Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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52 of 56 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Arguably, the best one-disc collection of Phil you can get.., January 20, 2002
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.
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25 of 26 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
My favorite album ever...., January 19, 2001
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.
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21 of 23 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Are you a real Folk Fan ?, January 15, 2002
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.
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