Customer Reviews

There But for Fortune

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Phil came along shortly after Dylan in the mid-60's, and when Dylan went to rock, Phil stayed in the urban protest mode, pleasing those of us (alas, too few) who were not ready to follow Bob into electrification and non-political topics. I saw Phil in concert around l965, and he was wonderful. This disc has an excellent sampling of his most accessible and powerful songs. There are a few really good ones missing, but this is a fine collection to start with, or to have if you can only afford one item. Phil didn't have the best voice, or the best stage presence, or the best business sense of the 60's singers, but he wrote some wonderful things..."Power and the Glory" and "I Ain't Marching Anymore" and "Draft Dodger Rag" are excellent pacifistic promotions. "Here's to the State of Mississippi" has to be the most powerful put-down of an entire state ever written, and Phil isn't joking when he describes the tragedy of that area's racist culture of the time. "There But For Fortune" is one of his most famous and copied tunes, and will always be relevant and influential. I can go on and on...almost every selection here is high-quality. He didn't just savage right-wing white racists..."Love Me, I'm a Liberal" has plenty of bite as well. For a change of pace, "Changes" is just plain beautiful, and given the fact of his alcoholic-haze suicide when his career was over, the anthem "When I'm Gone" is heartbreaking...but a gem as well. Anyone interested in singer/songwriters as a class, and the 1960's in particular, has to own something by Phil. He is unfairly neglected now, and it is a shame.

Although I was born in the 80's, I find myself constantly drawn to the amazing artists of the 60's and early 70's, including this genius of a singer/songwriter, Phil Ochs. Some of his work may be dated, but each song displays such wit and sarcasm (my favorite kind of humor) that I find myself unable to let a day go by without listening to his music. His words are compelling (I surely learn more about America from him than from my history class) and his tunes are haunting (not to mention catchy). So many of the things he sang about are still current world issues (if he were here today I shudder to think of the way he would have ripped apart the presidential election!): he is in a class all by himself. If you are new to Phil Ochs (and I hope there are many of you), then this album is perfect to start off with, since it contains his truly greatest works. (of course, once you have played it to the breaking point, I would also recommend the three albums from which these song were taken). Play them, enjoy them: they will give you something to think about, and love.

I once saw Phil Ochs take 10 min. to tune his guitar, starting and stopping his song. He was obsessed with perfoming at his best. Sadly this was in the late 60's to a small crowd ,in a small town as the protest era was dying. Phil eventually had no outlet for his creativity. "Changes" is simply one of the greatest folk tunes of all time with haunting lyrics. Can you believe that my 20 year old son is now hooked on him and just sang " When I'm Gone" (sadly prophetic for Phil) at a coffee house recently ? "There But For Fortune" is my favorite sung in Phil's unique vocal syle. The other tunes on this CD represent his wit and sarcasm for the times but the 3 songs I have just described are timeless classics.

If you're asking that question this CD is the perfect place to start, there is no better compilation. If you even hear a clip of Ochs' anthem "I Ain't Marching Anymore" which is a historical review of bloody American history and the men who fought our battles, you'll probably be hooked and looking for more. You're in luck because this CD also contains the songs, "One More Parade" and "Is There Anybody Here" which expand on the theme of the rich man's war, poor man's fight. Just to show how thoughtful and original Ochs truly was there are two civil rights ballads, "Too Many Martyrs" and the take no prisoners indictment, "Heres To The State Of Mississippi" which chronicals some of the most shameful chapters in American history. The late Phil Ochs ballads are neither sappy nor angry but rather gripping and stark, and very memorable. There is also comic relief with Ochs' witty "Draft Dodger Rag" and "Love me, I'm A Liberal". Any student would get a kick out of "I'm Going To Say It Now" with such lyrics as, "You've given me a number and you've taken away my name and to get around this campus why you almost need a plane!" Phil Ochs goes beyond being lumped into simply 'folk song' or 'protest music' with the haunting "When I'm Gone" which ends up this great album. The quanity and quality of material put forth by this very young artist is as staggering as is his early exit from the scene is regrettable. Buy it for yourself, and for future generations to listen to, think about, and enjoy.

'There But For Fortune' is an omnibus album of 18 tracks from three important Phil Ochs albums. Unfortunately, 'Pleasures of the Harbor', the album for which I always had the highest regard is not among them.

Ochs, along with Richard Farina is one of the two great pretenders to Bob Dylan's throne (inherited from Woody Guthrie), as the great American folksong singer / songwriter, after Dylan went electric.

