28 of 28 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Here is music full of "power and glory ...", June 28, 2000
This review is from: Farewells & Fantasies: The Phil Ochs Collection (Audio CD)
Finally, the comprehensive Phil Ochs collection has arrived, with a representative sampling of some of the best of the late singer-songwriter's work on the A&M, Elektra, Rhino and Smithsonian Folkways labels.
Of the five previously unreleased tracks in this three-CD boxed set, three of them-"Song of A Soldier," "We Seek No Wider War," and "The Confession"-stand out as lyrically impressive if musically unimaginative tunes relating the artist's activism in protesting the Vietnam War.
Overall, however, "Farewells & Fantasies" is an essential anthology for Phil Ochs fans, or for anyone who simply wants to learn more about one of the most controversial and fascinating folk-rock troubadours of the 1960s. The 53 songs on the album fall into a rough chronological order, with the first disc consisting mainly of pro-civil rights, labor union, and romantic ballads, and the second and third discs drawing primarily from Ochs' vast repertoire of antiwar broadsides and his subsequent songs of disillusionment with American society in general and politics in particular.
Perhaps nowhere is this angst more apparent than in the 11 tracks taken from the 1966 "Phil Ochs In Concert" album and the eight works included from the brilliant Ochs' recording "Rehearsals for Retirement" that the musician wrote in a state of depression following the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago. The songs "Pretty Smart on My Part," "I Kill Therefore I Am," and "The World Began In Eden and Ended In Los Angeles" not only stand the test of time to remain relevant today, they have too often been missing from previous compilations of Ochs' work.
There are some regrettable omissions in "Farewells & Fantasies" (the absence of the poignant autobiographical tune "My Life" from "Rehearsals" is one example), but this is a minor point in assessing the total package. Indeed, one could quibble with the choice of this or that selection in the body of material represented here, but all of the performer's finest songs appear in one form or another, and to have Ochs' standards such as "The Power and the Glory," "Changes," and "Pleasures of the Harbor" together with the lesser-known masterpieces "Bracero," "Chords of Fame," and "When In Rome" in one place at last is no small accomplishment.
"Farewells & Fantasies" also comes with 100 pages of extensive liner notes and rare photographs (as well as an eloquent introduction written by Phil's daughter Meegan), and a song-by-song account of the creative processes influencing the man's many compositions. Even if you've read the two biographies about him, Marc Eliot's "Death of A Rebel" and Michael Schumacher's excellent "There But For Fortune: The Life of Phil Ochs," this informative text still has something new to add to the story... Rhino Records has produced the definitive Ochs tribute album, which will be an invaluable reference for every folk music enthusiast and historian interested in the development of topical song.
Phil Ochs committed suicide 21 years ago. This remembrance of his life reminds us of how much we lost with his premature death, and how much we have to celebrate in the tracks he left behind.
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28 of 29 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Where's MY LIFE?, May 31, 2000
This review is from: Farewells & Fantasies: The Phil Ochs Collection (Audio CD)
Since I am only in my twenties, I just discovered the genius of Phil Ochs in the past couple of years. I first bought two LP's by him, I AIN'T MARCHING ANYMORE and REHEARSALS FOR RETIREMENT and then I started hunting down his back catalog. REHEARSALS FOR RETIREMENT is, I believe, his greatest album, even better than I AIN'T MARCHING. The music is amazing - with strings, some horns, some honkytonk, even some Bacharach influences. It's the kind of musical experimentation that Dylan is usually given credit for. Since the Dylan comparisons seem inevitable when discussing Ochs (this is unfortunate), I think I will say that REHEARSALS he hits a personal poignancy that Dylan never had. Even the cover art (depicting Ochs's grave), bares a foreboding to the despair that led to his suicide seven years later. His voice is beautiful, cracking with personal pain and anguish. I would put it next to Nick Drake.
MY LIFE is one of the most beautiful songs I have ever heard yet it's not on this box set. Why? And where is The Scorpion Departs, but never Returns? That song is amazing as well. At least it has Doesn't Lenny Live Here Anymore and I Kill Therefore I Am - these are two fantastic songs. Since REHEARSALS seems to be out of print on CD (or never released), this remains a travesty.
Sadly, a lot of people seem to say that Ochs has become irrelevant (a few of the customer comments attest to this belief), and that his music dates badly. I think this is a stupid thing to say. Unfortunately, this was also being said towards the end of his life (and could be said to have played a part in his suicide). Well, I didn't grow up in the sixties, and his music still hits a personal note with me, so what should that tell you? Like all great music, Ochs's music transcends any generational boudaries.
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20 of 22 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
His Voice Still Rings True, March 7, 2000
This review is from: Farewells & Fantasies: The Phil Ochs Collection (Audio CD)
Don't listen to anyone who says that Phil Ochs wasn't as good as Bob Dylan. Different, yes, but in my book it doesn't get any better that Phil Ochs. His political passion, talent for lyric and sweet mournful voice is as relevant today as it ever was. It's a crying shame that he doesn't get as much exposure as some of his peers. This box set was my real introduction to his music - from his early protest songs to his later, more experimental music, his talent and intensity is evident. It's impossible for me to hear songs like "I aint marching anymore," "there but for fortune", or "rehearsals for retirement" without getting shivers down my spine. My personal favorite has to be "when in rome," which is unrivaled in sweet moledy and chilling lyric. He may not be everyone's cup of tea, but if you have any interest in folk music or great singer-songwriters, please do not miss the chance to hear him.
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