Customer Reviews

Farewells & Fantasies: The Phil Ochs Collection

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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.

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.

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.

Phil Ochs was definitely overshadowed by Bob Dylan in the 60's. This may be deserved, but there is no doubt about Ochs and his performances on this CD. Every song is strong, and the electric version of "I Ain't Marching Anymore" is a true find, even though purist think that electric folk music is a sign of the devil. Fact is, just like Dylan, Ochs could do electric folk music. "Links On The Chain" is also a great track. "The War Is Over", "What's That I Hear", "Draft Dodger Rag" are just some of the other fantastic songs on this collection. At three CD's, along with a good booklet included, it is worth the cost. Don't pass this up and miss some of the best folk music out there.

It's a pity that Phil Ochs is such a forgotten figure. Even with his flaws, (and okay, he wrote a few weak songs,) the man's music and legacy are monumental. A common criticism of Ochs in the 60s was that his music was too topical to achieve the level of, say, Dylan's artistry. But just listen to "Pretty Smart On My Part," "When In Rome," and "I Kill Therefore I Am"-- their themes of paranoia, violence, and the cult of ignorance are as painfully relevant as ever. "Cops of the World" provides the last word on U.S. foriegn policy, while "Crucifixion" is simply one of the greatest songs ever written. "Rehearsals for Retirement" is Phil's heartbreaking farewell, but the fantasies he painted on the monument are still here for us to love and learn from.

This set will change your life.

Even without the magnificant song "My Life" (on the superb "Rehearsals for Retirement" [perhaps his finest overall album] which is now available from AMAZON.COM in a double CD with the excessively mediocre "Gunfight at Carnegie Hall"), this boxed set shows once again why Phil Ochs was the premier folk singer/composer/lyricist of the 1960s and 1970s. While his melodies could calm the proverbial savage beast, his lyrics evoked and provoked. Few love songs equaled the beauty of the oft-recorded "Changes." Few songs evoked the patriotism of his "Power and the Glory" (even Anita Bryant recorded it, although I've read that she kept complaining that she couldn't understand what the song was about).

I had the pleasure of seeing Mr. Ochs perform about half a dozen times. And while his live performances were always superb, these recordings enable us to remember someone who really was a voice of his generation, a voice snuffed out by his own hand far too soon. If you ever get a chance to see one of the travelling Phil Ochs song fests that his sister organizes, go. And if you can't see one, get this boxed set to relive the beauty, intelligence, energy, and charm of Phil Ochs, truely an American troubadour.

If Thomas Paine had a guitar he would have sounded like this. Wonderful package from the folks at Rhino records.

Phil Ochs "Farewells & Fantasies" . . . brings back magically present to us not only the voice but the person that was Phil Ochs!

Phil was a true troubador . . . he sang "the news" and he sang "the people" . . . he obvously felt pain at the sufferings he saw in the world around him and he put that pain into lyric and music(and even into sharp biting sarcasm). He was that nagging little voice which tried to wake the sleeping consiences of people . . . for this he was either loved or put-down . . . but he was hard to ignore.

This three disc retrospective contains his best songs and his best performances of these songs . . . it even includes his "moments" like when he forgot the lyric line in "The Highwayman" and had to "na na na" the verse to completion . . . but he kept on going without missing a beat!

His classic "I Ain't A Marching Anymore" is here as is "The War Is Over". His political barbs as pointed and piercing as ever.

But i love this set for some of his other work. Phil was also a story-teller and picture painter and "poet of the heart".

"Chords Of Fame" is a country styled portrait of a broken-down failed singer "i could see by your guitar" . . . and Phil warns not to seek the "chords of fame" as vacuous and hollow.

"Flower Lady" is a poetic look at the sad life of a poor woman selling flowers . . . and even of these there are no takers.

But to my mind Phil's best song is "Changes" . . . a song about the passage thorough this pilgrimage we call time . . . our time on earth is short and we constantly are on the move and saying so many "goodbyes" . . . a sad note is that one evening Phil was sitting in his sisters' apartment with a few friends who tried to cheer him from his depressions and encouraged him to make a "comeback" musically . . and they asked him to sing for them - and Phil did sing for them: the last song Phil Ochs sang was "Changes". the next day when no one was home, Phil committed suicide leaving us all behind as he made his "changes" and moved on.

One of the final songs Phil ever wrote was titled "No More Songs". He felt that there just were no more songs for him left to sing. In "Doesn't Lenny Live here Anymore" he even presents a picture of just such an "exit" complete with the hard discovery when no answer to the knock at the door and the subsequent entry into the room shows that "lenny doesn't live here anymore".

So this three disc collection brings us Phil Ochs "as he was" . . . his humor, his satire, his sarcasm, his poetry, his music, and his depression. It is unfortunate that Phil couldn't see what we can see when we "hear" his recordings today: that he was a most vibrant and insightful and intelligent talent . . . that we needed his voice and presence back then . . .and we sure need his presence today more than ever. had he been able to see that perhaps he might have chosen to remain with us . . . and i wish he had.

Thanks Phil for all your great songs and for "being there" when we needed you . . . we miss what you brought to us but at least you've left us these recordings to "make you present again" and to remind us of higher aspirations.

Kudos to the folks at Rhino Records for putting out this wonderful collection of songs from the 60's most underrated folk songer. As Ochs himself once said, "Fifty Phil Ochs fans can't be wrong." Seriously, this a wonderful anthology. My only criticism: how could anyone make a compilation of the best of Phil Ochs and ignore his hauntingly beautiful and deeply disturbing masterpiece "When In Rome"?

Okay, I love Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, the Weavers, the Kingston Trio, but Phil Ochs' music has always impressed me and I collected quite a few of his albums while growing up. Since most of those albums were lost or donated, I was delighted to snap up this definitive collection of his music culled from those, and other, albums. I was disappointed Boy in Ohio, Bach, Beethoven, Mozart and Me, Hills of West Virginia, and a few others were not included (I gave it four stars instead of five because of their omission), but with Changes, Flower Lady, The Scorpion Departs but Never Returns (based on a true event of a submarine torpedoed with no survivors and led me to search the Web for articles on it), Miranda, The Crucifixion, and my favorite, No More Songs, I cannot complain. So many terrific photos, biographical data, and backgrounds into each song. The only thing they left out were the lyrics to all the songs! I feel sorry for those who never heard of him, and wish he had not taken his life. There were so many songs he could have written. Thanks to this Elecktra collection though, those songs he did write can be revisited over and over. It's as the song I Dreamed I saw Phil Ochs Last Night, by Billy Bragg, put it: "When the song of freedom rings out loud, from valleys and from hills, where people stand up for their rights, Phil Ochs is with us still, Phil Ochs is with us still."