place, but his talents weren't equal to his passions.

That said, this collection contains a lot of his better, post-topical songs and ample proof that he could hit the mark when he just sang from the heart. "Cross My Heart" and "Flower Lady" are two of his simplest but most rewarding songs, the former a heartfelt declaration of life and the latter a melancholy portrait of someone's downward spiral. Ochs' best song, for my money, is the one that presaged his OWN tragic downward spiral: "No More Songs" is a man's personal demons laid out bare and stark for all to see, and it's one of the few of his allegory-laden songwriting period where each image hits home. "Chords of Fame" covers that same ground in less lyrically-dense terms, but it, too, is very powerful and compelling. "The Crucifixion," a song Ochs wrote to eulogize John F. Kennedy, is one of the few where the topical side of him and the lyrical side of him merge to terrific effect. The studio version of this song, included here, is a mess, full of tape effects and weird orchestras, and I recommend his solo live version from THERE AND NOW: LIVE IN VANCOUVER instead. It's a great performance of a great song.

Some, no doubt, will find my review mean-spirited, but, ultimately, I don't think blind devotion to any performer does them any favors, or does any new listeners any favors, either. I've tried to be fair about my judgements and ultimately hope that anyone encountering Ochs for the first time will find something rewarding in that encounter. This collection isn't a bad place to start.