Early Years

Phil Ochs | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (June 20, 2000)
• Original Release Date: June 20, 2000
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Vanguard Records
• ASIN: B00004TFC7
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,583 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #8 in Music > Indie Music > Folk > General
  • #42 in Music > Folk > Traditional Folk

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

It was Phil Ochs's burden to have emerged just as Bob Dylan was hitting his stride. It seemed that Ochs was constantly playing catch-up, if not in his own mind, certainly in the consciousness of 1960s folk fans. Vanguard's 20-song Early Years collection offers seven tracks recorded in the early-60s for their Original New Folks anthology series while the remainder come from Newport Folk Festival performances from the mid-1960s. (Two previously unreleased tracks from the New Folks sessions, including "Davey Moore," surface here; interestingly enough, the ill-fated boxer chronicled in Ochs's song was also the subject of a Dylan tune.) Ochs, like Dylan, would become more introspective with the changing times, but this set captures the Texas-born firebrand at his most idealistic and topical, as he rails against war ("Draft Dodger Rag," "What Are You Fighting For") and oppression ("Ballad of Medgar Evers," "Talking Birmingham Jam"). The from-the-headlines tirades that dominate The Early Years may be dated, but Ochs sings them with such rousing conviction that a strange sense of immediacy seeps through. --Steven Stolder

Product Description

The earliest Vanguard recordings by this beloved Dylan contemporary plus live performances from the Newport Folk Festival and the unreleased tracks, 'Davey Moore' & 'How Long'. This CD release contains 21 tracks of Phil's early material.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars SUMS UP EARLY YEARS OF HIS MUSIC, August 29, 2000

By 

Luke (Tulsa, Oklahoma United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Early Years (Audio CD)

This album is awsome. I got it the first day it was out and i was thrilled. this will please any Ochs fan unless you already own live at newport(it has all those songs plus 2 unreleased songs plus 2 or 3 others you've probobly never heard of)Sorry if you got newport instead you got jacked. Buy this album NOW P.S.all Phil Ochs cds are 5 stars

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars phil at his confident best, January 8, 2006

By 

R. Banker (United Kingdom) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Early Years (Audio CD)

The non concert tracks sees Phil at his quietly persuasive in addressing the civil rights causes of the day, an early cut of 'There but for Fortune',Phil's equal exercise in universality to Dylan's 'Blowing in the wind' plus his totally hilarious standout studio cut 'Talking Airplane Disaster.'The 1963/1964 appearances at Newport show slightly different words to studio songs which flower in the rapturous applause building up by 'Links on the Chain.'With one exception, you see Phil in 1966 preview in acoustic form much more personal songs later cut in 'Pleasures from the Harbour'.They are valid alternatives in acoustic setting,and 'Cross my Heart' gains from this setting.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Pretty good compilation, September 28, 2001

By 

Phyllis Friedemann (Alexandria, VA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Early Years (Audio CD)

This recording is a pretty good compilation of Phil Ochs'early recordings. Although I was disappointed at the short, live version of "I Ain't Marching Anymore" this is a CD worth having for anyone who wants a sample of his early works and doesn't want to pay for a multiple-CD set.

I'll admit that I only starting listening to Ochs after 1966 and was somewhat unfamiliar with his earlier works. This CD gave me an appreciation for the breadth of his songs. Of course, it was good nostalgia, too.