On My Way

Phil Ochs (Artist) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (June 22, 2010)
• Original Release Date: 2010
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Micro Werks
• ASIN: B003JA5MG0
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #18,698 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. The A.M.A. Song

2. The Ballad of Davey Moore

3. On My Way

4. Morning

5. The Ballad of U.S. Steel

6. Once I Lived the Life of a Commissar

7. Lou Marsh

8. New Town

9. Hazard, Kentucky

10. Time Was

11. I ll Be There

12. Paul Crump

13. The Ballad of William Worthy

14. The Power and The Glory

15. The Ballad of Oxford, Mississippi

16. Talking Cuban Crisis

17. How Long

18. Never Again

19. Don t Try Again

20. First Snow

See all 25 tracks on this disc

Editorial Reviews

This rare 1963 tape of early Phil Ochs demos was recently discovered. The tape was recorded in Florida by and for Roy Connors of the Highwaymen and contains 25 original Ochs songs. In the early days of the folk movement, songwriters shared their songs with other artists in this way. Most of the songs on this set are previously unreleased including The Ballad of Alfred Packer , I ll Be There , New Town , Time Was , and an early version of Power And The Glory with an extra verse. Between cuts, Ochs describes the songs and even tells what chords he uses. A must for any Phil Ochs fan.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Spectacular cache of previously unreleased 1963 demo recordings, August 5, 2010

By 

hyperbolium (Earth, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: On My Way (Audio CD)

The folk revival of the late 1950s and early 1960s produced its share of recorded artifacts, reproduced on tape, vinyl, CD and most recently MP3, but it also held tightly to the tradition of live performance and the transmission of songs from one wandering minstrel to the next. Phil Ochs recorded his own share of treasured LPs, including his 1964 debut All the News That's Fit to Sing and the seminal follow-up I Ain't Marching Anymore, but in 1963 his songs were still heard only on stage in live performance. A couple of years ago, this reel of forgotten demo recordings turned up and was purchased at auction by Ochs' brother Michael. Recorded at the Florida home of future Highwayman Roy Connors, the informal session finds Ochs running through his original material, including several key titles he'd later record for studio releases, in the hope of interesting other artists (in this case Connors' Vikings Three) in playing or recording his songs.

Several collections of Ochs demos have been released under the Broadside banner, but these 1963 performances sport several key differences. When recording for Broadside, Ochs' was laying out his lyrics for publication in a magazine, rather than selling his songs; he left out chorus repeats and often sang in a matter-of-fact fashion that made the lyrics clear but didn't lean on the whole song's craft. In contrast, these twenty-five self-penned compositions are being sold to fellow musicians. Ochs not only sings the songs as he would on stage, he speaks to the songs' subjects, their chord structures, and to their recent reception by live audiences. Aside from the high quality of the performances and the number of rare Ochs originals, these recordings provide an unusual peek into the working musician's back room where songs are taught and traded.

The solo format - Ochs and his acoustic guitar - was easy to record, and the balance of voice and instrument is excellent. There are some dropouts and a few rough spots in the tapes, but nothing that really detracts from the listening experience. What comes through loud and clear is Ochs' devotion to his subjects, something he proclaimed directly in "I'll Be There." One might expect a topical singer of the early 1960s to sound quaint and dated in the twenty-first century, but Ochs' themes, complaints and observations of social injustices and political realities remain sadly resonant in modern times. He excoriates greedy corporations ("The Ballad of U.S. Steel"), is disgusted by the impact of market economics on health care ("The A.M.A. Song") and wonders about the prohibition of travel to Cuba ("The Ballad of William Worthy"). He rips songs from the headlines, lamenting the vicious death of a boxer, a cross-fire killing on the streets of New York City, and the hard times of a Kentucky coal miner's strike.

Ochs could also be quite touching, singing nostalgic laments ("Time Was") and lonely observations ("Morning" and "First Snow"), prings on "Nobody Knows You When You're Down and Out" for the humorous "Once I Lived the Life of a Commissar." This is a terrific package, documenting a folk troubadour early in his career, bursting with music that had something to say. In addition to the twenty-five songs, the tri-fold cardboard slipcase includes reproductions of two ads for the House of Pegasus concert run that brought Ochs to Florida in 1963, and liner notes by Michael Simmons. This is an important release for fans, and a terrific document of the folk-roots revival. It's more spontaneous than Ochs' studio albums, and though not as polished as his official live albums, the passion, craft and dedication that minted Ochs' legend still burn brightly in these demos forty-seven years later. [©2010 hyperbolium dot com]

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars if you really love Phil This will Make you Cry, January 18, 2011

By 

V. H. sibirsky "booklady" (nyc) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: On My Way (Audio CD)

If you have never heard Phil Ochs do not start with this CD. If you are a true appreciator of his genius then this one is for you. Though I own and listen to every lp and cd ever issued there were songs that were new to me. This is not a polished version of these tunes but the demos of songs that in fact Phil never sang on in public or recording during his life. Notable exception was Power and Glory, in a "rough diamond" version that will make you cry. Phil actually recites the chords of the tunes before he sings them!

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Old Ochs Is Best Ochs, July 23, 2010

By 

Rick P. Sullivan (Nutley, NJ) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: On My Way (Audio CD)

I a word.... classic! The early demos of a genius. Dylan should take lessons from this guy!