Phil Ochs is arguably the most underrated musician of all-time.

Started by Anna Karina, August 16, 2014, 02:20:25 AM

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Anna Karina

And by arguably, I mean if you argue with me, you're wrong.



Anna Karina

(my personal favorite Phil Ochs song that I feel like literally nobody else likes because I've never heard a single person mention it ever).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kQMRGz1PEoY




Anna Karina

This is probably far too personal and I should at least post this in that other thread, but there have been multiple instances where I've been contemplating, uh, things, and I'll hear this song and realize how short-sighted I am being.

I love this song, and I thank it for existing.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yB-BBVQLnxI



tinybitsofheart

QuoteThe most famous story concerning Phil Ochs and Bob Dylan deals with Ochs criticizing one of Dylan's songs and Dylan tossing Ochs out of a limousine, but the details have become muddied over time.

One of the more common explanations pegs the song in question as "Can You Please Crawl Out Your Window?" See, for example, Wikipedia's summary:
Dylan played the song to Phil Ochs as the two were riding in a limousine. When Ochs expressed a lukewarm feeling about the piece, Dylan kicked him out of the limousine, yelling "You're not a folk singer. You're a journalist."
The song, in fact, was not played in the car, and it was in fact another song recorded at the same session in 1965: "One of Us Must Know (Sooner or Later)." This was explained by Ochs to Rolling Stone and to author Marc Eliot (who included the anecdote in his revised outro to Death of a Rebel). The story as usually told at least captures the sentiment correctly: Ochs felt that Dylan was losing his songwriting clarity in the material recorded for Blonde On Blonde, and Dylan felt that Ochs' writing on political matters was "bullshit," and that only expressions of a personal nature mattered (this was a change, of course, from his early embrace of topical songwriting).

Undoubtedly Ochs didn't mind being called a journalist (his early shows billed him as the "singing journalist") but he remarked that it was upsetting to hear his idol (Dylan) saying that his songwriting efforts were in vain. The two wouldn't reconcile for nearly another ten years, with Ochs inviting Dylan to the benefit concert An Evening with Salvador Allende in 1974. Ochs also made a brief appearance in Dylan's film Renaldo & Clara, where he takes Dylan's hat before playing a set at Gerde's Folk City, which included his only serious cover of a Dylan song, "Lay Down Your Weary Tune." Somewhat aptly as a metaphor for their relationship, the concert footage cuts just as Ochs begins playing in what became the last film shot of him before his death.

tinybitsofheart

phil ochs is definitely underappreciated and i'm pretty sure i heard about him when evan greer covered "love me, i'm a liberal" years ago. from his political stuff to his softer personal stuff it's all so top-notch and i don't know why he isn't more well known today

jer

i'm happy to see no one is arguing with brett about this one because he's already won the argument.
Anti-Creative Records sells some things.
http://www.anti-creative.com

Anna Karina


Semi

Is he really underrated though? I don't think anyone denies that Phil Ochs is amazing.

Links on the Chain is his best song by the way.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MWGH1gKBUrM
I play accordian/guitar and sing together with my girlfriend who plays ukulele in our band Lagom, we sing songs about the internal contradictions of capital and watching Rupauls Dragrace.

Anna Karina


michaelcopeland

I'm gonna be honest, I've heard of him before but I never really took the time to give his music a chance. I'm listening to it now, however, and I really enjoy it. Thanks for sharing!

pronetoaccidents

don't believe i've heard any of his tracks but most underrated that comes to my mind is jackson c frank (i believe i made a thread bout the man and his brutal existence a ways back)
Though lovers be lost love shall not.

Graphix

Wow, this is the first time I can say AK started a thread way after missing the boat.



skateandannoy

Brett where does one start listening to Phil? There's so many releases it's hard to weed through it
https://deadformat.net/tradelist/anthemforadoomed


Quote from: tinybitsofheart on August 01, 2014, 06:53:17 AM
kinda weird how the earth continues to spin on its axis and everything eventually dies even when you don't want it to dang

PK Fire

Speaking of Evan Greer, anyone know what happened to the Riot Folk Collective? I don't know if they're still alive or what but the website isn't there anymore. I used to listen to Evan Greer, Mark Gunnery, and Ryan Harvey's stuff in high school.

Phil Ochs is definitely underrated... When I show his stuff to other people, they think of Pete Seeger. I heard "Love Me, I'm A Liberal" after Greer covered it then got more into his discography earlier this year when the local progressive radio station was talking of William Worthy's passing and played "Ballad of William Worthy." Great music.

Anna Karina

I actually made a Phil Ochs mix a really long time ago that I still hear people mention every now and then. I can try and find and upload it.



Other than that, I'd say I Ain't Marching Anymore should be the first. Then Rehearsals for Retirement and Pleasures of the Harbor (even though I think this is one of his more unsuccessful albums, it's interesting to see how bizarre and overthought it was).

Actually, I just found the mix.

Anna Karina

Here's the 2-disc mix I made in like 2006. 2014 me is bothered by it not being 320 kbps, but what can ya do.

Disc 1
01) Draft Dodger Rag
02) Cops of the World
03) One More Parade
04) Too Many Martyrs
05) Pretty Smart on My Part
06) The World Began in Eden and Ended in Los Angeles
07) Ballad of William Worthy
08) Canons of Christianity
09) Do What I Have To Do
10) I Ain't Marching Anymore
11) Santo Domingo
12) Celia
13) I Kill Therefore I Am
14) Morning
15) Hills of West Virginia
16) When I'm Gone

Disc 2
01) Love Me, I'm a Liberal
02) Outside of a Small Circle of Friends
03) William Butler Yeats visits Lincoln Park and Escapes Unscathed
04) Talking Birmingham Jam
05) I'm Going to Say It Now
06) Ballad of Billie Sol
07) Here's to the State of Mississippi
08) Bullets of Mexico
09) That's What I Want To Hear
10) A Toast To Those Who Are Gone
11) Power and the Glory
12) Links on the Chain
13) Chords of Fame
14) Days of Decision
15) Crucifixion (Live)

http://www.sharebeast.com/qmbr3msgxq1l