Unfortunately, both Ochs and Farina died long before they were able to achieve their full potential. It is especially interesting with Ochs to imagine if he would ever outgrow his tendency to write songs which rapidly became dated. In this album, there is an odd mix of references and subjects which are probably totally unfamiliar to young people today, with some other songs, such as 'Cops of the World' which have become remarkably more relevant with recent events.

In contrast, Dylan's genius was in writing so many great songs which, like many of Guthrie's songs, have all the earmarks of enduring for a long, long time.

With some caveats, I agree with other reviewers that this is about as good as it gets for Ochs collections. Enjoy them often.

I am proof that you don't need to have lived the 60's or even to be an American to appreciate Phil Ochs. This is a wonderful collection, and I believe that anybody can be touched by the voice of Phil in songs such as the Highwayman or Changes.

As far as I'm concerned, Phil Ochs is the most poignantly, hauntingly, heart-breakingly, searingly effective folk singer of all time. All his songs are topical, relevant, but there are times when he'll just throw in a phrase that is so striking it just lodges in your mind, impossible to be forgotten. If you're not yet familiar with Phil Ochs' work, this is the album to have. The second to last song on the album, calle "Changes," is one of the most beautiful songs I've ever heard.

Writing this on the 30th anniversary of Phil's death (4/9/06
begs the question of relevancy. How real were his perspectives?
How meaningful were his observations? Are what he was singing about then make any sense now? I guess it all depends upon one's own point of view, but when looking back at all he said and where we've been, one must suck a breath and gaze upon the sully load through the years that beat us down today. If any relevancy is negated through time, how is it that we gape in wonder at his lyrical splendor and his seeing the emperor's hairless [...] swinging through the air from side to side? Perhaps the idea of fruitless protest persists at his self-imposed demise, or perhpaps the importance of standing tall remains from his struggle. In any, or all situations one picks his/her path and shimmys through the aisles. No doubt, some special thoughts will always remain at his listenning. This album is a a valid stream of thoughts, of timbered melodies, and harrowing lyrics. There are so many samples in the workplace, that this is just one of many. However, it will do for the short term as we continue to question who he really was, what he really did, and what have we become. Give a listen

The word "genius" is bandied about way too much, as are lauditory generalities like "great" and "incredible" and "amazing." So, when an artist truly *is* a genius, and his work is great, incredible, and amazing, it leaves us at a loss for words to do him justice.

Phil Ochs is almost always mentioned when the Greenwich Village folk revival of the 60s is discussed. Sadly, though, he often is mentioned paranthetically, thus: "...Eric Andersen, Tom Paxton, Phil Ochs, and of course, Bob Dylan." This is extremely misleading. Ochs is nothing like Andersen, Andersen is nothing like Paxton, Paxton is nothing like Dylan. And while Dylan may be the Da Vinci of modern music, and while it's true no one can compare, why *should* we compare? The Mona Lisa may be the world's greatest painting, but I still want to look at Caravaggio and Modigliani and Klee.

Phil Ochs was a topical, political songwriter, but his songs have a complex, nuanced beauty and power that I've rarely heard elsewhere. Though most of his songs were, intentionally, very much of their time and relevant in almost a journalistic way, many of them have been rendered timeless just because Ochs was so attuned to human nature.

If folk music gives you the heebie-jeebies, chances are you'll still value this collection, a treasure trove of beauty. "When I'm Gone" is one of the most starkly beautiful and painful songs I've ever heard--at once an ode to and a lament on mortality. There is not a bad song here, and most are profound and moving. "There But For Fortune," "Santo Domingo," "The Cops of the World," and "Bracero" are some of the best.

I wish I could say thank you; I'm so sorry he is gone. This is an artist that everyone should know.

Of all the topical folk singers of the sixties, none surpass Phil Ochs. Whether he's singing about student protests, the horrors of segregation, the U.S. war on Vietnam, police repression, or U.S. intervention in the Americas, his lyrics are always right on target. A much more militant voice for social justice than Dylan or Baez, his legacy has largely been erased. Sadly, while many of the lyrics are about events that took place some forty years ago and politicians who have long been out of office, his songs are just as meaningful today. Just substitute Vietnam for Iraq. For activists new to his music, this cd is the perfect introduction to his work as it is more or less a collection of his greatest hits. It is also an excellent way to learn about the turbulent sixties.